Quest 451 to 507

[castlerobber]

I tried for several months to sell my Q451, once my Silvio 1.5 was built up. I was (and am) so tickled with the Silvio, that I didn't think I'd want to ride the Q any more. But deals have repeatedly fallen through, winter has arrived, and the Q is still here. I hopped on it a few times recently for short rides, including a dash downtown with coffee mug in hand to watch our small town's Christmas parade, and discovered that I still really enjoy the Q. So, having taken it off the market, I've made the Q451 my winter project bike.

The Q seems a logical candidate for dodging bollards and pedestrians on the local bike paths, and for my teenager to ride when he isn't on his MTB. I wanted to put wider tires on, but there aren't a lot of options for wide 451 tires. Rather than going all the way up to 26" (559) wheels, I decided to split the difference with 24" (507) wheels.

As far as the drivetrain, I considered turning the Q into a 1 x 10; adding a front derailleur and triple crankset; or installing a Patterson Metropolis crankset. I've liked the combination of the Dual Drive, e-ring, and 155mm cranks so much, however, that I decided it was worth having a Dual Drive wheel built.

Once I found out that the requisite long chainstay was still available for sale, I spent the Christmas weekend bargain hunting on eBay, Amazon, the BROL classifieds, etc. As pieces and parts come in, I'll post progress reports and photos.

 

[ratz]

That long chainstay is great I actually prefer ti for the small wheel too just to get my feet a bit higher and close my hips for power. While you are at it consider getting some 406's for it too; put some big apples on it, best go for coffee setup bike there is. If my velocity 451 wheels where not so dam nice I'd probably never take the 406's off.

Looking forward to the photos. PS I know here you can get a fab deal on a Yellow Di2 vendetta to complete your collection ((yeah the ads with photos is coming I too am waiting on some parts).

 

[castlerobber]

That long chainstay is great I actually prefer ti for the small wheel too just to get my feet a bit higher and close my hips for power.

I didn't realize how low my feet were on the Q until I'd put several hundred miles in on the Silvio. I'm looking forward to having the higher BB.

 

[Cruzbike Chris]

That long chainstay is great I actually prefer ti for the small wheel too just to get my feet a bit higher and close my hips for power. While you are at it consider getting some 406's for it too; put some big apples on it, best go for coffee setup bike there is. If my velocity 451 wheels where not so dam nice I'd probably never take the 406's off.

Looking forward to the photos. PS I know here you can get a fab deal on a Yellow Di2 vendetta to complete your collection ((yeah the ads with photos is coming I too am waiting on some parts).

Your just a big tease Ratz! Come on spill the beans.......

 

[castlerobber]

The long chainstay is installed.

Taking the original chainstay off wasn't hard. Getting the holes in the lower ends of the new stay to line up fully with the holes in the fork assembly, however, required gentle persuasion with a rubber mallet. A new chain was needed to accommodate the longer stay and the 11-32 cassette that will go on the 507 wheel (the current cassette is an 11-28). Park Tool's master link pliers made changing the chain almost a pleasure. First time I've had a chance to use them.



The handling of the Q is definitely different with the higher BB and longer stay, a little twitchier, but I had expected that. Once I get used to it, we'll see what effect (if any) the change in riding position has on speed. I was pleased to see that I'd averaged 16.7 mph on a particular mile-long flat on my regular route today, much better than usual. Of course, that could have been because I was trying (and failing) to outrun the rain shower that had popped up...

The 507 rim for the front wheel arrived today, so it's off to the wheelbuilder Monday.

 

[castlerobber]

After a few rides with the new chainstay, I see a very slight improvement in overall speed, maybe 0.25 mph. I don't climb any better, though. I can still hold 16.6 mph on that same mile-long flat without rain chasing me, so that wasn't a fluke. Tried to set up a segment in Garmin Connect for that mile, to compare more easily to previous rides and my other bikes, but Garmin has segment creation turned off. May have to join y'all on Strava.

The Kind A5-RE shock came in from AliExpress this morning, about three weeks after I ordered it, and has been installed. Hoping for a break in the rain so I can try it out. Wasn't sure how much to pump it up, so I went for the middle of the range. Suggestions are welcomed--assume the stereotypical 150-lb. rider.

Ran into my wheelbuilder in the post office when I was picking up the shock. The LBS didn't have spokes the right length, so those are on order.

 

[castlerobber]

Took the Q out for 40 minutes or so yesterday. The stability of the bike is definitely improved with the new shock, as well as how it handles larger bumps. It's way easier to take a hand off the bars without thinking about it. I may finally be ready to try clipless pedals again! It also makes the travel in the front suspension when climbing much more noticeable.

 

[Charles.Plager]

The Kind A5-RE shock came in from AliExpress this morning, about three weeks after I ordered it, and has been installed.

Which size did you order? Is this the one?

 

[castlerobber]

Which size did you order? Is this the one?

That's the one. 125mm. I'd seen it mentioned as giving good results in a couple of older threads on here, such as http://cruzbike.com/forum/threads/quest-on-air.6860/.

