Charles.Plager
Recumbent Quant
Me too!
We can go average (when I'm pulling one or two kids), or even sustained speed up a hill (I can go about 2.5 mph).
Vendetta finally tested
- Thread starter snilard
- Start date
Me too!
We can go average (when I'm pulling one or two kids), or even sustained speed up a hill (I can go about 2.5 mph).
DuncanWatson
Well-Known Member
Lowest speed? I am in. I can go slow on my raptobike, very very slow 
. Bringing my trike to this would be cheating.
. Bringing my trike to this would be cheating.
LarryOz
Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
Hey - Thanks: Matěj, now following you too - Nice to put that Starva name with the Cruzbike name/avatar. Sounds like a nice "upgrade" we can ask for on this forum: Matching Strava and Cruzbike entities!
All these questions about seat angle, etc. Be sure to dial in your boom length, and leg angle when pedaling, which will eventually give you crank length which will be best for you. It will probably be smaller than it would for a DF. Gary just switched from 175 to 155 and he was amazed at the difference. I was too, I ride 150mm. Don't let anyone tell you you will loose leverage and power by reducing the crank length. Maybe for climbing the steepest of hills, but the benefits far out weight any lose there, and if you have an issue with steep hills, you can get different big ring on cassette or a smaller front small ring. The real savings is for your knees, you want to make sure you are neither over-extending them on your out-stroke or bending them too much pass 90 on your return stroke. You can also accelerate quicker with shorter cranks, as your legs don't not have travel as far each rotation.
But training on the hills does have it's great benefits, like when you go somewhere where there are little hills, you do barely notice them and they don't drain you.
All these questions about seat angle, etc. Be sure to dial in your boom length, and leg angle when pedaling, which will eventually give you crank length which will be best for you. It will probably be smaller than it would for a DF. Gary just switched from 175 to 155 and he was amazed at the difference. I was too, I ride 150mm. Don't let anyone tell you you will loose leverage and power by reducing the crank length. Maybe for climbing the steepest of hills, but the benefits far out weight any lose there, and if you have an issue with steep hills, you can get different big ring on cassette or a smaller front small ring. The real savings is for your knees, you want to make sure you are neither over-extending them on your out-stroke or bending them too much pass 90 on your return stroke. You can also accelerate quicker with shorter cranks, as your legs don't not have travel as far each rotation.
Man, I envy you with those flat roads - I wish I could find some flat land around here to do some TT's on. Closest thing is the high school track, but that is more boring than the KICKR. Just about get dizzy going around a track like that!
But training on the hills does have it's great benefits, like when you go somewhere where there are little hills, you do barely notice them and they don't drain you.
Abbott Smith
Guru
Snilard, I think that Rick was merely saying that you will probably see a relative increase in your speed once you get the Vendetta and that this speed increase will help in making you feel 'comfortable' being on the bike. It was a play on the two meanings of comfortable in the English language. You are talking about ride comfort and he is saying you'll be comfortable with the bike.
I then compounded the word play when he called a speedometer a speed-o. Speedo is a major swimsuit manufacturer known for making skimpy men's swim trunks.
Abbott Smith
Guru
BTW I'm not on Strava. I intentionally do not ride to compete and the Strava culture has a very competitive focus. Nothing wrong with competition and you will hear me cheering for everyone here who competes. It is simply not my goal.
battleaxe0
Guru
You're in Tarheel country right? Had the bright idea a few years ago to load up the mountain bike and drag it up there when visiting my parents in Burnsville. I barely got up the driveway and I was done for the day.Man, I envy you with those flat roads - I wish I could find some flat land around here to do some TT's on. Closest thing is the high school track, but that is more boring than the KICKR. Just about get dizzy going around a track like that!
But training on the hills does have it's great benefits, like when you go somewhere where there are little hills, you do barely notice them and they don't drain you.
I'm getting better though - not having to granny our "hills" these days.
Rick Youngblood
CarbonCraft Master
Larry, then you would really love living in or near Redding for cycling, because we have both worlds near by, lots of climbing and lots of flat lands. I have to drive about 30 minutes south to get over the hill south of Red Bluff to get to the flats, but well worth it when I'm not into climbing. From there it's flat all the way down to Sacramento. We have one century I was planning on doing last week called Flat Flat and Fun. And then Sacramento has one at the end of the season that's flat, the only thing you climb is freeway over passes.
