What did you do to your Cruzbike today?

[trapdoor2]

Lit up!

Got my Gemini mounted on the headlight-fin. Looks pretty sweet. It fits nicely on the chainstay spreader (underneath) without any sort of added mount but I wanted to try it on the fin. Bought a "Paul's" mount, works nicely.

Also made my ADEM to DS-500 adapter today. Sawed off a bit of AL angle, drilled some holes to match the ones already in the headrest. Removed the Cateye mount bracket from the DS-500 and attached the DS-500 directly to the AL angle. No, not removable...I can't take it off and put it in my pocket if I park the bike. Meh.

 

[DavidCH]

Finally got the new tririg omega front brake fitted on the V2. I had an issue with the bolt screw. I needed to add an extra black washer when fitting the brake next to the front fork. The Arms of the Omega didn't have enough clearance so I used the securing bolt nut from the shimano Ultegra brake as it is longer. I love the way it trims the brake pads to the wheel rim to give an optimum braking experience.

 

[RojoRacing]

Used the Vendetta to put local Pro cyclist Chris in the hurt locker for about 30 mins. I've ridden with him and his teammate who I think is the 40+ world champ and they can just run me ragged on my Ridely over the 40 min race course we ride at lunch. I told him one of these days I'd bring out the recumbent and give him a real challenge. One thing I love about riding with Chris and his teammate is they don't seem snobby at all and just come off as super chill but stupid fast at the same time. Today I caught the group after a late start and I made sure to give them a 60 second lead at the start of the noon ride lunch strava segment. I wanted to use them as a carrot to drag out that last 10% effort I can never seem to tap into. As I was slowly catching the group one rider was already off the front and pulling away from them. Several miles later I passed the group of 15 riders and I continued to reel in the solo breakaway rider out front. As I got closer I realized it was Chris and he also had to know it was me since I mean just how many recumbents are going to chase down someone on a pro team :lol. He grabbed my wheel and just did his best to stay low and tight to maximize the minimal draft I was providing. I never tried to sprint and break him, I was only pacing myself to break the existing KOM and I was well under the mark so far. In the last mile I kept turning up the power little by little as I watched his face contort and his riding form fall apart before finally giving up with a 1/4 mile to go. I was giving it my all the whole ride so it was extremely impressive to see him hang on for so long which is way longer then anyone has so far. I reset the segments KOM time by over a min which is damn good when you consider the old KOM time is always I group effort with about 20 riders.

The funny quote of the day from Chris on the cool down back through town. "Not sure why the group fell back so early I was just taking it easy only doing about 290 watts". I told him 290 watts is not your average rider easy pace :lol Now I know what it's like when my local friends talk to me and I tell them it was just an easy effort.

Now I need a burrito

 

[MrSteve]

The new tires for the Sofrider arrived yesterday, so I dismounted the worn out front tire with a struggle.
I guess the heat and stress from training hard for miles hardened the rubber?
Whatever, it needed tire irons and time.
Also, the inner tube was stuck inside the tire. I needed to reuse it, so I took great care pulling it free.
The old tire was worn to the cords and last weeks efforts pulverized what was left of the tread.

The nice new tire mounted easily by hand and the old inner tube holds air, so:
The old Sofrider is good to go for another Winter of hard work!

 

[DavidCH]

I was just reviewing my strava segments today and I am not number 1.

There is a new crew in the district and the leader seems to be Mike Evans. I assume he might be the welsh ironman contender. Anyways... He had some company who also did better times than me ... I will be out tomorrow and see if I can sustain 400 watts for a few segments. Might have the bowl of porridge before I go out.

Without a power meter I would estimate that I have to keep an average of 145bpm for the segment.

I will have to get some power meter pedals.

I used the cat ears.. I got the pro version in orange so I look like an Aberdeen Angus with the giro air attack shield. LOL.

