I wonder how many of the top cyclists would feel about doing a stage of The Tour De France on one of these things? To me they are an accident waiting to happen, the traditional position allows you a chance to see ahead and allows you to get out of the saddle to climb a bit. Being sat with your feet in front of you does make me wonder how do you get any perspective of what’s going on. I cannot imagine a motorcycle manufacturer ever building one like this, I suspect the original recumbent bike was built by accident and nobody had the sense to say it just isn’t going to cut the mustard.
Kudos to Hank for doing this. Riding a Moving Bottom Bracket (or MBB) recumbent is a lot harder than riding a normal recumbent. Keep up the occasional recumbent content please GCN, it’s much appreciated, and make sure you come out to Battle Mountain in Sept ‘25
@ The Cruz is a front wheel drive with steering. So your crank changes angle as you steer. It’s a compromise. You get better and lighter mechanical advantage with the instability of steering with your legs. My recumbent has rear wheel drive so the crank stays put when you steer.
Sideways on the floor? 🤪 Sincerely I assume you are talking about the sofa. It's funny: Many people ask recumbents riders, if it isn't uncomfortable. We like to answer with the comparison between a stool and the sofa.
@@FTA38yearfreerideHa Hs since quitting drinking I have not, those crashes somehow seem worse than from a regular bike, even though they are closer to the ground
@davetbassbos I had a similar bike, I crashed a few times in winter on ice when driving to work, is less impact then with normal bike , is more sliding, somehow you always end up your ass like a cat ends up on his paws 🤣
Naah, this wasn't courage, it was just doing it wrong. Probably 95% if recumbents would have been better suited for this course and novice rider, even any of the other Cruzbike models would have been better suited. It really didn't need to be this hard.
Speaking as a nine-year V20/V20c veteran who also mountain bikes, this video would be like GCN asking a relative newcomer to mountain biking to take a bike slightly too large for him down a black diamond jump run. Would he die? Probably not. Would it look pretty? No. With drills and practice (and a bike fit) could he work his way up to nailing the run and making it look easy on Instagram? Most likely, yes. Just as there are video series showing the progression of people learning how to jump their bikes, a more fair depiction of the V20c would show a fairly new rider working all the way through the learning curve, not just the first and worst part of it. Individual V riders have posted such videos over the years, but they don't have the viewership and reach that GCN does. I appreciate what GCN is doing, but this video is like a still shot taken from a longer movie.
Thanks again, GCN and Hank for showcasing recumbents. I ride road bikes, tri bikes, and recumbents, and have a love for all of them. The variety, especially in the recumbent world, is massive. Cruzbike recumbents are very different to learn than rear wheel drive recumbents, and it does take time in the saddle to feel comfortable. I've owned a V20 and S30 Cruzbike, and even those are quite different from each other. Once you master them, you'll be amazed at how ridiculously fast they are. Even my slow legs have managed a few KOMs on a recumbent. Keep doing these videos, they're fun to watch!
Lower back pain led me to the Cruzbike V20 nine years ago. It was wobbly at first, and it took about 1000 miles for my brain to rewire itself to let my hands and feet work together, instead of against each other. But once I was over and through the learning curve, the V has been my favorite bike ever since. Once riding the bike becomes "second nature," as Hank put it, it is quite stable and predictable, climbs well, and crushes long distances. I ride five different bikes, including a standard road bike (which I can ride again because the V20 helped me get rid of my back pain), and if I had to whittle the five down to one, the V20, now V20c, would be the winner. I admire what Hank tried to do, but he is still in the learning phase and the bike's fit was not appropriate for his size. I'd love to see GCN invite a skilled V20c rider with a properly fitted bike to go for a ride with them, even on the same course, even in the same weather. The bike is much more capable than what the video shows.
On such bikes the arms should not work together with the legs... The legs must push slightly "outwards" to compensate the torque on the steering. I started keeping balance on a TD MBB in 3 minutes just thinking about this, even though of course it takes hours before the right amount of outwards becomes an habit, and the riding line turns from a snake path into a road-following line.
@@mino73T11semplicemente non dovevano metterci alla guida uno che ha usato pochissimo una reclinata. Video disonesto. Se voglio usare lo stesso stratagemma metto alla guida di una bici da corsa uno a cui ho tolto le rotelle l altro ieri e sulla recumbent uno che è anni che ci sale....indovina quale sarà il risultato
This one is extremely twitchy because of short wheel base and pedals on the steered wheel, also the fact that Hank clipped in 13:47, which is staggeringly reckless. What Hank did here is a monumental challenge. Mind you, all recumbents are a bit wobbly (especially if they have tiny 20" wheels, which mine do). Because you have a seat back to brace against you can put out WAY MORE pedal force, enough to break the chain if you're not careful. What makes them hard to push up a hill is they usually weigh 30+ lbs.
This is definitely not the easiest recumbent to ride, I've ridden all sorts of recumbents for years, from velomobiles to touring recuments and even some lowriders but i would not feel very confident on this bike either due to the exteme reclined angle. Recumbents are great but there are huge differences between them. From lowriders which are barely fitted for the street and where you cant start in a turn because you're feet are in the way all the way up to recumbents that are way easier to ride like the touring models and of course trikes.
@@nctrns I can recommend trike, benefits of no needing to gain balance when going slow. Uphills are slow, but just need to take smallest gear and you will get up, eventually. Of course downhill is very fast and acceleration. Trikes are usually heavier, and my current one weights about 30 kg, but you don't really feel that when triking.
What you should take away from this video: - Use the right bike for the ride (not a TT speed machine for rough and dirty backroads) - Set it up correctly for you (the chain stays are too long for Hank's size) - Learn to ride a bike, before you go on a challenging ride!! Really, he can barely ride a straight line with only a few hours of recumbent practice. How good were you as a child after only a few hours in a conventional bike? Not ready for this kind of road and terrain. - Especially with a bike this extreme. (Even I might have beaten him up those climbs on a V20c with 1.5 times his weight and probably ½ to ¾ his FTP.)
Great to see an objective look at recumbents. I've riden them for 25 years. And i know that it must have been difficult for a beginner to do that ride. If you had that bike for a year you'd probably never want a diamond frame again.
@@richardstirlandmusic424 I'd say, there are still reasons for upright bikes, but I always hate when I run into one of those reasons and have to sit on a saddle. 😅
@@PsyKekswhat are those reasons? I am kind of looking at getting a recumbent, and trying to get a better idea of the pros and cons outside aerodynamics. Watching this video makes me think that your visibility (ability both to see and be seen) could be a serious issue. That, combined with an inability to unweight the wheels like a regular frame, caused Hank's crash on the pothole.
@@joelhenderson3723 Ive been a bent rider for about 20 years. the advantages other than aero are in both safety and comfort. Statistics show that the most dangerous (as in highest likelihood and greatest severity) crash for a bike is when you go over the handlebars. On most recumbents that is not likely to happen. As Hank showed (repeatedly) most spills on a recumbent are kinda tip over. and really, if he had more practice (and if his riding position was better, apparently this bike wasn't setup for him but for a taller rider) he would have just put his feet down. I have done this while going over 30kph when I hit some loose gravel skidded, put my feet down steered into the turn and stopped without falling. I regularly ride my bent for 5-6 hours in a day and other then the fatigue I feel great, no pain or pressure points, I can not ride my diamond for more than an hour or two and I feel it after. There are other similar safety advantages, getting doored still sucks but at least you are going feet first into it for example. As to the seeing and being seen, the camera angle makes it look like you are just looking at your legs, but in most bents you should not be (there are some really extreme low racers that have you on your back between the wheels but you are not likely to find yourself getting one of those as your first bent). the camera was mounted to his handlebars so you are getting a bit of an off view. I have as good of visibility on my bent as on my diamond. I certainly am a bit lower than most other bikes but not dramatically so, I always ride with a blinking rear light, my whole family rides recumbents so I see them when I am driving (and there are a few around not in my family group) and I can say I don't notice a difference between seeing them and a diamond frame, especially with the blinking light. There are some disadvantages for sure. you aren't gonna be bunny hopping, popping wheelies or jumping up/down obstacles, I go down curbs at slow speed, when hitting larger bumps you learn to suspend yourself between the pedals and the seat back, assuming you are riding a hard frame, or better yet steer around the bumps! But that said I can absolutely take more freestyle riding on my diamond frame.
@@joelhenderson3723 What reasons there are for riding an upright bike? My main one is folding. My folding recumbent folds quickly, but not nearly as compact as my Birdy or even a Brompton. Others might fold smaller, but not as quickly. (I am planning a custom one and am excited to see how compact it will be. Probably somewhere in between. - Most of the times my current folding recumbent folds compact enough for me, though.) People I know prefer upright in the city, because you're more expected and you have a higher viewpoint (compared to _most_ recumbents) and the viewpoint is not as far back. Also a cheap beater bike would probably be a typical upright bike, you found somewhere. - I am happy with my recumbents, when I visit the city. I wouldn't try dashing in between cars like the stereotypical bike messenger, though. For purely uphill recumbents have a weight disadvantage and some maybe a bit less efficient drive train. For advanced mountainbiking, BMX or trials the recumbent isn't nimble enough. Chill recreational easy singletrack can be done with the right model, though. But shifting your weight around and unweighting the saddle doesn't work as well, so on bad roads you might earlier opt for suspension, so the bike is heavier again. For club rides you might want to or be expected to ride a similar bike to your club mates. In most races you have to ride upright. The lower viewpoint of most recumbents also means you are more often blinded by headlights of cars or other cyclists. But if you are tall enough, you can sit quite far up with the right model. A recumbent get's you a lot of attention. I am often not in the mood for a chat at the traffic light. You can't look over your shoulders as well, but with the aero advantage, you can easily offset a mirror. (I now don't wanna miss a mirror on upright bikes, either and on many recumbents you can more easily look into a handlebar mounted mirror. - As well as handlebar mounted bike computers and smartphones ;-) ) Whan it rains, you get the rain all over the front (including the zipper) and into your face. Good rain clothes and a visor help. Reasons why I hate, when i have to get on an upright: Saddle is uncomfortable immediately, hands and arms after a while. I find it hard/exhausting, to produce the same kind of power as I can with the firm seat in the back to push against. Probably because I don't ride race bikes and have never trained the specifics of out of the saddle riding. Actually it was that week, when I rode around on my upright (folding bike), when two times someone wanted to drive into the roundabout, right when I passed them. So visibility can't have been _that_ much better than on my recumbents? For a fast riding position I have to strain my neck, to see far enough in front. On the recumbent I can easily look far and only lift my head and maybe shoulders, when the situation is tricky. No reason to use brifters, really. I mix brakes and shifting freely. With most models it's hard to lift the rear wheel, so you can better use the full potential of your front brake. A lot of luggage can easily be mounted behind the rider, not increasing aero drag. Also partial fairings behind the seat are easy, readily available and visually pleasing. Fairing and lockable luggage compartment (trunk/boot) can be combined. I guess there is a lot more and there are surely already plenty of resources available, but I guess we both have enough for now. 😄
@@HoolyDooly-si2zz He got this one because it is so light weight, tadpoles are HEAVY. Most recumbents are pretty heavy, but tadpoles especially so. The Cruzbike V20c is only 12.14 lbs for the complete frameset. You can fall asleep doing a track stand on a tadpole: you just block a wheel and shut your eyes!
@@HoolyDooly-si2zz Even just going with an S40 instead of a V20c would have been better. Really even just having the shorter chain stays would have been better. But having the proper amount of practise and training for the type of bike would have made the biggest amount of difference.
@Grunchy005 you need one with a cassette in the back and long chain. A bike with a cassette in the front has always been and will always be an unstable joke🤣
@@gcn Give him at least a day of practicing exercises (figure eights, slow straights, starting and stopping etc.) and preferably a period of commuting on the bike - make a training montage and/or vlog. Ideally get the shorter chain stays from Cruzbike first and a wider handle bar (Make a separate tech video explaining BB height on a Cruzbike and showing the process?). And THEN send him again. Make it a story of progress and success. Let Hank win, not only by suffering through something.
Hank if you ever truly want to take the cruzebike and ride flowing mountains in America, tell Jim to send you my way. I've raced for Cruzebike on the V20 against other standard racers in the mountains with at least one race in the rain. I can't ride no hands like Jim but I'm probabky the only rider who can match or excessed the elite in the corners of a mountain descent on that bike.
Hank, this positive attitude to adventure most of us would give up on is what you bring to the GCN puzzle! Pretty please bring this bike back in a head to head with a normal bike on a normal ride without the scary rain, mud, fog, and mountain passes? How about a fun day out adventure with Conor or Si or even Alec or Ollie to let us compare what it's like - the speed, the road handling, etc?
Hank’s ride was like taking your child who was just learning to ride a bicycle. It is scary but fun. Hank needs to ride it work for a few weeks to get his balance and the different muscles used built up. Then do a speed test or a ride with Connor.
@@owensnicholas It wouldn't have been scary on most recumbents as well. And it didn't need to be scary on a V20c either, if it was set up for Hank's size and he would have practiced and trained enough specifically for this type of bike.
Note to self: Don’t attempt learning how to ride recumbents on farm roads in the rain. Anyone who cares enough about aero to buy special socks should be keen on recumbents.
And even keener on Velomobiles. There is no bike more aero than a velomobile. Bizarrely enough I actually climb faster with a velomobile than I did with recumbent bikes. Easier to balance and very stiff frame (shell actually).
This is far too much to ask, but it would be amazing to see someone on GCN put a couple of solid months into getting comfortable on a recumbent to see what they can do. I haven't ridden a front wheel drive recumbent, but when I rode a RWD it took a long time before I started wanting a bigger chain ring.
very true. It took me about 1000 miles to feel comfortable with the handling on my Bacchetta high racer 'bent. There are some local 14% grades that were a challenge, both up and down hill. I eventually became as comfortable on the Bacchetta as on my upright bikes. I don't think I ever climbed as fast, though.
@@HoolyDooly-si2zz Tadpoles are dangerous, not quite as dangerous as those 3-wheel tricycle delivery bikes. Well, it's because they don't lean into curves so the bike wheels have to take lateral forces, puts quite a strain on the spokes. Also you may notice all tadpole trikes have DISC brakes that's because the wheel distorts so much on cornering that they would push on the rim brakes. I like the 'bent because I can ride without bending my neck backward or being all hunched over. The downside is "bent butt" from having all the body weight on the seat, symptom begins with tingly toes and gets much worse fast: time for circulation break. I have literally never heard of anybody "clipping in" on a recumbent before 13:47, that's downright reckless. I have Bike-E, Quetzal 140, and Actionbent Tadpole. I like the Bike-E the best I think: most comfortable seat back.
If he gets paid for it, I don't think, it would be that much to ask. Compared to riding this course on this bike with this lack of practice it would be a piece of cake to just practice the bike in daily life. And it especially wouldn't be much to ask from GCN, to show recumbent bikes in the right light, not making them look unnecessarily bad.
