V20 - bike fit / BB position input

[Tinker]

After finally buying an XDR hub for my kickr and wrestling the V20 onto it, i'm able to make images of me on it without imminent threat of disaster

I've set this up so my heels touch the pedals in the forward position. Kind of like the rule of thumb for road bikes but forward instead of downward.
Does this look right to you? Adjust pedaling or position?

New video by Stefan S

photos.app.goo.gl

 

[Henri]

I think it doesn't look really wrong, but it depends on what you personally do. For example some extend their ankles more and some less. For me it even depends on power and cadence.
You can try sitting more forward or back in the seat and look what feels more natural. I mostly notice in my butt, when my BB is set up wrong, because I automatically slide around to compensate.
Also pedaling technique might contain lifting your butt a bit when pushing hard and that would maybe change the optimal BB position in that moment.

 

[Frito Bandito]

It looks okay to me. I noticed that I would feel it in the back of my knee if my BB was too far, and at the base of my quads near my knee if the BB was too close. Like Henri wrote, if you find yourself squirming forward or back in your seat or tilting your hips to either reach the pedals or get further away from them then you'll know what you gotta do.

 

[ratz]

After finally buying an XDR hub for my kickr and wrestling the V20 onto it, i'm able to make images of me on it without imminent threat of disaster

I've set this up so my heels touch the pedals in the forward position. Kind of like the rule of thumb for road bikes but forward instead of downward.
Does this look right to you? Adjust pedaling or position?

New video by Stefan S

photos.app.goo.gl

If you can shorten the boom more I would suggest you do that and move the entire assembly forward because the handle bar clamp is further back than optimal creating a lot of tiller leverage.

Cranks look longer than optimal for you leg geometry causing more knee bend than most people like. You’ll know it‘s too long or two short if you get pain in the front of your knee (too short) or the back of you knee (too long). You can pickup more space by moving the shoe cleat all the way back.

If you can lower the handlebars you’ll get a strong arm position.

The headset should probably move back 10-15cm so you can sink lower into the seat. The head rest/neck rest is counter intuitive most people make it too close, when it’s correct you’ll immediately understand as you drop down in (at first it will fell like you neck is too closed to breath, it’s not a problem after about 5 minutes of acclimating on the road)

 

[Tinker]

Thank you for your feedback

The handlebars do feel too close this way, in particular when sitting up at stops.
That's why I used to have it a bit more forward. At the time, i noticed some... maybe? pain arising around my hip and the back of my knees. I didn't quite try hard enough to figure out if it was just annoyed muscle or a real problem
Another more annoying issue was with uphill turns. While handling was fine in general, tight turns while needing to pedal were definitely not.

The boom is as short as it will allow.
There might be 1-2 inches extra to be had by cutting the slider?

The crankset is 165mm - best i can find from SRAM would be 160, but that will require some parts swapping between Force and Red. I didn't have the additional money at the time i bought the groupset.
I understand people like 150mm or even shorter on recumbents, but i don't think there's any compatible arms.

 

[RAR2]

I always pull my inside foot off the pedal when doing sharp turns. That is left foot off on left turns and right off for right turns.
I went to 165mm cranks when I moved to the mountains, 155mm when I lived in the flatlands.
Your handlebars look too close, it is easier to control the bike with your arms straighter.
Also looks like you are reaching for the pedals, it causes a lot of wobble in the bike if your cranks are too faraway.

 

[chicorider]

Thank you for your feedback

The handlebars do feel too close this way, in particular when sitting up at stops.
That's why I used to have it a bit more forward. At the time, i noticed some... maybe? pain arising around my hip and the back of my knees. I didn't quite try hard enough to figure out if it was just annoyed muscle or a real problem
Another more annoying issue was with uphill turns. While handling was fine in general, tight turns while needing to pedal were definitely not.

The boom is as short as it will allow.
There might be 1-2 inches extra to be had by cutting the slider?

The crankset is 165mm - best i can find from SRAM would be 160, but that will require some parts swapping between Force and Red. I didn't have the additional money at the time i bought the groupset.
I understand people like 150mm or even shorter on recumbents, but i don't think there's any compatible arms.

I am 5'4" and have had to cut a couple inches off of the slider of every Cruzbike I've owned, including my V20c. The only "issue" with doing so has to do with selling the bike down the road; you have to let prospective buyers know that your bike will best fit those in the shorter half of the fit range. Not a big deal, and it is worth doing to get the best arm angle for proper fit.

Shorter cranks are worth looking into. I climb a lot and run 160mm cranks. I tried 155mm for a while, and liked them on the flats, but went back to 160mm for that little extra torque for climbing. Each rider who has toyed with crankarm lengths seems to eventually find their personal sweetspot. There isn't really a correct length, except for what is best for you.