V20's are scary fast...or so I've been told

[Doug Kline]

I took my V20 over to the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina for the first three days of Cycle NC. Cycle NC is a week long cycling event sponsored by the North Carolina Department of Tourism and draws around 1200 participants to ride from the mountains to the Atlantic Ocean. This was the first time I rode the mountains on a recumbent and it went well, I was relaxed and comfortable. I went with a compact crankset 50/34 and a 11-36 cassette which allowed me to climb most everything although I did have some front wheel drive tire slippage at times on the steep grades. There was one short section I had to walk. I'm not sure how steep that grade was. I know at times my Garmin was saying over 16% on grades I could still ride.

I think I'm a little bit slower climbing with the V20 than my Ridley, but the V20 is so much faster everywhere else. There was one section on new pavement where I had a clear view of the down and up without the normal blind switchback. I just let go of the brakes and hit a max of 52.2mph (84kph) in short order.

I try really hard to be courteous while riding, but on Cycle NC I got a lady worked up over how I passed her, so much so that she chased me up a hill to let me know how scared she was. I had no memory of this pass, because, you know, I passed a LOT of riders. I defended myself because I'd been saying "on your left" all day so assumed I probably did. I was really bothered for a couple days for making someone angry, until I got home and watched the Fly6 video. I would have preferred an instant replay on the spot.

Here's her complaint which I'll transcribe the best I can hear:

Lady: “I’m not trying to be obnoxious, but it would really help me if you said on your left when you pass me because it is kind of scary."
Me: “I did.” “I said on your left and I gave plenty of clearance.”
Lady: “Yeah but when you’re coming up behind I was [passing somebody]. I just don’t know you’re coming.”

https://www.dropbox.com/s/j2wixicnydi8ts5/TheComplaint.mp4?dl=0

Unless I'm riding the brakes, I go down a hill on the Cruzbike quite fast. In this case it was a fun hill and I was probably going over 35mph. There was no oncoming traffic with a clear line of sight. I crossed the yellow line and as you can tell in the video this was a clean pass.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/uv7wg9mvvo9qvec/ThePass.mp4?dl=0

So there you have it. Testimony from the public that a V20 is scary fast. I think riders should use a mirror and know what is going on behind them, especially when they are in the middle of the road. I did call out "on your left" but at the speed she was going she probably just heard wind. And I was very happy to have the Fly6 video to tell me I wasn't a bad guy.

 

[Zzzorse]

Great photo, by the way!

 

[Rick Youngblood]

Nice report...just wondering, she said she didn't know you were coming, I'm sure she meant passing. Did she have mirrors, and was she listing to iTunes?

 

[MrSteve]

The bicyclist who was not aware that you were passing was not in control of your descent.
You were in control.
The bicyclists that you passed are, as far as you know, still alive and unhurt, thanks in part to your skills.
Finally, the baseless complaints of complainers are their problems and theirs alone.

Nice picture!

 

[hoyden]

Some folks just don't pay much attention to what's behind them. You are not responsible for their inattention. I use a command voice "on your left" most of the time to ensure best chance of penetrating their personal ozone.

 

[Doug Kline]

Great photo, by the way!

Yeah, there was a professional photographer positioned on that curve. It was good enough to spend $5 on.

 

[Doug Kline]

Nice report...just wondering, she said she didn't know you were coming, I'm sure she meant passing. Did she have mirrors, and was she listing to iTunes?

No mirrors and I don't think listening to anything. She probably assumes she will hear a vehicle approaching which maybe you can at lower speeds, but at higher speeds I'd assume you'd hear mostly wind noise. My hearing has been fairly bad all my life so I'm heavily dependent on sight.

 

[Doug Kline]

I use a command voice "on your left"

Yes, I do to. It works well enough at lower speeds. The video has me calling out on this case too, but it was probably only heard by the Fly6 due to wind noise.

 

[ReklinedRider]

Agree you were way out in the other lane, nowhere close enough to her to find any fault with your pass.
However if you get any more complaints, maybe you should look into installing a siren on your V

 

[hoyden]

My hearing has been fairly bad all my life so I'm heavily dependent on sight.

Same here. Mirrors are on my minimum equipment list along with a helmet, pump, spare tube. The other piece for me is to consistently stay to the right to allow folks to pass with confidence I won't be wandering unpredictably. Sometimes I see folks in my mirror, or hear them, but almost never surprised by their passing.

