Why drop bars?

[rbep531]

Hello everyone. I have over 175,000 lifetime miles on DF bikes and I'm thinking about adding a recumbent to the mix. I would probably purchase just the frameset because I already have spare wheels and a few drive train parts on hand.

I'm curious about the handlebars. The handlebar setup on the Q45 makes a lot more sense to me as it seems like drop bars aren't the most ergonomic an upright seated position. Would bullhorn bars with TT brakes/shifters work, or is there some downside to that setup that I'm not thinking about?

 

[Tuloose]

Some folks here have made use of bullhorn bars and seem to be pleased with them.
I believe that is the setup Larry Oz uses.
On my Vendetta and Silvio I find that the wide drop bars are supremely comfortable.
I keep my hands on the bar ends just below the brifters and never change my position during the ride.
Unlike a DF bike you are not supporting some of your upper body weight on the bars so you do not need to be constantly changing hand position to relieve pressure and pain.
On a Cruzbike however you do need to apply a slight pull on the bars, especially when sprinting or climbing.
For this reason I use a good quality bar tape and full finger gloves - the kind with no padding in the palms.

 

[benphyr]

Hello everyone. I have over 175,000 lifetime miles on DF bikes and I'm thinking about adding a recumbent to the mix. I would probably purchase just the frameset because I already have spare wheels and a few drive train parts on hand.

I'm curious about the handlebars. The handlebar setup on the Q45 makes a lot more sense to me as it seems like drop bars aren't the most ergonomic an upright seated position. Would bullhorn bars with TT brakes/shifters work, or is there some downside to that setup that I'm not thinking about?

Welcome,

It sounds as though you are probably interested in the v20c (no-holds-barred race / TT super-bike) or s40 (road all arounder / race bike with enough connection points to do commuting or loaded touring as well).

I own an s40 and Q and tend to agree with you in general. The Q handle bar looks to be the best design. In practice, a set of drop bars are familiar, look fast, and make initial set up easier for some. Drop bars and the bars on the Q45 both have some drop because that is necessary for thigh clearance. The S and V drop bars are flared.

Higher handlebar is sometimes easier to steer without the hips getting in the way which is less of a problem the higher the seat angle and lower the seat is compared to the bottom bracket. Much of this is probably personal preference as well as learned from practice of a new skill.

You have enough km that learning the new balance and coordination pathways in your brain could go really quickly or require a little patience. If you can convince yourself that this is a new activity not a minor tweak and can relax while following the drills you should catch on quickly.

Have a blast learning and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to post them.

 

[DavidCH]

Emmm it's usually a tradeoff but I get sick of having my hands in one position for hours so I go for carbon drop bars. I like carbon for the smoothness and feel over aluminium. If you just want for racing then aero tt bars but I find that a little limiting.

 

[Frito Bandito]

I put Deda Tribars on my V20 along with SRAM's wireless blips near my thumbs and CF Campagnolo VC TT brake levers. Other than the very rare case of resting my hands on the top near the stem, I have 2 hand positions available. 1 is on top with the brake levers between my index and middle finger like a cigarette, and the other is quite similar to gripping drop bars under the brifter levers. The main difference on the latter is that when holding in the latter position the front of the TT brake levers is not as ergonomic as drop bars. It was mildly irritating initially but now I am used to it. Additionally, in the latter position I can yank on the bars during high power output as much as I like.


While it isn't the most comfortable setup available I dropped the difference in weight between the older aluminum bar and the Deda Tribar, as well as the weight of the brifters minus the two 40g Wireless Blips. I slipped foam handles on the ends so there is a bit of traction between them and my cycling gloves too. When it comes time to change the brake cables then I will slip on some golf grips like I did for the bullhorns I had on before.

 

[castlerobber]

I'm curious about the handlebars. The handlebar setup on the Q45 makes a lot more sense to me as it seems like drop bars aren't the most ergonomic an upright seated position.

