v20C stock gearing for randonneuring

[LotsaCruzn]

I'm a new randonneur, and have a v20C I've been using for paved rides. I'm building towards 200km - my longest ride on the v20C so far has been about 152km. My bike is stock, with the lowest gear being about 27 gear inches. I ride in the midwest USA, areas that are often thought of as flat, but in fact have endless rolling hills. Some of them are quite steep with gradients over 10%. They aren't especially long, but I'm finding the effort to get up those hills is my limiting factor, with old issues flaring up after many heavy climbing efforts.

Curious if anyone else rides long distances on a v20C, and if climbing capability has been an issue? If so, how did you address it?

Some additional context... I got into recumbent riding a bit less than a year ago, with about 1000 miles on the v20C, so I'm likely not fully adapted. I also have a Q45 which I find climbs much easier than the v20C despite being quite a bit heavier. So I could wait and hope continued adaptation makes the hills less of a problem, or modify the bike. I've already done the easiest thing (11/34 cassette), so the next seems like a new crankset with smaller chainrings.

Edit: I realized I titled this post "stock gearing" even though I don't have a stock cassette... whoops.

 

[cpml123]

You probably want to go with 11/36 or 40 or higher cassette. I have a V20. Front is 52/34 back is 11/40. I have done 200 mi trip with it. It doesn't climb as well as Q45 but is way faster!

 

[LotsaCruzn]

You probably want to go with 11/36 or 40 or higher cassette. I have a V20. Front is 52/34 back is 11/40. I have done 200 mi trip with it. It doesn't climb as well as Q45 but is way faster!

Just curious what derailleur and brifter setup you have?

 

[Greg S]

I have a 1x drivetrain (eTap) on my V20c, 42 tooth oval chainring on front and 10x52 cassette. TBH, I rarely get down to the 52 as there’s a practical limit to how slow you can go on a climb and still maintain control. For me it’s about 4.5 MPH. It’s quite hilly where I live (the Driftless in SW Wisconsin) and thus far I’ve managed local 9% grades but there are some hills that are quite daunting and IDK if I’ll ever be able to conquer them. Time will tell.

I also have an S40. It’s a 1x drivetrain (SRAM double tap) with a 42 tooth oval chainring and 9x46 cassette. The 42x46 seems like a more practical gear than the 42x52 for the hills around here but as with the V20c, I’ve not tackled anything above 9% (yet).

 

[cpml123]

Just curious what derailleur and brifter setup you have?

I have the old Sram 2x10 speed GX set up on the V20.
On the other hand, I also have a Q45 that's set up similar to @Greg S. It's Sram AXS 1x with 42 front and 10x52 in the back. I feel that gear ratio is very similar to my V20, and I can go up to ~12 or 14% grade as well like the V20. So you might consider the 1x AXS for your V20c. I don't think you will have issue with climbing. The jump between each gear is a little jarring though.

 

[IyhelM]

First thing I did on my first Vendetta (1st gen) was to switch the crankset to a subcompact 46-30. With a standard 11-34 cassette I could tackle almost anything - and my fitness at the time was not what it is nowadays.
What’s your gearing on the Q? The more upright seat might help for climbs despite the weight.

 

[LotsaCruzn]

First thing I did on my first Vendetta (1st gen) was to switch the crankset to a subcompact 46-30. With a standard 11-34 cassette I could tackle almost anything - and my fitness at the time was not what it is nowadays.
What’s your gearing on the Q? The more upright seat might help for climbs despite the weight.

My Q has 38T front with the largest cassette sprocket having 42T. With the tires I've got, that gives 24.5 gear inches. The V's lowest gear is 27.9 gear inches. So the V's lowest gear is currently about 14% taller than the Q's. I would have thought more based on how it feels.

If I went with a 46-30 crankset like you've got, the lowest gear would be more like 24.6 GI, almost exactly what the Q has. Would you mind sharing what crankset you've got? Is it compatible with the T47 BB shell?

 

[LarryOz]

because you are laying back on the V20C farther than the Q45 or S40 it is harder to balance. This means it is even harder to balance the slower you go. There is also a factor of traction on the front tire the more you lean back. practically speaking the best thing is aquire a better send of balance by practicing riding slow up hills. Strenth and spinning are also factors. I find spinning evenly helps me climg and if I even "slip" or get too tired to climb a large hill my pedalling forces become erratic. This will cause the front wheel to eventually loose traction and you will must fall over. I rode Sweden with Tor in 2024 - he could climg 20% on his V20 - one thing he did was put really wide handlebars his Cruzbike. This helped his balance immensly. Plus he was crazy strong and had super balance, He coudl even start from a stop on that steep slope. I had my super narrow handlebars and struggled greatly because of it. Hope this helps.