@@Grunchy005 - Tadpoles can be really stable, if the center of mass is low and the front wheel track is wide. And then you can't lean the bike, but you can lean the rider in the seat. With that, you can ride corners fast enough. - They don't always have disk brakes, they also often have drum brakes. It's not only because of wheel flex, there also is no point to attach a rim brake. Home built trikes with normal bicycle forks for the front wheels do "often" have rim brakes, actually. - "bent butt" or "recumbutt" happens with more upright seats like your Bike-E, but on more sporty, lower seat angles it's much less of an issue, as you also lay in your back. (Also depends on the seat and your body, of course.) - Using system pedals/ click pedals is quite the norm. In the German recumbent and velomobile forum it's one of the first advice you get. (From my dealer as well.) And it's actually for safety, because your feet can slip and hit the road more easily. But this heavily depends on the elevation of the bottom bracket against the seat and against the road. And it's MUCH more of an issue on a tadpole trike or velomobile with foot holes, where the cross beam can badly injure your heel, if the road surface grabs your foot. I don't like it and mostly don't do it on all of my recumbents (as on my upright folding bike). Had one close call on the cargo quad, which has a front similar to a tadpole trike. Luckily I was already stopping.
@FTA38yearfreeride , then how did it take first in the Race Across America? Great bike once you're used to it. Terrible to barely ride and make a video.
It was obvious that Hank did not have enough experience with a Cruzbike before this ride. It takes about 1000 miles to really feel really confident riding this bike.
@@CameronFraserACHF Tadpoles are the closest thing to a pedal car. They are fast but treacherous: take a corner hard you can flip over or overstress a wheel, pop some spokes. Try a 3-wheel delivery bike, those are downright dangerous at anything above walking pace. This Cruzbike V20c is just 12.14 lbs for complete frameset: that's superior to any recumbent I'd ever heard of. The pedals on the steered wheel means when you push left pedal you steer right, push right pedal you steer left. Most recumbents have twitchy handling, made worse if they have small wheels (mine has 20"). Hats off to Hank pushing this up a mountain, here you are wobbling up a steep incline, high center of mass, every pedal stroke upsets the steering, you're CLIPPED IN LIKE A MADMAN 13:47 ! ! Hat is off to you sir!
Not *this* recumbent at least ;) This is definitely not a starter recumbent. I'm a pretty experienced recument rider but i would also struggle with this one. Don't be put off but this, it's not really representative for all recumbents.
I rode recumbernts for a number of years and regularly entered double centuries on my Bacchetta. I never fell off once and got top 10 in some 200 mile events. The super steep stuff I avoided like the plague. I tried a cruzbike once and simply could not get used to it. I couldnt imagine riding one on a steep mountain road. I saw people riding these on the 200 miler events and they were super fast so it must have been me that couldnt get my brain round riding one. Hank definitely picked an epic .
It's very different. You really need to relearn. Your attitude is really important, as is your headspace in the moment and I think the right plan to practice. After familiarizing in a standstill, I started rolling downhill with my feet on the ground. Slowly tired touching my feet to the pedals just briefly and more each time. Pedaling is necessary to gain control over the impact, your feet have on the steering. Much patience, many little breaks for the brain to process in the background. Good sleep before and after. Most important: Don't expect anything to be like you know it. 😆 (Unless you know something similar like Flevo Bike or Python.)
I'm in my 50's. I rode BMX for about 30 years so like to learn. Have done years of road and MTB too but learning to ride a Cruzbike was completely different and I had to start afresh. I put the time in and am now completely comfortable on my S40. Physically and mentally. To be fair to Hank, he must be a quick learner to have done that well as pretty much everything that could be wrong was.
I’ve ridden recumbents since about 2015. I currently ride a V20c and love it. Have been smashing KOMs left and right. Before the V20c, I put 2,700 miles on a Cruzbike S40. I was glad to be so proficient when I switched to the V20c. I’ve also ridden rear-wheel drive recumbents, but really fell in love with Cruzbike’s FWD design. I actually rode my V20c with my cycling club on a hilly route this summer. I was nervous about it, but ended up riding faster than everyone in the group. And these are guys who log 5k to 12k miles a year on diamond frame bikes.
@@MrDoccus Check my channel. I have quite a few videos on my V20 and you can see that it is an absolute beast compared with road bikes and TT bikes. At 56 I stomp them every single ride, and my FTP is only 240 watts on my V20 right now.
@@michealofloinn2539 Hi Michael - It takes some getting used to, for sure. I bought Cruzbike's adjustable seat with the new headrest design (the same thing you see on Hank's bike), and that is more comfortable for me than the stock seat/headrest. I also had to get a Lazer helmet, which has the adjustment dial on the top of the helmet, so that I could rest my head comfortably.
It's so cool to see Hank ride recumbents. I can hear Barney tell him to 'smile', and it makes me smile to see it. I had a V20, and sadly we didn't get along. I love my VTX though, and I'm hoping to get a Raptobike at some point. Maybe Hank should get a hold of Arnold Ligtvoet and go for a Raptobike ride in the Netherlands? Hell, I'l even fly over to get ride with them! Maybe buy a Raptobike second hand and brink it back to the USA>
Huge kudos for taking that on! It takes MILES (~400 min, YMMV) to develop the slightly different muscles and get the handling dialed in. I've been riding 'bent for 19 years and still loving it! You did a great job! MBB is a whole different world, even from RWD recumbents!
I've been waiting for a video like this again for a while. Enjoyed every minute. And I would love to see Hank doing a longer tour, supported or unsupported, with a recumbent on flatter grounds. Maybe even with a more "luxurious" recumbent, that allows for relaxed bike packing.
Seeing him (or anyone, maybe some guest) do something after actually practicing enough would be really nice. A V20c is a bit aspirational, as it takes a lot of practice. There are many other recumbents, that would be better suited.
You did very well Hank. Those things are hard the ride. The moving bottom bracket takes a while to get used to as peddling affects steering and so balance and one needs to be able to dial it out so to speak. I have about 40,000km on a different cruzbike model, one not reputed to be as tough to ride as the V20. Traction on steep hills is an issue and starting on step hills also. Otherwise, on the road, they are good. Long rides are not so punishing on the body given the points of contact between body and bike. Aero advantages are huge. V impressed taking such a machine over such a route. Well done.
Kudos to Hank for doing this, it looked very difficult and unstable and a weird position to be in with a relatively high centre of gravity and grotty road conditions. Well done.
I ride a V20c. It's actually a very low center of gravity relative to a diamond frame bike. Best turning bike I've ever ridden. It was only "unstable" due to Hank's inexperience on the bike.
"Don't want to be going this fast!" - words I never thought I'd hear Hank say. 😄 Well done, sir, and thanks for a great video! Yes, you can do epic rides - I have a friend who bike packed west to east across Canada on a recumbent. But it takes practice to master the balancing and to feel comfortable.
Nice video. I actually ride a Crizbike and Hank shows what it's like to learn, it does take several hundred to get a feel for the bike and maybe a couple of thousand to be comfortable. Remember what it was like to learn to ride a bike at first? Very few would pick that course as a first road ride on a bike you can barely ride. The fact he did it shows he's got nerve and it a quick learner. It does not give an idea of how the bike actually can work. Kind of like taking your non-riding buddy who has only a few hours of practice out on his first road tour. We all know how that would end!
Great vid, great route, great bike, great rider... Now borrow it again and do another one on roads where it comes into its own, a really long, fast, flatter route, where your lack of experience and "recumbent legs" are not pushed to the limits
Someone in Cruzbike's marketing needs a slapping! 1. NEVER give a recumbent to someone in Wales. 2. NEVER give a recumbent to someone in Winter. And most importantly: 3. NEVER give a recumbent to someone called Hank. Otherwise, great entertainment 😂😂💪💪👍👍
@FTA38yearfreeride Not really. The recumbant he used was the akin to a TT road bike, when what he needed was possibly a gravel bike equivalent. There are many more recumbents more suited to those conditions, some even with suspension. Horses for courses!
@@FTA38yearfreeride Bull shit. I have over 30,000km on my V20, never crashed it, and have never had a road bike pass me and stay ahead of me. I own almost every Strava KOM on my routes, and I have been swapping KOMs with 3 guys on TT bikes because they are the only ones who can take those KOMs back, and most of the times it was when all 3 were working together. And I will be 57 years old in 2 months. V20s, V20Cs and other racing recumbents are fast AF and the UCI banned them because they were kicking the shit out of road bikes. You can't beat the shit out of road bikes when your recumbent is unstable.
Great video Hank. Keep giving us more recumbents. As you become more adapted to the bike I would like to see you evaluate the Cruzbike over a typical rolling course.
Great candid example of what it feels like to be a cruzbike newbie. I remember those times well. V20’s are racing bikes, and fwd mbb are the most challenging to learn short of a fully enclosed 2 wheel streamliner. When you gain experience, the riding experience is transformed. I am very lucky to have n+1 bikes and trikes and I ride them all. I ride cruzbikes as my first choice for pavement and hardpack. The hardest thing for me is switching from one riding position to another. Different muscles,different balance, different view, different handling. But that is also part of the fun of it.
Is just not a good bike!!! This will never feel right!! NEVER!!!Handposition is wrong!! not aero at all !! The cassette in the front wheel makes the bike unstable and dangerous !! You need the one with long chain and cassette in the back and small handlebar handposition close to the body !!! But still, all of them suck to ride up hill, you'll just not get any air 🎉😂
@@FTA38yearfreeride Uhm. Are you trying to stir up some drama here? I think, what you say is unnecessarily inflammatory and not quite as universally true as you make it sound.
@MrDoccus in your dreams 🤣a bike that is unstable can never be fast !! it makes you lose at least 20 % of your power and can not even ride in a straight line with it
@PsyKeks I have a bike like this, is low racer and has cassette in the back, is more stable than my normal race bike, Hank would break records on it with his biking skill 😉
I just couldn't imagine riding like that! I've seen plenty of people riding recumbent bicycles on sportives, I've been overtaken by people riding them and I'm not the slowest guy on the road, even more impressive is when you see disabled folk riding them. Well done Hank, rather you than me mate!
I can only advise you to give it a try. The bike hank is riding is probably one of the most difficult ones I can imagine. If you see a rider about your height, ask him if you can have a go for a minute. I'm sure most will be happy to indulge. Someone let me ride it 20 years ago and it was eye-opening.
@ZesPak I'll keep my eyes open! They aren't something I see every time I'm out. Mainly when I've done sportives. I have seen the odd recumbent out in north Lincolnshire where it's super flat. Thanks for the advice 👍
Yeah, it doesn't have to be as hard as GCN makes it look. There are plenty of models that are easy to ride. I have a regular recumbent, where people without experience just sit down and ride. You can always progress from there. You could look if there is a group near you. In Germany we have a forum and monthly meetings in many cities. Are you in England? The British Human Power Club (BHPC) might be the place to startooking, I don't know. In the USA it would be Bent Rider Online (BROL). There might also be Facebook groups or Reddit Subreddits. And in those communities and at those meetings or at the BHPC races you should find many people with a lot of experience and a passion they want to share. And if you might consider a holiday in the southern German or Swiss mountains, you could come to Spezialradmesse (spacial bikes fair) at the end of April. Many recumbent brands exhibit there (Cruzbike hasn't managed to show up from the USA, yet.). In the USA it would be Cycle Con.
@PsyKeks wow that's a lot of info thanks very much for that. I'm not sure if I'd be able to ride a recumbent due certain ailments I have but I'd give it a go. I've never heard of any clubs where I live in the UK. I lived in Germany for 25 years. I haven't been back for a while due to reasons out of my control but I hope to be back over very soon. Thanks again 👍
@@iansingleton I am curious, often it's because of ailments, that someone starts riding recumbents, when they can't ride uprights anymore. But I understand, that you might not want to tell the world. 🙂
That bike is my baby. Full time Cruzbike V20 recumbent rider here, and swear by them. That was an ambitious "REAL" ride for a non-recumbent rider, even one of Hank's skills and experience. MBB has it's own particular learning curve, and then to do it in that terrain, and wet slick surface to boot. Wow! Hope you keep at it, because if you think you fly now, just wait till it is "second nature" and the wobble is gone. Pure heaven in the clouds.
I've been riding a cruzbike for about 16 years and I love it. It did take me a while to get used to - the first time I got on it I thought it was un-rideable, and watching this video reminds me of my first few weeks. Mine is not one of the snazzy new ones, it is one of their original early-days conversion kits. I put it on a fully suspended mountain bike frame and replaced the wheels with 700cs. You get the comfort, traction and wheel protection of the full suspension combined with the aero position, but I don't think they make the conversion kits any more. I wish they did, I'd get another one in a shot. One thing I love about my cruzbike is that my weight feels equally distributed between each wheel. Anyway, cruzbikes are hard to ride because they are front wheel drive and pedalling steers the front wheel side to side which you have to counteract with your arms. That's the hard bit. It would have been nice to hear Hank talk about the front wheel drive part more. Most recumbents are rear wheel drive and are way easier (and therefore safer) to ride, but probably not as quick as a cruzbike. The front wheel drive is good for efficiency and engaging more muscles I think. Recumbents are not good for everything - they're not ideal for nipping around a busy town/city (a Dutch style is best and safer for that). But on a long road, even uphill, I'd take one over a diamond frame road bike any day, not just for speed but also for comfort. If the same RnD when into recumbents as they do for road bikes (which basically haven't changed shape much for decades) we'd have a much better range of offerings, but recumbents got banned from competitive racing in the 1930's I think which presumably killed development. For, speed, comfort, touring and long commutes, recumbents easily win for me.
Interesting. I have long thought that there's a variation of this which could be a nice compromise... something which is more reclined than fully recumbant.
100% this! A well designed recumbent, say with suspension and a small e-motor, would be fantastic. Use the e-motor to get going (esp uphill) and regen down. So much design potential and benefits.
@snowstrobe There are many recumbent design variations. Plenty of seat angles to choose from and most designs allow you to adjust the angle to your liking.
I use my recumbents in the city as well. I even have one, that is especially designed for that with a short wheel base and overall length, more upright seat and full suspension (also it folds). I can even put a large, lockable, aerodynamically shaped cargo box behind the seatback and a framelock on both wheels for trips between different shops.
this is about on par with Top Gear's first Tesla review. Get the twitchiest rider, on the twitchiest bike, strap a chestcam to him, and send him out on sketchy roads in the rain, film him from odd angles, make a continuous edit of him falling over and being stressed out. Riding a recumbent is an absolute breeze, once you get a more relaxed model and some honest practice. The learning curve is akin to that of a roadbike vs a city bike. And once you are going, the main advantage is that you are completely relaxed while riding, meaning you get a legs and cardio workout with zero stress on back, arms and the glockenspiel.
