To V20c as a lifelong DF roadie
- Thread starter gaspi101
- Start date
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
Since you have triathlon chops already I can imagine how well you would do in ultra distance races on the V20c.
brokemyback
Well-Known Member
Transitioning from DF bike, watch for the peeing problem. I (and others) have documented a distinct change in frequency.
BJ686
Well-Known Member
Good luck with your trial run---be prepared that it will feel very strange at first and your first reaction may be "no way this is going to work", but give it some time and it becomes second nature and you feel completely in control on the bike, and its a blast to ride.
bladderhead
Zen MBB Master
It will feel very strange... You are going to feel like an idiot. And look like one. For miles. It takes miles to learn to ride it. Then to adjust it, which is a whole new process. Be prepared to think that this is all bullshit, and the bike is a heap of crap. Stick with it. Eventually you will be typing a post like this in response to some despairing newbie. You will be using your phone to do this while waiting for the peloton to catch you up.
And the creaking will be coming from the BB, or the spokes, or the boom, but not your poor old bones.
And all their whinging about their saddles will cause you to crash from laughing.
And the creaking will be coming from the BB, or the spokes, or the boom, but not your poor old bones.
And all their whinging about their saddles will cause you to crash from laughing.
gaspi101
Well-Known Member
If I'm gonna spend this much on the thing, I might as well get all the bells and whistles...thanks for the tip, I think I will.
gaspi101
Well-Known Member
Man, so good to read stuff like this. You know, I've been a bit on the fence between Cruzbike and something like an M5 CHR, especially since the local recumbent "guru" in my area apparently despises cruzbike...But for me, having a community is so incredibly important for the enjoyment of the bike and the sport. My finger is hovering over the "buy now" button on the V20c...Have to get ok from surgeon on Wed...fingers crossed. Thanks again.
gaspi101
Well-Known Member
Thanks! I think I might just do that. Question: How does it feel going down the descents? Do your feet interfere with your ability to stabilize and steer the bike with the handlebar? Steering with the feet at 35mph downhill kind of scares me.
gaspi101
Well-Known Member
Hello me from the future. LOL you might be right. Thanks, man.
gaspi101
Well-Known Member
Haha I can deal with that....actually might be kind of nice to make new friends!
gaspi101
Well-Known Member
No way, really? Like less or more?
gaspi101
Well-Known Member
You know, some years ago I did some randonneuring...joined back up with RUSA a few months back and did a 300k on my roadbike that I enjoyed quite a bit...did a little video:
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
That is a nice video braddah. Wide open spaces... the V20c would be all over that claiming it as its home. 1 thing no one mentioned yet is the view on the V20. Typically DF riders have their eyes on the bars or front tire, and require using the neck muscles A LOT (1 of my big reasons for changing to a V20) to lift your head so you can see where you are going. But on the V20, your head and neck is held by the headrest in the perfect position to look in front of you without any effort. Here is a Time Warp video from my GoPro 7 mounted on the front of my V20 on my usual 43km ride from Tokyo Bay up the Arakawa River to give you an idea of the view (without the feet flapping on the sides of course).
Speaking of riding without hands and balance, you can get very smooth on a V20. I do ride without hands while fiddling with stuff in my bag or my phone when no one else is around. At the time markers 8:12, and 9:03 you can see me weave through a pair of gates that have about 5" of shoulder clearance on each side. I go through those at 15mph easily. I have been through the gate at 9:25 at about 25mph when the wind conditions allowed.
Speaking of riding without hands and balance, you can get very smooth on a V20. I do ride without hands while fiddling with stuff in my bag or my phone when no one else is around. At the time markers 8:12, and 9:03 you can see me weave through a pair of gates that have about 5" of shoulder clearance on each side. I go through those at 15mph easily. I have been through the gate at 9:25 at about 25mph when the wind conditions allowed.
Last edited:
chicorider
Zen MBB Master
Descents make me feel like I'm flying a fighter jet. Not that I've ever flown one, but...
Once you're acclimated to the bike, and the wobbles are over with, your feet shouldn't interfere with your descending. I spin out my 52/11 at about 38mph, and coast from there. My top speed, that I know of, is 64mph, and while it was a rush, I didn't feel out of control. The main thing is to ride within your comfort zone, especially early on.
One thing you will notice is that with your body position, and your head being closer to the ground, the sensation of speed is quite a bit more than what you're used to on a DF bike, which is why I call the V the most "entertaining" road bike I've ever ridden.
