To V20c as a lifelong DF roadie

[Frito Bandito]

I think I chose my crank incorrectly...assuming that I needed a smaller crank to account for the climbing penalty of a recumbent...Now considering changing from a 33/46T crank to a 37/50T...Cassette would remain a 10-36....I ride mostly flats and I can definitely feel myself spinning out at 26-27mph...definitely need more top-end gearing.... but 3-4 times a year I like to go with friends to the hills, where it's mostly rollers, but there are a couple of short 14-18% climbs that we usually (back in my DF days) would sprint up to....I'm not as strong as you...taking all of this into account, do you think a 37/50 crank with 36 cassette ration will be enough to climb some steep grades (albeit slowly)...? Don't care about speed on the climb, just not sure if a 37-36 gearing ration will keep a V20 upright up such grades

Someone who is proficient in gear inches and such can give a better answer, but I hear a 50t chain ring and a 10 on the cassette is either equal to or faster than a 52t chain ring and an 11 on the cassette. You already have a climbing crankset so if you can afford it you might as well get another for the flats. I know SRAM is expensive, so a cheap option is Shimano 105 R7000. They come in at least 165mm cranks arms, and maybe shorter As for the 37/50 and a 36 on the cassette being enough for climbing, I think it will. I took my V20 with a 52/36 and 11-28 up the Tokyo Olympic cycling route the day before the race and while the heat dang near killed me, there were only a few places in which the 36t front and 28t rear was almost not low enough to keep it upright at about 5-6kph. The next time I go up that route again though, I will have an 11-34t on instead of the 11-30t I have on now, and keep the 52/34t just because I don't want to turn it into a race with my upright friend who climbs like a goat. I'm just going to let him go and meet him on the way whenever he stops to wait for me haha

 

[gaspi101]

Someone who is proficient in gear inches and such can give a better answer, but I hear a 50t chain ring and a 10 on the cassette is either equal to or faster than a 52t chain ring and an 11 on the cassette. You already have a climbing crankset so if you can afford it you might as well get another for the flats. I know SRAM is expensive, so a cheap option is Shimano 105 R7000. They come in at least 165mm cranks arms, and maybe shorter As for the 37/50 and a 36 on the cassette being enough for climbing, I think it will. I took my V20 with a 52/36 and 11-28 up the Tokyo Olympic cycling route the day before the race and while the heat dang near killed me, there were only a few places in which the 36t front and 28t rear was almost not low enough to keep it upright at about 5-6kph. The next time I go up that route again though, I will have an 11-34t on instead of the 11-30t I have on now, and keep the 52/34t just because I don't want to turn it into a race with my upright friend who climbs like a goat. I'm just going to let him go and meet him on the way whenever he stops to wait for me haha

These are good ideas...unfortunately, Sram AXS is only compatible with cranks made for the Sram AXS groupset...the 12-speed chain it uses has "flat-top" links that are not compatible with Shimano or other chainrings...so I can't use a cheaper option...lol...I'm hoping that I can just swap the SRAM AXS Force chainrings with the SRAM AXS Red chainrings that can go up to 50/37...I'm thinking that the 10-36 cassette is probably enough to climb anything, even with a 37 or even 39-tooth small ring at the crank.

 

[gaspi101]

mixing

I have 52/34 crank with 11/40 cassette.

Yeah sounds like you can both keep up with a jet and climb a tree with this setup...

 

[gaspi101]

Man, that's a huge group!
I wonder if a triceratops would be more aero?
I have a camelbak in my tail bag, too. I put some Velcro under the seat and around the hose so I can just reach down and grab it for a sip and then put it back so it's not in the way.
My gearing is 52/34 with an 11-28 cassette. I'm more focused on tight gaps between gears for racing on flat courses than on climbing. I will climb on this bike if I have to, but it's not my favorite and I avoid it whenever possible. Except for the occasional sprint-hill KOM, I have a few of those.
Looks like you're really taking to the bike, good job!

Haha...it was a smallish turnout this Sunday...sometimes the group can be 50 riders+. As to my boy Reggie, nope, everyone knows stegosaurus is the most aero of all dinosaurs because of the spinal plates. Triceratops would act like a sail with head-crest...trust me, I've studied all aspects of cycling dinoscience.

As to the camelbak, this is a fantastic idea ...I was trying to figure out what to do with the hose as it kept getting in the way..putting it on the side with velcro sounds like a fantastic solution...I was going to go with clips over the shoulder but I like your idea better.
Wish I could go with a 52/34 cassette, that seems absolutely ideal...but Sram only makes a 50/37T for the AXS system (crank has to be AXS or AXS compatible because of the weird chain they use)....If I could find a chainring on a 52/34T that is AXS compatible, that would be amazing. I would keep the climbing ratio and be able to cruise at 30mph, considering the 10-ring cog in the cassette.