@@TheXtrafresh High center of mass, unfamiliar layout, compound that with short wheel base and Pedals On The Steered Wheel!! You push on the left pedal it steers right, push on the right pedal it steers left! The most reckless of all, Clipped In?! 13:47 (Hank is riding this Cruzbike V20c because it weighs only 12.14 lbs for complete frameset, this is way lighter than most other 'bents which are always quite piggy for hill climbing.)
@@Grunchy005 yeah they went with the wrong bike for this (or the wrong rider, if you change perspective). I never liked the front wheel driven bikes, for all the reasons you point out. I get the sense that the guys are under the impression that recumbents are roadbikes, but more aero. They end up with a set of exaggerated complaints that will all go away with practice and better choices.
You’re lucky to be alive after that ride. About 10 years ago I switched to a long wheel base recumbent for comfort and speed. Absolutely impossible to climb with it and god help you if you stop in the middle of an incline. Lose some speed and you’re wavering all over the place. Stopping and starting in traffic with the wobble will get you killed. I switched to recumbent tadpoles trikes….a Catrike 700 racer for speed and their 559 for comfort for long rides. Safe as can be, comfy, can climb any incline with ease with 30 gears and pushing back against fixed resistance. I’m 72 years old and ride 10,000 miles per year in New England and Florida all year round. You’ll never get me on any 2 wheeler again. The 700 racer is as fast as anything out there. The Cruzbike design will get you killed. So unstable.
Thank you Hank - So refreshing in an unexpected way ..... a reminder that among cycling's gifts the opportunity to expand our comfort zone my be the greatest. We'll done !!!
Hank rode this new to him bike like someone riding a race bike for the very first time. Those crashes are what probably every CruzBike rider makes at the beginning. The low-down position of the V20C makes it a bit harder than on an endurance bike like the S40. The moving bottom bracket and front wheel drive (FWD) makes everything more difficult. But over time it can be mastered and gets very comfy. On slippery roads it's more difficult with this FWD bike to keep upright. You just don't have as much feel for the front wheel's grip as with a traditional bike. Luckily crashing doesn't hurt much on recumbents 🙂 Downhill the moving bottom bracket again feels less stable to me as a rear wheel drive (RWD) recumbent like the Optima High Baron (goes like on rails at 50 mph /80 kmph). All in all I wouldn't choose a recumbent for steep hills and icy / gravelly road conditions. But I ride mine on UK country roads and it's always faster than my "normal" race bike.
@318ishonk yea, the first time I did ride a race bike nearly survived, I did crash 45 times and had to buy a new bike !!!! Hm... I'm just kidding ! 😂..
@@FTA38yearfreeride Don't take the first time you sat on a road bike. Take the first time, you sat on a twowheeled upright bike with a fixed bottom bracket. Even if you had experience riding a balance bike or training wheels, you probably fell down a few times in the beginning, because you just couldn't find the patience to do some safe training before going all out. That's what Hank has shown here. He has a lot of experience with conventional road bikes, but little of that translates to a MBB and he went on a challenging route with just hours of practice. Probably the ride was longer than all his previous experience on this bike.
I have a superlight v20 ... I call it Pegasus because it flies. However... I give it respect. I dont go out in rain and i wear gloves and glasses because when it goes fast i get hit by whats in the air and if i decide to ditch it (3 times in 10 years) it doesnt scuff my hands. Congrats in getting up a 13% ... rolling hills is the best course for this bike. Keep practicing with a smaller chainstay.
Hank, you said this bike would probably be great on a ride across USA, and you would be correct. I would argue Sweden is an even better choice. This summer I completed the Length of Sweden event on my Cruzbike V20. Gentle hills, light traffic, great scenery, good resupply, and absolutely excellent road conditions. My videos from the event are up on UA-cam.
@@FTA38yearfreeride But that is not because of the concept of an MBB! I have the same bike and I probably have ridden it a bit more in the open roads than he has and I never "almost died" with it. I can think of a single fall, when the paved road suddenly stopped and the coming surface was way more loose than expected. That was purely an issue with the tires. Other bikes didn't handle that path much better, even the threewheeler was quite an adventure. (The fatbike probably would handle it fine, but I didn't get around to trying it.)
This bike also normally has the feet much lower. In Cruzbike's forum, it was told that the bike was with someone else in the meantime and the other person is much taller, so the chain stays are now his length and much too long for Hank.
@@FTA38yearfreeride Those things (the "normal road bikes" he mentioned) aren't really beginner friendly. They are pretty much noone-friendly. I really can't recommend getting into something so obviously bad for your body and dangerous and unpleasant so ride. "🎉 🤣"
Congrats Hank for completing such a ride while being a newbie on Cruzbike. Seeing Hank struggle so much, and GCN gave a very hard course, hilly, wet, narrow, broken road, you wonder how Maria won RAAM and jason perez won the california triple Crown with the V20. Cruzbike does have it downside when your body and brain isnt quite wired to balance the pedaling, also it loses traction because the center of gravity on hills is more at the backwheel, so pdalling is hard.
What's hilarious is that today, my S.O. and I were talking about recumbent bikes, seeing two of them on our local trail. I mentioned that the two-wheel variety seem terrifying after watching Hank on GCN topple a billion times off of them. And here we are, Hank toppling off a recumbent once again.
The racing recumbents are very fast. Also, they are very comfortable. After watching this video I am not surprised that roadies are quick to dismiss them. Part of me is happy because of the exclusivity of riding a recumbent and eating roadies and TT bikes every ride. I get a sense of satisfaction from it. However, and this is even more important, the road bike industry is gasping for life, and if they would quit making it an "us vs them" thing then a whole new world of bikes would become available and every would win. Touring bents, high racers, mid racers, low racers, velomobiles, streamliners, trikes and even tandems. But nope. People still want to buy a diamond framed bike that was essentially first made in 1891. Yep, unchanged in almost 150 years.
On ya Hank! Not an easy feat that you courageously took on. You showed that reward awaits if you get out of your comfort zone and put in the hard yards to try something new. Too many people are scared of doing this, especially in cycling, and stick to the familiar and only what they see others around them doing. They never realise the rewards that could be had, which in terms of that bike, the feeling of effortless, untapped speed once you build up the hours and learn how to balance and build up the different muscle group. The first euforia is when you blast past other competent riders at a significant speed differental. The feeling of mastering something new is also rewarding.
Yeah, trying something new is great. Leaving the confines of convention to find improvement is excellent. But going on the road with a vehicle you don't yet have under control is rather reckless. 😅 Practice is important. And proper bike setup (Hank needs shorter chain stays.)
I rode a hilly century this summer, and another participant had a recumbent similar to this one. He had flat pedals, which looks like a great idea. He climbed faster than many, and could scorch the flat to downhill parts. I passed him on the two long climbs of the course, but he FLEW past me once we were off the hills and finished well ahead of my 17mph average. Based on this video, I have a greater respect than before of his skill. He climbed smoothly and really just handled his rig as easily as a 'normal' bicycle.
Think about how much practice you have on typical upright bikes. If you had that amount of practice on this type of bike, imagine what you might be able to do. Most people get into recumbents at quite the old age and only have a few years to decades of experience. There is a similar kind of bike, the Flevo Bike, where the steering axis points through the seat. There is a video on someone riding a Flevo Bike on its front wheel like a unicycle.
I don’t consider myself a competitive rider, just a tourist. I’ve been riding a Cruzbike for 2 years now and I completed the Dragon Ride granfondo (215 km, 3300m+) last June in 10h; my bike was properly fitted and I have adequate gearing, only difficulties were the first climbs with a wet uneven road. Finished tired obviously but no neck, wrist or saddle pain whatsoever and I had plenty of time during climbs to enjoy the Welsh scenery :p
I think, since the first hill climb bent vid, we have to have a race, GCN riders are givem bents and ride against grey haired seasonal bent riders, who ise a trike, a 2 wheeler, and a velomobile, in a race.
@@taufikabidin412 I'd say let GCN use their road bikes. That way they can actually try to race. (They might have a chance against the unfaired trike. - But then close to the finish, have a short cut closed with a barrier, where the low trike can pass under and overtake everyone 🤣 That video would be great fun AND real information AND would cause a lot auf audience interaction in the comments 😎)
You really dove into the deep end of the pool with that. That's the most difficult recumbent to ride, and you picked the most difficult road to ride it on. I like how you hinted you'd be thrilled if Cruzbike paid for you to take a long vacay in the U.S. Your mom didn't raise no dummies.
After Cruzbike gave the V20C to GCN and Hank not only makes a mockery of it but ignores the advice they gave him, I wouldn't bet that Cruzbike is going to pay Hank for a long vacay in the U.S.. Hank essentially took a super car to a monster truck track, then to a beach, and finally to a parking lot to see how well it it does 5 point turns instead of taking the super car to a track or autobahn to show it in the proper environment. I wouldn't expect GCN to lie at all, but this was not a very nice show of appreciation for a free bike that would stomp the dog piss out of virtually all road or TT bikes. GCN lost a lot of credibility IMO with this video. But hey. I bet they are happy that the roadies got a chuckle.
Great to see you testing or recumbent. Speaking as an owner of a recumbent low racer (but with a fixed bottom bracket ) it’s much easier to take off if you can sit up as much as possible with your back of the back rest as it raises the centre of gravity, essential for a very low speed balance.
After reading elsewhere about the help and advice offered by Cruzbike to GCN beforehand I can only assume GCN are going out of their way to make the unsuitable for the job bike look bad by ignoring it. I ride a Cruzbike S40. I put the initial effort in to learn and am very comfortable and safe riding it. 95% of the problems Hank has are down to inexperience, very bad set up and a ridiculously hard route a seasoned V20 rider would struggle on (an experienced V20 rider would have chosen a more suitable recumbent I'd have thought). I can only think this video was made to make the bike look bad. Experienced CB riders will tell you they are not. Many on here already have I see. best to forget this video and listen to experienced CB riders if your interested in one. They have a very good forum. Not very good GCN.
Hank successfully managed to turn a 50k ride into an 80k ride just by weaving all over the road. Mad. I’m glad I saw it but I’ll happily stick to my traditional road bike. Well done Hank.
Right model bike for the job and right setup for the circumstances would have made it much more easy in the nerves and impact free. Also the proper amount of practice would have helped a whole lot. I can only recommend going recumbent, but I can't recommend starting like this. 😅
Have to get something off of my chest: I actually really love the music selection in the GCN videos! Whoever is responsible for the selection deserves a massive raise imo! ♥ (And huge props to Hank for doing this challenge! Hope to see you on a recumbent again soon!)
It's not typically that hard 😉 I have a gentle city style recumbent, where people just sit down and ride ahead comfortably. For steep hills and rough and dirty roads, you need more practice. And a bike that is set up correctly for your size, so you can actually see enough of the road. 😅 And preferably a bike that is not a pure TT-style speed machine.
Everyone falls from time to time. But falling on a recumbent is not like falling on a legacy bike. It's almost impossible to go over the handlebars and when you do fall, you're closer to the ground. I've fallen on my CB and yes, I got scraped up on the concrete, but, no broken bones or other major injuries. On the other hand, I had to have shoulder surgery a couple of years ago from having fallen multiple times on my legacy bike. Just something else to consider in favor of a recumbent.
There are plenty of recumbent videos on UA-cam. Lots of people who make no claims to being racers or long-distance riders riding around with no problems. This video is a comedy of errors. Someone inexperienced on recumbents riding one of the most race-oriented ones. It's like taking someone who barely learned to ride a single-speed city bike last week and putting them on a triathlon bike with aero bars.
Mon conseil, si je peux me permettre, refais la même expérience avec un vélo couché à propulsion arrière (métaphysic, pelso, bachetta, slyway...) Mais c'est vrai , le réel point faible d'un vélo couché, c'est les fortes montées; à cause du poids plus élevé ,comparé à un vélo traditionnel, et aussi parce qu'il devient instable à trés faible vitesse (du moins c'est le cas de mon Méta! ) Il faut rouler beaucoup.... Excellente vidéo.
I watch him often and enjoy all but his recumbent videos. Every recumbent video I've seen, he's an absolute beginner and is incapable of actually demonstrating the strengths of bents, and terribly exaggerates the weaknesses. I personally think Cruzbike made a mistake in inviting him to do this without stipulating that he had to ride it three or four times a week for three months before filming the challenge. Better yet, invite him to challenge a comparably young and strong Cruzbike rider to ride this route together, him on an upright. As is, this video and all the language in it should have been framed as, What's it like for a novice to try to ride a front-drive MBB recumbent through very challenging hills on wet pavement for the first time ever. For those who aren't aware, look up Maria Parker's career racing the Cruzbike V20, including her extraordinary performance in RAAM, which includes crossing the Rocky mountains and lower but very steep mountains in the east.
Downhilling a recumbent on a rainy day in the fog is a courageous task. But if you survive an hour on a penny farthing with a broken saddle everything's possible I guess
yeah maybe this would be okay if the front wheel was smaller so you could have your legs a bit lower but as far as i know this is a performance model so it makes sense that it uses big wheels cus they are likely faster.
It looked to me, like the bike is not equipped with the shortest chain stays. More distance between wheel axle and bottom bracket means the bottom bracket comes higher and the feet and knees with it. (Also the handle bars come too low.) With this bike design, the bottom bracket gets adjusted outward and cones lower, when the rider has longer legs. Lower feet (below the height of the lower seat edge) mean larger frontal area and aerodynamic drag. To combat that, there are longer chain stays, to raise the feet. This bike was originally sent for a track test, where drag would be most important. But the high bottom bracket is worse for handling and for vision. Very bad combination for a not-so-tall novice on a bad road on a dark and misty day. The knee cam might have exaggerated a bit, if it was mounted to his chest or handle bars. (I haven't paid very close attention to that aspect.)
More recumbent content would be great. My 2 cents about this ride: You would've done better on a long wheel base recumbent with a low bottom bracket. They are much more beginner friendly. Try a Gold Rush or a Stratus or maybe a Bacchetta Bella. They are much more stable especially on the descents. Also, you wouldn't have to worry about the FWD traction problem. Also, recumbents use your muscles differently than diamond frames, so maybe ride one for a couple months before making a video of a ride with a serious climb.
I have only ridden one one time, at a bike shop in Atlanta that allowed me to take one for a test ride. Full disclosure, that one had a twenty inch tire height (in spite of having a 26 inch rear wheel), and it is very difficult to keep stable at any speed less than full speed. That being said, he did a fine job, especially in that fog. I have no doubt he would get better with more saddle time.
@@profchaos9001 Experienced riders can do it, but recumbents are inherently more twitchy. Think of an old-fashioned metronome with the weight low on the stick; it moves back and forth very quickly.
The pedals are on the steered wheel: when you push left pedal you steer right, push right pedal you steer left. Now do this laying down, high center of mass, short wheel base, CLIPPED IN LIKE A MADMAN 13:47. All recumbents are twitchy, I'd never ridden one I could take my hands off the handlebar.
