Seeking advice for new V20c rider

[chicorider]

10 miles of practice, completed some figure 8's. Noticed that if I pull hard with both hands while pedaling front end stays straight.

The "death grip" is pretty normal at first. And yes, you can injure yourself, as I did. Eventually, after the brain is done rewiring itself, the sensation of having your feet involved in the steering comes to feel natural, the pedal stroke smooths out, and you'll need only a light touch with the handlebar.

 

[Rfon]

The "death grip" is pretty normal at first. And yes, you can injure yourself, as I did. Eventually, after the brain is done rewiring itself, the sensation of having your feet involved in the steering comes to feel natural, the pedal stroke smooths out, and you'll need only a light touch with the handlebar.

Thank you

 

[Rfon]

I recommend a looser grip, like holding ripe bananas. Let the bike wander a bit, you’ll get better balance with time. Eventually being able to go no handed. Save the hard pull for intense efforts. Otherwise, you’ll get sore arms and shoulders.

Thank you

 

[Rfon]

Thank you

Did my first 10 mile ride today. Any pointers for uphill?

 

[Rfon]

Once you get over the initial heebee-geebees, I'd recommend going clipless. Since the feet are part of the steering, having the feet connected directly helps to make handling the bike more consistent and predictable. If your feet aren't connected, they can shift or slip off, and any such changes can negatively impact how the bike handles. The nuances of riding clipless will come with practice and miles.

For intersections, I stay seated and laid back most of the time, putting my dominant foot down to stop. The trick is being in the best gear for starting before coming to a stop. If I see a yellow or red light ahead, I shift from my 52t chainring to my 36t, and from whatever cog I'm in, up to the second largest 27t on my 11-30 cassette. I get to the 27 by shifting all the way up the 30, and then back down one. It sounds like a lot to do, but after a while the fingers just do it quickly by themselves. If it's a slight uphill, I'll stay in the 30; if it's a slight downhill, I might drop down two, to the 24 and let the hill help. For surprise or fast stops, where I'm in the wrong gear...that's when I break out the Fred Flintstone push and the butt slide. That doesn't happen too often though.

The best gear for starting will vary from rider to rider. Try laid back starts on flat roads in the easiest cog/gear first, then work your way down the cogs at successive starts until you find the cog that is just a little too hard to start easily. One cog up from that should be your best starting gear.

I recommend a looser grip, like holding ripe bananas. Let the bike wander a bit, you’ll get better balance with time. Eventually being able to go no handed. Save the hard pull for intense efforts. Otherwise, you’ll get sore arms and shoulders.

Did my first 10 mile ride today. Any pointers for uphill?

 

[Tuloose]

Did my first 10 mile ride today. Any pointers for uphill?

I failed on my first uphill attempt so I can emphasize.
You need to incorporate the upper body into the biomechanics of the Cruzbike.
The only solution is to practice, practice, practice.
Soon enough the body/mind connection will meld and you'll conquer those hills with a big smile on your face.

 

[cranky cyclist]

I found that when I climb a hill it helps to sit up. After awhile it is possible to climb hills that aren’t very steep laid back. Steep hills still require sitting up.

 

[Rfon]

Thank you,

 

[chicorider]

Did my first 10 mile ride today. Any pointers for uphill?

Hills were scary at first, partly because I was still getting used to how the V20 balanced. Humming along at 20mph was one thing; wobbling along at 6mph was another. @Tuloose is right: with practice, the mind and body figure it out and hill climbing becomes just about as natural as any other terrain. If you have climbing options, start with shallower grades and work your way up to steeper stuff. Eventually you won't have to worry much about the basics of climbing, and you can start to take on the more subtle issues, such as figuring out your best gearing (it varies from rider to rider), how to best use your upper body, and how to handle front wheel slip (which also varies from rider to rider).

The good news--based purely on my own experience--is that Cruzbikes climb really well in most conditions. Climbing has always been my thing, and I'm only slightly slower on my V20c than on a DF bike (my DF PR on a local 10 mile long 8-11% hill climb is only 20 seconds faster than my V20c PR. My downhill PR on the V20c for the same hill is over six minutes faster than my DF PR). Unlike the DF bike, I can climb quite a bit longer and farther on the V before needing a break, so the V is ultimately faster on longer climbs. When I ordered my V20 years ago, I was afraid that it would hamper climbing for me, but it hasn't. If anything, it enhanced it. All that climbing with no lower back pain? Sigh me up!

Great job on the progress. Keep it up.

 

[Tuloose]

Just to give the OP some encouragement, today I passed all the riders in our group on the first climb, including a pretty fast tandem couple.
All of them were younger than me (I'm 78) and most had pricy carbon bikes while I was on my old Silvio 1.0, not as fast as my Vendetta.
Further down the road I held back after the rest stop because I enjoy chasing riders down. I caught and kept up with the lead group up a 2 mile climb and once we hit a long stretch of rollers I grabbed the lead and kept it. Good gosh, I love rollers!