When Cruzbike first came out with the Silvio (ancestor of the S40), it was sold as a frameset only. The idea was that the buyer would move their existing road bike components, including handlebars, to the new frameset.

The handlebars that come with the S40 and V20 now are more like trekking handlebars than stock road bike drop bars.

 

[rbep531]

I put Deda Tribars on my V20 along with SRAM's wireless blips near my thumbs and CF Campagnolo VC TT brake levers. Other than the very rare case of resting my hands on the top near the stem, I have 2 hand positions available. 1 is on top with the brake levers between my index and middle finger like a cigarette, and the other is quite similar to gripping drop bars under the brifter levers. The main difference on the latter is that when holding in the latter position the front of the TT brake levers is not as ergonomic as drop bars. It was mildly irritating initially but now I am used to it. Additionally, in the latter position I can yank on the bars during high power output as much as I like.
View attachment 14304

While it isn't the most comfortable setup available I dropped the difference in weight between the older aluminum bar and the Deda Tribar, as well as the weight of the brifters minus the two 40g Wireless Blips. I slipped foam handles on the ends so there is a bit of traction between them and my cycling gloves too. When it comes time to change the brake cables then I will slip on some golf grips like I did for the bullhorns I had on before.

That seems like a pretty good setup. I just can't imagine myself ever using the brifter hoods on on an S40, but obviously I have no experience, just looking at pictures and the few YouTube Videos that are out there.

 

[xtalbike]

I use both hands on the drops and hands on the hoods positions on the S40 and V20. Aside from having the option to change things up on long rides, I think the two positions have different benefits. With the flared stock bars the hands on drops offers a bit more stability and control while hands on hoods brings your forearms and elbows inboards a bit and seems to be more aero.

 

[chicorider]

One thing I like about Cruzbikes is how many down-the-rabbit-hole questions there are. Handlebar choice is one of them. There are seemingly dozens of possibilities, and riders find their way to what works best for them over time, some trial and error, and asking around, just as you're doing here.

I use the Genetic Digest (no, I don't understand the name either) flared drop bar, 44cm width. It's similar to the current CB stock bar and Salsa's Cowchipper bar, though a little narrower, which I prefer. I have three hand positions. The main one I use is on the flat part of the "drop," just beneath the shifter body. That's where I have the greatest sense of power and control. When I'm feeling chill and the road is open, I'll grab the hoods. Even though they weren't designed for this orientation, to me they offer a natural feeling grip, with access to brakes and shifting. finally, when I'm rolling miles and miles of tempo, my hands might slide down toward the end of the drops and hang out there. One thing I like about these bars over the others is that slight bend toward the bar end. My wrists settle nicely into that little crook.

These bars, for me, are aero enough--my hands aren't too wide apart, hanging out in the wind--but also wide enough to give me good arm leverage for hard efforts, climbing, and fast maneuvers. Your upper body will get a workout, and bar choice will affect how your upper body can and will interact with the bike, for better or worse. I think that for many people new to the CB design, the current V20/S40 stock bar is a great place to start, especially with the learning curve still ahead. And I would imagine that many riders end up sticking with that bar.

In the end, it may come down to what kind of riding you tend to do. @Frito Bandito 's bar setup is super sexy. It looks fast even at a standstill. He is also a master at seeking every aero advantage as he crushes it on longer, fairly flat routes. He has said in the past that climbing is not one of his favorite things to do on a bike. I, on the other hand, love to climb, and am fairly aero-illiterate (I don't even know what CdA stands for). I look at his bars and think, "I wouldn't want to climb with those because I don't think I would have the leverage I would want/need to torque my way up steeper grades." But put my bars on Frito's bike, and he would most likely hate what they would do to his aero metrics on his flatter, faster routes. Though our bars are different, we each have what is right for us.

Finally, after 27 years and roughly 200,000km on DF road bikes, my lower back forced me to consider alternatives. Seven years ago I took a gamble and bought that yellow V20 pictured below (now replaced by a yellow V20c). It has been the best bike purchase I ever made. Just a nudge, if you're still undecided.