@@Grunchy005I can ride a few of my recumbents with my hands off the handlebars. Not the one in the video yet. I am still learning to ride that. I am not all over the place like Hank as a first timer but that bike takes a good amount of practice to master even if you are super familiar with riding recumbents. The front drive and steer makes it a very different balance proposition. But once mastered there is a massive speed reward.
Hank, that was a tough course to tackle on your first open-road ride! More time on the bike, and you would have been much better at it, and those wobbles would go away. Starting a recumbent (from a stop) when going uphill is a skill that takes time to acquire, but it can be learned. We always tell our beginner customers that falling is not part of the learning process. I didn’t fall on my first Cruzbike until I had become very capable on it and hit a patch of sand when taking a corner at high speed. You were better fitted to the bike this time versus the first video on the track, but did you notice the chainstay was much longer this time, putting your BB/feet much higher? The guy who has been riding this bike since that first video is very tall and needed our extra-long chainstay. You might have been more comfortable with the medium-length chainstay. I’ve ridden the entire Blue Ridge Parkway (469 miles of smooth roads, with almost none of it flat) many times on my Cruzbike. If you come over to the States, I’ll take you on some better roads, where you could really let her fly down the hills.
I have 2 recumbents. A Catrike and a Metabike. When people ask me about how they climb i tell them. They climb as fast as a seated rider. I didnt get efficient on the uphills until i built my recumbent legs. Since you can use only one muscle group. Road bikes have an advantage being able to sit or stand. I am faster on the flats and Dh on my recumbents. My recumbent trike climbs better because you dont have to worry about the balance part. And can concentrate on just putting the power down. The one main thing i notice between regular bikes and recumbents on the road is. I am seen easier on my recumbents because people arnt used to seeing them. Cars dont buzz me, they give me alot of room. They slow down and take pictures and there big conversation starters. As were when im on my regular bikes, cars buzz me. Im fortunate enough to love all formats of cycling.
I think, a big part of the myth, that recumbents climb slowly is that you think you are good at riding, because you go fast on the flats. But that speed is because of the lower drag and uphill it comes to light, that you are still not making as much power as you were used to.
I would love to get back to riding my Cattrike, but they just are not visible enough. I really wish they would make a dedicated powered light pole. I have been in too many near-misses to do super- long rides without an escort.
@FTA38yearfreeride I'm not the fastest climber on either of my recumbent. But I am more comfortable that's for sure. Another thing I noticed is I breathe differently on my road bike compared to my recumbent. I tend to pant and wheeze more on my road bike. And I tend to breathe slower deeper breaths on my recumbent. I think it has to do with less muscle groups being used on recumbent. The great thing about bikes is there's many different styles to mix up your cycling fun/torture with. 😆
@albikes8484 yea, I breathe differently also when i ride it uphill. It calls gasping for air😂it is more comfortable on long straight roads and in every other situation a total pain in that A' 🤣
@@FTA38yearfreeride Both styles have their advantages. A big one for rear wheel drive and a fixed bottom bracket is that by far for most people it is vastly more familiar. I am still getting used to the moving bottom bracket, but I already like the more direct feel of the transmission of power and the lower weight of the bike. Great qualities for a road bike. On my recumbent fat bike, I'd probably stay with rear wheel drive, unless I put a motor in the back and a chain to the front, so I have allwheel drive, that would be great for traction on a bike for bad traction riding.
I started recumbent riding this year due to an injury. I focused solely on recumbent riding for 3 months racking up about 3500km. Unlike the cruzbike mine was an older Challenge Hurricane with rear suspension and rear wheel drive (very long chain) but it still weighed a respectable 10.5kg. I could force it to climb steep hills and did on many occasions, but comparing my efforts to that on my road bike it was always took 30% longer to reach the top. When I switched back to the road bike (having not ridden it in 3 months) I was instantly able to destroy my hill climb times set on the recumbent. The Cruzbike V20C looks more efficient with no suspension and a normal length drivetrain but it would take years to be able to match the power output from a road bike. They are a lot of fun and still fantastic exercise. Fast on flat routes, also very comfortable when you get used to them.
There are many different kinds of recumbents . This video is like somebody visiting from Mars . Finds a road bike , fails on a downhill MTB and concludes that bikes on Earth are poor .
As far as I can tell the one advantage with a recumbent over a standard bike is you don't have so far to fall when you crash. The caveat to that is you crash more often. It looks like Hank didn't have any traffic to contend with either. Can you imagine what would have happened if a car or even a van came the other way on those roads with him wobbling all over the place?
The biggest advantage is that any real distance ride allows you to get off the bike without hand, wrist or lower region pain once you adapted your muscles.
@@christophvaneickels6660 I got my first recumbent - a Cruzbike S40 - 9 months ago. I agree with your points and haven't been on a diamond frame bike since. I didn't realize how much pain I endured on a bike until it was gone! Now I can ride roads, trails, gravel, and hills. It took some time to stop wobbling, but it is worth it. I may get a DF bike if I get back into mountain biking - you can't bunny hop on a recumbent!
Be fair! You'd wobble as much on a conventional upright bike, if you only had a few hours of practice. Also it's a pure TT speed machine, not suitable for roads so rough and dirty and set up with long chain stays for lowest wind resistance, but that reduces ease of handling (important for a novice) and vision immensely. With the right setup, the necessary amount of practice and maybe the similar but more suitable S40 model it would have been such a different experience. - At his level of practice even my heavy folding city style recumbent would have been a better experience and not slower, because he could have actually ridden it all the way without falling and pushing.
You've got to feel for the bike brand, first when they got the recumbent back, and then when they saw the video with all the crashes. Audacious sponsoring.
The biggest problem Hank was running into was the front wheel drive, when he had to put the power down to get up the hill the pedal stroke was making the steering twitch all over the road. Suspect he would get better with practice, but it always going to be difficult
It will get a lot more easy, yes! For example there are reports, that skilled riders can start a cruzbike from a standstill without their hands on the handle bars at all! (I think, they even showed it in a video.) On the hardest of inclines you might still need the hands, though. Appropriate gearing makes some problems go away, though. This bike was set up for the race track and many roadies are used to pushing silly high gears uphill. I have mountainbike shifting in my V20c. An actual advantage is that your pedaling thrust goes into the direction of the steering. With rear drive, you push against the steering to some degree. But you need practice to make use of this advantage. If you are not practiced, of course a different behavior is just bad.
@PsyKeks I have a bike like this, but it has derailer in the back, what makes it much more stables!! The one in the movie gets out of balance with every paddle stroke😂
Congratulations Hank - that was an awesome ride - I'd have been nervous on a normal bike. That particular machine seemed to be a bit unstable - I've seen other recumbents that are lower and look to be more stable. Its good to see someone trying to use this type of machine on the highway - have another go on a different machine Hank - I'll look forward to that. Thanks for the presentation.
opinion: Would an e-recumber bike revolutionize recumbents? The low drag on flats/descent combined with a motor for the climbs could be very promising!
They exist already. Do you feel revolutionized, yet? What exactly would it be, that you are trying to revolutionize? In competitions and club rides, a recumbent will often be excluded or shunned and a motor nearly always. For training or sense of accomplishment you don't need a motor. For practical use the distances are often too short and you don't want the potential for additional problems. For traveling you might not want the need to find a way to recharge. And when the motor may only assist up to 25kph and you regularly ride more than that, the motor is dead weight and unnecessary friction. So twowheeled recumbents are more often for sport and light weight, so they often don't have motor (but they can and do), but three-wheelers might actually be mostly bought with motor, as they are heavy and slow and often for the more leisurely or handicapped rider. People who want to ride with motor, often wouldn't be faster than 25kph, even with a recumbent. In that case the speed advantage of the recumbent doesn't even affect them. The better advantage is comfort and for comfort, many people think a trike is better. So yes, the motor may have actually revolutionized recumbents and be the reason, why trikes are dominating the market now. 🤔
Massive respect for riding a cruzbike on roads I that condition. You guys aren't joking about bad road conditions in the UK. I still say come to Sebring Florida for the recumbent endurance challenge. MUCH better roads and weather even in February plus our hills are pretty nonexistent.
I fly to across the pond every spring for training camp with my coach and stay on the north side of the gospel in Hay on Wye. Having ridden the gospel pass many times on a proper bike, I can say with full confidence that Hank is completely and utterly mad to have done this on a recumbent. Fun to see some roads I'm very familiar with on GCN.
At least with his amount of practice and the bike not set up correctly for him. I also probably would have used a bit of different model of recumbent. 😅
I didn't realize cycling industry is in such fear of recumbents to use GCN as an anti-recumbent commercial. Hank chose a very extreme recumbent for the terrain, weather and his inexperience. If Hank wanted to test out a recumebent superbike in this terrain, should have used Slyway Ultra (from Italy), Azub Max 700 (Czechia), Cruzbike S40, M5 highracer (Holland) or Metabike Mystique (don't know if it's available in Europe).
The position is very extreme. The seat angle needs some getting used to (better start with something less flat) and his feet are very high - too high for this course and his amount of experience. (Also the handle bars came too low because of the high bottom bracket.) The bike is great, if used in the right way for the right job. This wasn't that.
@@FlyLeah Depends in part on your legal motor speed. Where I live, the motor may push up to 25kph. If hill steepness, weight and rider power allow 26kph, then the motor and battery are dead weight and friction. If on a lighter bike you manage 26kph and on the more heavy recumbent you only manage 25kph, the motor won't bring you to 26kph. But on slower parts it will help a lot. And if you ride with a group, you might save enough stamina on the fast parts from lower drag and in the slow parts from the motor, that you can keep up on the medium parts, by pushing harder. If you lack the practice to keep stable at low speeds, a motor helps to avoid low speeds, but it would be better to practice and improve your handling at low speeds. For practical use (commuting) in varied terrain I think yes, a recumbent with motor can be the fastest, as you can maintain 25mph uphill without undue effort and cruise faster on the flats. For hard riding in faried terrain the recumbent already is probably faster - If you have practiced and trained enough!
Imagine being on any bicycle with traffic coming towards you and having an accident. Imagine being on foot with traffic around you and tripping into traffic. Imagine sitting at home in front of your computer and having a stroke.
Well sure, you should practice until you have a minimum of bike handling skills, before you go into traffic. Just like we hopefully did as children, when we learned how to ride upright bikes. Or inline skates or unicycles or anything else.
Cruzbike are the worst things to ride. He literally picked a death trap. Performer highracer would have been a much better choice. The moving bottom bracket is dangerous. They are rare in recumbent would and his poor performance gives recumbents a bad look
@@hptfalcon1683 there is certainly better constructions like this, I see still only very few around -- most people seem to prefer the hard top aero racers that are actually suitable to ride in traffic as they are either 3 wheelers or have some smaller wheels on the sides to rest on when you stop. But yes this particular construction seems very unsafe to ride :)
I thought Hank might be nervous about this, but he was so laid back
Badabum tzzzz!
Get out.
He looked terrified ❤
🥁
I wonder how many of the top cyclists would feel about doing a stage of The Tour De France on one of these things? To me they are an accident waiting to happen, the traditional position allows you a chance to see ahead and allows you to get out of the saddle to climb a bit. Being sat with your feet in front of you does make me wonder how do you get any perspective of what’s going on. I cannot imagine a motorcycle manufacturer ever building one like this, I suspect the original recumbent bike was built by accident and nobody had the sense to say it just isn’t going to cut the mustard.
Kudos to Hank for doing this. Riding a Moving Bottom Bracket (or MBB) recumbent is a lot harder than riding a normal recumbent. Keep up the occasional recumbent content please GCN, it’s much appreciated, and make sure you come out to Battle Mountain in Sept ‘25
Yeah, what Russel said!
Occasional is the key word 😉
Front wheel drive is the most difficult to ride.
Could you briefly explain, what's different about MBBs? Not really heard of them yet ..
@ The Cruz is a front wheel drive with steering. So your crank changes angle as you steer. It’s a compromise. You get better and lighter mechanical advantage with the instability of steering with your legs. My recumbent has rear wheel drive so the crank stays put when you steer.
Funny, I'm watching this video in that same position, lol!
Sideways on the floor? 🤪
Sincerely I assume you are talking about the sofa. It's funny: Many people ask recumbents riders, if it isn't uncomfortable. We like to answer with the comparison between a stool and the sofa.
Now all you need to do is pedal in the air
Did you fall off the sofa??🎉😂
@@FTA38yearfreerideHa Hs since quitting drinking I have not, those crashes somehow seem worse than from a regular bike, even though they are closer to the ground
@davetbassbos I had a similar bike, I crashed a few times in winter on ice when driving to work, is less impact then with normal bike , is more sliding, somehow you always end up your ass like a cat ends up on his paws 🤣
Hats off to the sheer courage of Hank.
Naah, this wasn't courage, it was just doing it wrong. Probably 95% if recumbents would have been better suited for this course and novice rider, even any of the other Cruzbike models would have been better suited. It really didn't need to be this hard.
@@PsyKeks True , but drama is what gets views and cruzbike did send the blke to GCN - they knew what to expect.
Speaking as a nine-year V20/V20c veteran who also mountain bikes, this video would be like GCN asking a relative newcomer to mountain biking to take a bike slightly too large for him down a black diamond jump run. Would he die? Probably not. Would it look pretty? No. With drills and practice (and a bike fit) could he work his way up to nailing the run and making it look easy on Instagram? Most likely, yes. Just as there are video series showing the progression of people learning how to jump their bikes, a more fair depiction of the V20c would show a fairly new rider working all the way through the learning curve, not just the first and worst part of it. Individual V riders have posted such videos over the years, but they don't have the viewership and reach that GCN does. I appreciate what GCN is doing, but this video is like a still shot taken from a longer movie.
Very well put.
Thanks again, GCN and Hank for showcasing recumbents. I ride road bikes, tri bikes, and recumbents, and have a love for all of them. The variety, especially in the recumbent world, is massive. Cruzbike recumbents are very different to learn than rear wheel drive recumbents, and it does take time in the saddle to feel comfortable. I've owned a V20 and S30 Cruzbike, and even those are quite different from each other.
Once you master them, you'll be amazed at how ridiculously fast they are. Even my slow legs have managed a few KOMs on a recumbent.
Keep doing these videos, they're fun to watch!
Lower back pain led me to the Cruzbike V20 nine years ago. It was wobbly at first, and it took about 1000 miles for my brain to rewire itself to let my hands and feet work together, instead of against each other. But once I was over and through the learning curve, the V has been my favorite bike ever since. Once riding the bike becomes "second nature," as Hank put it, it is quite stable and predictable, climbs well, and crushes long distances. I ride five different bikes, including a standard road bike (which I can ride again because the V20 helped me get rid of my back pain), and if I had to whittle the five down to one, the V20, now V20c, would be the winner. I admire what Hank tried to do, but he is still in the learning phase and the bike's fit was not appropriate for his size. I'd love to see GCN invite a skilled V20c rider with a properly fitted bike to go for a ride with them, even on the same course, even in the same weather. The bike is much more capable than what the video shows.