Love the Tririg Omiga X

 

[nsfr1206]

What did I do with my Cruzbike today? Looked at tracking email for my new Vendetta frame set. It shows delivery for Tuesday!
Group set from Merlin is already here.

 

[DavidCH]

I had a great big breakfast; 3 eggs, spinach and trout with mayo on the side... With a cup of tea. Then guess the extra traction on the tires helped. I am down to 75kg. Not sure on other objectives except to lose a kilo a month.
Oh the cat ear pro's are in the photo as is the bike of the month.

 

[LarryOz]

At the urging of my good friend Hardy, I experimented with riding my V with and without my Ventist seat pad.
He thought it might be a little bit faster.
Speed isn't everything (did I just say that? - haha ), but in the intensest of testing every facet of riding I thought I would give it a try!

Here is my Strava ride data:
https://www.strava.com/activities/759614754/analysis

I rode around my secret test track at an average power of 150 watts.
Lap #2: with Ventist pad: 5 miles in 12:36 with average speed of 24.5 mph
Lap #4: without a (but with Lumbar foam): 5 miles in 12:29 with average speed of 24.8 mph
.
Per my Garmin it was actually 5.5 seconds.
5.5 seconds doesn't sound like much:
But in a 100 mile effort that would amount to 110 seconds, so 1 min 50 seconds.
It could be the difference between a record or not.
...
I could definitely tell that it (the seat pad) wasn't there (sitting on that hardpan CF seat) - so I am not sure how it would feel after 4 hours.
Maybe enough to keep me awake!
Do-able on a track (maybe), but I probably would not advise for riding on the road, as you would really feel the "bumps" more for sure.
..
Of course this is only 1 set of "5 mile" tests, so much more testing needed.
(Hardy - I think you need to make a field trip to my secret test facility to help out. We of course have room for you in our "training Lodge". Actually anyone is welcome to visit and ride and test with a little advanced notice. I even have more than a few "extra" bents you can try out! )

 

[trplay]

But in a 100 mile effort that would amount to 110 seconds, so 1 min 50 seconds.
It could be the difference between a record or not.
...
I could definitely tell that it (the seat pad) wasn't there (sitting on that hardpan CF seat) - so I am not sure how it would feel after 4 hours.
Maybe enough to keep me awake!
Do-able on a track (maybe), but I probably would not advise for riding on the road, as you would really feel the "bumps" more for sure.View attachment 3672

Thanks for doing the test. The idea is getting the body down into the already dirty air of the mechanicals. Your results is very close to what I was projecting. I bet if we tweaked the bike fit you will even see more improvement (feet and neck rest). Your handle bar arrangement is already aero so you didn't see the gain in that area a more traditional set-up might show when he drops lower. The other area might just be those darn Giro attack helmets. We all love them but they come out awful in wind tunnel tests. Of course thats on an up-right position but I think it is even worse for our vendetta position. I think the air is coming in under the visor more than we realize. Wish someone smart would look for a perfectly Vendetta designed helmet! I though Thom ollinger was going to do this?
I use a 1/8 inch foam pad that is firm but not soft. It really is good enough. My bet is if you try it for a short time you'll agree.

 

[LarryOz]

I bet if we tweaked the bike fit you will even see more improvement (feet and neck rest). Your handlebar arrangement is already aero so you didn't see the gain in that area a more traditional set-up might show when he drops lower. The other area might just be those darn Giro attack helmets. We all love them but they come out awful in wind tunnel tests. Of course thats on an up-right position but I think it is even worse for our vendetta position. I think the air is coming in under the visor more than we realize.

Yes - I agree - I know my head can be lower and at a better aero angle, but then as you noted the farther back we lay our heads, the more the wind can come up the visor from our chest.
I'm thinking of trying to fabricate another visor that would practically lay right on my chest when in the racing position.
Another thing I would really like to do is to design and build a set of "recumbent" shoes that the bottom would be rounded like the top of a helmet. Our recumbent pedaling position really puts the shoes in a "bad" position for aerodynamics.
Lost of stuff to work on in the aero department for sure!
p.s I'll try some thinner seat pad, but the thing really nice about the ventist pad is the way the sweat can drip through it so I'm not sitting in it! This is pretty important on long efforts where I'm sweating profusely.
More later of course!