 

[DavidCH]

Naaaa she doesn't have a leg to stand on. She's on a slow bike. But hey she caught you on a hill.

Last weekend I had to overtake two slow bees side by side having a yap and a velomobile going faster than me was oppositely approaching.

What did I do? Nada... Carried on and the velomobile gave me a honk. Wish I had that on camera.

 

[Lief]

at speed you can't hear enough behind to hear an approaching faster rider.

I doubt this rider would have been any less scared if you had yelled loud enough to be heard with enough distance to do anything about it.

That would sound like a blood curdling scream followed by a you -from her perspective - streaking by in the oncoming lane. I venture that's a net-net more scary encounter for her PLUS the scream is likely to prompt an unpredictable reaction on her part - for some reason a substantial part of the biking population tends to look back (ahem no mirrors) when they hear this command, their neck pulls their shoulders, which pulls their arms, which pulls their handlebars and they enter your space even further.

No thanks - if I'm operating at speed I prefer as much predictability as possible. You behaved perfectly in this case.

However, if there is a question or a complaint about etiquette (not rules) it might be riding two abreast, downhill, at speed, without passing in a mass event. She's entitled to the whole lane, that is true, but in a mass ride event it's common knowledge that there will be faster and slower riders crossing paths all the time. Continuing to consume the whole lane two abreast on a downhill isn't good form in my opinion.

 

[DavidCH]

I think you need discretion depending on the situation. If you were doing 60 and overtaking a DF who was going 50 I don't think they would react very well to "on yer left". It might even give them a wobble. Oddly enough when you get a yard or two away... They hear those carbon rims and mine "ommmm", they usually look back. No stealth there and then they have to peddle like mad to keep up. Quite funny really.

 

[Doug Kline]

But hey she caught you on a hill.

Well I didn't mean to totally drop my friends, it was just a fast stretch of rollers. What can I do? I can't stand to waste a good downhill so I let loose for a few miles. In my very nice 80mm B&M mirror I could see one of my friends working hard to get back up to me so I was soft pedaling for a while.

 

[DavidCH]

Looks like another contender Bike on the horizon. Don't think it will do much for the neck and still go head first even faster judging by that " h u g e " 60 tooth chain wheel

And you can't call it a DF either

 

[Rick Youngblood]

Looks like another contender Bike on the horizon. Don't think it will do much for the neck and still go head first even faster judging by that " h u g e " 60 tooth chain wheel
View attachment 3520
And you can't call it a DF either

Can you image a fast downhill descent head first into high speed corners. Not me!

 

[DavidCH]

Can you image a fast downhill descent head first into high speed corners. Not me!

If you can get use to a low c of g anything is possible. I believe a world speed record went to the flying Scotsman that looked somewhat like this bike some years ago.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prone_bicycle

 

[LarryOz]

Hey Doug,
Great story and pic. Man, I totally forgot that the RideNC started last weekend. Had I remembered, I might have tried to join you for a day or 2!
I remember last year, Alvin and I hooked up and raced up and down the rollers at a stupid hi speeds, passing literally dozens and dozens of riders, sometimes having to go in the other lane because they were 2, 3, and even 4 abreast!
I also think that most riders are not really riding that fast and it is more of "talk-a-thon" with their friends. Most did not have mirrors, and even if they did, they were more interested in their conversation.
We still had the occasional person that got upset with how fast we blew by them - but it was usually at the campsite.
Glad you had a good time! I could still kick myself for missing it!

 

[Doug Kline]

I also think that most riders are not really riding that fast and it is more of "talk-a-thon" with their friends.

Well I have to admit most of my time was a talk-a-thon with a variety of friends I don't get to see often enough. Then there were times I just didn't hold the V back anymore.

 

[MrSteve]

Well I have to admit most of my time was a talk-a-thon with a variety of friends I don't get to see often enough. Then there were times I just didn't hold the V back anymore.

Truthfully, the V soaks up my wimpy power and converts it into enough speed
-so that there's only enough time and breath left for one word, either "WHAT?" Or a sort of all-purpose, "HEY!"

The Alien squeeze-toy horn announces my passing presence. It makes a happy, inoffensive squeaky toy sound.