At last, the first ride on my Silvio 2.0

Jeremy S

Dude
Going into my Silvio 2.0 build, I had no experience with bike building or even maintenance, so I was determined to take my build as slowly as possible. I also expected some issues to pop up, having ordered from the first production run of a new design. Despite this, I am pretty much done and finally went for my first, short ride. Thanks to Doug and John for their tech support, and to Eric and Ivan for their build posts.

In the end I took my bike in to my local shop because there was no clearance between the chain and the fork, when in the smallest cassette cog. This is not a standard bike assembly issue, so I decided a professional should look at it. After first throwing up their hands over the unusual bike design, then checking the wheel and cassette, they gave me a 1mm axle spacer. While the bike was in the shop, I had them tune the derailleurs. In the end they refused to charge me! Later, on my ride I noticed the FD will only shift up, so I guess I got what I paid for.

Here's a photo of the mostly-finished bike:

IMG_5623.jpg


Yes, the front tire is completely flat! A bit more on that later...

This is a pretty standard Silvio 2.0 build with SRAM Rival groupset, compact 50-34 crankset, 11-32 cassette, Cruzbike Aero 67s wheels, Continental Grand Prix 4 Seasons tires (700x25), Mountain Mirrycle mirror, and Wellgo platform pedals. White handlebar tape is on order from Nashbar (the frame came with black).

This is not my first Cruzbike. I owned a Sofrider V2 for about 5 years, before selling it in June to make way for the Silvio. I enjoyed riding the Sofrider but wanted a lighter, more compact, prettier, and faster bike with better components. The Silvio is certainly prettier, lighter, and leaner. I can't really comment on the speed yet, but I'm optimistic.

After my experience on the Sofrider, I was able to get on the Silvio and ride away with very little drama. I was a bit wobbly at first, then my Cruzbike instincts came back (it's been several weeks since I was on the Sofrider and I've been riding a DF in the meantime). I sat up straight for all the starts. I was also sitting up straight for every turn at first; after several minutes I stopped doing that, and just lifted my head a bit. The bike is comfortable and my initial adjustments, done while stationary, seem good. I will probably raise the headrest a bit.

My free tuneup at the bike shop resulted in good RD shifting, but after shifting the FD up to the large chainring it wouldn't shift back down. The Silvio worked pretty well as a 10-speed bike, with my 32-tooth granny gear on the cassette allowing me to climb some moderate hills (just pull on the handlebars and go). I will try tuning the FD myself, although I think I will need to invest in a stand to do this.

I was a bit worried that my right leg would bump into the front brake caliper while pedaling. This did not happen. Instead it brushed the cable housings, which I did not mind. I could probably shorten them or pull them to the side if it ever starts to bother me.

The roads here in the Boston area are quite bad, full of bumps and potholes, not all of which can be avoided. Despite this the ride quality was pretty good. I think the suspension is doing its job. I tend to sit up a bit when going over significant bumps and when I did this, the top of the seat back cushion flopped loudly against the seat shell. I will add a horizontal velcro strip near the top to fasten it down.

My biggest surprise came when I got back from my ride and noticed that the front tire was completely flat! I'm really not sure when that happened. Perhaps a blowout was camouflaged by the bumpy roads. I'm thinking I probably installed the tube or rim tape poorly (or my luck was just really bad on this short ride).

I have a couple of immediate issues to clean up, namely the flat front tire and the FD shifting. After that, I need to add some reflectors and/or lights (during my ride one guy was kind enough to pull over in his pickup truck, in the middle of a sunny day, and yell at me to put reflectors on the bike).

Longer term, when everything is running smoothly, I'm planning to try clipless pedals for the first time on any bike. I'm looking at Shimano A600 SPD pedals and Keen Commuter sandals. I hope to find the same power delivery and handling improvements that others have reported.
 
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unc99

Active Member
looks great Jeremy.  Do you

looks great Jeremy. Do you know your approximate x-seam? I ask because there is a striking difference between the height of your bottom bracket and some of the others that have used the chainstay extender (such as Ivan). Of course, x-seam will affect the height in addition to using the chainstay extender.
 

Ivan

Guru
Way to go Jeremy! Let's see a

Way to go Jeremy! Let's see a pic you on it next... For you to have assembled the bike completely yourself when you didn't do your own maintenance in the past is a great accomplishment!! Congrats.