 

[gaspi101]

As for the 37/50 and a 36 on the cassette being enough for climbing, I think it will. I took my V20 with a 52/36 and 11-28 up the Tokyo Olympic cycling route the day before the race and while the heat dang near killed me, there were only a few places in which the 36t front and 28t rear was almost not low enough to keep it upright at about 5-6kph. The next time I go up that route again though, I will have an 11-34t on instead of the 11-30t I have on now, and keep the 52/34t just because I don't want to turn it into a race with my upright friend who climbs like a goat. I'm just going to let him go and meet him on the way whenever he stops to wait for me haha

Well, this certainly makes me feel better! If you were climbing pretty well on a 36-28 ratio, I figure, a 37-36 should be plenty fine then, since that's close to a 1:1...Thank you, my friend! Also, in doing the research I found this: https://www.bikecalc.com/speed_at_cadence
A 37 ring on a 36 cog will get a 7.9kph at a 60rpm cadence, while my current 33-36 will get a 7.05 kph at 60rpm....that's about 1kph difference and I think I can keep the bike upright at that speed....don't know how noticeable that will be but I can't imagine it would be that much....But a 50-10 ratio will get me 63.9kph at 100rpm, and my current 46-10 only gets me 58.79kph. That extra 5.2kph is more significant, I think than the slower climbing...

 

[vosadrian]

I have 52-11 as my tallest gear. When I had 165 cranks I could only pedal up to about 50-55kph for anything more than a quick sprint. Now with 155 cranks I am fine to about 60kph for a long time (in terms of cadence... not the power to go 60 for a long time!!). I actually have some long hills in my area where I can sit above 60 for several minutes that I coast down at the moment. I would not mind something a little longer so I could pedal those hills at around 70. There are som KOMs I am on the verge of getting (while coasting!!) but don't have the gearing for!!

Unfortunately for me, I also need to be able to do 15% climbs that are lengthy, so I still need my low end of a 36-32.

 

[gaspi101]

I have 52-11 as my tallest gear. When I had 165 cranks I could only pedal up to about 50-55kph for anything more than a quick sprint. Now with 155 cranks I am fine to about 60kph for a long time (in terms of cadence... not the power to go 60 for a long time!!). I actually have some long hills in my area where I can sit above 60 for several minutes that I coast down at the moment. I would not mind something a little longer so I could pedal those hills at around 70. There are som KOMs I am on the verge of getting (while coasting!!) but don't have the gearing for!!

Unfortunately for me, I also need to be able to do 15% climbs that are lengthy, so I still need my low end of a 36-32.

Nice! I'm staying with the 165mm crank arms because they don't seem to bother me too much...Question, is that a 52/36T crank with an 11/32 cassette? Because that sounds pretty nice! I just pulled the trigger on a Sram RED power meter chainring 50/37, which I'm hoping will be plenty to climb with a 10/36 cassette....

 

[vosadrian]

Yeah... I am Shimano 11 speed with 52/36 and 52-11. It is pretty good for me 99% of the time. There is some climbs I can;t do as I would like something shorter. There are some descents I have to coast down as I don;t have enough top end, but 99% of the time it is great. If I was to choose, I would extend the top end more, as I don't typically choose to use the V for long/steep climbs unless I have to. I just use my DF for those rides. The V is for going fast. If I could pedal to 70+, I could get definately take some KOMs on some of the 1-3% long downhill segments near me.

 

[Frito Bandito]

I think you'll be fine with the Red 50/37t and 10-36t cassette. Like Adrian wrote, if anything I believe that you are more likely going to be searching for something on the top end than on the bottom.

 

[Frito Bandito]

These are good ideas...unfortunately, Sram AXS is only compatible with cranks made for the Sram AXS groupset...the 12-speed chain it uses has "flat-top" links that are not compatible with Shimano or other chainrings...so I can't use a cheaper option...lol...I'm hoping that I can just swap the SRAM AXS Force chainrings with the SRAM AXS Red chainrings that can go up to 50/37...I'm thinking that the 10-36 cassette is probably enough to climb anything, even with a 37 or even 39-tooth small ring at the crank.

When I was considering buying my AXS derailleurs and shifters there were no SRAM chains, cassettes, drivers or cranks available in Japan. So, I checked online for the compatibility and was pleasantly surprised to find that there was a work around to use a Shimano Ultegra 12-speed cassette and either a Shimano or KMC 12-speed chain. So I bit the bullet and now I have AXS derailleurs and shifters, but my chain is a KMC, my cassette is a 12-speed Ultegra 11-30t on a Campagnolo Bullet with a Shimano free hub with Shimano 11-speed 105 R7000 cranks. Right out of the box they worked together with only 1 microclick adjustment. So far I have about 9000km on this setup without issue and I presume that I'll get to 12,000km on the chain and a total of 2 years on the cassette or so before beeding to replace it.

