AbramClark
Active Member
Hey @torjunky I'm really impressed with your DIY builds, and congrats on the Vendetta. Have you learned to ride no hands yet? It took me about 30 days before I was comfortable with doing really tight turns and with no hands enough to button and zip clothing, put on and take off gloves, and grab / stow things in my side bags. Now I can ride no handed up significant grades (it actually makes it easier if the bike is loaded down with a bunch of extra weight). Granted I ride an old upright Silvio, a Sofrider and a Quest, and I think it's much easier to do all these things than on an S30, and I've never even tried a Vendetta which is even more extreme. I've never clocked myself on my Silvio, but I probably top out around 25 mph. I'm jealous of your 32 
, but I prefer the more upright CruzBikes for the city riding which makes up the great majority of my miles and I can't afford and don't have the space for an S30 anyway.
On going up steep hills, I find it really helps to grab the horns and lean way forward, like chin over the bars. This puts the weight in the front and gives you more traction, but even if I'm getting no slippage at all, I find this helps a lot, especially if I'm tired. I'm not sure why, and I have no idea how well it works on a Vendetta, but give it a try. I feel it's kind of like standing up on a DF, but more efficient I believe. It's how I tackle all the steepest hills. Also, like Bill said, put a serious granny gear on your bike and practice low speed riding. I just put a 24 t chain ring on (with 29 t cassette cog) and it keeps me from walking up the 15% grades. I may even recommend a 22 t, depending on what shape you're in and how much weight you intend to carry along. I also find it can help to introduce a SMALL wobble in sync with your pedal cadence (just like a mashing on a DF bike, but much less pronounced), as long as you're maintaining a nice even force on the pedals.
Also, interesting discussion on crank lengths. I'm currently running 170 on my Silvio, now I'm interested to try 160.
UPDATE: It is definitely a lot easier to climb on the original Silvio than the S30 and Vendetta. See http://cruzbike.com/forum/threads/initial-impressions-of-silvio-1-0-vs-2-0.11248/
, but I prefer the more upright CruzBikes for the city riding which makes up the great majority of my miles and I can't afford and don't have the space for an S30 anyway.On going up steep hills, I find it really helps to grab the horns and lean way forward, like chin over the bars. This puts the weight in the front and gives you more traction, but even if I'm getting no slippage at all, I find this helps a lot, especially if I'm tired. I'm not sure why, and I have no idea how well it works on a Vendetta, but give it a try. I feel it's kind of like standing up on a DF, but more efficient I believe. It's how I tackle all the steepest hills. Also, like Bill said, put a serious granny gear on your bike and practice low speed riding. I just put a 24 t chain ring on (with 29 t cassette cog) and it keeps me from walking up the 15% grades. I may even recommend a 22 t, depending on what shape you're in and how much weight you intend to carry along. I also find it can help to introduce a SMALL wobble in sync with your pedal cadence (just like a mashing on a DF bike, but much less pronounced), as long as you're maintaining a nice even force on the pedals.
Also, interesting discussion on crank lengths. I'm currently running 170 on my Silvio, now I'm interested to try 160.
UPDATE: It is definitely a lot easier to climb on the original Silvio than the S30 and Vendetta. See http://cruzbike.com/forum/threads/initial-impressions-of-silvio-1-0-vs-2-0.11248/
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