 

[Frito Bandito]

When I bought my V20 I wasn't even thinking of climbing. I might have heard that recumbents climb slower, but all I was concerned about was how fast can I go on the flats or even descents. When I finally did start researching about 'bents on climbs I was kind of under the impression that once the climbing started I was just going to get passed, and accept it regardless of the grade percentage. But a bit more research hinted that at about 8% is where the DF bike's weight and ability to pull on the bars give the DF the advantage. There are a lot more factors that affect at which grade that actually is, but mentally I put it at about 5% based on no scientific evidence at all. It would be nice if someone had that data at hand, but this information makes it a lot easier to swallow when comparing against DF bikes. IOW, just because it is an ascent doesnt mean the end of the world. The 'bent's aero advantage still exceeds the weight penalty in lower grade climbs. Where that is, I don't know. But the V20 being at the top of the food chain makes it pretty nice IMO.

 

[ratz]

Climbing is definitely about the mental part, followed by conditioning. Watch the first part of this video when the pros are climbing. Listen to how often they shift and how they treat it as a steady-state effort. It's very educational.

 

[Mathew Fy]

this video

Taking off a jacket while riding would be a challenge on a recumbent. While climbing 4% at 25 mph.
But seriously, why bother when he's almost at the end? I can't advise a new V20c rider attempt this.

 

[ratz]

Taking off a jacket while riding would be a challenge on a recumbent. While climbing 4% at 25 mph.
But seriously, why bother when he's almost at the end? I can't advise a new V20c rider attempt this.

Yeah that's a wtf moment. I think it was because there was a camera.

 

[Rfon]

Thank you, What gearing is recommended for hills?

Did my first 10 mile ride today. Any pointers for uphill?

 

[Rfon]

Yeah that's a wtf moment. I think it was because there was a camera.

What gearing combination or upgrade do I need so I do not have to sit up dealing with hills?

 

[Frito Bandito]

Depends on your fitness level and what you have on already. Shimano cranks usually come with 1 of the following 3 setups, but its possible to go with another company for your cranks.
53/39
52/36
50/34

I am on the flats always, so I have 53/39 crank set. Some riders go with the 52/36 because it gives a little bit better set of climbing gears with the small 36t chain ring. Those riders get into some hills or even do a bit of climbing. The 50/34 is what many riders who love climbing and spend most of their time going up or down mountains use.

As for the cassettes, riders interested in speed, and those who stay on the flats will often use an 11-25t cassette, maybe even an 11-28t. Those keep your cadence comfortable at higher speeds. As you start doing a bit more climbing, a 12-30t or a 12-32t will help you get over some hills. The billy goats (hard core climbers) use 12/34t or larger depending on their terrain.

 

[ratz]

Depends on your fitness level and what you have on already. Shimano cranks usually come with 1 of the following 3 setups, but its possible to go with another company for your cranks.
53/39
52/36
50/34

I am on the flats always, so I have 53/39 crank set. Some riders go with the 52/36 because it gives a little bit better set of climbing gears with the small 36t chain ring. Those riders get into some hills or even do a bit of climbing. The 50/34 is what many riders who love climbing and spend most of their time going up or down mountains use.

As for the cassettes, riders interested in speed, and those who stay on the flats will often use an 11-25t cassette, maybe even an 11-28t. Those keep your cadence comfortable at higher speeds. As you start doing a bit more climbing, a 12-30t or a 12-32t will help you get over some hills. The billy goats (hard core climbers) use 12/34t or larger depending on their terrain.

The bigger boys and girls or those of us that grow into the weight class use 11-36T and clever adapters to avoid buying new components. beyond the cassette.

 

[Frito Bandito]

The bigger boys and girls or those of us that grow into the weight class use 11-36T and clever adapters to avoid buying new components. beyond the cassette.

I'm getting forced into that weight class so I'll be hitting ya up on some of those gadgets in no time.

 

[Rfon]

Depends on your fitness level and what you have on already. Shimano cranks usually come with 1 of the following 3 setups, but its possible to go with another company for your cranks.
53/39
52/36
50/34

I am on the flats always, so I have 53/39 crank set. Some riders go with the 52/36 because it gives a little bit better set of climbing gears with the small 36t chain ring. Those riders get into some hills or even do a bit of climbing. The 50/34 is what many riders who love climbing and spend most of their time going up or down mountains use.

As for the cassettes, riders interested in speed, and those who stay on the flats will often use an 11-25t cassette, maybe even an 11-28t. Those keep your cadence comfortable at higher speeds. As you start doing a bit more climbing, a 12-30t or a 12-32t will help you get over some hills. The billy goats (hard core climbers) use 12/34t or larger depending on their terrain.

Thank you, will an 11-36 cassette work on the v20c?