Take-aways from Portland retreat

ratz

Wielder of the Rubber Mallet
oh hell - I just remembered something...Elliot's pedals.
Ergon PC2 (PC2L)
They don't look like much on the site (https://goo.gl/OBuwYf) but in person they are amazing in their simplicity.
Elliot rode those up from CA with his moccasins! (who makes those shoes @marshall2389 ?)
BEST platforms ever.

Ok these have now been added to the kids bikes; and to the main Quest bikes we use for training new riders.
 

Always-Learnin

Vendetta Love
I'm starting a double purpose thread here. I'd like to see what other people got the most out of from the retreat, so others can see something they may have missed, get a new perspective, and also get a sense of what others were most interested in. The other purpose this will serve is matching up forum accounts to people I met. I'll start out:

I'm Abram who's currently in Oakland, and rode my electrified orange Quest at the retreat. The big things I'm taking away are 1. The S30 is awesome and I can't wait to own one, and 2. Not only has CruzBike made amazing progress since the humble conversion kit beginnings but its continuing to do so right now. Yes their original products are discontinued, but it's being done for good reasons, and they're in no way abandoning any part of their market. 3. CruzBike riders are amazing. My craziest and most extreme CruzBike rides are a walk in the park compared to what a few out there are doing. I'm talking about completing the Utah Hoodoo 500. And hiking in and out of the Grand Canyon carrying a Quest loaded for unsupported touring.

Small things I happen to remember now:
* Learned how to track stand a stock Quest! (and probably most Quests and Sofriders)
* Don't ever get dirt in your rims or on your tube (thanks for the awesome class Robert and all)
* The new Sram derailleur has a lockable idler spring for working with the chain
* There's a fix (an alternative for the Dia-compe lock-ring) for the Quest's headset continuously geetting loose
* How to properly adjust the front triangle on Silvios and Vandettas: loosen, make adjustments, verify fit, tighten and close quick release on axle, tighten the c-clamps on the bottom bracket with medium force, tighten the clamp above the headset with medium force, tighten the sliding boom clamp to very tight. Note the clamp above the headset especially must be kept loose for Silvios with a suspended fork, because the angle of that joint changes with the fork travel. This is all thanks to Elliot who has ridden CruzBikes for ~50k miles of unsupported tours.
* On Sofriders and Quests, use a strip of bar tape to tidy up all the cables on the riser tube above the fork. If you'd like the bike to remain adjustable and you have a front derailleur, make sure to leave its cable outside the taped bundle.
* The Sram dual drive gear hub needs to be adjusted every 500-1k miles or so. If your hub is clicking you probably simply need to remove the cable end box, and hand tighten the pin. Also this pin is replaceable, and you should cary a replacement in case the cable end-box is impacted. (thanks to Robert again!)
* Ear fuzzies! You can find or make a little fuzzy strip of fabric that velcros to your helmet strap in front of your ear. At speeds greater than 20mph this cuts wind noise dramatically from deafening to pleasant. (thanks Lief!)

Was this by invitation only? I didn't get one. :)
 

ratz

Wielder of the Rubber Mallet
Was this by invitation only? I didn't get one. :)
It was a bulk email that went out; then about half way between the email date and the event I posted it in a thread; and there was a 2nd email that came out about a month before. If you are getting the the Loyal-Z email then you are on the list; if not there is the newsletter sign up on the main home page.
 
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