What I learned building out a pair of 2016 V20 Vendettas

Rick Youngblood

CarbonCraft Master
After figuring out what crank length might work a little better we drove out to a nice low traffic road and rode around for an hour or so. Both Doug and Nancy are riding their Vendetta's like "old timers" already! Great balance, control and speed. It took me 10 days before I ever wanted to be on a road with something larger than me to hit!
Hey! And no pictures to share - 3 Vendetta out together on a joyfully ride, I'm so jealous. Great job to Nancy and Doug, "good time to come" indeed.

Hey Larry? Is there any possibility you could get your folks to move to Northern California, say somewhere near Redding? Then you could visit your folks and make a house call to me :D:D:D. We could share a ride? Sounds reasonable to me, eh?
 
Hey! And no pictures to share - 3 Vendetta out together on a joyfully ride, I'm so jealous. Great job to Nancy and Doug, "good time to come" indeed.

I know, I took my camera planning on a nice picture and then forgot to take it. I still haven't taken a profile photo for this forum. Too much excitement.

Our first ride on the V was a greenway and parking lot. This was Nancy's first real ride on the V and my second - we need more daylight. It is very kind of Larry to say we did well and it was very nice of him to spend quality time with us. I have to get beyond a death grip on the handlebars.

But for full disclosure, we live about a hour and half from the Parkers, so I was able to borrow an old Sofrider to practice on while the V's were on pre-order. Jim gave me a lesson on the Sofrider, as he's done so many times before. The Sofrider was our first recumbent experience ever. Nancy and I only rode it a few times on the greenway and parking lot, but it was enough to set our brains on the right path. The efficient V20 is far easier to ride than the Softrider which takes too much effort to propel it forward.

And I appreciate that my location in North Carolina gives me a bit of an unfair advantage over other new Cruzbikers, but it was seeing the Parkers out at events and seeing Larry race in the Mid Atlantic 12/24 that eventually peeked my curiousity in the Cruzbike in the first place.
 

Rick Youngblood

CarbonCraft Master
I have to get beyond a death grip on the handlebars.
That will come very soon. I'm sure you have read and been schooled about this before. To eliminate the death grip open the hands up a little and use your palms to steer with slight forward pressure.

The efficient V20...
It is amazing, yes! The Silvio is extremely efficient in this way and even more so for the Vendetta.

I took my camera planning on a nice picture and then forgot to take it
My best pictures were the ones that got away.
 

LarryOz

Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
Hey Larry? Is there any possibility you could get your folks to move to Northern California, say somewhere near Redding? Then you could visit your folks and make a house call to me :D:D:D. We could share a ride? Sounds reasonable to me, eh?
I'll have a word with them on your behalf Rick. They did buy a camper and know they are at least headed out "west" to visit my Grandma next year (who turns 102 in May) - maybe I can bum a ride with them. :)
And yes - Would love to visit and ride together Rick. It will happen someday- hopefully sooner than later! :)
 

pedlpadl

Well-Known Member
Doug, you ride with Team CBC don't you? I think I saw your picture on FB with Shearon Harris in the background. I also ride with CBC and also live in Apex. I'm going to see Jim in a few days to borrow a Sofrider, and then choose either a Silvio or Vendetta. It will sure be nice to have someone to share experiences with. Hope to see you and your wife on the road or at the brewery soon.
 
Doug, you ride with Team CBC don't you?

Pedlpadl,
yes, we ride with TeamCBC and Shearon Harris was the flatest rural road I could think of to start riding on. Having a nuclear power plant near by does keep the development and traffic away.

The sofrider is good to start on, but also remember it is a very inefficient bike. I've been calling Cruzbike a faith based bike. You'll never walk into a bike store, ride one, and say "I have to have this". You have to have faith that eventually it will be a fast and comfortable bike. I'm not there yet, but it definitely gets better with each ride. I'm going to head down towards the coast after the holidays to get some good flatlander long distance rides in.

Look me up when you need any help or get going.

