Rim Change on V.2 Sofrider Question

[Steven Bell]

Ok,
Limited rim knowledge but sound bike knowledge as an introductory statement.
Just purchased a used v.2 (western Canada) the previous owner must have either stored the bike outside or topside of a sub. I say this as the cursory inspection showed typical corrosion on the bolt heads, etc. However...when I replaced the front cassette with a Patterson drive, the remove of the old system showed a design flaw I have to believe has been caught or everyone is used to it.
The axle, once I had the nuts removed, the centre inside the BB housing, had approx. 12mm of rust build up internally on the shaft, there was quite a bit of moisture inside where grease is not typical, upon further tear down I removed the upper mount from the steering column, removed the quick release and notices a small pin-hole in the upper shaft, I assume it's there to relieve the pressure when adjusting the boom in our out. The issue that I see, there is no other point of entry/exit and if stored outside in the elements, much of it got into the bb and had no where to go. Sorry, I was rushed and didn't take pics, so it's much like the whale on the line that got away, it just is.
Then, I noticed a minor drive side growl in the rim, not a big deal I thought, just re-grease the loose bearings, right! Nope, these are sealed units, again, not a big deal, I live in a city of 1.2m people so I thought bike shops should have these in spades, again, NOPE. So i got them from a local bearing supply house. Then when taking it apart, well the drive side is so badly seized that I am now having to replace the rim. I akin that to the previous owner's mis-understanding of seaside moisture and not covered for rain.
So...my real question is this:
given that the old rim uses sealed units, is that due to price or is it necessary to the stability of the loaded axle not being loose bearing capable?
Also, I am looking to upgrade to a 9-speed cass/derailleur, and I'll search other threads but if anyone knows of the issues, feel free to chime in.
Cheers,

 

[ratz]

Boom to BB; quest v1.0 and 2.0 has the same issue with water ingress but no egress. if you ride in the rain a lot the Square tapper BB is probably an annual replacement if you are fastidious like me; but that' just my opinion based on having rehabbed 4 frames now. Two of them required the "mallet" to get the BB's cracked and one I'll admit to using a vice grip. The water inside the bb of one was imported from South America Because of that I'm going to upgrade to a BSA GXP bb on one of them this winter as test. A lot easy to drain that.

As for the hubs the Quest can handle loose bearings and I see no reason that you can't do the same on the soft rider. If you search on "Project Quickr" you'll see my conversion of a Quest 20" to have standard Derailleur based drive and new Velocity Rims with DTSwiss 350 hubs. Said quest is fast enough to hold off a pace line of 10 DF's so I'd call it very compatible. Only difference between that and the soft rider is the wheel size.

 

[Steven Bell]

looked up project quickr, solid detailed info. Since the sofrider will strictly be for casual 50+ KM rides (25-30mi), I am looking for comfort mainly but a reduction in RR with driveline friction reduction is my goal.
Thanks for the info, i'll post up changes/results.

 

[MrSteve]

As a long-time Sofrider V1 owner, let me just say that Mr. Ratz knows what he's talking about.

Long ago, I tightened and trued the stock wheels.
Then, I ditched the stock Sofrider V1 8-speed single front ring transmission for a
nice 24-speed three ring transmission, which still works fine.
Finally, I replaced the original rear wheel with a decent used wheel, because the
bearing races were loose in the original hub.

Since my bike is never left outside, the front wheel and it's sealed bearings are still in great
shape, eight years later.

If you haven't already done so, Mr. Bell, go ahead and disassemble, clean and re-grease all of the pivot bushings
in the boom, the chain stay, the swing arm and the rear shock mounts.

The Sofrider is a fantastic bike.

 

[Steven Bell]

@MrSteve, I have done the tear down, between crocus cloth and #4 steel wool, parts cleaner, I've gone through the entire bike thus far (should have painted it as well...next time).

Much is done, new cables, brake pads (going with front disc on new rim), just ordered a new wheel and 9-spd cass & derailleur.
For those looking to add a simple, small bag to your Sofrider (or any for that matter), I also own a TERN P24h and there is a luggage truss option for front mount, that I re-purposed to the back seat of the Sofrider (a reinforced using 1" x 3/16" aluminum strip on the front side for more displacement, no tearing), and bag quick release (from MEC here).

I know this is my first Cruzebike, and I know with very little 'seat time', this will not be my last either.

 

[ratz]

. Two of them required the "mallet" to get the BB's cracked and one I'll admit to using a vice grip.

Shamefully I just read a post from a few years ago where charles and doug discussed using a hair dryer to heat the bottom bracket for easier removal. I will definitely do that the next time.

 

[Steven Bell]

Well, finally almost, sort of done...never really done. Got a pair of Alex rims (700C), updated the brake pads and had to modify the side-pulls with a bracket to move the pads to match up to the rims, installed new shifters, did final adjustments, and it's been raining steadily for the past day & 1/2, so I'll have to get out when it breaks.

I'm not a fair weather rider but given the new wheel set I'm going to opt for more sun, less rain. Kept the 26" rims but seeking out a new set to accommodate for disc brakes (front only so far). I will say with the 700C wheels, much less rolling resistance and smooth, the only thing I can now hear is the wind and the odd chain clatter when going from 4-5th and I'm going to change out the derailleur, not a big fan of micro-shift for longevity.

 

[Steven Bell]

 

[Doug Burton]

I designed a very simple adapter bracket to install a disc brake to the rear swing arm on this frame. If you have a drill press, it's very easy to make. The drawing used to be on the Sofrider project page; I'll see if I have a copy on my computer (I'm in Hong Kong right now and I don't know if it's on the backup drive I have with me.)

 

[1happyreader]

Here is the file. I still don't have a drill press.

I hope Cruzbike's website will someday have a past models page for spec info, files and pictures.
seeing pictures of the evolution of the Silvio and the Sofrider variations would be neat.

 

[Steven Bell]

very nicely done.

 

[Doug Burton]

Thanks for posting that, Tim. I was having trouble finding it on the drive I took to China with me.

That file (it's scaled 1:1) is designed to be printed on label paper, cut out, and adhered to the piece of aluminum specified in the drawing info. Then take a punch and center-punch the hole centers. Then drill at the punch indentations. You can do it with a hand drill if it has a bubble level and you level the workpiece in a vise. I couldn't think of any way to make it easier to make than that. Make sure you use locktite on the bracket-to-swingarm fasteners, as they will work themselves loose over time (don't ask why I know this).