Replace Q45 Shock with Metal Bar

[Black Hawk Down]

I'm interested in how you went about tightening the shock. I tried doing it a while back - it was fine on a trainer but as soon as I took it outside on the road it made significant noise, so I had to return it to its original setting.

I twisted this nut clockwise. I have no noise from the shock. My original shock from CruzBike did have lots of noise.

 

[kizarmynot]

I twisted this nut clockwise. I have no noise from the shock. My original shock from CruzBike did have lots of noise.

View attachment 18285

Thanks. I have a replacement shock too so hopefully it will work for me too.

 

[Black Hawk Down]

Thanks. I have a replacement shock too so hopefully it will work for me too.

You have to play around with how much to adjust. I have a couple of hard bumps on my route that cause the spring to bottom out. I kept adjusting until it was no longer hitting bottom. Then I stiffened it up a little more. It still works as a shock, but only on hard bumps.

 

[woodguy]

What type of wood did you use?

I used Hard Maple, but only because that was what I had handy. I think Oak or Ash or Birch or Cherry or Walnut would all work fine. Not sure if Pine is strong enough.

 

[Black Hawk Down]

I used Hard Maple, but only because that was what I had handy. I think Oak or Ash or Birch or Cherry or Walnut would all work fine. Not sure if Pine is strong enough.

What would work better in the elements (rain, snow, sun, etc.)? Probably would seal the wood with something.

 

[Ramnob42]

What would work better in the elements (rain, snow, sun, etc.)? Probably would seal the wood with something.

White oak would probably work best because of the tannin in the wood fibers. Still would want to seal it.

 

[woodguy]

White oak would probably work best because of the tannin in the wood fibers. Still would want to seal it.

White Oak is one of the most rot resistant domestic woods, which would make it a great choice, but since the wood really isn’t in contact with the earth, lots of woods will work. Sealing is always a nice idea.

 

[Gary123]

White Oak is one of the most rot resistant domestic woods, which would make it a great choice, but since the wood really isn’t in contact with the earth, lots of woods will work. Sealing is always a nice idea.

Elm or sycamore would resist splitting.

 

[Black Hawk Down]

At the start of this thread, I mentioned that I was planning to replace the shock with a metal bar to see if the shock is slowing me down. I changed the plan. I tightened the shock to make it more stiff and it seems better. I'll stick with the shock for now.

I changed my mind again after loading up all my touring gear and took it for a ride. The shock bottomed out on the smalest of bumps. I tried to find a stronger shock but they don't exist. Mine's rated at 2000 lbs. So I went back to the idea of replacing the shock with a metal bar. I found a perfect fit on Amazon. It is a hexagonal aluminim bar 7/8 inch by 13 inches. I had to cut it to 8 inches in length and drilled two holes 165 mm apart to mount to the bike. Here's the amazon link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DFZM3DBX?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

Here it is mounted to the bike:



I took it for a spin and liked it a lot. I prefer it over a shock. I feel like I'm riding faster, but that may not be the case. At least it doesn't bottom out now. Also, the aluminum bar was 1 lb. lighter than the shock.

 

[kizarmynot]

Thanks for the update. The bar is less expensive too. I’ll order mine today!

 

[Black Hawk Down]

Thanks for the update. The bar is less expensive too. I’ll order mine today!

A word of warning. If you don't have a drill press, it may be difficult to drill straight. Even a slight angle makes it impossible to attach to the bike as it will be slightly twisted. I had to open up the holes somewhat to have some play. Then everything worked fine.

 

[kizarmynot]

Drilled/cut and installed the bar. Rode for a little over an hour (roads are not smooth) with no problems. I’m looking forward to getting out for longer rides in the near future.

 

[Black Hawk Down]

Drilled/cut and installed the bar. Rode for a little over an hour (roads are not smooth) with no problems. I’m looking forward to getting out for longer rides in the near future.

Great! I'm riding 70 miles every other day and it's doing well. I'm happy with the decision.

 

[Bendy22]

Just connected my Q45 to a JetBlack Victory trainer and the constant bouncing is a bit much. I'll play with the shock to see if I can't get it to a tolerable state, but I was thinking of replacing it with a metal bar as well while on the trainer. This is a great option and thanks for the engineering and specifics!

 

[Jeffers]

How did you decide what ride height you wanted when you went with the rigid rear end.
Seems like there'd be an opportunity there to adjust the bikes 'angle of attack into the wind'.
For a possible aerodynamic advantage?

 

[Black Hawk Down]

How did you decide what ride height you wanted when you went with the rigid rear end.
Seems like there'd be an opportunity there to adjust the bikes 'angle of attack into the wind'.
For a possible aerodynamic advantage?

Yes. I thought about this. I'm more concerned about my feet reaching the ground. I stand on tip toes at stop lights currently. I may experiment with a smaller bar to lower the height.

 

[kizarmynot]

How did you decide what ride height you wanted when you went with the rigid rear end.
Seems like there'd be an opportunity there to adjust the bikes 'angle of attack into the wind'.
For a possible aerodynamic advantage?

I kept the original 165 mm between mounting holes because I wanted the first change to be a small one (no shock). I'm reluctant to add more holes to the bar so may purchase another piece of bar stock in the future (inexpensive compared to a shock). Based on a trainer ride I'll also need to get a neck rest if I go any further back than my current position, so that's another thing to look into.