New to Cruzbike

castlerobber

Zen MBB Master

DavidCH

In thought; expanding the paradigm of traversity
Inside the old stay where it connects to the BB there are two metal collar sleeves; did you pull them out and install them in the new stay?
I am amazed you spotted this too :D
 
This is a hearty thanks to those who responded to my posts with guidance and suggestions. Without the info from this forum, I would have sold the bike a couple of weeks after buying it. What follows is a brief chronological account of my "journey" with my 451 Quest.

1) I installed the longer chainstay. This was transformative; I have size 12 feet and had issues with heel strike on the click box. Once I installed this (twice as you can read the thread above) I felt that I could be comfortable on this bike.
2) I inclined the seat back as far as possible.
3) I eliminated a minor irritant by installing a small block of wood between the kickstand and the frame. The kickstand was too short to reach the ground and this solved the problem. I had to buy a longer bolt , 45 cents, to do this.
4) I installed an adjustable stem and bar ends. The stem is pointed as straight up as possible and has eliminated the issue of hitting my legs on the underside of the handlebars.
5) I bought a Ventisit pad. After reclining the seat back, the original pad was ok, but the Ventisit............. aaaah, really comfortable.

The bike is a keeper. Originally I'd planned to keep my Burley Django and ride that occasionally, but when I got on after 5 weeks of riding only the Quest, I wobbled almost as badly as I did initially on the Quest. I was really shocked at that. Muscle memory betrayed me.
At some point in the future I'll replace the rear shock because of the squeaking. It functions fine, but I can't get rid of the squeak. I have no plans to go to larger wheels or change the gearing. The Dual Drive is a great choice for the type of riding I do. And I like the elliptical chain ring; I rode Shimano elliptical rings on my Cannondale from '85 to '95 so I might be biased.
For new riders I would say: stick with it, handling will become natural and you have an ally in the forum members.
 
Had the bike almost 2 months now; went on a 27 mile ride Sunday and honestly felt comfortable. The long chainstay and Ventisit pad make it a comfortable ride. I'm happy with the bike, but was looking at it today wondering what type of bike rack would fit it. I have a trailer hitch rack that has trays for the wheels to fit in, but there is no way the "arms" that are designed to fit over a top tube will fit on this bike. What are the rest of you doing when you need to transport your bike on your car?
 

ratz

Wielder of the Rubber Mallet
Had the bike almost 2 months now; went on a 27 mile ride Sunday and honestly felt comfortable. The long chainstay and Ventisit pad make it a comfortable ride. I'm happy with the bike, but was looking at it today wondering what type of bike rack would fit it. I have a trailer hitch rack that has trays for the wheels to fit in, but there is no way the "arms" that are designed to fit over a top tube will fit on this bike. What are the rest of you doing when you need to transport your bike on your car?

Saris super-clamps are one of the better ones because the hold at the wheels (top and bottom). https://www.saris.com/product/superclamp-2
https://www.saris.com/product/superclamp-4

Others can chime in with the other couple brands / models that work well.
 

super slim

Zen MBB Master
Great rear rack set up!
How have you found the new headrest compared to the standard one.
I did my first short sort out ride on the S30 last night, and I was stable riding if my head was off the headrest, but unstable if on the headrest, as my head wanted to roll off it sideways!
 
How have you found the new headrest compared to the standard one.
I'm satisfied with the clamp-on headrest's comfort, especially the better air flow under the neck. I might modify it with an inner tube like I did with the original head rest. The bouncy cushion makes the ride a little more comfortable. No issues with my head trying to roll off, maybe a modification would help your situation.
 

super slim

Zen MBB Master
I will try the twin bike tubes, on the standard headrest, so my head floats on air and is centred!
 
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Jeffrey Ritter

Well-Known Member
What angle is your seat back? My angle is maybe 35-40 degrees and I don't have any seating tenderness, don't even notice any problem down there even though I ride about three hours daily.

I use the thick Ventisit pad, it's only a little giving butt since I live in the Arizona desert I primarily like the pad for its ventilation and not soaking up my butt and backk!;)

Here is a pic to get an idea of my seat angle:

View attachment 3980
Love the pic and the adaptation of the boom. Could you be so kind as to provide a link to any post explaining the components for doing so? Looks like that would also work on a SofRider, yes or no, if you know? Thanks.
 

Emeljay

WiskersBlowinInTheWind
Looked at some pics of Sofriders and looks like a mod would work but measurements may be different particularly for ID/ODs.

Take notice that it usually takes extra care (I did sanding by hand checking fit frequently) to set up a tube to slide in another tube.
 

DavidJL

Well-Known Member
I can definitely recommend the emeljay steering mod. Makes for a solid front end that doesn't creak. It would be cool if Cruzbike would offer a conversion kit consisting of the tube and appropriate clamps. I used the front slider to support the seat and lower the seat. Spacers were used so that the slider is not unduly stressed.
 
Sweetspot ! The A5RE (single chamber) air shock arrived yesterday. I mounted it this morning and went on a 20 mile ride. It did improve the ride somewhat, but more importantly to me, it is silent. It also is quite a bit lighter. I pumped the shock to 125 pounds ( I weigh 225) and it is smoother than original coil shock. I'll be playing with the pressure for the next few rides. I've now done everything to the bike that I want to. For my type of riding (urban mixed with suburban/rural) the drive train is ideal. Unexpected stop, just shift into the low range as you sit there. I'm sure the dual drive isn't quite as efficient as a derailler system, but the bike seems as fast as my Burley Django. Since I live in south FL, I can't speak to performance on hills. With the short crankarms, I've had to increase my cadence which makes for smoother steering, but the elliptical chainring seems to make the higher cadence easier. Congratulations to the folks who designed that drive train. Nothing left to do but ride and enjoy.
 
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