Footnote: For everyone else, in case you wanted to know, TeamCBC is a non-profit organized around raising funds to fight Multiple Sclerosis. CBC stands for the Carolina Brewing Company, a very fine local craft beer brewer that sponsors the team. We have the largest biking club in this area of North Carolina with hundreds of active riders and over 900 Facebook members. I'm proud to currently serve on the board of directors.
 

pedlpadl

Well-Known Member
Doug,

I agree with you that it takes a leap of faith. I've been researching recumbents for a year now, and reading this forum for a long time. I'm not crazy about stick bikes and their long chains and high saddles. I know the transition from DF won't be simple, but I love a challenge. I'm still on the fence about getting a Silvio or Vendetta. I like the suspension and slightly more upright seat angle on the S. I like the lighter weight and better aerodynamics on the V. One thing pushing me towards the V - I see several forum members upgrading from the S to the V, but I don't see anyone going the other way.
 

ratz

Wielder of the Rubber Mallet
Doug,

If I could have only one it would be the Silvio for the versatility. The V is about the need for speed. If I had both in the garage the one I would regularly upgrade is the V. The problem with only owner the Silvio is you will lust in the back of your mind for that extra 1-2 mph. Since they cost ½ a carbon wonder bike it's harder to resist the temptation to buy the second one. .... oh and of course we are here to egg you on.
 

DavidCH

In thought; expanding the paradigm of traversity
leap of faith
That was one good film. And I could have chosen the Silvia 18 months ago. Prior to that for about a year I had a Cruzbike convertible kit that I hosted on a mountain bike. Heck that was so slow but great fun. I remember how I fell off it when intimidated by a Chelsea Tractor. LOL; into a ditch as well. I wanted to persevere with it. So dusted myself down and got back on it. The V when built was a lot to swallow. It didn't feel right with pedals so I put clips on. They call it "burning the bridge", quite literally no turning back. Heck I was so intimidated by it. It felt so incredible sliding into it and engaging and then it just wanted to go faster and faster. There is no resistance with the V its acceleration is phenomenal. Then there were rough roads and heavy traffic. The two do not mix so it was a new experience making everything comfortable. Bigger tyres, Nice comfort Ventisit pad and then working on the top speed again by tweaking the aerodynamics. For me its been an incredible enjoyment. Its good to see the both of them with V's otherwise its not really a sociable event.
 

Rick Youngblood

CarbonCraft Master
If I could have only one it would be the Silvio for the versatility.
...and just to put more confusion into the mix - sorry - I would choose my Vendetta over my Silvio. As I've said in the past, I "Blame it on Ratz". For me, I'm more comfortable on my Vendetta than I am on my Silvio, I like the more laid-back stretched-out style, and better efficiency of the V. But keep in mind I have modified seats on both of my Cruzbikes to fit my comfort -->> bad neck and back. I purchased the Silvio first, and just knew it was the only bike for me, was not even interested in looking at the Vendetta or thinking it would be right for me - that's until Bob jumped ship and bought a Vendetta which intrigued me enough to buy one for myself. I've played around with slight seat angles on my V with my seat-mods and found the an angle that I could live with comfortably - it's my neck I need to support to keep from getting sever headaches. My stats will prove what I bike I prefer - V=8265 miles and S=3723. I like to ride fast and I like to ride slow. I'm not like Bob or Larry, I enjoy being out on the road and taking it in, and this can be done in my case on either the V and the S, I just enjoy being on the V more. My V is set up more for day touring than racing, with 28mm S-Ones, seat-mod with rubber seat mounts, ultra wide gearing for hill climbing, etc.
 

