Vendetta or Silvio?

[ak-tux]

A high Cadence comes with practise.

My cadence used to be 70-80 rpm on my DF a few years ago. But recently 3 years or so I have gradually improved my pedal stroke and deliberately practiced high cadence. Now at cruzing speed I can comfortably maintain between 90-100 rpm on the DF. My maximum rpm on a downhill is about 115 on my DF. My sweet spot is around 95 rpm.


On the my MBB recumbent, however, I deliberately try to maintain a similar cadence. On flat sections I can maintain 90-100 rpm by my estimates using ?Sheldon Brown's Gear Calculator(http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears/index.html). It feels natural and easy around 90 rpm. However beyond 100 rpm it requires a lot more deliberate efffort to stabilse the wobbling effect.

On downhills, its a different story. It gets even more difficult to do a high cadence. I don't think I can come close to even 100 rpm downhill without feeling a yo-yo like effect. At high speeds downhill, it is safer to just coast, or shift to a high enough gear which may not be available (I have 48/38/28 and an 11-32 freewheel)


After coasting for some time, getting back to pedaling requires gradual increase on cadence otherwise it can cause a major wobble.

 

[adwade]

Vendetta Cadence

Alright, in the mix of comments above I've heard some people pedal faster and some slower on a MBB, but what concerns me are the comments eluding to the fact you can't be a high cadence rider on a Vendetta w/o high speed wobbling. alt="indecision"

Is that correct??

I ask, because I run shorter crankarms (150-155mm) on my bikes now and I usually run a fairly high cadence.(i.e. 110-140rpm, and then sprinting up to 160 on the downhills)

What's the general consensus of those who've gone from other recumbents (particularly hi-racers) to a Vendetta, do you find yourself typically pedaling at a lower -or- higher cadence using the same length crankarms that your previous bike had?

 

[John Tolhurst]

When talk about high or low

When talk about high or low cadence, it is relative to the rider's normal habits.

 

[Eric Winn]

I cannot speak for others but

I cannot speak for others but I can pedal at a high cadence at a high speed downhill or otherwise without any wobble. In fact I generally don't coast going downhill but am typically accelerating, especially on rollers.

-Eric

 

[adwade]

Thanxx...

@John, "I see" said the blind man!

@Eric, Just what I wanted to hear!

 

[scabinetguy]

Di2 on Vendetta

Just installed Di2 on my Vendetta. By using the steering boom to house the battery and junction box I was able to achieve a supper clean installation. The vendetta is made for Di2.

 

[Charles.Plager]

@Scabinetguy:
That's just

@Scabinetguy:

That's just purdy!

 

[scabinetguy]

Di2


I did have to alter the FD mount by adding a stop for the adjustment pin.

 

[Robert Holler]

Super sweet setup!!

Super sweet setup!!

 

[Ivan]

Super sweet setup indeed! I

Super sweet setup indeed! I love how the front-end is totally clean. Your efforts really paid off well. Looks like that oversized Vendetta boom has more than one purpose!

 

[scabinetguy]

Sivio extension

I recently made an extension for my Silvio 2.0. It's about 60mm. This allowed me to dial in the exact handlebar height and BB height I wanted. I've found that I gain the most power when my hands are in line with my feet as is the case with the Vendetta. I made the extension from a piece of solid 3/4" aluminum.

 

[3WHELZ]

Nice work!!

You must have access to milling tools?

 

[scabinetguy]

Milling tools

I do have a few tools but it still took about 6 hours to make. A simple CNC program could do these by the hundreds and at any length you want. While the extension is not an absolute necessity it sure improves the ride.

 

[ak-tux]

Great modification scabinetguy!

Wow that's a nice modification on the extension! Your bikes looks super cool too!

How do you compare your Silvio-2 with your extension against your Vendetta?

 

[scabinetguy]

Vendetta vs Silvio

If I could only have one bike I honestly could not make the choice. Both are fast and comfortable. With or without the extension they have very similar rides. You do notice the suspension of the Silvio and it is better on chip seal roads. The Vendetta seems faster but that may be my imagination. As for climbing they are very similar, for that I like the Silvio 1.5 better.

 

[Ivan]

Nice job on that the custom

Nice job on that the custom chainstay extension. I think 60mm is very sensible. That may be the first customized Silvio chainstay extension we have seen!

 

[Maria Parker]

Vendetta speed versus Silvio

I've ridden both extensively. The Vendetta is significantly faster than the Silvio. For me it's easily 1-2 mph faster at the same power.

 

[Charles.Plager]

Hi Maria,
I've ridden both

Hi Maria,

I've ridden both extensively. The Vendetta is significantly faster than the Silvio. For me it's easily 1-2 mph faster at the same power.

Huh. I wouldn't have guessed that for the Silvio V2 (I'm sure the difference is much larger for the Silvio V1.x). But guessing at aerodynamics isn't easy (I'm assuming almost all of the difference is aerodynamic drag).

The real question is: Did you get a yellow Silvio V2? (Bonus points to those who realized Maria is on a Yellow Silvio in her picture, not a Vendetta!)

Cheers,
Charles

 

[Robert Holler]

After spending some time on

After spending some time on both I would agree that the V is a "faster" bike overall. Both have their strengths and some of what will make one faster over another include terrain where you ride, how well you can generate power at a given recline angle, BB height and hip angle, etc.

And also that 60mm extension is the bees knees!

 

[trplay]

Neither would I

Weight and a little cleaner on the front fork is about the only difference. Especially if one is using the stay extenders. One day a forward moving recumbent manufacturer is going to put a couple bikes in the wind tunnels. They claim 80 percent of the aero is body position which only leaves 20% for a platform. Hint Cruzbike the A2 wind tunnel is already in North Carolina and about 500 bucks an hour. Just finding the best recumbent helmet might be worth that. See video below:


Specialized in the Wind Tunnel from MovePress, LLC on Vimeo.