T50 Preferred Weight Distribution

[atr62]

Hi All,

I’m currently building up a T50 frameset I recently purchased. The build is going well, waiting on a few parts for a 2x11 drive configuration. I’ve been watching what YouTube videos I can find regarding T50 bike fitting, including those provided by Cruzbike. What I’m looking for is optimal seat position in reference to the bike fore/aft weight distribution. The videos posted on YouTube only show the earlier version of the T50 with the fixed seat mount, which places the seat far forward. The latest version of the T50 has an adjustable seat rail which allows the seat to be placed from near rear to near forward distance between the front and rear wheels, allowing seat placement in a location preferred by most recumbents (which favors 60/40 rear/front distribution). Now for my question. Since the T50 is front wheel drive, is the preferred wheel to wheel weight distribution opposite rear wheel drive recumbents or the same?

All the,

Angel

 

[celerator]

A physicist and T50 rider' s opinion: The best seat position is that which you feel most comfortable with, wrt. seat height, pedal height and pedal-seat distance etc. The bicycle's intrinsic driving behavior ist primarily determined by its geometry, and barely affected by the exact seat position within the permitted adjustment range.
Still: shifting the center of mass forward lets you fly over the handle bar more easily during a hard stop (front brake), but also lets you climb steeper hills. If you go through the numbers, you may find these physics aspects less relevant to your personal T50 - driving habits than the physical comfort.
Try it out and decide....

 

[CoolBreeze]

Still: shifting the center of mass forward lets you fly over the handle bar more easily during a hard stop

You’re not likely going to fly over the handle bar on a Cruzbike T50 no matter how hard you stop because of the recumbent position of your body. I believe the ideal position of the seat on a Cruzbike is to be as far forward on the frame as possible and still be comfortable. If your hips are closer to the steering axis, you will be better able to steer with your legs, and also have better traction on the drive wheel from bringing your weight forward.