Your headrest looks pretty low for someone of your height. Are you comfortable with your helmet on? Ensure your FD is parallel to chainring and 1-2mm from the teeth. Then adjust your cable tension and limit screws to ensure the up and downshift works.

Jeremy what is your X-seam? You look to be quite a bit taller than me and you are not using the chainstay extension like I am. Thus the final look of our same Silvio 2.0 bikes look radically different!
 

Ivan

Guru
Photos

Yup, it's the angle that the photo is taken from that's important. Stand around the middle of the bike, slightly towards the front-end of it. Then squat down so that the camera is at the level of the seat pan. That will get a nice angle of pics of the bike, or for you on the bike.

Wheels: I remember the Cruzbike product page says that the wheels don't come with rim tape. Since this is the first time you are assembling a bike, I am wondering if you put rim tape on? For example, I use Zefal rim tape, and this covers the spoke protrusions on the inside of the rim so that the inner tube does not press against anything sharp. If rim tape is not properly installed (eg, bit of something sharp sticking out the side of the tape), then the inner tube will be punctured. You are fine anywhere between 95-120psi.
 

Jeremy S

Dude
Thanks for checking Ivan, I

Thanks for checking Ivan, I did put on the rim tape that Cruzbike kindly sent me!

Also note that I have reshot the photo with a different lens to remove the distortion.
 

Jeremy S

Dude
unc99 and Ivan, I'm not sure

unc99 and Ivan, I'm not sure of my accuracy but I measured my x-seam around 45" (I'm about 5'10"). The pedal reach feels good, but I will raise the headrest a bit. I do like the low bottom bracket for stops and starts. It's something that the Cruzbike design allows, that other SWB designs do not. I understand that raising the BB has aerodynamic benefits and may make it easier to pedal with the low seat recline. I noticed during my ride that I couldn't quite push back on the seat the way I did on my Sofrider, and instead pulled on the handlebars. Maybe some practice will change that, or maybe it's the result of combining a reclined seat with a lowish bottom bracket.

By the way, I wonder if the lens distortion isn't making the bottom bracket look even lower than it really is (the entire front end of the bike seems to have shrunk). I really should have taken the time to get a better photo... [NOTE: Just reshot the photo and replaced it in the original post.]

Eric, good question. My pump said 100 psi, which is significantly less than the 120 psi max rating on the tires, but a bit more than the 95 psi recommendation. Maybe I should back off a bit, but I think it's more likely that my rooky tube installation caused the flat.

If my girlfriend is kind enough to take some pictures of me riding this weekend, I will post them here. Hopefully by then I will have a 20 speed bike instead of a 10 speed.
 

Eric Winn

Zen MBB Master
Jeremy, I've been running my

Jeremy, I've been running my Gator Hardshell tires at 100psi (rated to 120) and they've held up to everything I've ridden through except the lady driving over the front wheel.

I weigh about 188 pounds and I've watched them while riding over crappy stuff and some small potholes I couldn't avoid to see how much deflection I'm getting to determine if I need more pressure.

I got my first ever bike flat that I can recall on the Quest's rear tire. I had been running both tires at 100psi and I appeared to have pinch flatted on a pothole or maybe the railroad tracks. When I checked the other tire it was low, around 85psi as I recall, as I had not checked pressure in quite some time. My assumption is the rear was also low allowing too much deflection, thus the pinch flat.

I've since checked pressure before each ride and have not had any problems since. I once asked Dan Fallon how he checks his tire pressure after flatting and recovering in an ultra race and he said he goes by feel. I tried pumping to what felt like 100psi and then checked with my digital tire gage and had only pumped to somewhere between 60 to 80psi. Dan subsequently flatted something like 4 times at the World's and I can't help but wonder if he was running his tire pressure too low. Of course, that was in goat thorn country so pressure may have been a moot point...

-Eric
 

Jeremy S

Dude
I think my FD shifting issue

I think my FD shifting issue is down to the cable loop that goes around the bottom bracket. I used "compression free" shifter cable housing, which is very stiff and does not bend around the BB well, leaving some slop in the cable. My bike shop commented on this when they tried to tune the bike, and tried using a cable tie to take out the slop:

IMG_5586(1).jpg


I'm thinking of swapping in brake cable housing, which bends much easier. The housing is just there to avoid friction, so I think it should work OK -- there are no cable stops so I don't think compression would be a problem. Another option might be a simple plastic cable liner (inner sheath) but I'm worried it might get crimped where it passes through the hole between the BB and chainstay.

