At this point, I am happy to report that I have “graduated” to my S40 and V20. I am wondering what to do with the T50e. Obviously, I can list it for sale. But I am also thinking I can hang on to it as a demonstrator/trainer for others in the Midwest that may want to try out Cruzbikes. It has made it very easy for me to ramp into the Cruzbike world. Thoughts?
Greatest Fear Overcome - CruzBikes are not that hard to ride
- Thread starter CruzRider
- Start date
chicorider
Zen MBB Master
I'd say, if you don't need the money from selling it, and you have the space to store it, keep it for a year and see what happens. If it gets used, cool; worth keeping. If a year goes by and it doesn't move, then probably sell it.
Scott Grissinger
Member
As a newbie, I love my Q45 but after 50 years of serious riding, road, MTB, Gravel, dirt bikes, touring on a Goldwing, I have to say Cruzbikes are HARD to ride. To be specific, it will be a long time before I’m confident in road traffic, bike lanes and long distance touring. Hills are different. Group rides are different. Navigating tight corners, sidewalks and the like are challenging. Yes, I can ride most of them at this point, but not without much angst, focus, and trepidation. I suspect it will take a few thousand miles to get to a point where precision riding is second nature and I can just get on and pedal without thinking about it.
Again, I love the bike but there are doubtless others out there who are quite frustrated with the difficulty level - so I wanted to speak to that group and say give yourself some grace, stay with it, and enjoy the ride.
Again, I love the bike but there are doubtless others out there who are quite frustrated with the difficulty level - so I wanted to speak to that group and say give yourself some grace, stay with it, and enjoy the ride.
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
Stick with it Scott. Like anything, practice makes perfect. I played every sport on Earth as a kid and even plenty while an adult. However, it took me at least a couple of weeks going from a roadbike directly to a V20 to get my balance good enough to trust myself on the bike paths. Even then it was pretty hairy for a few rides. Now with 30K kilometers on my V20 I don't feel any less safe on it in any situation compared with my road bike. Actually, I think many drivers kind of pay more attention to me because recumbents are more rare, so I believe many of them are likely a bit more mindful of me.
Boreen bimbler
Active Member
I posted early on in this thread, a long time ago now. Only put 7,000km on my S40 due to the health/fatigue problems and other "energy" commitments. But I am very happy and confident riding it now. I let other people try it and have a chuckle as I remember it being exactly the same for me. Most of them manage to get it moving in a wobbly way after a couple of minutes. So glad I got it.
kizarmynot
Active Member
Agree the bike has a steep learning curve. I have about 1000 miles on my Q, and feel I can ride on most roads and bike lanes, including a recent trip to Washington, DC (fantastic biking infrastructure). Two things I do routinely are:
Stop pedaling if in doubt about holding my line or squeezing through a tight spot (assumes I have enough initial speed). If in doubt at an intersection, get off and walk across.
Scott Grissinger
Member
Thanks Frito, this is encouraging. I continue to improve in my skills, but I was probably like many new riders reading some of the threads that indicate how easy it is to make the transition. I suspect there are - or will be - people in their first 100 or 200 miles wondering if they will ever get there. Of course they will!! and it will all have been worth it!
Scott Grissinger
Member
Thanks for the feedback on this - yes, I have found that when in doubt - either coast past or through obstacles, or sit upright and put your feet down.
newtobents
New Member
I've been trying to get going on my new q45 but for me the learning curve is steep. I've only had it for a week, and I have made some improvement (can coast ok with both feet elevated, and can sometimes coast a few seconds with one foot up on the pedal. But man, it feels like I'm a long way from feeling confident. I've read that it can take a month or more to learn to balance. Is this true? Any others out there who have found it pretty difficult to learn to ride these?
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
I went straight from road bikes to a V20, which is about the largest jump one can make, and the short answer to your question is that it took me about two weeks before I felt confident enough to take it out on my regular bike path without hitting anyone.
My first go, I made it less than 1 yard before slamming my feet down and still almost fell over. I finally got to where I could just coast down the ever-so-slightly sloped road in front of my house (200 yards) while sitting up, and without trying to put my feet on the pedals. I would push it back up, or Flintstone it back to the top, and the next coast down I would start leaning back. When things got wobbly I would sit up until my brain got sorted and lean back again. I repeated this coast down while trying to lean back lower and lower on the seat. Also, when I was comfortable enough to try to lift my feet to the pedals I could only do that while sitting up. The small slope allowed me to be moving and trying to pedal and lean back, and I just kept doing it over and over until I could do it under my own power without needing the slope. This all took about a week. The next week I spent just puttering around my neighborhood because there are no parking lots big enough to practice in.
Now I have about 30K kilometers, (18K miles) on my V20 and I feel every bit as confident on it as I do on my road bike in traffic. I can ride with no hands at reduced power on the 4-6m wide bike path, but I would never do that anywhere else.
If you are close to Indiana, feel free to reach out. I can help you get started on my electric T50. May be the coasting approach that Frito is a good substitute to the electric.
I think here is what made the biggest difference for my learning, other than staring with the electric.
A. Easy/flatter terrain
B. Low traffic areas
C. Bike fit (following the videos from Cruzbike)
D. Choosing the right gear to where there is just even pressure through the stroke. Not too hard, not too easy.
E. Pulling on the bars rather than gripping tightly.
F. Take a couple days off between rides. Helps the mind soak all the new type of riding in. (Trust me and Cruzbike on this)
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kizarmynot
Active Member
I’ve had my Q for almost a year. Due to a past surgery I have to start with my left foot on the pedal, so no Flintstone Shuffle. I tried riding around in my backyard but couldn’t get enough speed to get a few pedal revs in so I went out on my (quiet) street. A trip to the local school followed after a few days of up and down the street, then a bike path. A few weeks later I went out on the road, but was (still am) very cautious when cars approach. Fast forward to now and I’m fully loaded (40+ pounds) doing the Erie Canal Trail in NY - primarily off-road but there are on-road sections (some sketchy).
We all learn differently, but I do believe anyone can learn to ride a Cruzbike. Just take your time (up to 100 days
and you’ll get it. Good luck!