On such bikes the arms should not work together with the legs... The legs must push slightly "outwards" to compensate the torque on the steering. I started keeping balance on a TD MBB in 3 minutes just thinking about this, even though of course it takes hours before the right amount of outwards becomes an habit, and the riding line turns from a snake path into a road-following line.
@@mino73T11semplicemente non dovevano metterci alla guida uno che ha usato pochissimo una reclinata. Video disonesto. Se voglio usare lo stesso stratagemma metto alla guida di una bici da corsa uno a cui ho tolto le rotelle l altro ieri e sulla recumbent uno che è anni che ci sale....indovina quale sarà il risultato
I used to be recumbent-curious. This video has cured me, I can't see myself ever getting one. Thanx Hank!
This one is extremely twitchy because of short wheel base and pedals on the steered wheel, also the fact that Hank clipped in 13:47, which is staggeringly reckless. What Hank did here is a monumental challenge. Mind you, all recumbents are a bit wobbly (especially if they have tiny 20" wheels, which mine do). Because you have a seat back to brace against you can put out WAY MORE pedal force, enough to break the chain if you're not careful. What makes them hard to push up a hill is they usually weigh 30+ lbs.
This is definitely not the easiest recumbent to ride, I've ridden all sorts of recumbents for years, from velomobiles to touring recuments and even some lowriders but i would not feel very confident on this bike either due to the exteme reclined angle. Recumbents are great but there are huge differences between them. From lowriders which are barely fitted for the street and where you cant start in a turn because you're feet are in the way all the way up to recumbents that are way easier to ride like the touring models and of course trikes.
I'm still curious, but definitely a trike first.
@@nctrns I can recommend trike, benefits of no needing to gain balance when going slow. Uphills are slow, but just need to take smallest gear and you will get up, eventually. Of course downhill is very fast and acceleration. Trikes are usually heavier, and my current one weights about 30 kg, but you don't really feel that when triking.
What you should take away from this video:
- Use the right bike for the ride (not a TT speed machine for rough and dirty backroads)
- Set it up correctly for you (the chain stays are too long for Hank's size)
- Learn to ride a bike, before you go on a challenging ride!! Really, he can barely ride a straight line with only a few hours of recumbent practice. How good were you as a child after only a few hours in a conventional bike? Not ready for this kind of road and terrain. - Especially with a bike this extreme. (Even I might have beaten him up those climbs on a V20c with 1.5 times his weight and probably ½ to ¾ his FTP.)
Great to see an objective look at recumbents. I've riden them for 25 years. And i know that it must have been difficult for a beginner to do that ride. If you had that bike for a year you'd probably never want a diamond frame again.
@@richardstirlandmusic424 I'd say, there are still reasons for upright bikes, but I always hate when I run into one of those reasons and have to sit on a saddle. 😅
@@PsyKekswhat are those reasons? I am kind of looking at getting a recumbent, and trying to get a better idea of the pros and cons outside aerodynamics.
Watching this video makes me think that your visibility (ability both to see and be seen) could be a serious issue. That, combined with an inability to unweight the wheels like a regular frame, caused Hank's crash on the pothole.
@@joelhenderson3723 Ive been a bent rider for about 20 years. the advantages other than aero are in both safety and comfort. Statistics show that the most dangerous (as in highest likelihood and greatest severity) crash for a bike is when you go over the handlebars. On most recumbents that is not likely to happen. As Hank showed (repeatedly) most spills on a recumbent are kinda tip over. and really, if he had more practice (and if his riding position was better, apparently this bike wasn't setup for him but for a taller rider) he would have just put his feet down. I have done this while going over 30kph when I hit some loose gravel skidded, put my feet down steered into the turn and stopped without falling. I regularly ride my bent for 5-6 hours in a day and other then the fatigue I feel great, no pain or pressure points, I can not ride my diamond for more than an hour or two and I feel it after. There are other similar safety advantages, getting doored still sucks but at least you are going feet first into it for example.
As to the seeing and being seen, the camera angle makes it look like you are just looking at your legs, but in most bents you should not be (there are some really extreme low racers that have you on your back between the wheels but you are not likely to find yourself getting one of those as your first bent). the camera was mounted to his handlebars so you are getting a bit of an off view. I have as good of visibility on my bent as on my diamond. I certainly am a bit lower than most other bikes but not dramatically so, I always ride with a blinking rear light, my whole family rides recumbents so I see them when I am driving (and there are a few around not in my family group) and I can say I don't notice a difference between seeing them and a diamond frame, especially with the blinking light.
There are some disadvantages for sure. you aren't gonna be bunny hopping, popping wheelies or jumping up/down obstacles, I go down curbs at slow speed, when hitting larger bumps you learn to suspend yourself between the pedals and the seat back, assuming you are riding a hard frame, or better yet steer around the bumps! But that said I can absolutely take more freestyle riding on my diamond frame.
@@joelhenderson3723 What reasons there are for riding an upright bike?
My main one is folding. My folding recumbent folds quickly, but not nearly as compact as my Birdy or even a Brompton. Others might fold smaller, but not as quickly. (I am planning a custom one and am excited to see how compact it will be. Probably somewhere in between. - Most of the times my current folding recumbent folds compact enough for me, though.)
People I know prefer upright in the city, because you're more expected and you have a higher viewpoint (compared to _most_ recumbents) and the viewpoint is not as far back. Also a cheap beater bike would probably be a typical upright bike, you found somewhere. - I am happy with my recumbents, when I visit the city. I wouldn't try dashing in between cars like the stereotypical bike messenger, though.
For purely uphill recumbents have a weight disadvantage and some maybe a bit less efficient drive train.
For advanced mountainbiking, BMX or trials the recumbent isn't nimble enough. Chill recreational easy singletrack can be done with the right model, though. But shifting your weight around and unweighting the saddle doesn't work as well, so on bad roads you might earlier opt for suspension, so the bike is heavier again.
For club rides you might want to or be expected to ride a similar bike to your club mates.
In most races you have to ride upright.
The lower viewpoint of most recumbents also means you are more often blinded by headlights of cars or other cyclists. But if you are tall enough, you can sit quite far up with the right model.
A recumbent get's you a lot of attention. I am often not in the mood for a chat at the traffic light.
You can't look over your shoulders as well, but with the aero advantage, you can easily offset a mirror. (I now don't wanna miss a mirror on upright bikes, either and on many recumbents you can more easily look into a handlebar mounted mirror. - As well as handlebar mounted bike computers and smartphones ;-) )
Whan it rains, you get the rain all over the front (including the zipper) and into your face. Good rain clothes and a visor help.
Reasons why I hate, when i have to get on an upright:
Saddle is uncomfortable immediately, hands and arms after a while.
I find it hard/exhausting, to produce the same kind of power as I can with the firm seat in the back to push against. Probably because I don't ride race bikes and have never trained the specifics of out of the saddle riding.
Actually it was that week, when I rode around on my upright (folding bike), when two times someone wanted to drive into the roundabout, right when I passed them. So visibility can't have been _that_ much better than on my recumbents?
For a fast riding position I have to strain my neck, to see far enough in front. On the recumbent I can easily look far and only lift my head and maybe shoulders, when the situation is tricky.
No reason to use brifters, really. I mix brakes and shifting freely.
With most models it's hard to lift the rear wheel, so you can better use the full potential of your front brake.
A lot of luggage can easily be mounted behind the rider, not increasing aero drag. Also partial fairings behind the seat are easy, readily available and visually pleasing. Fairing and lockable luggage compartment (trunk/boot) can be combined.
I guess there is a lot more and there are surely already plenty of resources available, but I guess we both have enough for now. 😄
@richardstirlandmusic424 lol, that is why they are so popular ?? 🤣 most people who had one change there mind and step away from them !
I'm so glad there wasn't any traffic on those roads!! Kudos to Hank's good humor and resilience while crashing that many times in the wet!
It's so scary, a twitchy bike, wet roads with loads of mud and rubble, nothing to be seen due to the knees and mist. Hank you are the greatest.
@@HoolyDooly-si2zz He got this one because it is so light weight, tadpoles are HEAVY. Most recumbents are pretty heavy, but tadpoles especially so. The Cruzbike V20c is only 12.14 lbs for the complete frameset. You can fall asleep doing a track stand on a tadpole: you just block a wheel and shut your eyes!
@@HoolyDooly-si2zz Even just going with an S40 instead of a V20c would have been better. Really even just having the shorter chain stays would have been better. But having the proper amount of practise and training for the type of bike would have made the biggest amount of difference.
@Grunchy005 you need one with a cassette in the back and long chain. A bike with a cassette in the front has always been and will always be an unstable joke🤣
The final result is potholes 1 - 0 Hank. Should Hank go for a rematch?
@@gcn Give him at least a day of practicing exercises (figure eights, slow straights, starting and stopping etc.) and preferably a period of commuting on the bike - make a training montage and/or vlog. Ideally get the shorter chain stays from Cruzbike first and a wider handle bar (Make a separate tech video explaining BB height on a Cruzbike and showing the process?). And THEN send him again. Make it a story of progress and success. Let Hank win, not only by suffering through something.
Hank if you ever truly want to take the cruzebike and ride flowing mountains in America, tell Jim to send you my way. I've raced for Cruzebike on the V20 against other standard racers in the mountains with at least one race in the rain.
I can't ride no hands like Jim but I'm probabky the only rider who can match or excessed the elite in the corners of a mountain descent on that bike.
Hank, this positive attitude to adventure most of us would give up on is what you bring to the GCN puzzle! Pretty please bring this bike back in a head to head with a normal bike on a normal ride without the scary rain, mud, fog, and mountain passes? How about a fun day out adventure with Conor or Si or even Alec or Ollie to let us compare what it's like - the speed, the road handling, etc?
Have a feeling that’s coming, maybe they’re already editing the episode already now :)
The thing is, none of that would be scary on a normal bike.
Hank’s ride was like taking your child who was just learning to ride a bicycle. It is scary but fun. Hank needs to ride it work for a few weeks to get his balance and the different muscles used built up. Then do a speed test or a ride with Connor.
@@owensnicholas It wouldn't have been scary on most recumbents as well. And it didn't need to be scary on a V20c either, if it was set up for Hank's size and he would have practiced and trained enough specifically for this type of bike.
@@owensnicholas he ran into a huge pothole that knocked him down but he was not injured. On a standard bike he could have had a serious injury.
Note to self: Don’t attempt learning how to ride recumbents on farm roads in the rain.
Anyone who cares enough about aero to buy special socks should be keen on recumbents.
And even keener on Velomobiles. There is no bike more aero than a velomobile. Bizarrely enough I actually climb faster with a velomobile than I did with recumbent bikes. Easier to balance and very stiff frame (shell actually).
Yeah, just about everything in this video was unnecessarily hard.
nah. just don't use clip on shoes. that seems like a 60IQ idea in that position.
@@hagestad Eh, there's points for and against it. But for novices the points against it might overpower the other ones.
This is far too much to ask, but it would be amazing to see someone on GCN put a couple of solid months into getting comfortable on a recumbent to see what they can do. I haven't ridden a front wheel drive recumbent, but when I rode a RWD it took a long time before I started wanting a bigger chain ring.
very true. It took me about 1000 miles to feel comfortable with the handling on my Bacchetta high racer 'bent. There are some local 14% grades that were a challenge, both up and down hill. I eventually became as comfortable on the Bacchetta as on my upright bikes. I don't think I ever climbed as fast, though.
@@HoolyDooly-si2zz Tadpoles are dangerous, not quite as dangerous as those 3-wheel tricycle delivery bikes. Well, it's because they don't lean into curves so the bike wheels have to take lateral forces, puts quite a strain on the spokes. Also you may notice all tadpole trikes have DISC brakes that's because the wheel distorts so much on cornering that they would push on the rim brakes. I like the 'bent because I can ride without bending my neck backward or being all hunched over. The downside is "bent butt" from having all the body weight on the seat, symptom begins with tingly toes and gets much worse fast: time for circulation break. I have literally never heard of anybody "clipping in" on a recumbent before 13:47, that's downright reckless. I have Bike-E, Quetzal 140, and Actionbent Tadpole. I like the Bike-E the best I think: most comfortable seat back.
If he gets paid for it, I don't think, it would be that much to ask. Compared to riding this course on this bike with this lack of practice it would be a piece of cake to just practice the bike in daily life.
And it especially wouldn't be much to ask from GCN, to show recumbent bikes in the right light, not making them look unnecessarily bad.
@@Grunchy005
- Tadpoles can be really stable, if the center of mass is low and the front wheel track is wide. And then you can't lean the bike, but you can lean the rider in the seat. With that, you can ride corners fast enough.
- They don't always have disk brakes, they also often have drum brakes. It's not only because of wheel flex, there also is no point to attach a rim brake. Home built trikes with normal bicycle forks for the front wheels do "often" have rim brakes, actually.
- "bent butt" or "recumbutt" happens with more upright seats like your Bike-E, but on more sporty, lower seat angles it's much less of an issue, as you also lay in your back. (Also depends on the seat and your body, of course.)
- Using system pedals/ click pedals is quite the norm. In the German recumbent and velomobile forum it's one of the first advice you get. (From my dealer as well.) And it's actually for safety, because your feet can slip and hit the road more easily. But this heavily depends on the elevation of the bottom bracket against the seat and against the road. And it's MUCH more of an issue on a tadpole trike or velomobile with foot holes, where the cross beam can badly injure your heel, if the road surface grabs your foot. I don't like it and mostly don't do it on all of my recumbents (as on my upright folding bike). Had one close call on the cargo quad, which has a front similar to a tadpole trike. Luckily I was already stopping.
@FTA38yearfreeride , then how did it take first in the Race Across America? Great bike once you're used to it. Terrible to barely ride and make a video.
Hank has successfully convinced me my next "N+1" purchase will NOT be a recumbent.
It was obvious that Hank did not have enough experience with a Cruzbike before this ride. It takes about 1000 miles to really feel really confident riding this bike.
@@mikeceee0071000 miles wasted
I'm a bit more charitable. I think I'd never get on one with fewer than three wheels.
@@CameronFraserACHF Tadpoles are the closest thing to a pedal car. They are fast but treacherous: take a corner hard you can flip over or overstress a wheel, pop some spokes. Try a 3-wheel delivery bike, those are downright dangerous at anything above walking pace. This Cruzbike V20c is just 12.14 lbs for complete frameset: that's superior to any recumbent I'd ever heard of. The pedals on the steered wheel means when you push left pedal you steer right, push right pedal you steer left. Most recumbents have twitchy handling, made worse if they have small wheels (mine has 20"). Hats off to Hank pushing this up a mountain, here you are wobbling up a steep incline, high center of mass, every pedal stroke upsets the steering, you're CLIPPED IN LIKE A MADMAN 13:47 ! ! Hat is off to you sir!
Not *this* recumbent at least ;) This is definitely not a starter recumbent. I'm a pretty experienced recument rider but i would also struggle with this one. Don't be put off but this, it's not really representative for all recumbents.