 

[rbep531]

One thing I like about Cruzbikes is how many down-the-rabbit-hole questions there are. Handlebar choice is one of them. There are seemingly dozens of possibilities, and riders find their way to what works best for them over time, some trial and error, and asking around, just as you're doing here.

I use the Genetic Digest (no, I don't understand the name either) flared drop bar, 44cm width. It's similar to the current CB stock bar and Salsa's Cowchipper bar, though a little narrower, which I prefer. I have three hand positions. The main one I use is on the flat part of the "drop," just beneath the shifter body. That's where I have the greatest sense of power and control. When I'm feeling chill and the road is open, I'll grab the hoods. Even though they weren't designed for this orientation, to me they offer a natural feeling grip, with access to brakes and shifting. finally, when I'm rolling miles and miles of tempo, my hands might slide down toward the end of the drops and hang out there. One thing I like about these bars over the others is that slight bend toward the bar end. My wrists settle nicely into that little crook.

These bars, for me, are aero enough--my hands aren't too wide apart, hanging out in the wind--but also wide enough to give me good arm leverage for hard efforts, climbing, and fast maneuvers. Your upper body will get a workout, and bar choice will affect how your upper body can and will interact with the bike, for better or worse. I think that for many people new to the CB design, the current V20/S40 stock bar is a great place to start, especially with the learning curve still ahead. And I would imagine that many riders end up sticking with that bar.

In the end, it may come down to what kind of riding you tend to do. @Frito Bandito 's bar setup is super sexy. It looks fast even at a standstill. He is also a master at seeking every aero advantage as he crushes it on longer, fairly flat routes. He has said in the past that climbing is not one of his favorite things to do on a bike. I, on the other hand, love to climb, and am fairly aero-illiterate (I don't even know what CdA stands for). I look at his bars and think, "I wouldn't want to climb with those because I don't think I would have the leverage I would want/need to torque my way up steeper grades." But put my bars on Frito's bike, and he would most likely hate what they would do to his aero metrics on his flatter, faster routes. Though our bars are different, we each have what is right for us.

Finally, after 27 years and roughly 200,000km on DF road bikes, my lower back forced me to consider alternatives. Seven years ago I took a gamble and bought that yellow V20 pictured below (now replaced by a yellow V20c). It has been the best bike purchase I ever made. Just a nudge, if you're still undecided.

Thanks for the reply. I was wondering how much you actively pull on the handlebars on a bike like this, especially when climbing. That's when the drop bars start to make sense. Without flared bars, would you hit your arms with your legs?

My main gripe with my DF bike is hand pain. I like the idea of USS, but that seems to come with more cons than anything. FWD really appeals to me as something different and I like the idea of not having to maintain a super long chain.

I definitely want to climb a little bit. I live near some climbs that are long, but not too steep (~5%). I'm on the fence between the S40 an the V20c.

 

[Rampa]

With drop bars you are also getting road bike brifter compatibility and hidden cables. The latter really not being an option at all with the Q-style bars.

 

[chicorider]

Thanks for the reply. I was wondering how much you actively pull on the handlebars on a bike like this, especially when climbing. That's when the drop bars start to make sense. Without flared bars, would you hit your arms with your legs?

My main gripe with my DF bike is hand pain. I like the idea of USS, but that seems to come with more cons than anything. FWD really appeals to me as something different and I like the idea of not having to maintain a super long chain.

I definitely want to climb a little bit. I live near some climbs that are long, but not too steep (~5%). I'm on the fence between the S40 an the V20c.

A flared bar helps to keep the shifters tucked in while still giving the hands and fingers some space apart from the knees as they come whirling through. Put another way, the flare puts the shift lever at such an angle, pointing outward, that when you throw the lever inward you won't be be throwing it into your knees. Everything clears--hands, levers, knees. To pull this off with a standard road bar, you would need a bar wide enough to create that needed clearance, but such a wide bar could come at some aero cost. (That said, there are always exceptions, with plenty of riders using and preferring regular road bars, without issue).