trplay

Zen MBB Master
vamooseattic.jpg


The VaMoose build is going pretty slow. No problems so far except the ventist seat cushion is taller than the seat by several inches. I am not sure how this will effect the headrest seat intersection. Lordy, I've had enough headrest problems. The plan is to go sans cushion for the first couple hundred miles and see how that works out. Cushions are overrated anyway!
SSAM TT 500 bar ends, SRAM Rival compact 50/34 145mm cranks, Wheeelsmfg ceramic BB, Bontrager Paradigm wheel set w/ Schwalbe pro one tubeless 23mm tires, Sram 11/36 rear cassette, Ultegra 6800 brakes, Cane Creek SR5 brake levers, Team Moose Headrest, pockets and tribag. Chain and derailleurs TBD.
 

pedlpadl

Well-Known Member
Doug,

Are you using Jagwire Road Pro Kits for cables/housings? I bought a set but it appears they are not long enough to run both FD and RD.

Once you run a front brake cable, there isn't enough housing to go all the way back to the rear brake. Did you have trouble with this?

Thanks.
 

ratz

Wielder of the Rubber Mallet
Once you run a front brake cable, there isn't enough housing to go all the way back to the rear brake. Did you have trouble with this?
Are you running housing through the inside of the bike? If so you will probably need a MTB kit to get enough housing. The cable should just reach.
 

trplay

Zen MBB Master
Perhaps this is a good place to review issues some will encounter when doing a frame build? As is stated above and elsewhere standard cable sets do not provide enough cable housing to complete your build. I had enough brake cable but not enough shifter housing. My jagwire road kit gave me 1.7 meters of housing which means I need a housing stretcher tool or buy more housing. I did get enough cable in the kit.

Freaking brakes and brake washers are a royal pain. Some work some don't. You probably need more brake washers. Brake pad /fork clearance is a space problem. I had a size problem with the caliper brake screw that holds the brake on the front fork even though the brake kit provided 5 different sizes? My LBS generously provided the right size today.

If you have a long arm derailleur and 36t cassette the standard 114/115 link chain isn't long enough. I suspect this isn't an issue with cassettes less than 32 teeth?

Bottom brackets continue to confuse me. There is a lot of conflicting info out there about crank axles properly seating etc. I would love Ratz's take on this. The Vendetta BB measurement is 68mm. When I add the GXP BB the BB clamp is just a smidgen wider than the width of the frame and BB. My understanding is The ideal width for 24mm x 22mm axle before adding the SRAM GXP is 73mm. This means I need 2 ea 2.5 spacers (one on each side) to the GXP BB . Of course my BB came with only one spacer. Robert H. supports this concept in that he uses two spacers on his build, while my LBS says I don't even need one? I like Roberts solution since it allows a much better fit with the bottom bracket clamps. This also means my Silvio is set up incorrectly since I have a SRAM GXP with no spacers? What's a girl to do?

And the often mentioned water bottle rivet not allowing the boom to slide past it. I'm hoping I will only have to remove one so I can use the other for a cable holder mount point.

I'm sure there are more trip wires out there but these are a few of the nit noy things that have challenged me so far.
 

DavidJL

Well-Known Member
To get more reliable shifting and chain wear; I'll use 3 chains to make 2 (or 5 to make 4 for a waxing rotation);. Going with that approach I crack the chain is such a way that the master links are more opposite each other on the chain circle. When the master links are as close as pictured here I find the chain is more prone to an over-shift going to big ring and miss-shifts in general

1) Take chains 1 crack it in the middle.
2) Take chains 2 and 3 and crack at middle plus 5-10 links
3) set aside short sides from step 2.
4) combine long sections with chain halves from step 1
5) size chains using big ring, big ring technique http://www.sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html#chain and shorten the longer segment as needed to get precise fit. Not that as pictured in that technique the Master link is on the chain

If making 4 chains for rotation; use the short pieces from step 2; attach to two additional full chains; and again size and fit by shortening the longer sections to keep the master links as far a part as possible.

Of course using bulk chain would be even better but not reasonable.
I thought I was the only one to use more than one chain in a waxing rotation. Used to use three chains, but now use just two, as chains are not exactly cheap. I was wondering whether a standard chain would be long enough for a Vendetta. On the QX100, a standard SRAM chain is just long enough.
 
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