 

[super slim]

Larry, could you try ONE 10mm thick layer of the Ventist pad ,inside the Cruzbike std seat cover?

 

[MrSteve]

My personal best speeds happen in the cold months.
The air is denser, but the winter wear is more aerodynamic.
You know, full finger gloves, arm and leg warmers and my warmest helmet.

Why not try a full-face helmet?
My cheap BMX helmet is the fastest, most aero thing I wear on my head.
It's strictly a Winter helmet because it is poorly ventilated and is, therefore, warm.
If it ventilated well, I'd wear it all year round.

Here's why:
The chin bar is close to my chest and pierces the slipstream first, on the bike.
The cold air is directed up and over my eyes by the chin bar.
With no visor to fog up, visibility is excellent.

In comparison, all of my skull-cap (standard) bicycle helmets act like little head mounted drag chutes.

The chin bar makes the helmet more slippery -less drag- than my other helmets.

Finally, the full-face helmet is a safer helmet because the chin bar protects
my eyes, my facial bones and my teeth... also, it's fast. Fast and warm.

P.S.
Try test driving a full face BMX helmet, Larry... word to the wise.
And I too pick up some speed when I ride on the seat pan with no cushions, but it really buzzes!

 

[RojoRacing]

 

[DavidCH]

Looks kind of crazy but it might work. Re the bmx helmet.

Can't help but think the weight of it might put me off though.

My first adaptation would be to enhance the visor on the giro air attack

 

[Gary123]

OK I'm a wuss but on my vendetta with ventisit my vision blurs even with my head off of headrest on chipseal roads. I'm alright but not lookin for less cushioning. Actually I think I get more vibe from backrest than headrest.

 

[Gary123]

I like the bmx full face look. We already look a little strange might as well go all out

 

[trplay]

OK I'm a wuss but on my vendetta with ventisit my vision blurs even with my head off of headrest on chipseal roads. I'm alright but not lookin for less cushioning. Actually I think I get more vibe from backrest than headrest.

"less cushioning"? I don't think so. I think my more dense rubber absorbs the bumps as well or better than the springy stuff. It is really a case of perception more than anything else. I submit this for an example. Mrs Daisy is definitely a comfort rider but yet learned to ride on thin cushions. Since I didn't like the feel yet another poor purchase (Ventists Pad from cruzbike) I gave it to her thinking she would like it. Especially since the sweaty back thing is real using thin cushions. Not to be, after a couple rides she was done with the ventists and back to using the more dense but thinner cushions. Truth be known the comfort level is about the same, the difference is what you grow up on.

 

[trplay]

Do this. Go to walmart into the kitchenwares. Pick out a kitchen mat, the kind you use by the sink. You have a wide variety of stylish choices, Black, brown, murals,. You can even get one with a chicken on it. Seems like I needed one 30" long to fit. You should measure your seat before you go. Take it home and cut it to fit the seat. They cut easily, you can even taper the edges to make it custom fit the seat. Now try it for a couple rides. If you don't like it you have $15 of foam to find a home. If you like it and you picked the chicken you have a winner, winner, chicken dinner.

 

[Gary123]

Maybe less is more. I'll five it a try since I love Walmart so much

 

[1happyreader]

"less cushioning"? I don't think so. I think my more dense rubber absorbs the bumps as well or better than the springy stuff. (Ventists Pad)

I got my Ventisit from Ventisit and my sit bones have compressed the bottom into a custom fit. . I bought with the idea of air circulation on my back and riding in the rain, never thought it would cushion, was just hoping it would not be so soggy.
later,,,, bye