The beauty of these bikes is the near absence of pain. I can do a double century with 10,000+ feet of climbing in about 10 hours rolling time (12 hours total), and have nothing but nice, tired legs at the end. But by the end of a single century on a DF bike, all I could think was, "get me off this ass hatchet!" Doing 100 more? No way! I'm not that tough.

Since the feet are now involved in the steering, which is the weirdest sensation at first, you will compensate some by pulling on the bars. Eventually, you'll need to compensate less and less for regular riding as your pedal stroke smooths out. But for sprints, or climbing steeper grades, you will be pulling at least some on the bars, which is a bit like standing on a DF. I consider this a selling point of the design--the recumbent that behaves most like a DF, especially when climbing.

I started with a V20--the "hardest" of the lineup to ride, never mind to learn on. Then I added the S30, followed by a Quest (the earlier version of the Q45), then sold the Quest to buy a S40 when those came out. I eventually decided that the S30 and S40 were too redundant, and after some deliberation, sold the S40. If I had to sell either the V20 or the S30 (heaven forbid), it would be the S30, which CB no longer makes. The S40 is a really capable all rounder that one can build up for a number of purposes, ranging from fully loaded touring to a speedy road ripper. But the outright sensation of speed that the V20 provides is addictive and loads of fun. I also find the V to be the most comfortable of all the CBs I have owned. It is literally "all day comfortable" for me.

One consideration, however, is how many of your rides are solo vs. group. The V is so fast that it's antisocial. It wants to fly. To ride a V with anyone but the local racers when they're feeling spunky, will be to coast a lot and not get much of a workout. I recently did a ride with a friend on a DF that included a gradual 12 mile descent. I ran it chainless--not one pedal stroke--while he pedaled the whole way. I still beat him to the bottom by a minute, even with him having a 50 pound weight advantage on me. That's how slippery and unfair the V is. In a group setting, the S40 has better manners because the aero advantage, while still having one, is less.

 

[Frito Bandito]

@chicorider is right on the money. I think the V20s aero advantage makes up for the "supposed?" lower power output while climbing. I live kinda far from any real climbing and to get there is just too much time in traffic to get to it. Climbing is perfectly doable on a V20 and I've even gotten tons of Strava PRs climbing on it compared with my road bike. But I sorta justify my tendency to stay on the flats with "the V20 was built for speed" and "the wide open flat path is 5km away." I have not ridden an S40 but I am sure that it is an incredible bike. If I were to need another bike I would get an S40 over any DF that has ever been or ever will be on the market. My neck, back and hands makes it an easy choice. You can see my drop bar setup in the pic on my Strava ride, but 211 watts for 40.2kph is why my "fast" DF bike only gets occasional rides from the first day I got my V20.

Follow Andrew on Strava to see this activity. Join for free.

Join Andrew and get inspired for your next workout

www.strava.com

As for the drop bars, I've have used 440mm and Nitto 390mm flared bars. The 440s left too much leg clearance and the lovely 390mm bars were too narrow for my thighs to clear so I had to tilt the bars up so much that the brake levers were pointing forward, and the brifters were poking up in the air. The angle wasn't optimal but holding onto the brifters and bars was comfortable enough to not stress about it, and it allowed me to pull quite a bit when extra power was needed. If I were to ignore the aero, bling factor and weight savings of my Deda bar setup I would go with a flared Nitto 420mm set up with my brifters, with the hoods flat for the simple reasons that it is so comfortable and when a lot of power is needed you are going to be able to pull not only more on those kind of bars than my Deda setup, but also you can do so without weaving across the road. I try to replicate that hand position by wrapping my hands around the TT brake levers when pulling, but they were not designed to be used like that so it can feel a bit like leadering a very big fish with the line cutting into your fingers.

