Recent content by hardtdavid

Hi, Matthew, The Cruzbike gurus will answer all you're technical questions soon, no doubt. What I can offer is a couple of years of experience owning and modifying a Sofrider according to many of the same concerns you raise about switching from a "normal" bike to the "one weird one that...

"And lo, a "heavenly light" descended on the front triangle, blessing the union of Fisher, Cruzbike, and Xtra." Recumbents I, verse 7:17

To John T. Thanks for the "rocky road" advice. I've tried the stock Sofrider on a trail, but the tires were too slick for a lot of the trail. I seem to remember a ride report of yours on a rather gravelly ride with a Sofrider. I was impressed with how low you ran the tire pressure to make...

To John Z. Yes, isn't proper "tire drop" pressure amazing? Well, for the average bike and rider, anyway. Actually, even though John T. says he goes faster the higher he pumps the tire on the Vendetta, that could be "proper pressure" too, if the Vendetta's tires are of the slenderest variety...

Hi, John T, The short answer is: around 35psi in the 50-559 rear, and 50psi in the 42-559 front. The full story is I bought a used Sofrider two years ago, and replaced the 65psi Kendas with 100psi Kendas; then started getting used to riding the bike on progressively more challenging hills. I...

Thanks again, John. I installed the larger diameter Marathons after reading that wider tires would improve handling without any real loss of "speed." With the Kendas I was getting so much "chatter" on high speed descents, that I was never confident of the contact with the road. Now the...

John Z., thanks for the reply and experience notes. I hadn't thought of changing the shock itself. I am not familiar with air shocks (or any other kind) since this is the first suspended bicycle I've ever owned. Is the stock spring shock kind of crude? What sort of difference would an air...

On a Sofrider V1, the front end of the rear suspension attaches to the middle anchor hole of three anchor holes underneath the seat. I can imagine that if the suspension attached to the upper hole, the head tube angle would increase---and if the suspension attached to the lower hole, the head...

As you may have been reading lately, wider tires can be as fast as the skinnies, and more comfortable. On some bikes, they also make the difference between skittish and solid-footed handling. The randonneuring and brevit-riding crowd is taking notice of this, as well as the porteur and...

Cool. Are you riding a 'Rider or a Silvio? And how's the comfort, handling, speed and confidence?

Do you find that, even after months and hundreds of miles on your Cruzbike, you do not feel secure and completely “at one” with it’s road feel and handling? If you haven’t done so already, try this: find your optimal---probably lower---tire pressure. According to Frank Berto’s research...

This is just for fun: One of the hills I run has a right-hand curve, and a yellow "curve ahead" sign before it that includes a 25mph speed warning. Question: does the 25mph limit warning apply to a bicycle taking that curve? :?: (I mean in the physics sense, not in the law sense) :shock...

Rick, (if you're still posting a year later...) :) I'm thinking of switching to Kojaks (or Duranos) on my Sofrider V1. I'm looking for more "road feel" and confidence at the higher speeds, so I'm interested in the tire choice you mentioned. Are you running Kojak 559-35s, or 559-50s? thanks,

Atul, good comment about how we spend very little time practicing going downhill, and therefore have less experience, despite having many miles on the bike. Perhaps, as Mark points out, it will take thousands of miles and a year or two to fully come to familiarity with the bike. On the other...

I have a Sofrider V1, which I am enjoying very much. On rougher roads, though, I seem to lose the "confident feel" of the bike, even more so when descending 25-35 mph. I feel no confidence in taking much of a curve at those speeds. I already have 500 miles experience on the bike, so I am not...