The Vendetta just isn't made for cargo

[Kenneth Jessett]

I've finally decided the Vendetta is not designed for carrying much other than a few bits and pieces. I bought a BUC seat bag bag from Bent up cycles thinking it would work or I could make it work, but it has a sleeve designed for the wide seat of Bachetta bikes and it is not stable on the V. so, anyone else have any ideas? Thanks.

Here is a pic of it on the bike. What you can't see is that the sleeve is much to big for the headrest post - like a kid wearing his dad's overcoat.

 

[Rick Youngblood]

Scrol down the page a little and you should see a plate I made out of ABS plastic to compensate for the large seat bag opening. Others here on the forum have devised adapters using wood, aluminum, etc.

http://cruzbike.com/forum/threads/headrest-alternatives-for-silvio-or-vendetta-rick.8459/page-2

 

[Kenneth Jessett]

When you say: "Scroll down" have far is it? ;-)

 

[Mathew Fy]

Rick's handiwork with storage box creation is magnificent! So is the Cruzbike Race Case.
But it isn't quite what I need - a solution to carrying stuff.
I need one that's able to carry a removable bag - to bring into a restaurant, store, or whatever.
It needs to be capable of supporting the weight of the stuff without swaying or collapsing after hitting a bump.
Being aerodynamic and easy to remove would be nice, too.
My latest system uses Nitto R-14 Top Rack with an extra strut attached to a Tubus Adapter. Washers fill the gap in the dropout.

Note the 1/4" p-clamp stabilizing the adapter.

Not very elegant, but does what I want.

I can carry sandles, walking-around shorts, food, drinks, and (of course) a Scosche boomBOTTLE.

 

[Kenneth Jessett]

Interesting, Thanks. By the way, had you been walking in mud?

 

[Rick Youngblood]

When you say: "Scroll down" have far is it? ;-)

Sorry, post 24.

 

[Mathew Fy]

had you been walking in mud?

Yes, I was on a tour with camping on high school fields, stopping at SAG stops.
http://cruzbike.com/forum/threads/matthews-bike-tours.11935/#post-138573

 

[snilard]

I use bag of similar construction - Radical Design Aero narrow. But I don't fit it to original headrest but to Thor seat. And still tehre is not much clearance between tha beg and read mudguard.

 

[Kenneth Jessett]

Some great ideas to work on, and maybe in the meantime so I have some tools and tubes with me, I may buy the Moose Pack from the Cruz bike store.

 

[Eric Winn]

 

[Kenneth Jessett]

Eric, did you pick this video from a site, is it anonymous, do you know who are these riders, do you have a still photo of them with the bags and can you list the bags the bikes are carrying?

I hope these are not too many questions but I am planning a bike packing trip and seeing the video is seems it is a 'can- do' proposition on a vendetta.

 

[ed72]

I hear a v20 won't fit in the back of a Ferrari.

 

[Eric Winn]

Eric, did you pick this video from a site, is it anonymous, do you know who are these riders, do you have a still photo of them with the bags and can you list the bags the bikes are carrying?

I hope these are not too many questions but I am planning a bike packing trip and seeing the video is seems it is a 'can- do' proposition on a vendetta.

If you look at the comments for that video I asked 5 years ago for the same info and never got an answer but I think they are likely Radical Banana bags. Pricey but really nice kit. I have a set of Radical velomobile bags that were included with my Strada velomobile when I bought it used and they are exceptionally well made.

Here is a good review from Dave McGraw:
http://mccraw.co.uk/radical-banana-bags-review/

Radical's recumbent bags:
https://www.radicaldesign.com/recumbent-bags/side-panniers.html

Also, I ran a Brain Box for a while and built a light frame for the mounting sleeve in lieu of trying to put it on the headrest:

IMG_2417 by Eric, on Flickr


IMG_2452 by Eric, on Flickr

IMG_2413 by Eric, on Flickr

Vendetta Bullhorns by Eric, on Flickr

I eventually decided the Brain Box was too big and built and have stuck with this smaller rig I plagarized from John Tolhurst:

See here for more details:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/flickasailor/albums/72157640257415634




-Eric

 

[tiltmaniac]

Yup. I have those bags or something really really similar-- Radical Banana Bags (s).
The 's' (for small) can still carry a surprising amount of stuff.

They work well with the Silvio S30 (I did 3500 miles up the eastern seaboard of the US with them).
TBH, they work well on most 'bents.

 

[Abbott Smith]

For me the question is always hauling the basic repair supplies I need to ride without a SAG & the supplies that protect me relative to my T1 diabetes.

I currently run Cruzbike's standard frame bags and I'm really pleased with how they work. I can use this rig out to a century. Now I'm not using this to haul a laptop commuting, groceries or doing randos. If those were my goals I would probably look at the Q or T50. I'd also talk to Moose about his rando rig. He did Paris-Brest-Paris on his Cruzbike.

 

[Kenneth Jessett]

Yikes Eric, those are some pretty substantial rigs you have there.

 

[Kenneth Jessett]

Eric, Just looked at your videos for the Wind Shadow Rack, very inventive, do you still use that or have you moved on to something else?

Can you make me one?

 

[John Dorlon]

I've finally decided the Vendetta is not designed for carrying much other than a few bits and pieces. I bought a BUC seat bag bag from Bent up cycles thinking it would work or I could make it work, but it has a sleeve designed for the wide seat of Bachetta bikes and it is not stable on the V. so, anyone else have any ideas? Thanks.

Here is a pic of it on the bike. What you can't see is that the sleeve is much to big for the headrest post - like a kid wearing his dad's overcoat.

View attachment 5537

Hey Ken, you've got one of the old yellow Vendettas like mine, and I have that bag on the back of my bike. To attach it, I cut a paddle-shape piece out of a sheet of plywood. The "handle" of the paddle is inserted into the hole in the frame where the headrest also goes in (I took out the foam insert). I also clamped it to the headrest tube to keep it night and tight. The BrainBox sits on top of the paddle and it is very stable. I have several thousand miles on it. I can post some photos later.

 

[Kenneth Jessett]

Thanks John, pictures would be nice.

By the way all you Vendetta owners and designers and so on. Every one who sees my yellow Vendetta thinks it's so cool. The current drab colors have nothing going for them. I wonder why such an iconic color was discontinued in later models.

 

[John Dorlon]

I hope these help...

The "paddle" goes about 3 inches into the frame. There are some screws that go from the bottom to the top, with wing nuts on top, to hold it to the headrest tubes. I didn't cut any holes into the headrest tube - there is just a flat piece of metal that I am using with the wing nuts to make a clamp. There is a picture of that from the top further down. You can also see how the handle of the paddle has 2 layers of wood. I had do a bit of shaping and rounding on the edges to get a nice tight fit of the handle in the frame.

And I added some zip ties in the back to hold it down. There is a zip-tie sized hole near the corner of paddle.

You can see the wing nuts below. The cushion sits on top of them and they are low enough so that I don't feel them when I ride. The bag has a small strap that snaps together in front of the headrest (can't really see it in the photo but it's there). And I don't use that "hood" of the bag, which you are using to go over the headrest, at all. That way my headrest is not squished and there is more cushion for my head.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention - the best part of this is that I can stick a camel back bladder in the bag (actually 2 if I really want to), and run the hose out through the top. When I want a drink, I reach back, pull out the hose just enough to drink, then I can push it back into the bag when I'm done, so the only thing sticking out is the bite valve. Very handy.