 

[rbep531]

@chicorider is right on the money. I think the V20s aero advantage makes up for the "supposed?" lower power output while climbing. I live kinda far from any real climbing and to get there is just too much time in traffic to get to it. Climbing is perfectly doable on a V20 and I've even gotten tons of Strava PRs climbing on it compared with my road bike. But I sorta justify my tendency to stay on the flats with "the V20 was built for speed" and "the wide open flat path is 5km away." I have not ridden an S40 but I am sure that it is an incredible bike. If I were to need another bike I would get an S40 over any DF that has ever been or ever will be on the market. My neck, back and hands makes it an easy choice. You can see my drop bar setup in the pic on my Strava ride, but 211 watts for 40.2kph is why my "fast" DF bike only gets occasional rides from the first day I got my V20.

Follow Andrew on Strava to see this activity. Join for free.

Join Andrew and get inspired for your next workout

www.strava.com

As for the drop bars, I've have used 440mm and Nitto 390mm flared bars. The 440s left too much leg clearance and the lovely 390mm bars were too narrow for my thighs to clear so I had to tilt the bars up so much that the brake levers were pointing forward, and the brifters were poking up in the air. The angle wasn't optimal but holding onto the brifters and bars was comfortable enough to not stress about it, and it allowed me to pull quite a bit when extra power was needed. If I were to ignore the aero, bling factor and weight savings of my Deda bar setup I would go with a flared Nitto 420mm set up with my brifters, with the hoods flat for the simple reasons that it is so comfortable and when a lot of power is needed you are going to be able to pull not only more on those kind of bars than my Deda setup, but also you can do so without weaving across the road. I try to replicate that hand position by wrapping my hands around the TT brake levers when pulling, but they were not designed to be used like that so it can feel a bit like leadering a very big fish with the line cutting into your fingers.

That makes sense that the V20c would be fine for climbing. It's quite a bit lighter and aero still matters on the climbs in my area, which are mostly at 5%. Plus I think I would gain a lot of time on the descents. I'm 140lbs and definitely not the fastest descender on my DF.

 

[rbep531]

A flared bar helps to keep the shifters tucked in while still giving the hands and fingers some space apart from the knees as they come whirling through. Put another way, the flare puts the shift lever at such an angle, pointing outward, that when you throw the lever inward you won't be be throwing it into your knees. Everything clears--hands, levers, knees. To pull this off with a standard road bar, you would need a bar wide enough to create that needed clearance, but such a wide bar could come at some aero cost. (That said, there are always exceptions, with plenty of riders using and preferring regular road bars, without issue).

The beauty of these bikes is the near absence of pain. I can do a double century with 10,000+ feet of climbing in about 10 hours rolling time (12 hours total), and have nothing but nice, tired legs at the end. But by the end of a single century on a DF bike, all I could think was, "get me off this ass hatchet!" Doing 100 more? No way! I'm not that tough.

Since the feet are now involved in the steering, which is the weirdest sensation at first, you will compensate some by pulling on the bars. Eventually, you'll need to compensate less and less for regular riding as your pedal stroke smooths out. But for sprints, or climbing steeper grades, you will be pulling at least some on the bars, which is a bit like standing on a DF. I consider this a selling point of the design--the recumbent that behaves most like a DF, especially when climbing.

I started with a V20--the "hardest" of the lineup to ride, never mind to learn on. Then I added the S30, followed by a Quest (the earlier version of the Q45), then sold the Quest to buy a S40 when those came out. I eventually decided that the S30 and S40 were too redundant, and after some deliberation, sold the S40. If I had to sell either the V20 or the S30 (heaven forbid), it would be the S30, which CB no longer makes. The S40 is a really capable all rounder that one can build up for a number of purposes, ranging from fully loaded touring to a speedy road ripper. But the outright sensation of speed that the V20 provides is addictive and loads of fun. I also find the V to be the most comfortable of all the CBs I have owned. It is literally "all day comfortable" for me.