I rode recumbernts for a number of years and regularly entered double centuries on my Bacchetta. I never fell off once and got top 10 in some 200 mile events. The super steep stuff I avoided like the plague. I tried a cruzbike once and simply could not get used to it. I couldnt imagine riding one on a steep mountain road. I saw people riding these on the 200 miler events and they were super fast so it must have been me that couldnt get my brain round riding one. Hank definitely picked an epic .
It's very different. You really need to relearn. Your attitude is really important, as is your headspace in the moment and I think the right plan to practice. After familiarizing in a standstill, I started rolling downhill with my feet on the ground. Slowly tired touching my feet to the pedals just briefly and more each time. Pedaling is necessary to gain control over the impact, your feet have on the steering. Much patience, many little breaks for the brain to process in the background. Good sleep before and after. Most important: Don't expect anything to be like you know it. 😆 (Unless you know something similar like Flevo Bike or Python.)
I'm in my 50's. I rode BMX for about 30 years so like to learn. Have done years of road and MTB too but learning to ride a Cruzbike was completely different and I had to start afresh. I put the time in and am now completely comfortable on my S40. Physically and mentally. To be fair to Hank, he must be a quick learner to have done that well as pretty much everything that could be wrong was.
That was great :D probably one of the fastest and least forgiving Recumbents to take on that ride, well done Hank.
I’ve ridden recumbents since about 2015. I currently ride a V20c and love it. Have been smashing KOMs left and right. Before the V20c, I put 2,700 miles on a Cruzbike S40. I was glad to be so proficient when I switched to the V20c. I’ve also ridden rear-wheel drive recumbents, but really fell in love with Cruzbike’s FWD design.
I actually rode my V20c with my cycling club on a hilly route this summer. I was nervous about it, but ended up riding faster than everyone in the group. And these are guys who log 5k to 12k miles a year on diamond frame bikes.
Hank’s head looks very uncomfortable. He looks to be very reclined back. What do you think?
Ahh see a rear wheel recumbent makes sense for getting leg power to the road without losing it to slippage.
Thanks for an experienced rider’s perspective.
@@MrDoccus Check my channel. I have quite a few videos on my V20 and you can see that it is an absolute beast compared with road bikes and TT bikes. At 56 I stomp them every single ride, and my FTP is only 240 watts on my V20 right now.
@@michealofloinn2539 Hi Michael - It takes some getting used to, for sure. I bought Cruzbike's adjustable seat with the new headrest design (the same thing you see on Hank's bike), and that is more comfortable for me than the stock seat/headrest. I also had to get a Lazer helmet, which has the adjustment dial on the top of the helmet, so that I could rest my head comfortably.
I've never seen Hank actually look terrified before. Nice one!
They stacked quite a few unfavorable aspects/combinations to make this as unnecessarily hard and scary as possible. 😅
It's so cool to see Hank ride recumbents. I can hear Barney tell him to 'smile', and it makes me smile to see it. I had a V20, and sadly we didn't get along. I love my VTX though, and I'm hoping to get a Raptobike at some point. Maybe Hank should get a hold of Arnold Ligtvoet and go for a Raptobike ride in the Netherlands? Hell, I'l even fly over to get ride with them! Maybe buy a Raptobike second hand and brink it back to the USA>
Huge kudos for taking that on! It takes MILES (~400 min, YMMV) to develop the slightly different muscles and get the handling dialed in. I've been riding 'bent for 19 years and still loving it! You did a great job! MBB is a whole different world, even from RWD recumbents!
I've been waiting for a video like this again for a while. Enjoyed every minute.
And I would love to see Hank doing a longer tour, supported or unsupported, with a recumbent on flatter grounds. Maybe even with a more "luxurious" recumbent, that allows for relaxed bike packing.
@@OperationDarkside Indeed. Using the 'right' type of recumbent for a tour is what I'd like to see.
Seeing him (or anyone, maybe some guest) do something after actually practicing enough would be really nice. A V20c is a bit aspirational, as it takes a lot of practice. There are many other recumbents, that would be better suited.
Hank has doubled his distance with that weave.
Much needed training miles 😉
You did very well Hank. Those things are hard the ride. The moving bottom bracket takes a while to get used to as peddling affects steering and so balance and one needs to be able to dial it out so to speak. I have about 40,000km on a different cruzbike model, one not reputed to be as tough to ride as the V20. Traction on steep hills is an issue and starting on step hills also. Otherwise, on the road, they are good. Long rides are not so punishing on the body given the points of contact between body and bike. Aero advantages are huge. V impressed taking such a machine over such a route. Well done.
Yea that is why nobody buy those things, they suck😂
Why do so many people find it hard to spell "pedalling" correctly?
@DMcTyke maybe because it is not their language?
@@DMcTyke Well, if you want to be picky, that should be "pedaling," not "pedalling."
@@amightysailingman I think you'll find that "pedalling" is preferred in British English 😛
Thats you’re new nickname, ‘Hats Off Hank’! Brilliant that you kept going after crashing👍🏼👍🏼 An example to us all👍🏼👍🏼
Kudos to Hank for doing this, it looked very difficult and unstable and a weird position to be in with a relatively high centre of gravity and grotty road conditions. Well done.
I ride a V20c. It's actually a very low center of gravity relative to a diamond frame bike. Best turning bike I've ever ridden. It was only "unstable" due to Hank's inexperience on the bike.
"Don't want to be going this fast!" - words I never thought I'd hear Hank say. 😄 Well done, sir, and thanks for a great video! Yes, you can do epic rides - I have a friend who bike packed west to east across Canada on a recumbent. But it takes practice to master the balancing and to feel comfortable.
Nice video. I actually ride a Crizbike and Hank shows what it's like to learn, it does take several hundred to get a feel for the bike and maybe a couple of thousand to be comfortable. Remember what it was like to learn to ride a bike at first? Very few would pick that course as a first road ride on a bike you can barely ride. The fact he did it shows he's got nerve and it a quick learner. It does not give an idea of how the bike actually can work. Kind of like taking your non-riding buddy who has only a few hours of practice out on his first road tour. We all know how that would end!
Great vid, great route, great bike, great rider...
Now borrow it again and do another one on roads where it comes into its own, a really long, fast, flatter route, where your lack of experience and "recumbent legs" are not pushed to the limits
Someone in Cruzbike's marketing needs a slapping!
1. NEVER give a recumbent to someone in Wales.
2. NEVER give a recumbent to someone in Winter.
And most importantly:
3. NEVER give a recumbent to someone called Hank.
Otherwise, great entertainment
😂😂💪💪👍👍
4. Don't let a not-tall beginner ride with such a long chain stay.
5. Don't let them ride such a rough and dirty road on a bike akin to a TT-bike.
@@JibbaJabber is just a bad bike, very unstable
It seems CB gave advice which looks to have been largely ignored.
@FTA38yearfreeride Not really. The recumbant he used was the akin to a TT road bike, when what he needed was possibly a gravel bike equivalent. There are many more recumbents more suited to those conditions, some even with suspension. Horses for courses!
@@FTA38yearfreeride Bull shit. I have over 30,000km on my V20, never crashed it, and have never had a road bike pass me and stay ahead of me. I own almost every Strava KOM on my routes, and I have been swapping KOMs with 3 guys on TT bikes because they are the only ones who can take those KOMs back, and most of the times it was when all 3 were working together. And I will be 57 years old in 2 months. V20s, V20Cs and other racing recumbents are fast AF and the UCI banned them because they were kicking the shit out of road bikes. You can't beat the shit out of road bikes when your recumbent is unstable.
Great video Hank. Keep giving us more recumbents. As you become more adapted to the bike I would like to see you evaluate the Cruzbike over a typical rolling course.
That is the classic Welsh mountain-top view 😀
Got to hand it to Hank, he’s fearless, first recumbent ride in that weather and terrain. Legend.
Great candid example of what it feels like to be a cruzbike newbie. I remember those times well. V20’s are racing bikes, and fwd mbb are the most challenging to learn short of a fully enclosed 2 wheel streamliner. When you gain experience, the riding experience is transformed. I am very lucky to have n+1 bikes and trikes and I ride them all. I ride cruzbikes as my first choice for pavement and hardpack. The hardest thing for me is switching from one riding position to another. Different muscles,different balance, different view, different handling. But that is also part of the fun of it.
Is just not a good bike!!! This will never feel right!! NEVER!!!Handposition is wrong!! not aero at all !! The cassette in the front wheel makes the bike unstable and dangerous !! You need the one with long chain and cassette in the back and small handlebar handposition close to the body !!! But still, all of them suck to ride up hill, you'll just not get any air 🎉😂
@@FTA38yearfreeride Uhm. Are you trying to stir up some drama here? I think, what you say is unnecessarily inflammatory and not quite as universally true as you make it sound.
@@FTA38yearfreerideAnd yet one of the fastest bikes made.
@MrDoccus in your dreams 🤣a bike that is unstable can never be fast !! it makes you lose at least 20 % of your power and can not even ride in a straight line with it
@PsyKeks I have a bike like this, is low racer and has cassette in the back, is more stable than my normal race bike, Hank would break records on it with his biking skill 😉
So great to see more of Hank in this video! Love seeing the whole GCN team in action.
I just couldn't imagine riding like that! I've seen plenty of people riding recumbent bicycles on sportives, I've been overtaken by people riding them and I'm not the slowest guy on the road, even more impressive is when you see disabled folk riding them. Well done Hank, rather you than me mate!
I can only advise you to give it a try. The bike hank is riding is probably one of the most difficult ones I can imagine. If you see a rider about your height, ask him if you can have a go for a minute. I'm sure most will be happy to indulge.
Someone let me ride it 20 years ago and it was eye-opening.
@ZesPak I'll keep my eyes open! They aren't something I see every time I'm out. Mainly when I've done sportives. I have seen the odd recumbent out in north Lincolnshire where it's super flat. Thanks for the advice 👍
Yeah, it doesn't have to be as hard as GCN makes it look. There are plenty of models that are easy to ride. I have a regular recumbent, where people without experience just sit down and ride. You can always progress from there. You could look if there is a group near you. In Germany we have a forum and monthly meetings in many cities. Are you in England? The British Human Power Club (BHPC) might be the place to startooking, I don't know. In the USA it would be Bent Rider Online (BROL). There might also be Facebook groups or Reddit Subreddits.
And in those communities and at those meetings or at the BHPC races you should find many people with a lot of experience and a passion they want to share.
And if you might consider a holiday in the southern German or Swiss mountains, you could come to Spezialradmesse (spacial bikes fair) at the end of April. Many recumbent brands exhibit there (Cruzbike hasn't managed to show up from the USA, yet.). In the USA it would be Cycle Con.
@PsyKeks wow that's a lot of info thanks very much for that. I'm not sure if I'd be able to ride a recumbent due certain ailments I have but I'd give it a go. I've never heard of any clubs where I live in the UK. I lived in Germany for 25 years. I haven't been back for a while due to reasons out of my control but I hope to be back over very soon. Thanks again 👍
@@iansingleton I am curious, often it's because of ailments, that someone starts riding recumbents, when they can't ride uprights anymore. But I understand, that you might not want to tell the world. 🙂
That bike is my baby. Full time Cruzbike V20 recumbent rider here, and swear by them. That was an ambitious "REAL" ride for a non-recumbent rider, even one of Hank's skills and experience. MBB has it's own particular learning curve, and then to do it in that terrain, and wet slick surface to boot. Wow! Hope you keep at it, because if you think you fly now, just wait till it is "second nature" and the wobble is gone. Pure heaven in the clouds.
Thanks for this!
I've been riding a cruzbike for about 16 years and I love it. It did take me a while to get used to - the first time I got on it I thought it was un-rideable, and watching this video reminds me of my first few weeks. Mine is not one of the snazzy new ones, it is one of their original early-days conversion kits. I put it on a fully suspended mountain bike frame and replaced the wheels with 700cs. You get the comfort, traction and wheel protection of the full suspension combined with the aero position, but I don't think they make the conversion kits any more. I wish they did, I'd get another one in a shot. One thing I love about my cruzbike is that my weight feels equally distributed between each wheel. Anyway, cruzbikes are hard to ride because they are front wheel drive and pedalling steers the front wheel side to side which you have to counteract with your arms. That's the hard bit. It would have been nice to hear Hank talk about the front wheel drive part more. Most recumbents are rear wheel drive and are way easier (and therefore safer) to ride, but probably not as quick as a cruzbike. The front wheel drive is good for efficiency and engaging more muscles I think. Recumbents are not good for everything - they're not ideal for nipping around a busy town/city (a Dutch style is best and safer for that). But on a long road, even uphill, I'd take one over a diamond frame road bike any day, not just for speed but also for comfort. If the same RnD when into recumbents as they do for road bikes (which basically haven't changed shape much for decades) we'd have a much better range of offerings, but recumbents got banned from competitive racing in the 1930's I think which presumably killed development. For, speed, comfort, touring and long commutes, recumbents easily win for me.
I was looking at Hank riding it and thought it looked like the front wheel drive would make it much more difficult to ride
Interesting. I have long thought that there's a variation of this which could be a nice compromise... something which is more reclined than fully recumbant.
100% this! A well designed recumbent, say with suspension and a small e-motor, would be fantastic. Use the e-motor to get going (esp uphill) and regen down.
So much design potential and benefits.
@snowstrobe There are many recumbent design variations. Plenty of seat angles to choose from and most designs allow you to adjust the angle to your liking.
I use my recumbents in the city as well. I even have one, that is especially designed for that with a short wheel base and overall length, more upright seat and full suspension (also it folds). I can even put a large, lockable, aerodynamically shaped cargo box behind the seatback and a framelock on both wheels for trips between different shops.
Love this video - it has also cemented for me that I will never own a recumbent! Good for you Hank for giving it a shot though!
After a long ride you’re going to be very familiar with your own knees… there’s no part of this that looks fun!
c´mon rolling around on the ground can be lots of fun :D
this is about on par with Top Gear's first Tesla review. Get the twitchiest rider, on the twitchiest bike, strap a chestcam to him, and send him out on sketchy roads in the rain, film him from odd angles, make a continuous edit of him falling over and being stressed out.
Riding a recumbent is an absolute breeze, once you get a more relaxed model and some honest practice. The learning curve is akin to that of a roadbike vs a city bike.
And once you are going, the main advantage is that you are completely relaxed while riding, meaning you get a legs and cardio workout with zero stress on back, arms and the glockenspiel.
@@TheXtrafresh High center of mass, unfamiliar layout, compound that with short wheel base and Pedals On The Steered Wheel!! You push on the left pedal it steers right, push on the right pedal it steers left! The most reckless of all, Clipped In?! 13:47
(Hank is riding this Cruzbike V20c because it weighs only 12.14 lbs for complete frameset, this is way lighter than most other 'bents which are always quite piggy for hill climbing.)