The AXS rear derailleur's ability to micro adjust makes it compatible with either Shimano or Campagnolo 12-speed spacing. The only thing is that SRAM's rollers are slightly larger so SRAM's chain will be noisy on either of the other 2 choices and probably cause premature wear. I assume running a Campagnolo 12-speed chain on Campagnolo cranks and a cassette would work just as well with the AXS system since it can micro adjust. I was so glad it worked because I definitely wasn't looking forward to paying SRAM's prices at the time if I could even find them. Just the 2 FORCE AXS shifters and derailleurs was $2000.

 

[gaspi101]

When I was considering buying my AXS derailleurs and shifters there were no SRAM chains, cassettes, drivers or cranks available in Japan. So, I checked online for the compatibility and was pleasantly surprised to find that there was a work around to use a Shimano Ultegra 12-speed cassette and either a Shimano or KMC 12-speed chain. So I bit the bullet and now I have AXS derailleurs and shifters, but my chain is a KMC, my cassette is a 12-speed Ultegra 11-30t on a Campagnolo Bullet with a Shimano free hub with Shimano 11-speed 105 R7000 cranks. Right out of the box they worked together with only 1 microclick adjustment. So far I have about 9000km on this setup without issue and I presume that I'll get to 12,000km on the chain and a total of 2 years on the cassette or so before beeding to replace it.

The AXS rear derailleur's ability to micro adjust makes it compatible with either Shimano or Campagnolo 12-speed spacing. The only thing is that SRAM's rollers are slightly larger so SRAM's chain will be noisy on either of the other 2 choices and probably cause premature wear. I assume running a Campagnolo 12-speed chain on Campagnolo cranks and a cassette would work just as well with the AXS system since it can micro adjust. I was so glad it worked because I definitely wasn't looking forward to paying SRAM's prices at the time if I could even find them. Just the 2 FORCE AXS shifters and derailleurs was $2000.

Wow! TIL

 

[Tinker]

Great success: todays commute (home) was NOT the slowest time i've clocked on that route!
and that includes 2 short walks to flatter terrain where i had to stop on an uphill and wasn't able to get going again.

15-30kmh is alright, but i'm still uncomfortable in the grindy low parts and at high speeds (steering feels twitchy), braking sooner than i would on my DF.
Just riding slow is not an issue at all, only the parts where i have to mash the pedals to achieve that crawling speed.

 

[chicorider]

Good work, and keep at it. Your brain is slowly rewiring itself. It gets better, and easier.

 

[piston9]

Since you are considering gear choices - and I'm pretty sure you run Sram - have you tried uploading your rides here?

SRAM | AXS

axs.sram.com

You can look then at the gears you used, how many shifts, etc. So for example, I got the 36T cog - and have not used anything past the 30... And when in the small ring i'm in the upper 6 gears only. So - i'm definitely 'under' geared, at least based on the small amount of data I have - I need to hit the hardest climbs around here and see where it's at.

Heres an example ride - (and you can drill further into more detail)

 

[Gary123]

Good work, and keep at it. Your brain is slowly rewiring itself. It gets better, and easier.

 

[Steve Heywood]

Good work, and keep at it. Your brain is slowly rewiring itself. It gets better, and easier.

It took me around 1000 miles on my S40 to feel totally comfortable with the whole experience... I'm hoping that the V20 will feel similar as she'll be rolled out of the shed today I hope

 

[Frito Bandito]

It took me around 1000 miles on my S40 to feel totally comfortable with the whole experience... I'm hoping that the V20 will feel similar as she'll be rolled out of the shed today I hope

I think you'll take to it like a duck takes to water. The first few rides might be wobbly, so if you want a funny video of you looking like a newborn giraffe learning to walk then now is the time

 

[gaspi101]

Great success: todays commute (home) was NOT the slowest time i've clocked on that route!
and that includes 2 short walks to flatter terrain where i had to stop on an uphill and wasn't able to get going again.

15-30kmh is alright, but i'm still uncomfortable in the grindy low parts and at high speeds (steering feels twitchy), braking sooner than i would on my DF.
Just riding slow is not an issue at all, only the parts where i have to mash the pedals to achieve that crawling speed.

This was me 3 weeks ago. Last week I was riding 30mph+ without any twitching problems and feeling solid on turns at high speeds...just keep riding, muscle memory will start kicking in and it will be very easy.

 

[gaspi101]

does anyone know what these two screws are for? they don’t seem to be for holding the boom and slider together as i first thought…maybe for a water bottle?

 

[Don1]

Yeah they hold the boom together. There is a piece internally that pushes on the slider via the screws, to locate the two together. Carbon needs more area to spread the load or it will crack.