Yep, there was a whole lot of play on words. When I was a young man, I was fortunate enough to live in Jamaica for a couple of years. We would go down to the beaches on the weekends. You would always know who were American men and who European men by the speedo's.
LarryOz
Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
Rick, I only hope that I can come there one day and ride them with you! Keep working on that Cruzbike Bunkhouse!
Yes - Tarheel county - Actually Asheville Area. Biltmore House: Blue Ridge Parkway. Mount Mitchell, etc, etc
Abbott Smith
Guru
Ooooh! Malaprops!
snilard
Guru of hot glue gun
I have changed avatar here but I cannot change my nickname.
I am on 160 mm on my recumbent and I want to test even shorter cranks. I have red cranks with custom gears made to order by one small Czech company on my recumbent so I am not going to change it now. But shortened SRAM Apex chrankset look as a good way to get shorter cranks for V. I have got shortened ~155 mm cranks on my single-speed DF and it is OK.
LarryOz
Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
Yes, SRAM Apex are easy to do. I have a set of 150mm, and 140mm. I have not ridden on the 140mm very much, but intend to experiment with them this year. They may work better for flat TT than the mountains around here, but I am not really sure. I will post my results of my testing though when done so you can see how it worked for me.
snilard
Guru of hot glue gun
I have tested my shorter 155 mm cranks on my recumbent. It feels faster but I have no method how to measure it. But definitly I like it. 160 mm is too long for my short legs. I will go with 150 mm cranks on V and I will think how to get 150 mm for my acrual recumbent.
Thank you, Larry, for opinion.
Thank you, Larry, for opinion.
super slim
Zen MBB Master
When I first rode the New Quest V1.0 559, I did not notice that the crank was 153 mm, but it climbed better than my Silvio V1.0, that surprised me as the front triangle was not as stiff, and the handle bars were higher, AND after a 60 km ride at the same speed, my knees felt SO much better!
I then asked questions on this fabulously informative Forum, of where I could locate 2 other 153 mm triples, as I could not find any on the Internet, and all paths led to Bikesmith in Ratz's backyard. Now all three (NOT 9 like another person) Cruzbikes have 153 mm cranks and I have not been happier, AND my knees as well!
The 153 mm off the Quest was even more effective on the Silvio, AND the new 153 mm crank on the Softrider, as It allowed me to lower the handlebars a lot, and my knee max bend angle went from 110 degrees to 85 degrees. I am certain this is why the power increased as the muscles now had a better leverage.
I then asked questions on this fabulously informative Forum, of where I could locate 2 other 153 mm triples, as I could not find any on the Internet, and all paths led to Bikesmith in Ratz's backyard. Now all three (NOT 9 like another person) Cruzbikes have 153 mm cranks and I have not been happier, AND my knees as well!
The 153 mm off the Quest was even more effective on the Silvio, AND the new 153 mm crank on the Softrider, as It allowed me to lower the handlebars a lot, and my knee max bend angle went from 110 degrees to 85 degrees. I am certain this is why the power increased as the muscles now had a better leverage.
Rick Youngblood
CarbonCraft Master
Wow SS, you are a tall guy too, right?!
super slim
Zen MBB Master
I am 6'1" tall, but should be 6'7" for my weight, with a 46.3" X seam.
Going to 153 mm was the best thing I have done cycling wise, second to buying Cruzbikes!!!
Going to 153 mm was the best thing I have done cycling wise, second to buying Cruzbikes!!!
thwaters
Member
Great to hear, super slim! I am about to install a Sugino 152mm triple (50-36-24) crank on my Softrider with a custom 9-speed cassette for touring loads. I have been using a 155mm triple for awhile, so I doubt I will feel much difference. But I felt a definite difference in my knees about 8,000 miles ago when I installed the 155 triple over the 165mm SoftriderV2 set up. (Age 69, 5ft 9 in., 200 lbs! and 41 inseam).
thwaters
Member
Love the area! Been there. May have to come visit you sometime, Larry. Beautiful.
LarryOz
Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
Will always welcome any visitors to ride these mountains with!
jond
Zen MBB Master
hi abbot rethink the strava thing. it can be competitive sure but only if you partake. but it is a great social resource too and the strava cruzbike club is not a hairy chested competition but a support network where we can see each others actual rides. finally it is a simple tool for record keeping and these days i do not bother with any other eg garmin connect etc. think about it as an extension of this forum.