Curious to know if others faced any issues here.
 
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Andrew 1973

Zen MBB Master
^ Gorgeous Welds

I've seen the liner used on the Vendetta, so why not buy an length of that and give it a go.

I have to say, those welds on the boom are absolutely gorgeous. I used to own a Cervelo Soloist that had the same type of anodized finish and the welds were as good as this.
 

Jeremy S

Dude
John -- I do plan to clip off

John -- I do plan to clip off the cable tie, it certainly looks out of place on this machine...

The cable does route through the hole you point out. I guess I don't need to worry about crimping a cable liner if I use it.
 

Ivan

Guru
I have had no problems with

I have had no problems with my FD shifting. I run my compressionless shift cable housing from BB (with ferrule) all the way to the barrel adjuster.
 

Nanda Holz

Active Member
Pliers

I've had to size several test riders on the new Silvio over the past few days, and the trick I use is just pulling on the FD cable with some needle nose pliers with the shifter in the granny gear...and keep pulling firmly until the turn around cable housing is nice and straight with all the spring/slack taken out, then tighten the cable anchor bolt. Also make sure the cable goes over the little cam hump before it goes under the cable anchor bolt, otherwise it won't shift properly.
 

Jeremy S

Dude
Just went for my second,

Just went for my second, short ride and things are running smoothly. Looking forward to some longer rides where I can really test out the bike.

In order to fix my FD shifting, I put the bike on my brand new repair stand, snipped off the cable tie the bike shop put on... and that was it! It just worked. I guess they tuned it before putting on the cable tie. At least I have the stand now so I can (try to) tune it myself in the future.

A few other notes:

I'm glad I opted for the gearing I did (50-34, 11-32), I already had to use my lowest gear to climb a hill right near my apartment.

I'm really glad I have a mirror on this bike.

My keys fell out of my pocket while pedaling. I blame my pants.

It will take some time to get used to the seat recline. I find myself sitting up a lot, and having to remind myself to lie down onto the seat and headrest. I think longer rides will cure me of this.

Extra velcro did not stop the seat back cushion (or something right behind me, I think it's the cushion) from flopping around on bumps. This should be less of an issue when I learn not to sit up as often.

I'm still getting used to the SRAM double tap shifting. Mostly I'm OK, but every once in a while I try to shift Shimano-style by pushing the brake sideways. Doesn't work.

I'm not sure about the handlebar position, but I won't try adjusting it until I evaluate it on longer rides. Because of how the cable runs, it seems any adjustments will require retuning the FD, which is too bad. It really discourages tweaking the TFT for comfort.

Having assembled the bike myself is both gratifying and frightening. I'm glad I did it, but I don't really trust myself and keep waiting for something to go wrong :O

Since I haven't said it before, thank you John and Cruzbike for making this beauty! If it weren't for you, I might be riding around on some monstrosity I built out of plywood, and I can only imagine how badly that might turn out.
 

John Tolhurst

Zen MBB Master
I'm not sure about the

I'm not sure about the handlebar position, but I won't try adjusting it until I evaluate it on longer rides. Because of how the cable runs, it seems any adjustments will require retuning the FD, which is too bad. It really discourages tweaking the TFT for comfort.

That is true for the boom clamp, but you are free to adjust the slider clamp - of course this moves both handelbars and cranks.
 

Doug Burton

Zen MBB Master
Slider and FD adjustment

When someone finally pries it out of my hands, I'll need to allow other people to demo ride my Silvio (is IS a company car, after all...)

My fix for this is to attach a clamp-on cable stop on the front slider section, and run extra FD cable housing so I can fit the bike to taller riders (which is almost everyone) without re-adjusting the FD while my demo rider is waiting.

http://www.amazon.com/Origin8-Clamp-On-Frame-Cable-Stop/dp/B003BCG94U/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1375489738&sr=8-6&keywords=clamp+on+cable+stop

Not pretty or elegant, but it will do...
 

Ivan

Guru
Doug, isn't the effect the

IMG_1961.JPG
Doug, isn't the effect the same given the way I have run mine, without the additional clamp on cable stop? I run the cable housing all the way to the braze-on adjuster making it act as a cable stop. The other end has a ferrule and is inside the hole in BB. Therefore the cable housing can be run tight for tall riders or floppy for short riders. I can make small length adjustments to my boom without having to adjust my FD.

 
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