The 'V' has arrived!

hutchtx

Member
I've been a long time lurker but because of all that I have read, I finally purchased a V20 and it arrived yesterday. I have it all put together and was able to get 10 miles in on it tonight. What a marvelous bike. Being a long time recumbent rider (I currently ride a Bacchetta Strada) I was hopeful for an easy transition. It was a little more difficult than I expected but all of the suggestions in the learning to ride forum have really helped. The only suggestion I would add is don't do your first ride in the dark. (I tried that last night and discovered that sense of balance is enhanced in daylight.). I will keep you all posted on progress. I see this bike improving some of my segment times. Just need to practice ....

--Dave
 

LarryOz

Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
I've been a long time lurker but because of all that I have read, I finally purchased a V20 and it arrived yesterday. I have it all put together and was able to get 10 miles in on it tonight. What a marvelous bike. Being a long time recumbent rider (I currently ride a Bacchetta Strada) I was hopeful for an easy transition. It was a little more difficult than I expected but all of the suggestions in the learning to ride forum have really helped. The only suggestion I would add is don't do your first ride in the dark. (I tried that last night and discovered that sense of balance is enhanced in daylight.). I will keep you all posted on progress. I see this bike improving some of my segment times. Just need to practice ....

--Dave
Congrats Dave - welcome to the Tribe - where do you live and ride?
 

hutchtx

Member
Thanks all. And for all of the attention, as my wife was taking photos of me taking my first steps (and then pedal), the neighbors kid comes running out and says something along the lines of "Did you see that way cool bike??"

--Dave
 

hutchtx

Member
I got my second ride in today and pretty much picked up from where I was a week ago. I hope to get a lot more riding in over the weekend so things should start feeling good next week.

Question:
How do people mount their computers? (I have a Wahoo Element). It is really hard to see on the handle bars. I was hopeful not to use one of those extensions they have for it.

--Dave
 

DavidCH

In thought; expanding the paradigm of traversity
I have an old Wahoo Elemnt the new bolt is a bit more aero but I have elected to keep the old. I have to read it 90degrees but I am ok with that. I am only really interested in the flashing LEDs and the Strava live segments.

I have a curved slider attached to the boom with an aero base bar and having the Elemnt in its vertical position is not ok for me as it catches when i slide out of the seat. That's why it is mounted horizontal.

I like seeing my heart rate and power wattage too.
 

RojoRacing

Donut Powered Wise-guy
I've been a long time lurker but because of all that I have read, I finally purchased a V20 and it arrived yesterday. I have it all put together and was able to get 10 miles in on it tonight. What a marvelous bike. Being a long time recumbent rider (I currently ride a Bacchetta Strada) I was hopeful for an easy transition. It was a little more difficult than I expected but all of the suggestions in the learning to ride forum have really helped. The only suggestion I would add is don't do your first ride in the dark. (I tried that last night and discovered that sense of balance is enhanced in daylight.). I will keep you all posted on progress. I see this bike improving some of my segment times. Just need to practice ....

--Dave

:lol I actually did all my leaning rides at night because I couldn't handle looking up into the sun before I got my giro helmet with the tinted shield. Of course I love riding my mtb on the craziest of trails in the dark so my balance without the sun is dialed. Sounds like you're already better than I was after my first week. :emoji_thumbsup:
 

RojoRacing

Donut Powered Wise-guy
I got my second ride in today and pretty much picked up from where I was a week ago. I hope to get a lot more riding in over the weekend so things should start feeling good next week.

Question:
How do people mount their computers? (I have a Wahoo Element). It is really hard to see on the handle bars. I was hopeful not to use one of those extensions they have for it.

--Dave

Wahoo should work similar to my garmin so just a couple rubber o-rings should do it.
13F65A2C-0A79-411F-90DD-52C9A9325C6A_zpswsiey82m.jpg
 

hutchtx

Member
LoL. Pictures will be coming soon. (I promise).

With respect to mounting the Computer, I am using the garmin mount with rubber o-rings. It is just very hard to see. I've decided that DavidCH really has a good point. Seeing the LEDs is really what I need. It is nice to see cadence from time to time especially when trying to get familiar with a new bike. That said, post analysis shows that my mental cadence "calibration" is still pretty much in place.

