The seat is set at a nominal 22 degrees.  Again, I do not like (because of age or whatever) an extreme position, so I experimented with headrests to thrust my upper torso forward, starting from the dorsal area.  In the final configuration, I am more upright than on my BC.  In any case, here are the PICS with more commentary.

These PICS show the bike with the superman handlebars from various angles.  Some things were changed later.  The ZOX thin (but very light) seat pad proved uncomfortable and was changed out for a thicker (but heavier) one.  Another thing that was later changed was the chain management system.  I perceived too much drag.  Also the headset was changed.  This one did not support my head properly.

These PICS show the front end with the Rotor Cranks.  Also shown is the custom front fork, modified for an 80 mm hub.

More detail of the front fork, brake and chain management.  Of importance to mention is that by using this fork (in lieu of the standard VK offset fork), the front bottom bracket is lowered by some 1 ¾ inches, and the seat height is also lowered.

View of the rear end.  Very smooth transition to rear dropouts.  Kamil set up my frame for a 650 wheel which is what I use.

The rear brake is nicely tucked away.

View showing the rear section and the wheel fit, which was perfect.  The width of the frame here is about 5 inches, and the depth some 6 inches.  This is the reason why the bike is so stiff and strong aft.

PICS showing the transmission control.  I am using the SRAM XO shifters to work with the XO derailleur.  Very smooth shifting.

A close up of the front section.  The frame is approximately 6 inches deep and 2 ½ inches wide.  The boom was ordered long for my X-seam (47 inches), and even with this length there is very little flex in the front end.  I am sure there are some “heavy hitters” in the HPV world that not only will flex it, but come close to breaking it.  My relative experience, however, is that the only other bike that approached this was the Optima Baron.

View showing the clamp mechanism for the front bottom bracket tube.  There are three screws with inserts.  Very neat, clean and nicely done.

View showing more detail of the chain management system.  Also visible here is the depth of the frame in way of the bike’s mid point. 

View showing the underside of the frame.  It is no wonder that Kamil gets stiffness and rigidity, especially in the rear section.  While the integrated seat added to this, we must give up seat adjustability.  To account for this, I used seat padding and a head rest as you will see later. 

These PICS show the idler support system as supplied by VK.  The first photo shows the carbon support which I thought might not be rigid enough.  I feared it would deflect and the return chain would skip outside of the idler groove.  I fixed this by adding some carbon support on the inside, which is shown in the next photo.  The complete support is shown in the next, followed by the idler.  A light weight setup!  The last photo shows the frame in the area where the idler system attaches to it.  Notice that Kamil provides three alternate locations for chain management preference.  A nice Touch!

I also ordered an extra seat for my next project.  This was an extra light carbon/Kevlar long version.  It weighed in at 430 grams.  Truly a beauty!

This is the second version of my VK 2, and that which I am most comfortable with.  Still more tweaking is necessary, however.  In this version you will see the regular tiller/handlebar configuration, a thicker (and heavier) seat pad and a more upright seat configuration made possible by adding more padding and my custom headrest.  Also, while you still the Rotor Cranks, they have been changed out for Dura Ace with a new 113 mm bottom bracket to reduce chain/fork interference.  More on the Rotor Cranks later!  Also note that the guide tubes were mostly removed.  I perceived a drag problem, so a wider bottom bracket lessened the rub of the chain on the fork leg.  A small portion of the guide tube was retained on the return side.

These PICS show the new configuration for the upper seat and the headrest.  The 2 inch padding, while heavier than the ZOX, greatly increased my comfort level.  Also, as you can see I added padding up toward my neck.  This helped support my back just below the area which is grabbed by the headrest.  The seat material was purchased from Power On Cycling.   BTW, this is good stuff to work with.  I cut the material with a sharpened bread knife, and I achieved the rounded, sculpted look by scraping edges with a Stanley Surform convex shaping tool, normally used on wood.  It tears the edges, which can then be pulled from the pad.  It creates quite a mess, but is easily cleaned up with a vacuum.  There is an extra wedge on the back just below the headrest, but by using this process you cannot detect the line as the two pieces meld together.  It gives a custom molded look.

These PICS show the new front brake.  It is a Shimano long reach.  Not needed if mounted on the front of the fork, but needed if mounted on the rear.  There was better chain line with this unit.  The last photo shows how I handle chain/fork rub.  With the wider bottom bracket the power side does not interfere, and the return side is handled by attaching Velcro to the fork leg.  Also note the wheel.  This is my converted custom 80 mm wide M5 mono hub straight pull 18 spoke mounted to a SUN M5A rim.  The spokes are 14 gage.  I have this wheel for about 7500 miles without a single broken spoke.  Over the years on my other bikes I have used regular 100 mm hubs with 90 degree spokes and have broken many.

Now for the instrument and control side!   These views show the compact relationship of the brakes and shifters.  As I have said before, this is my preferred configuration.  The computer is a nice item bought from Supergo (supergo.com) and is a combination computer/heart monitor.  I cut the portion off that attaches to the handlebar and actually screwed the unit into the flat portion of the VK handlebar/tiller.  The monitor has big numbers for old folks like me, and not expensive.  Also looks like it is made to fit exactly in that space.

Now for the Rotor Cranks!  I used them initially, with the first configuration.  The general set up on the bike was not optimized so my view of these at this time is not final.  I am now using Dura Ace, but I will change back to the RC so that I have an equal platform to compare.  While I did find (in the early going) certain advantages to the RC system, there is an internal drag.  Also, early going, my knees felt better while using the RC system.  Time will tell and I will relay my findings to the group.

I am not involved in any way with Velokraft, nor did I ask for nor received special pricing for the products shown on my site.