@@Grunchy005 yeah they went with the wrong bike for this (or the wrong rider, if you change perspective). I never liked the front wheel driven bikes, for all the reasons you point out.
I get the sense that the guys are under the impression that recumbents are roadbikes, but more aero. They end up with a set of exaggerated complaints that will all go away with practice and better choices.
You’re lucky to be alive after that ride. About 10 years ago I switched to a long wheel base recumbent for comfort and speed. Absolutely impossible to climb with it and god help you if you stop in the middle of an incline. Lose some speed and you’re wavering all over the place. Stopping and starting in traffic with the wobble will get you killed. I switched to recumbent tadpoles trikes….a Catrike 700 racer for speed and their 559 for comfort for long rides. Safe as can be, comfy, can climb any incline with ease with 30 gears and pushing back against fixed resistance. I’m 72 years old and ride 10,000 miles per year in New England and Florida all year round. You’ll never get me on any 2 wheeler again. The 700 racer is as fast as anything out there. The Cruzbike design will get you killed. So unstable.
Thank you Hank - So refreshing in an unexpected way ..... a reminder that among cycling's gifts the opportunity to expand our comfort zone my be the greatest. We'll done !!!
Hank rode this new to him bike like someone riding a race bike for the very first time. Those crashes are what probably every CruzBike rider makes at the beginning.
The low-down position of the V20C makes it a bit harder than on an endurance bike like the S40.
The moving bottom bracket and front wheel drive (FWD) makes everything more difficult. But over time it can be mastered and gets very comfy.
On slippery roads it's more difficult with this FWD bike to keep upright. You just don't have as much feel for the front wheel's grip as with a traditional bike. Luckily crashing doesn't hurt much on recumbents 🙂
Downhill the moving bottom bracket again feels less stable to me as a rear wheel drive (RWD) recumbent like the Optima High Baron (goes like on rails at 50 mph /80 kmph).
All in all I wouldn't choose a recumbent for steep hills and icy / gravelly road conditions. But I ride mine on UK country roads and it's always faster than my "normal" race bike.
@318ishonk Indeed. The only reason to choose that model/type is for entertainment value.
@318ishonk yea, the first time I did ride a race bike nearly survived, I did crash 45 times and had to buy a new bike !!!!
Hm... I'm just kidding ! 😂..
@@FTA38yearfreeride Okay Primož, now you've given away your true identity. Welcome to GCN!
@@FTA38yearfreeride Don't take the first time you sat on a road bike. Take the first time, you sat on a twowheeled upright bike with a fixed bottom bracket. Even if you had experience riding a balance bike or training wheels, you probably fell down a few times in the beginning, because you just couldn't find the patience to do some safe training before going all out. That's what Hank has shown here. He has a lot of experience with conventional road bikes, but little of that translates to a MBB and he went on a challenging route with just hours of practice. Probably the ride was longer than all his previous experience on this bike.
I have a superlight v20 ... I call it Pegasus because it flies. However... I give it respect. I dont go out in rain and i wear gloves and glasses because when it goes fast i get hit by whats in the air and if i decide to ditch it (3 times in 10 years) it doesnt scuff my hands. Congrats in getting up a 13% ... rolling hills is the best course for this bike. Keep practicing with a smaller chainstay.
Hank, you said this bike would probably be great on a ride across USA, and you would be correct. I would argue Sweden is an even better choice. This summer I completed the Length of Sweden event on my Cruzbike V20. Gentle hills, light traffic, great scenery, good resupply, and absolutely excellent road conditions. My videos from the event are up on UA-cam.
@TorHovland Exactly!!
Now I'm off to visit your channel:)
@TorHovland better .. just throw away the bike and replace it with a good bike 🤣
@@FTA38yearfreeride better .. just throw away your comments and replace it with good comments 🙄
@PsyKeks not a lot of good to say about this. Just watch the movie, Hank almost died😂
@@FTA38yearfreeride But that is not because of the concept of an MBB! I have the same bike and I probably have ridden it a bit more in the open roads than he has and I never "almost died" with it. I can think of a single fall, when the paved road suddenly stopped and the coming surface was way more loose than expected. That was purely an issue with the tires. Other bikes didn't handle that path much better, even the threewheeler was quite an adventure. (The fatbike probably would handle it fine, but I didn't get around to trying it.)
I've got to say, this was a really refreshing video and I can't for the life of me say why. But it put a smile on my face, thanks James and GCN.
this is a hardcore recumbent bike, there are plenty beginner friendly bikes to where your feet are way below your head :)
This bike also normally has the feet much lower. In Cruzbike's forum, it was told that the bike was with someone else in the meantime and the other person is much taller, so the chain stays are now his length and much too long for Hank.
@@grumbazor is a shit bike🤣
Beginner friendly bike? Yea, they call, a normal race bike !!!🎉😂
@@FTA38yearfreeride Those things (the "normal road bikes" he mentioned) aren't really beginner friendly. They are pretty much noone-friendly. I really can't recommend getting into something so obviously bad for your body and dangerous and unpleasant so ride. "🎉 🤣"
But then, where would the risk be?
My HP Velotechnik Street Machine isn't as light or quick. But it sure carries a ton and doesn't even bat an eye. Great video.
Hank, the man for special tasks
Congrats Hank for completing such a ride while being a newbie on Cruzbike.
Seeing Hank struggle so much, and GCN gave a very hard course, hilly, wet, narrow, broken road, you wonder how Maria won RAAM and jason perez won the california triple Crown with the V20.
Cruzbike does have it downside when your body and brain isnt quite wired to balance the pedaling, also it loses traction because the center of gravity on hills is more at the backwheel, so pdalling is hard.
What's hilarious is that today, my S.O. and I were talking about recumbent bikes, seeing two of them on our local trail. I mentioned that the two-wheel variety seem terrifying after watching Hank on GCN topple a billion times off of them.
And here we are, Hank toppling off a recumbent once again.
It takes practice, there will always be a learning curve for recumbents. Specially Cruzbikes
Way to go Hank. GCN HQ, needs to present you with the " Insane accomplishments done by mankind on a bicycle" Award for 2024. I will vote. Thanks KB.
I saw a recumbent at Goodwood today, and it was absolutely blazingly quick!
Quite an understated track day machine, it seems 🤔
The racing recumbents are very fast. Also, they are very comfortable. After watching this video I am not surprised that roadies are quick to dismiss them. Part of me is happy because of the exclusivity of riding a recumbent and eating roadies and TT bikes every ride. I get a sense of satisfaction from it. However, and this is even more important, the road bike industry is gasping for life, and if they would quit making it an "us vs them" thing then a whole new world of bikes would become available and every would win. Touring bents, high racers, mid racers, low racers, velomobiles, streamliners, trikes and even tandems. But nope. People still want to buy a diamond framed bike that was essentially first made in 1891. Yep, unchanged in almost 150 years.
What a brave brave man, only Hank 🥰🥰🥰
The Hank knees cam. What a time to be alive.
On ya Hank! Not an easy feat that you courageously took on. You showed that reward awaits if you get out of your comfort zone and put in the hard yards to try something new. Too many people are scared of doing this, especially in cycling, and stick to the familiar and only what they see others around them doing. They never realise the rewards that could be had, which in terms of that bike, the feeling of effortless, untapped speed once you build up the hours and learn how to balance and build up the different muscle group. The first euforia is when you blast past other competent riders at a significant speed differental. The feeling of mastering something new is also rewarding.
Yeah, trying something new is great. Leaving the confines of convention to find improvement is excellent. But going on the road with a vehicle you don't yet have under control is rather reckless. 😅 Practice is important. And proper bike setup (Hank needs shorter chain stays.)
Hank during the film: 🚲💥😠🤯
Hank summary and thankyous: 😁😇😘
Just glad he survived! 😅
Hank, you are the master of everything. Well done for trying that would scare the heck out of me.
Waiting for this for a while now, lets go!!
I rode a hilly century this summer, and another participant had a recumbent similar to this one. He had flat pedals, which looks like a great idea. He climbed faster than many, and could scorch the flat to downhill parts. I passed him on the two long climbs of the course, but he FLEW past me once we were off the hills and finished well ahead of my 17mph average.
Based on this video, I have a greater respect than before of his skill. He climbed smoothly and really just handled his rig as easily as a 'normal' bicycle.
Think about how much practice you have on typical upright bikes. If you had that amount of practice on this type of bike, imagine what you might be able to do. Most people get into recumbents at quite the old age and only have a few years to decades of experience.
There is a similar kind of bike, the Flevo Bike, where the steering axis points through the seat. There is a video on someone riding a Flevo Bike on its front wheel like a unicycle.
@@PsyKeks Exactly. The rider I saw must have had lots of practice.
I don’t consider myself a competitive rider, just a tourist. I’ve been riding a Cruzbike for 2 years now and I completed the Dragon Ride granfondo (215 km, 3300m+) last June in 10h; my bike was properly fitted and I have adequate gearing, only difficulties were the first climbs with a wet uneven road. Finished tired obviously but no neck, wrist or saddle pain whatsoever and I had plenty of time during climbs to enjoy the Welsh scenery :p
I think, since the first hill climb bent vid, we have to have a race, GCN riders are givem bents and ride against grey haired seasonal bent riders, who ise a trike, a 2 wheeler, and a velomobile, in a race.
@@taufikabidin412 I'd say let GCN use their road bikes. That way they can actually try to race. (They might have a chance against the unfaired trike. - But then close to the finish, have a short cut closed with a barrier, where the low trike can pass under and overtake everyone 🤣 That video would be great fun AND real information AND would cause a lot auf audience interaction in the comments 😎)
You really dove into the deep end of the pool with that. That's the most difficult recumbent to ride, and you picked the most difficult road to ride it on.
I like how you hinted you'd be thrilled if Cruzbike paid for you to take a long vacay in the U.S. Your mom didn't raise no dummies.
After Cruzbike gave the V20C to GCN and Hank not only makes a mockery of it but ignores the advice they gave him, I wouldn't bet that Cruzbike is going to pay Hank for a long vacay in the U.S.. Hank essentially took a super car to a monster truck track, then to a beach, and finally to a parking lot to see how well it it does 5 point turns instead of taking the super car to a track or autobahn to show it in the proper environment. I wouldn't expect GCN to lie at all, but this was not a very nice show of appreciation for a free bike that would stomp the dog piss out of virtually all road or TT bikes. GCN lost a lot of credibility IMO with this video. But hey. I bet they are happy that the roadies got a chuckle.
Had to be Hank! Brilliant
Great to see you testing or recumbent. Speaking as an owner of a recumbent low racer (but with a fixed bottom bracket ) it’s much easier to take off if you can sit up as much as possible with your back of the back rest as it raises the centre of gravity, essential for a very low speed balance.
After reading elsewhere about the help and advice offered by Cruzbike to GCN beforehand I can only assume GCN are going out of their way to make the unsuitable for the job bike look bad by ignoring it.
I ride a Cruzbike S40. I put the initial effort in to learn and am very comfortable and safe riding it.
95% of the problems Hank has are down to inexperience, very bad set up and a ridiculously hard route a seasoned V20 rider would struggle on (an experienced V20 rider would have chosen a more suitable recumbent I'd have thought).
I can only think this video was made to make the bike look bad. Experienced CB riders will tell you they are not. Many on here already have I see. best to forget this video and listen to experienced CB riders if your interested in one. They have a very good forum.
Not very good GCN.
Poor Hank! I’m sending him a lot of respect!
Hank successfully managed to turn a 50k ride into an 80k ride just by weaving all over the road. Mad. I’m glad I saw it but I’ll happily stick to my traditional road bike. Well done Hank.
Right model bike for the job and right setup for the circumstances would have made it much more easy in the nerves and impact free. Also the proper amount of practice would have helped a whole lot. I can only recommend going recumbent, but I can't recommend starting like this. 😅
@andrewdeer2147 Thank god there was no traffic 😂
Have to get something off of my chest: I actually really love the music selection in the GCN videos! Whoever is responsible for the selection deserves a massive raise imo! ♥ (And huge props to Hank for doing this challenge! Hope to see you on a recumbent again soon!)
Respect for recumbent riders has definitely gone up a few notches after watching this … chapeau, Hank!
It's not typically that hard 😉 I have a gentle city style recumbent, where people just sit down and ride ahead comfortably. For steep hills and rough and dirty roads, you need more practice. And a bike that is set up correctly for your size, so you can actually see enough of the road. 😅 And preferably a bike that is not a pure TT-style speed machine.
Yep . Now it's time for a long, epic, mega recumbent bike journey!!!!
Nope..that bike he was riding I would afraid of falling. Hank is extremely brave to be clipped into the bike pedals.
😂😂😂
Everyone falls from time to time. But falling on a recumbent is not like falling on a legacy bike. It's almost impossible to go over the handlebars and when you do fall, you're closer to the ground. I've fallen on my CB and yes, I got scraped up on the concrete, but, no broken bones or other major injuries. On the other hand, I had to have shoulder surgery a couple of years ago from having fallen multiple times on my legacy bike. Just something else to consider in favor of a recumbent.
There are plenty of recumbent videos on UA-cam. Lots of people who make no claims to being racers or long-distance riders riding around with no problems. This video is a comedy of errors. Someone inexperienced on recumbents riding one of the most race-oriented ones. It's like taking someone who barely learned to ride a single-speed city bike last week and putting them on a triathlon bike with aero bars.
I've ridden a few recumbents and that one looks super wobbly! Good work!
Mon conseil, si je peux me permettre, refais la même expérience avec un vélo couché à propulsion arrière (métaphysic, pelso, bachetta, slyway...) Mais c'est vrai , le réel point faible d'un vélo couché, c'est les fortes montées; à cause du poids plus élevé ,comparé à un vélo traditionnel, et aussi parce qu'il devient instable à trés faible vitesse (du moins c'est le cas de mon Méta! ) Il faut rouler beaucoup.... Excellente vidéo.
It's an English speaking channel. KTHXBYE
I watch him often and enjoy all but his recumbent videos. Every recumbent video I've seen, he's an absolute beginner and is incapable of actually demonstrating the strengths of bents, and terribly exaggerates the weaknesses.
I personally think Cruzbike made a mistake in inviting him to do this without stipulating that he had to ride it three or four times a week for three months before filming the challenge.
Better yet, invite him to challenge a comparably young and strong Cruzbike rider to ride this route together, him on an upright.
As is, this video and all the language in it should have been framed as, What's it like for a novice to try to ride a front-drive MBB recumbent through very challenging hills on wet pavement for the first time ever.
For those who aren't aware, look up Maria Parker's career racing the Cruzbike V20, including her extraordinary performance in RAAM, which includes crossing the Rocky mountains and lower but very steep mountains in the east.
Downhilling a recumbent on a rainy day in the fog is a courageous task. But if you survive an hour on a penny farthing with a broken saddle everything's possible I guess
The question is, what will be the next challenge Hank will have to survive? Any suggestions?