An update on progress ...

The third time out was this past Saturday. By far, that was the worst day out. For whatever reason, I was fighting the bike for who was in command of where we were going. I had a bit of a drift to the left and I found myself tense. After about 10 miles (I was going to go much further), I decided to go home and give it a rest. I finished my ride on my old trike reasoning that it is sufficiently different not to impact anything I am learning. I was a good call. I was able to rethink a few things.f

The forth ride was so much better. I was much more relaxed and by the end of the ride, I wasn't really thinking about what bike I was riding but about how to go faster. The fifth ride stayed on that track.

Tonight, I made my most recent ride and decided to give two of my Strada segments a go. Getting my best time on either one of these is difficult because of a bit of history on them as well as the fact that traffic has to be just right. On the 1.2 mile loop, I got my third best time ever (averaging 18.1 mph) . On the short hill, I got 4th best. In the case of the loop, I believe I still had more in the tank and can do much better. In the case of the hill, the real obstacle is the running start through the turn (which I did not take very hard this time). So, I am VERY happy with the first results. Especially after only 50 miles on the bike.

More (and pictures) to come.
--Dave
 

DavidCH

In thought; expanding the paradigm of traversity
In the beginning you are always fighting the bike.. even now I still constantly say relax. It is an incredible feeling. I have been watching the Tour de France. That type of racing is so different. V is more of an enduro racer. Something you can ride every day. Even if you are 50+. I love riding for breakfast.
 

Charles.Plager

Recumbent Quant
Now that I've made it through 200 miles, things are starting to feel comfortable. I went back and tried to ride by Bachetta and boy, does that thing feel strange now. Not needing to worry about heal strike is one of the best parts of the V20.

You look nice on the bike!

You're currently riding without clipping in. Good! I think it makes a lot of sense to learn that way.

If you're up for it and (only) when you're ready, clipping in to a Cruzbike can be a really zen experience - you become (much closer) to one with the bike. (I never clipped in before my Cruzbikes. Now I clip in on everything, including DF).
 

RojoRacing

Donut Powered Wise-guy
You're holding your head up and not using the headrest in this photo correct? That's not a very sustainable way to ride in my experience. You're a rather big guy with a thick chest and it looks like you could use a much taller headrest than the average rider.

You do wear this smile quite well though.
 

RojoRacing

Donut Powered Wise-guy
Actually I meant up as in higher which he's not going to be able to do with the stock setup but maybe sliding out out will do something similar. It's hard till from that pictures angle
 

hutchtx

Member
You look nice on the bike!

You're currently riding without clipping in. Good! I think it makes a lot of sense to learn that way.

If you're up for it and (only) when you're ready, clipping in to a Cruzbike can be a really zen experience - you become (much closer) to one with the bike. (I never clipped in before my Cruzbikes. Now I clip in on everything, including DF).

Charles, I am really looking forward to clipping in. I'm not really ready yet, but do have it in the plans. I have SPD on my Cattrike and I was also using SPDs on the Bachetta. When I decided to get the V, I went back to platforms on the Bachetta just so I could get used to them again. Note that I live in the city so clipping in can be a hassle at times due to the stop and go. That all said, I already have my stop routine worked out on the V. Just need to get more miles in.

So, since the subject has come up, what type of cleats do folks recommend. I currently am using SPDs. I'm due for some new shoes in a few months, so I might be game to try something different. I've never really liked how SPDs exit ...
 

hutchtx

Member
You're holding your head up and not using the headrest in this photo correct? That's not a very sustainable way to ride in my experience. You're a rather big guy with a thick chest and it looks like you could use a much taller headrest than the average rider.

You do wear this smile quite well though.

Rojo,
That picture is from the first ride, and for sure, the head rest was now in a comfortable position. Since then, I have moved it in a bit and that seems to help little but still not in the 'zen' spot. This weekend, I decided to get the adjustable headrest and give that a try. As you said, it doesn't go high enough for me. If that doesn't work, I'll take more pics and start figuring out some other options. The headrest is really the last adjustment I'm working on. All of the rest feels perfect. And that bike is a real blast to ride. Now, I just need to get the city to remove the speed bumps that are on the road. ;)
 
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