 

[castlerobber]

The 507 rear wheel has been sitting in the corner for nearly three weeks, still waiting for the front wheel to be finished. Last night, I just had to see what it was going to look like on the Q.



It's been barely above freezing all day, north wind 15 to 20 mph, snow flurries this morning (a big deal here in the Deep South). But the urge to try out the 451/507 combo was strong, so I headed out for about 15 minutes this afternoon. The Q handled well even in the wind, and the higher-volume 1.5" tire smoothed out the little rough patches in the street. Looking forward to a longer (warmer!) ride in a day or two.

 

[ReklinedRider]

Betsy that looks good, going to look even better when you get the new front! Keep us posted

 

[castlerobber]

Got the phone call today that the front wheel was ready. Picked it up on the way home from work, figuring I'd mount the tire, move the disc rotor over from the 451 wheel, and have time for a test ride before dark. Yeah...not so much. One of the bolts holding the rotor was Loc'd a little too tite. Couldn't budge it with anything I had, up to and including two different screw extractors. My husband finally had to drill the bolt head out. By then it was too dark to ride, other than a couple of times up and down the driveway.

At least it looks good!

 

[ReklinedRider]

Looks great!

 

[ratz]

Kojaks now that's an idea.

 

[Robert Holler]

That is one sweet looking Q right there.

 

[castlerobber]

That is one sweet looking Q right there.

Thank you! The 24" wheels suit that frame well. The couple of times I took the Q out as a 507/451, the ride was noticeably smoother. Can't wait to try it out with the current configuration.

Kojaks now that's an idea.

I think the Kojaks will work well on the paved MUP that passes behind my office. I bought the non-drive wheel and tires/tubes from someone on BROL. I had been considering the Kojaks anyway, so that made it convenient.

 

[Charles.Plager]

Thank you! The 24" wheels suit that frame well. The couple of times I took the Q out as a 507/451, the ride was noticeably smoother. Can't wait to try it out with the current configuration.


I think the Kojaks will work well on the paved MUP that passes behind my office. I bought the non-drive wheel and tires/tubes from someone on BROL. I had been considering the Kojaks anyway, so that made it convenient.

I run Kojaks on both my Sofrider and Mantis. I like them a lot.

 

[super slim]

On my old recumbent trike, I went from 406 * 1.5" Greenspeed slicks, to 406 *1.3" Kojacks, and boy what an improvement in cornering, Comfort ride, AND better resistance to punctures and cutting of the tyre from debris!!!!
I THEN went to an Australian Pedal Prix, for Primary school, High school, and open class team Velomobiles, where 95% of the 200 trikes used 406*1.3" Kojacks!!!

I had 26"*2.0" Kojacks on my old Softrider which were great tyres, until I tied to ride UP a wet glassy 10% grade, and not a hope!

 

[castlerobber]

On my old recumbent trike, I went from 406 * 1.5" Greenspeed slicks, to 406 *1.3" Kojacks, and boy what an improvement in cornering, Comfort ride, AND better resistance to punctures and cutting of the tyre from debris!!!!

I had Greenspeed Scorchers on the front of my old TerraTrike Race. Didn't notice much benefit over the Marathons that came on the trike. Switched to the Schwalbe Trykers when the slicks wore out, but that was just before I discovered Cruzbikes, so I didn't put enough miles on the Trykers to form an opinion.

 

[castlerobber]

Thursday was one of those days...

I spent Thursday afternoon eagerly anticipating a ride on the Q507 after work. Arrived home to find the front tire flat as a pancake. I'd pinched the tube when I put the tire on (without the help of tire levers, even!), and the spare tubes I'd ordered hadn't arrived yet. OK, I thought, I'll just hop on the Silvio for now, patch the 507 tube later, and try again tomorrow. Began unscrewing the valve on the front tire of the Silvio to check the pressure...and the top of the valve core fell off in my hand. I put a cap on the valve and rode anyway.

Dug out a new patch kit that evening, patched and reinstalled the tube, let it sit for an hour, checked it...dead flat. Only half the patch had adhered. Ripped it off, tried a new patch--and once again, totally flat in an hour. One little channel, maybe 2mm wide, hadn't sealed. Glued another patch half over the first one to cover the gap. That stopped the leak, but the third patch also had one small place that wouldn't stick. Either I'm really bad at this, or the patch kit is defective, or both.

Friday afternoon, in the midst of packing for a weekend trip, I found enough time to replace the pinned platform pedals with clipless pedals and slip out for a 5-mile jaunt around town. The Kojaks at 75 psi are decidedly more comfortable than the stock 451 tires at 90 psi. I didn't expect any speed improvement; it was a pleasant surprise to see 12.6 mph on the Garmin afterward, instead of the typical 11.6 to 11.8 mph for that ride.

Since the patched tube was still holding air this afternoon [Monday], I ventured out to the back roads for a slightly longer ride. I'm quite pleased with the improved stability of the Q507. Being clipped in feels natural now, instead of nerve-wracking as it did on the 451 setup. The icing on the cake was the 13.1 mph average, again a full 1 mph better than my usual speed for that route, and the fastest I've ever averaged on any ride on the Q.