@@gcn Racing AGAINST the recumbent, ridden by an EXPERIENCED rider! Or is that too extreme of a challenge for you?😎
Literally a steep learning curve. Hank is a much braver man than me. 👏
How do you see where you’re going ? Looks a bit sketchy too me.
He completely missed the huge pothole - the same pothole that caused him to crash.
yeah maybe this would be okay if the front wheel was smaller so you could have your legs a bit lower but as far as i know this is a performance model so it makes sense that it uses big wheels cus they are likely faster.
It looked to me, like the bike is not equipped with the shortest chain stays. More distance between wheel axle and bottom bracket means the bottom bracket comes higher and the feet and knees with it. (Also the handle bars come too low.) With this bike design, the bottom bracket gets adjusted outward and cones lower, when the rider has longer legs. Lower feet (below the height of the lower seat edge) mean larger frontal area and aerodynamic drag. To combat that, there are longer chain stays, to raise the feet. This bike was originally sent for a track test, where drag would be most important. But the high bottom bracket is worse for handling and for vision. Very bad combination for a not-so-tall novice on a bad road on a dark and misty day.
The knee cam might have exaggerated a bit, if it was mounted to his chest or handle bars. (I haven't paid very close attention to that aspect.)
It works a bit better if you know the route 🙂
More recumbent content would be great. My 2 cents about this ride: You would've done better on a long wheel base recumbent with a low bottom bracket. They are much more beginner friendly. Try a Gold Rush or a Stratus or maybe a Bacchetta Bella. They are much more stable especially on the descents. Also, you wouldn't have to worry about the FWD traction problem. Also, recumbents use your muscles differently than diamond frames, so maybe ride one for a couple months before making a video of a ride with a serious climb.
I’m not sure if it’s just Hanks riding style, but it looks very twitchy
I’ve been told it takes a lot of practice to properly ride a recumbent, in fact I’ve seen experienced riders and they ride them effortlessly.
I have only ridden one one time, at a bike shop in Atlanta that allowed me to take one for a test ride. Full disclosure, that one had a twenty inch tire height (in spite of having a 26 inch rear wheel), and it is very difficult to keep stable at any speed less than full speed. That being said, he did a fine job, especially in that fog. I have no doubt he would get better with more saddle time.
@@profchaos9001 Experienced riders can do it, but recumbents are inherently more twitchy. Think of an old-fashioned metronome with the weight low on the stick; it moves back and forth very quickly.
The pedals are on the steered wheel: when you push left pedal you steer right, push right pedal you steer left. Now do this laying down, high center of mass, short wheel base, CLIPPED IN LIKE A MADMAN 13:47. All recumbents are twitchy, I'd never ridden one I could take my hands off the handlebar.
@@Grunchy005I can ride a few of my recumbents with my hands off the handlebars. Not the one in the video yet. I am still learning to ride that. I am not all over the place like Hank as a first timer but that bike takes a good amount of practice to master even if you are super familiar with riding recumbents. The front drive and steer makes it a very different balance proposition. But once mastered there is a massive speed reward.
Hank, that was a tough course to tackle on your first open-road ride! More time on the bike, and you would have been much better at it, and those wobbles would go away. Starting a recumbent (from a stop) when going uphill is a skill that takes time to acquire, but it can be learned. We always tell our beginner customers that falling is not part of the learning process. I didn’t fall on my first Cruzbike until I had become very capable on it and hit a patch of sand when taking a corner at high speed.
You were better fitted to the bike this time versus the first video on the track, but did you notice the chainstay was much longer this time, putting your BB/feet much higher? The guy who has been riding this bike since that first video is very tall and needed our extra-long chainstay. You might have been more comfortable with the medium-length chainstay.
I’ve ridden the entire Blue Ridge Parkway (469 miles of smooth roads, with almost none of it flat) many times on my Cruzbike. If you come over to the States, I’ll take you on some better roads, where you could really let her fly down the hills.
I have 2 recumbents. A Catrike and a Metabike. When people ask me about how they climb i tell them. They climb as fast as a seated rider. I didnt get efficient on the uphills until i built my recumbent legs. Since you can use only one muscle group. Road bikes have an advantage being able to sit or stand. I am faster on the flats and Dh on my recumbents. My recumbent trike climbs better because you dont have to worry about the balance part. And can concentrate on just putting the power down. The one main thing i notice between regular bikes and recumbents on the road is. I am seen easier on my recumbents because people arnt used to seeing them. Cars dont buzz me, they give me alot of room. They slow down and take pictures and there big conversation starters. As were when im on my regular bikes, cars buzz me. Im fortunate enough to love all formats of cycling.
I think, a big part of the myth, that recumbents climb slowly is that you think you are good at riding, because you go fast on the flats. But that speed is because of the lower drag and uphill it comes to light, that you are still not making as much power as you were used to.
I would love to get back to riding my Cattrike, but they just are not visible enough. I really wish they would make a dedicated powered light pole. I have been in too many near-misses to do super- long rides without an escort.
@albikes8484 I have one. He climbs just halfs as fast as a normal race bike !!!
@FTA38yearfreeride I'm not the fastest climber on either of my recumbent. But I am more comfortable that's for sure. Another thing I noticed is I breathe differently on my road bike compared to my recumbent. I tend to pant and wheeze more on my road bike. And I tend to breathe slower deeper breaths on my recumbent. I think it has to do with less muscle groups being used on recumbent. The great thing about bikes is there's many different styles to mix up your cycling fun/torture with. 😆
@albikes8484 yea, I breathe differently also when i ride it uphill. It calls gasping for air😂it is more comfortable on long straight roads and in every other situation a total pain in that A' 🤣
Yes Hank. Another challenge smashed!!!
Takes about 500 miles to get comfortable on V20. S40 with gravel tyres would have been better. Seat angle would have helped him see that pothole!!
You need a long chain and cassette in the back wheel. There is no point in this!!. It will never feel right!! and always be unstable as hell.
@@FTA38yearfreeride Both styles have their advantages. A big one for rear wheel drive and a fixed bottom bracket is that by far for most people it is vastly more familiar. I am still getting used to the moving bottom bracket, but I already like the more direct feel of the transmission of power and the lower weight of the bike. Great qualities for a road bike. On my recumbent fat bike, I'd probably stay with rear wheel drive, unless I put a motor in the back and a chain to the front, so I have allwheel drive, that would be great for traction on a bike for bad traction riding.
I started recumbent riding this year due to an injury. I focused solely on recumbent riding for 3 months racking up about 3500km. Unlike the cruzbike mine was an older Challenge Hurricane with rear suspension and rear wheel drive (very long chain) but it still weighed a respectable 10.5kg. I could force it to climb steep hills and did on many occasions, but comparing my efforts to that on my road bike it was always took 30% longer to reach the top. When I switched back to the road bike (having not ridden it in 3 months) I was instantly able to destroy my hill climb times set on the recumbent.
The Cruzbike V20C looks more efficient with no suspension and a normal length drivetrain but it would take years to be able to match the power output from a road bike.
They are a lot of fun and still fantastic exercise. Fast on flat routes, also very comfortable when you get used to them.
There are many different kinds of recumbents .
This video is like somebody visiting from Mars . Finds a road bike , fails on a downhill MTB and concludes that bikes on Earth are poor .
They’re all stupid bikes. Ridden by idiots.
You are a brave, brave man, that is way to sketchy, to even consider in my book. Well done 👏
As far as I can tell the one advantage with a recumbent over a standard bike is you don't have so far to fall when you crash. The caveat to that is you crash more often. It looks like Hank didn't have any traffic to contend with either. Can you imagine what would have happened if a car or even a van came the other way on those roads with him wobbling all over the place?
The biggest advantage is that any real distance ride allows you to get off the bike without hand, wrist or lower region pain once you adapted your muscles.
@@christophvaneickels6660 I got my first recumbent - a Cruzbike S40 - 9 months ago. I agree with your points and haven't been on a diamond frame bike since. I didn't realize how much pain I endured on a bike until it was gone! Now I can ride roads, trails, gravel, and hills. It took some time to stop wobbling, but it is worth it. I may get a DF bike if I get back into mountain biking - you can't bunny hop on a recumbent!
Be fair! You'd wobble as much on a conventional upright bike, if you only had a few hours of practice. Also it's a pure TT speed machine, not suitable for roads so rough and dirty and set up with long chain stays for lowest wind resistance, but that reduces ease of handling (important for a novice) and vision immensely. With the right setup, the necessary amount of practice and maybe the similar but more suitable S40 model it would have been such a different experience. - At his level of practice even my heavy folding city style recumbent would have been a better experience and not slower, because he could have actually ridden it all the way without falling and pushing.
You've got to feel for the bike brand, first when they got the recumbent back, and then when they saw the video with all the crashes. Audacious sponsoring.
Just read the comments from us owners. Only good thing is it's got people talking about it.
The biggest problem Hank was running into was the front wheel drive, when he had to put the power down to get up the hill the pedal stroke was making the steering twitch all over the road. Suspect he would get better with practice, but it always going to be difficult
With the ones with a long chain and cassette in the back, you don't have this problem.
It will get a lot more easy, yes! For example there are reports, that skilled riders can start a cruzbike from a standstill without their hands on the handle bars at all! (I think, they even showed it in a video.) On the hardest of inclines you might still need the hands, though. Appropriate gearing makes some problems go away, though. This bike was set up for the race track and many roadies are used to pushing silly high gears uphill. I have mountainbike shifting in my V20c.
An actual advantage is that your pedaling thrust goes into the direction of the steering. With rear drive, you push against the steering to some degree. But you need practice to make use of this advantage. If you are not practiced, of course a different behavior is just bad.
@PsyKeks it is just a very bad bike not fit for any terrain.
@@FTA38yearfreeride Maybe it isn't the right bike for you, but it's not just a bad bike. Maybe you are just a bad rider.
@PsyKeks I have a bike like this, but it has derailer in the back, what makes it much more stables!! The one in the movie gets out of balance with every paddle stroke😂
Congratulations Hank - that was an awesome ride - I'd have been nervous on a normal bike. That particular machine seemed to be a bit unstable - I've seen other recumbents that are lower and look to be more stable. Its good to see someone trying to use this type of machine on the highway - have another go on a different machine Hank - I'll look forward to that. Thanks for the presentation.
opinion: Would an e-recumber bike revolutionize recumbents? The low drag on flats/descent combined with a motor for the climbs could be very promising!
They exist already. Do you feel revolutionized, yet?
What exactly would it be, that you are trying to revolutionize? In competitions and club rides, a recumbent will often be excluded or shunned and a motor nearly always. For training or sense of accomplishment you don't need a motor. For practical use the distances are often too short and you don't want the potential for additional problems. For traveling you might not want the need to find a way to recharge. And when the motor may only assist up to 25kph and you regularly ride more than that, the motor is dead weight and unnecessary friction.
So twowheeled recumbents are more often for sport and light weight, so they often don't have motor (but they can and do), but three-wheelers might actually be mostly bought with motor, as they are heavy and slow and often for the more leisurely or handicapped rider.
People who want to ride with motor, often wouldn't be faster than 25kph, even with a recumbent. In that case the speed advantage of the recumbent doesn't even affect them. The better advantage is comfort and for comfort, many people think a trike is better. So yes, the motor may have actually revolutionized recumbents and be the reason, why trikes are dominating the market now. 🤔
Massive respect for riding a cruzbike on roads I that condition. You guys aren't joking about bad road conditions in the UK. I still say come to Sebring Florida for the recumbent endurance challenge. MUCH better roads and weather even in February plus our hills are pretty nonexistent.
Next up, the recumbent Tour de France😂🎉
That would be dangerous and exciting at the same time. 🤔
I'd love to see that
It would shatter records if done by a semi-competent rider and they know it, it's the reason the UCI banned them back in the '30s.
I fly to across the pond every spring for training camp with my coach and stay on the north side of the gospel in Hay on Wye. Having ridden the gospel pass many times on a proper bike, I can say with full confidence that Hank is completely and utterly mad to have done this on a recumbent. Fun to see some roads I'm very familiar with on GCN.
At least with his amount of practice and the bike not set up correctly for him. I also probably would have used a bit of different model of recumbent. 😅
1:40 you zoomed into the peak district area not the brecon beacons 😂
Nice work Hank! Love the challenges you take on ... hope the manor doens't take you totally away from the GCN gang 😉
I didn't realize cycling industry is in such fear of recumbents to use GCN as an anti-recumbent commercial.
Hank chose a very extreme recumbent for the terrain, weather and his inexperience. If Hank wanted to test out a recumebent superbike in this terrain, should have used Slyway Ultra (from Italy), Azub Max 700 (Czechia), Cruzbike S40, M5 highracer (Holland) or Metabike Mystique (don't know if it's available in Europe).
Totally crazy Hank, well done! The position is really strange at least that how I felt. Hill’s are tough
wonder if a e-recumbent would solve its weakness
The position is very extreme. The seat angle needs some getting used to (better start with something less flat) and his feet are very high - too high for this course and his amount of experience. (Also the handle bars came too low because of the high bottom bracket.) The bike is great, if used in the right way for the right job. This wasn't that.
@@FlyLeah Depends in part on your legal motor speed. Where I live, the motor may push up to 25kph. If hill steepness, weight and rider power allow 26kph, then the motor and battery are dead weight and friction. If on a lighter bike you manage 26kph and on the more heavy recumbent you only manage 25kph, the motor won't bring you to 26kph. But on slower parts it will help a lot. And if you ride with a group, you might save enough stamina on the fast parts from lower drag and in the slow parts from the motor, that you can keep up on the medium parts, by pushing harder.
If you lack the practice to keep stable at low speeds, a motor helps to avoid low speeds, but it would be better to practice and improve your handling at low speeds.
For practical use (commuting) in varied terrain I think yes, a recumbent with motor can be the fastest, as you can maintain 25mph uphill without undue effort and cruise faster on the flats. For hard riding in faried terrain the recumbent already is probably faster - If you have practiced and trained enough!
3:59 Imagine that happening with a car coming the other way. No thanks.
the suicide telephone booth in futurama are also slightly cheaper
Imagine being on any bicycle with traffic coming towards you and having an accident.
Imagine being on foot with traffic around you and tripping into traffic.
Imagine sitting at home in front of your computer and having a stroke.
Well sure, you should practice until you have a minimum of bike handling skills, before you go into traffic. Just like we hopefully did as children, when we learned how to ride upright bikes. Or inline skates or unicycles or anything else.
Cruzbike are the worst things to ride. He literally picked a death trap. Performer highracer would have been a much better choice. The moving bottom bracket is dangerous. They are rare in recumbent would and his poor performance gives recumbents a bad look
@@hptfalcon1683 there is certainly better constructions like this, I see still only very few around -- most people seem to prefer the hard top aero racers that are actually suitable to ride in traffic as they are either 3 wheelers or have some smaller wheels on the sides to rest on when you stop. But yes this particular construction seems very unsafe to ride :)