One consideration, however, is how many of your rides are solo vs. group. The V is so fast that it's antisocial. It wants to fly. To ride a V with anyone but the local racers when they're feeling spunky, will be to coast a lot and not get much of a workout. I recently did a ride with a friend on a DF that included a gradual 12 mile descent. I ran it chainless--not one pedal stroke--while he pedaled the whole way. I still beat him to the bottom by a minute, even with him having a 50 pound weight advantage on me. That's how slippery and unfair the V is. In a group setting, the S40 has better manners because the aero advantage, while still having one, is less.

Interesting. Part of me says that if I'm going to go recumbent, I might as well go all the way. After all, both the V20c an the S40 are fairly expensive and I don't want to buy an S40 only to want a V20c a year down the line. I do a little touring but it's always credit card style and very light. I think I could make it work on the V20c because I only carry a 17L saddle pack plus a small top tube bag.

 

[Frito Bandito]

That makes sense that the V20c would be fine for climbing. It's quite a bit lighter and aero still matters on the climbs in my area, which are mostly at 5%. Plus I think I would gain a lot of time on the descents. I'm 140lbs and definitely not the fastest descender on my DF.

Dang! 140lbs? I am almost 180 lol. The V20 would be a great light tourer though. You can put a top tube bag on the boom, the Moose pack under the seat, The boom has a set of water bottle bosses between the bars and headset, plus 2 more water bottles can be put under the seat (or storage bottles?), and you have quite a few options for behind the head storage. A Race Case, a custom DIY tailbag/box like my 6L Rixen Kaul bag, or even a full on carbon fiber tailbox that not only helps aerodynamically but provides plenty of storage space. I wear a Doppelganger 6L backpack backwards on my chest, and inside that I have an Osprey 2.5L hydration bladder with drinking tube. In Summer I really like it because I can load it up with ice and it helps keep me cool for hours along with dousing myself in water every hour or so. I'll be switching to a 3L hydration bladder in it next Summer. I can still put my wallet, iPhone, 10,000 mAh battery with battery charger and cables for all my lights in it.


I am kind of a nut with all of the stuff I try or test out on my V20. Quite a bit didn't work, as was said by others who had previously tried it, but a few things did, and that's what I basically stick with.

 

[MICROWATTBOTT]

A flared bar helps to keep the shifters tucked in while still giving the hands and fingers some space apart from the knees as they come whirling through. Put another way, the flare puts the shift lever at such an angle, pointing outward, that when you throw the lever inward you won't be be throwing it into your knees. Everything clears--hands, levers, knees. To pull this off with a standard road bar, you would need a bar wide enough to create that needed clearance, but such a wide bar could come at some aero cost. (That said, there are always exceptions, with plenty of riders using and preferring regular road bars, without issue).

The beauty of these bikes is the near absence of pain. I can do a double century with 10,000+ feet of climbing in about 10 hours rolling time (12 hours total), and have nothing but nice, tired legs at the end. But by the end of a single century on a DF bike, all I could think was, "get me off this ass hatchet!" Doing 100 more? No way! I'm not that tough.

Since the feet are now involved in the steering, which is the weirdest sensation at first, you will compensate some by pulling on the bars. Eventually, you'll need to compensate less and less for regular riding as your pedal stroke smooths out. But for sprints, or climbing steeper grades, you will be pulling at least some on the bars, which is a bit like standing on a DF. I consider this a selling point of the design--the recumbent that behaves most like a DF, especially when climbing.

I started with a V20--the "hardest" of the lineup to ride, never mind to learn on. Then I added the S30, followed by a Quest (the earlier version of the Q45), then sold the Quest to buy a S40 when those came out. I eventually decided that the S30 and S40 were too redundant, and after some deliberation, sold the S40. If I had to sell either the V20 or the S30 (heaven forbid), it would be the S30, which CB no longer makes. The S40 is a really capable all rounder that one can build up for a number of purposes, ranging from fully loaded touring to a speedy road ripper. But the outright sensation of speed that the V20 provides is addictive and loads of fun. I also find the V to be the most comfortable of all the CBs I have owned. It is literally "all day comfortable" for me.

