S40/V20 Cruzbikes

[0435414]

Hi guys,

I am a 35 yr old with an L5S1 injury (disc herniation) that prevents any type of front flexion. It gets very painful very quickly so I cant really do alot of sports anymore. I used to row alot and ride DB racers.

I have now after gaining 30 pounds, decided to stop sulking and take the dive into alternative types of sustainable exercise.

My question is, in all your experiences, are these bicycles easy on the lower back? Anyone with similiar issues?
If so which type of Cruzbike is best for protecting L5S1 injuries.

Many thanks for any advice in advance.

 

[McWheels]

I'm not sure there's a single and easy answer to this. It is possible on any recumbent to 'bridge', whereby one elevates the abdomen off the seat by straining on the legs and taking the pressure on the shoulders or upper back. That will definitely put work into the lower back. By technique quite a lot of people get shorter cranks and pedal with higher cadences which keeps you settled in the seat rather than grinding too much which induces bridging.

Generally the more laidback the bike is, the more effort comes from the legs vs the glutes. It's a very general rule of thumb and routinely proven wrong by mutants or just those feeling contrary.

What could be good here is that the contant work exerted by the upper body on a cruzbike will keep the whole core moving and active rather than dormant and left to stiffen up. Only a lot of riding will tell you that you've found that balance point between activation and over-work

 

[LarryOz]

I would says that the Vendetta would probably put less pressure on your L5S1 - although if you have never ridden a recumbent the V20 may be harder to get the hang of initially. I would also say that depending what kind or riding you plan on doing and how much might also be a factor. If you are planning just easily riding around you will probably not have an issue with either the S40 or V20. Regardless I would get an extra thick Ventisit pad. Best thing to find a place where you can ride both and just see how they feel. Where do you live? I live in Hilton Head and have version of both you can try -

 

[Frito Bandito]

I started getting back issues on my DF (diamond frame) bike which went away after converting to my V20. Mine came with the thin Ventisit, but I fiddled around with adding 1cm thick layers of foam padding in various places. Initially I had 2cm under my butt and upper back, and 3cm in the lumbar area which felt amazing. But, to drop total weight I now have 1cm under my butt and upper back with 2cm in the lumbar area. My back feels perfect with this setup now, but it goes to show that you can tweak the seat with foam padding under the Ventisit LarryOz recommended to match your body geometry. I've done 3 hours on my DF bike that practically required a forklift and slings to get me off due to back and neck issues, but I have done several 7-8 hour rides on my V20 which I could eject myself off the bike like I was shot out of a Nerf gun. The lower the seat angle = the less weight on your butt.

 

[chicorider]

Yup, yup, yup, to all the above. I have owned both the V20 and S40, and the V20 is the more comfortable of the two for me. I'm also a speed junkie, so the V suits my riding style. It is the harder of the two to learn on, but it is the one that I learned on first.

Painful lower back stiffness knocked me off my DF bike and onto the V20. I ordered it, having never ridden a recumbent, but desperate to keep riding somehow without having to sit straight up. An expensive gamble, but the best cycling move I ever made, and I wouldn't return to upright even if my back would let me. As the saying goes, "your mileage may vary," but my back issues (which are now gone) turned out to be a bit of serendipity, leading me to what has become my favorite bike.

 

[chicorider]

Oh, I am 54 right now, and bought my V about seven years ago. While I've been having a blast on the bike, I have wondered what it would have been like to have such a bike back when I was, say, 35.

 

[petermaron]

I have been a long distance cyclist my whole life on a diamond frame. My L2 and L5 herniated around 2013 I bought the Silvio original version. After a long personal learning curve I mastered it and rode around 500 miles per week. Eventually my back would hurt after many hours. The seat angle was about 45 degrees. Once I switched to a S30 the cycling back pains completely disappeared. I am lucky to ride all year because I have a. summer and winter house. The am intrigued by the S40 but am afraid I would have the same back issues as I had with the Original Silvio.
Just my 2 cents from a 68 year old youngster.

 

[chicorider]

I have a V20 and S30. Both are comfortable, but the V is the more comfortable of the two. I had an S40 as well. It wasn't uncomfortable, but less so than the S30. Since having both an S30 and S40 was pretty redundant, I sold the S40. For me, it seems that comfort improves as the seat angle reclines more.

 

[Harry Spatz]

I had the exact injury, L5S1. I could not raise my big toe on that side and that confirmed the diagnosis for my physiatrist. It was vey painful, more so than the kidney stone I had years earlier. For around 3 weeks, my wife had to put my left sock and shoe on for me and I had unrelenting pain. It started after I finished a 300K brevet with over 10,000' of climbing on Sunday AM and suffered sciatic pain Monday AM. I was riding a Schlitter Encore and neither the physiatrist nor the doctor giving me a cortisone injection would blame the bike on my herniation and I have finished a 600K on the Schlitter with no major back issues. It took 4 to 5 months until I could extend my left leg fully when riding and suffer no pain. I had no surgery, but had one cortsone injection that made life bearable. I now ride an S40 with a Thor seat. Last Saturday I rode my first 300K on the S40 and had no back or sciatic leg pain whatsoever. I made the seat a little more erect to eliminate neck pain because I have some neck arthritis and don't like a head rest.

I did not get the S40 due to my back. I wanted it to try to increase my speed and after 1500 miles on it, I think it has. My advice is that the type of bike is not critical, but doing exercises daily for your back is. I do the four exerises my PT gave me every day and rarely miss. I used to get sharp pains ocassionally when I would bend over at the waist and it would take anywhere from a couple days to a couple weeks to go away. Not any more since I've been doing the exercises. I think the core strengthening exercise is the most beneficial. I am 70 years old.

 

[vosadrian]

I got the V20 due to my back. I was doing >10,000kms a year on a DF for about 5 years. Then one day for no real reason my lower back let go and has never been the same since. I am never without pain now, and although I still ride the DF, I struggle after about half an hour and need to stop for stretching by 1 hour and the most I could do would be maybe 2 hours with rest stops. I've had cortisone shots which did not help (and plenty of physio/osteo/chiro), and my MRIs show issues (L4/5 and L5/S1) but nothing bad enough to consider surgery.... yet the pain remains.

Enter the V20. My back is fine on the V20. But I do ride differently to the DF. The V20 is quite layed back, and if you need to start on an uphill, you need to pull yourself upright for balance and control. This can be a bit of a strain on the back, so I try to minimize it which means I tend to ride routes I can do with minimal stops. My back is great once I am in position, and I can deal with stop-start, but prefer to avoid it. As a result I tend to do the hilly routes through suburban streets with traffic on the DF. The V20 is for more main roads with less side streets and lights and for bike paths. But the V20 does allow me to ride over 5 hours without back complaints.

I would say the V20 is a speed machine. Not the best to learn on. Probably not ideal if you just like to toddle around. But if you like to go far and fast efficiently, the V20 is great for that.