Any Thoughts About Cruzbikes?

I now have 7 recumbents- most every kind imaginable except moving Bottom Bracket. And these days, Cruzbike are nearly the only example in that class.

Tempted to buy one, because of the impressive record of wins. Have only tried one once at the Recumbent Cycle Con, and it seemed the learning curve was rather steep. It sure seemed like it would difficult to start going up a steep hill from a dead stop.

I am the sort of guy that prefers variety- don't like to ride the same bike every day. How long does it take to get proficient riding MBB bikes?

Also, Can't really see that much difference between the Cruzbike Silvio and Vendetta. Used to be the S40 had suspension, but no longer.

 

Thanks. The remarks about the twitchiness scare me a little. I got a Challenge Seiran with racing tires a month ago. The speed was impressive, but the twitchiness I was not accustomed to. I overcorrected and had the worst bike wreck to date, fracturing a vertebra.

There are trade-offs for speed. Increased speed necessitates increased attention to control

Thinking about it, my FWD Raptobike lowracer with fat tires is about as fast and twitchy as I want to go. Not sure I want a Vendetta after reading these. A 67 year old dentist has no hope of keeping up with the youngsters, no matter what the bicycle.

 

I have zero experience with Cruzbikes (or any MBB for that matter) but I'm curious so I often pay attention to the threads. Some quick observations / thoughts:

- for the best Cruzbike info, head over to the Cruzbike forum. All of the folks over there have learned to ride MBB while coming from other types of wheeled contraptions.
- almost all bents require some acclimation, MBB typically needs more & takes longer. This can be shortened by following some of the new rider procedures developed by experienced MBB'ers.
- there are folks with strong feelings in almost every sub-group of bikedom (Tadpole trikes, DF, LWB, SWB, MBB, carbon frame, steel frame, etc). The MBB continuum has folks with VERY strong feelings on both ends and are often extremely vocal when defending their views.
- some MBB riders can ride 'no-hands' with ease.
- one person's 'twitchiness' is often another's 'responsiveness' and sometimes the only difference is time-in-saddle. Many folks felt the Musashi was twitchy - I didn't & could ride it no-hands. Some people are terrified of MBB high speed handling (especially through corners). Jason Perez has won multiple mountain races (Western USA) against some very strong DF riders while riding a Cruzbike hitting scary speeds and navigating switchbacks.

 

Cruzbikes are a love-or-hate thing. I don't love them. I borrowed a Silvio with the intention of learning to ride it well enough to take on a club ride. Never made it that far. Oh, I got good enough to take on a 10-mile loop with a fairly large hill, but it finally got to the point that I'd nope out of the ride rather than take the Silvio. I did not find it enjoyable. And for the record, it was not as fast as my other bikes. It was *maybe* as fast as my V-Rex sans fairing.

 

My own experiences were ownership of both a Silvio and a Vendetta. The Silvio was my ride for a season. The Vendetta for about 3 or 4 months. In both cases, I found the seat completely uncomfortable, so I moved on.