One consideration, however, is how many of your rides are solo vs. group. The V is so fast that it's antisocial. It wants to fly. To ride a V with anyone but the local racers when they're feeling spunky, will be to coast a lot and not get much of a workout. I recently did a ride with a friend on a DF that included a gradual 12 mile descent. I ran it chainless--not one pedal stroke--while he pedaled the whole way. I still beat him to the bottom by a minute, even with him having a 50 pound weight advantage on me. That's how slippery and unfair the V is. In a group setting, the S40 has better manners because the aero advantage, while still having one, is less.

I just wanted to observe that the alternate pushing and pulling may be the source of metal fatigue induced cracks in the top tube and slider at the clamp. ref: https://forum.cruzbike.com/threads/slider-is-broken.14961/

 

[3bs]

i am so happy. here i was without an excuse for why so many people were so much faster than me. of course there is the low hanging fruit of i don't train enough, but now i am blessed with i am heavier than most. 205 and over 6 foot. a sigh of relief. i better to get something to eat.

 

[slitespd]

A flared bar helps to keep the shifters tucked in while still giving the hands and fingers some space apart from the knees as they come whirling through. Put another way, the flare puts the shift lever at such an angle, pointing outward, that when you throw the lever inward you won't be be throwing it into your knees. Everything clears--hands, levers, knees. To pull this off with a standard road bar, you would need a bar wide enough to create that needed clearance, but such a wide bar could come at some aero cost. (That said, there are always exceptions, with plenty of riders using and preferring regular road bars, without issue).

The beauty of these bikes is the near absence of pain. I can do a double century with 10,000+ feet of climbing in about 10 hours rolling time (12 hours total), and have nothing but nice, tired legs at the end. But by the end of a single century on a DF bike, all I could think was, "get me off this ass hatchet!" Doing 100 more? No way! I'm not that tough.

Since the feet are now involved in the steering, which is the weirdest sensation at first, you will compensate some by pulling on the bars. Eventually, you'll need to compensate less and less for regular riding as your pedal stroke smooths out. But for sprints, or climbing steeper grades, you will be pulling at least some on the bars, which is a bit like standing on a DF. I consider this a selling point of the design--the recumbent that behaves most like a DF, especially when climbing.

I started with a V20--the "hardest" of the lineup to ride, never mind to learn on. Then I added the S30, followed by a Quest (the earlier version of the Q45), then sold the Quest to buy a S40 when those came out. I eventually decided that the S30 and S40 were too redundant, and after some deliberation, sold the S40. If I had to sell either the V20 or the S30 (heaven forbid), it would be the S30, which CB no longer makes. The S40 is a really capable all rounder that one can build up for a number of purposes, ranging from fully loaded touring to a speedy road ripper. But the outright sensation of speed that the V20 provides is addictive and loads of fun. I also find the V to be the most comfortable of all the CBs I have owned. It is literally "all day comfortable" for me.

One consideration, however, is how many of your rides are solo vs. group. The V is so fast that it's antisocial. It wants to fly. To ride a V with anyone but the local racers when they're feeling spunky, will be to coast a lot and not get much of a workout. I recently did a ride with a friend on a DF that included a gradual 12 mile descent. I ran it chainless--not one pedal stroke--while he pedaled the whole way. I still beat him to the bottom by a minute, even with him having a 50 pound weight advantage on me. That's how slippery and unfair the V is. In a group setting, the S40 has better manners because the aero advantage, while still having one, is less.

Your information is helpful for me in making the right decision on which CB To get. The points on the V20 vs S40 pretty much nails it down for me. I want a fairly decent climber as well as a rig that I can ride in local group settings.

Just out of curiosity, where was the gradual 12 mile decent you mentioned? I was from the Roseville area and rode a lot of century’s over the years and there were many great lengthy descents to be had . I became a somewhat decent climber just t get those downhill runs

 

[chicorider]

Happy to help you make your choice.

That gradual descent is the 4% average grade of Neil Road, just outside of Chico, CA. It isn't on any century routes, but sees regular use from the locals.

Happy riding!