Technical tour of the V20c front triangle

The fastest recumbent bike ever - Cruzbike Vendetta V20c

The V20c is the fastest recumbent bicycle. No other recumbent bicycle can claim a transmission with this little power loss.

The famously stiff patented Cruzbike Vendetta front triangle has been intentionally redesigned for the new Cruzbike Vendetta V20c to create the most powerful interaction between each component as they come together to form the complete bike.

The new boom utilizes a T47 85mm wide BB shell and an aero profile tube for the greatest blend of aerodynamics and stiffness possible. This shell capitalizes on stiffness where it matters most - right where your wattage is being generated (read even more on this in the Introducing the T47 Bottom Bracket Shell on the new Cruzbike V20c blog post here).

This larger diameter shell is matched to the new chainstay, which is light, aero in profile and stiff laterally. It uses a broad new clamp design at the boom to maximize stiffness at the BB and chainstay interface.

The chainstay leads down to our new carbon fiber fork, which is light without being flimsy and utilizes an oversize tapered steerer with wider bearings for increased strength at the crown. A current V20 owner will notice the difference right away in the shaped aero crown and wide aerodynamic blade profile.

A 12mm through axle connects the wheel, fork, and stay together as a solid unit. The result is a strong and unparalleled power connection from the crank to the cassette with nearly zero deflection. The flat mount disc brakes are tucked in behind the blades for maximum aero. No other recumbent can claim a transmission with this little power loss, where deflections in booms, frames, and stays are all too common.

Tying the fork and boom together is our new slider, which uses a new internal connection as opposed to a boom clamp. The precisely designed pivot clamp is designed to spread the clamping forces on the slider tube and fork steerer without damage, slipping, or deflection under the types of torsional forces a Cruzbike front end can be subjected to. The fork portion of the pivot clamp replaces the headset top cap to reduce the number of pieces needed to set bearing tension.

All of these ingredients tie together for the best power transfer possible with zero flex - while still feeling silky smooth. The ideal blend. Add some clean internal cable routing in the fork for the front brake and derailleur, and in the boom/slider for the front derailleur and you have the cleanest, smoothest, most gorgeous Cruzbike front end to date.

Order your Cruzbike V20c here.

To maximize the advantages of the new carbon fiber front end, we could not ignore the V20c's main frame and its interfaces.

So the hydroformed V20c frame has its own bit of new spice purposely blended into the mix:

The headtube is now tapered with wider bearings to accommodate the new fork, and the geometry just slightly tweaked to smooth out the handling even more. This machine - with a seasoned rider at the helm - can be started “no hands” from a dead stop with platform pedals. It's smooth and stable.

The main connection of the rear lower stays at the hydroformed tube now weld into a CNC machined yoke. The result is an increased torsional stiffness - an important thing on the twisty downhills especially for heavier riders - and has cleaned up the welds at that joint significantly while also being lighter.

The rear dropouts have been completely redesigned to accommodate a 12mm through axle which threads into a replaceable lightweight cap and accommodates standard flat mount disc brakes. They are CNC machined specifically to create the perfect blend of light weight, stiffness, and precision.

Order your Cruzbike V20c here.


1 comment


  • Mike Eddy

    I have been riding my cruzbike since I was 62. Now I am 75 and 14000+ miles later and I still love my Quest. I bought my Quest from Jim and Maria in 2010. I have ridden in Germany, Calif. Oregon., Yellowstone Wyoming, Michigan, NC, and now VA. It is always a head turner.


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