Interesting that your local guru "despises" Cruzbike. I wonder why. One thing I appreciate about this gang is that they don't tend to disparage other kinds of recumbents. Just get out there and ride, be it a Specialized Venge, M5, V20, or unicycle... whatever. Recumbent riders are already a bunch of "weirdos" within the cycling community, which is generally seen by the general public as a "bunch of weirdos" as well. We all need to stick together.
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
This true. Ford/Chevy, Toyota/Honda, Pineapple on pizza or not. Just ride to the best of your ability. Let those who can keep up do so, and let those who go ahead be someone to chase. Congratulate everyone regardless of where they finish.
gaspi101
Well-Known Member
what a great video! thanks for sharing...yeah the connection of rider to environment is very important to me. Riding in wide open spaces is a semi religious experience sometimes, and I never realized how limited one is in their side line on the road bike. But it’s true, you’re often looking down at the handlebars or at the road immediately in front of you, because of the strain on the neck. you either have to sit up to look around, or lift your head up for a brief period of time. I never really thought about it. I wonder what that experience is going to be like on a recumbent… also very glad to hear that you can pedal with no hands! I like to do that a lot…haha
gaspi101
Well-Known Member
I’m gonna meet him tomorrow and ask exactly this!
There are cycling snobs like there are snobs everywhere…but fortunately, there is also community and fellowship everywhere if you know where to look. I agree with you, y’all are a good bunch, I think I’ll stay a while.
billyk
Guru
One reason some people "despise" cruzbikes is the learning curve. They didn't give it enough time (or didn't commit to it), couldn't handle feeling like a kid just learning to ride his first bike, and gave up. Then they need to put down those of us who did learn it.
And I for one enjoyed doing something new and challenging.
But here's a question from a slow Q45 rider, who will never be found in a 24mph paceline: it's not as easy to see your front tire the way you do on a DF. Does that make it trickier to draft closely?
And I for one enjoyed doing something new and challenging.
But here's a question from a slow Q45 rider, who will never be found in a 24mph paceline: it's not as easy to see your front tire the way you do on a DF. Does that make it trickier to draft closely?
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
YW braddah. It can be mind numbing from familiarity (almost 500 trips up and down it so far) and passing DF riders who latch on for a minute or so but then give up, but I think you are going to love it. I tweak around with my bike ALL the time because I like to and have a ton of time to do that. It keeps me sane by giving me something to experiment with despite all of the experience and advice the CB (CruzBike) experts here already have and give freely to help me get faster. Asking questions here about your V20c will get you immediate information relevant to your V20c without any negativity or having your thread deteriorate into bickering.
As for the view, I let an LBS owner sit on my V20 just over a month ago and the 1st thing he said was "The view is incredible!" which kinda shocked me because I expected him to consider how comfortable it was since he and I were the same height and I had been telling him that I switched to a recumbent partly because of neck pain from my road bike, and that there is a MASSIVE difference between cycling shorts and two sit bones on a thin and hard carbon fiber seat and what is essentially a Lazy Boy recliner.
Pedaling without hands is quite uncommon for me though. I like to be able to do it so I can compensate for my terrible planning or short attention span, but most of my time in the saddle I'm white knuckling the ride because I don't really follow a structured training plan because I am a cheap idiot. What I am decent at is GO until I almost throw up, or until cramps happen (usually first) and then try to hang on until I finally decide on a stopping place to turn around and go home. That is always subject to change if a DF rider passes me with arrogance. Then it is ON!
As for the view, I let an LBS owner sit on my V20 just over a month ago and the 1st thing he said was "The view is incredible!" which kinda shocked me because I expected him to consider how comfortable it was since he and I were the same height and I had been telling him that I switched to a recumbent partly because of neck pain from my road bike, and that there is a MASSIVE difference between cycling shorts and two sit bones on a thin and hard carbon fiber seat and what is essentially a Lazy Boy recliner.
Pedaling without hands is quite uncommon for me though. I like to be able to do it so I can compensate for my terrible planning or short attention span, but most of my time in the saddle I'm white knuckling the ride because I don't really follow a structured training plan because I am a cheap idiot. What I am decent at is GO until I almost throw up, or until cramps happen (usually first) and then try to hang on until I finally decide on a stopping place to turn around and go home. That is always subject to change if a DF rider passes me with arrogance. Then it is ON!
