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  1. billyk

    Quest frame flex tested

    Hi Chuck - The distance from the swingarm joint to the BB is 91cm, to the center of the pedals at full extension is 107cm (I have 155mm cranks). The swingarm joint is right under the bend of the seat, roughly my center of mass. According to the Quest main page, it has: "SRAM Dual Drive...
  2. billyk

    Quest frame flex tested

    Hi Chuck - Well, I've been behind on this, too. I'd be glad if you can learn something more about this. I hope you've seen Hamish Barker's model described in the thread "Riding Techniques/Incredibly stable recumbents", continued in the thread "Bicycle stability (2)". My post at the top of the...
  3. billyk

    First New Thread?

    And a quick browse of the forums suggests that everyone is either administrator or new member, including some others who i know have been posting for years .... and again it made me re-login to edit a typo.
  4. billyk

    First New Thread?

    And it makes me log in (type email each time) for every post! Seems like there are a few bugs to be worked out!
  5. billyk

    First New Thread?

    And it shows me as a new member!
  6. billyk

    First New Thread?

    Am I the only one who misses the list of recent posts at the top of the old pages? Maybe some only read the items that concern "their" bike, but I like to read a variety of them. That used to be easy. The new setup will discourage such browsing. Bummer. Our am I missing something?
  7. billyk

    Steering damper/stabilizer

    What Ratz said I suspect I'm one of the posters recommending steering dampers here a couple of years ago, and even built one for my Quest2. It came off shortly after. There are two issues: - Riding, which is exactly like Ratz said: It takes practice but you will get the feel and then...
  8. billyk

    Bicycle stability (2)

    "unstable" and "unstable" Morning Charles - Maybe I should clear up the difference between "unstable" as in Hamish's model, and "unstable" as in "likely to fall down". The second is the conversational meaning, but here it means "requires rider control". There is a fairly narrow range of...
  9. billyk

    Bicycle stability (2)

    I've restarted this thread, originally "Incredibly stable recumbents" (in Riding Techniques) because that one became very long and began to wander ... to say the least. I'm especially interested in the model Hamish Barker presented, that allows identifying the specific elements that cause a...
  10. billyk

    Lane Splitting Video

    Don't show your wife! Brilliant riding, but .... * This is the kind of video I would NOT show to my wife (unless I wanted to hear about it .every.single.morning. when I left for my commute) * Singapore drivers are obviously much more alert to bikes being where they might change lanes...
  11. billyk

    Q Hybrid

    but what it the wall thickness? Hi Rampa - I don't know the wall thickness of the large boom tube. It's welded to the BB at one end, and partly filled by the narrower clamp tube at the other. I'm tempted to say that the clamp tube just fits into the boom, so the o.d. of the clamp is the i.d of...
  12. billyk

    Breathing technique on Silvio

    stability analysis Hamish - I'm curious about your stability calculations (I'm a physicist - fluid dynamics, but classical-physics trained). Is this based on maximizing the self-stabilizing properties of bicycle wheels with trail? In your calculations can you also vary the trail? I...
  13. billyk

    Q Hybrid

    reply to richa Hi Rich - - I got the extended slider from the fine people at Cruzbike (support@cruzbike.com). Costs $50+ shipping, and is identical to the standard but is 5 inches longer. Numbered markings go to 17 inches instead of 12. - With this mod, adjusting it will be a problem...
  14. billyk

    Q&V Disk Brakes, and other part commonality.

    rear brake not so useful Re your comment "if I have 1 brake, I want it in the rear to prevent crank-stands on emergency stops". Have you ridden a Cruzbike? I think you'll find that the rear brake is not so useful as it is VERY easy to lock the wheel. As the weight is thrown forward in...
  15. billyk

    Q Hybrid

    further comments on stiffening the Quest As someone who has put thought and experiment towards stiffening the Quest's energy-eating front end, I'm intrigued by boddhi's beautiful mod (see my post "Quest frame flex tested" in the Q forum, 23 Aug 2014, and earlier posts and photos). I've...
  16. billyk

    Keating Road

    What's the real advantage of big wheels? I was intrigued by John T's comment above: "Then on the downhills, the LWB with its 20" front wheel and suboptimal weight distribution was disadvantaged." Having ridden many recumbents with a variety of wheel sizes, I appreciate the Quest's 559...
  17. billyk

    1st Ride

    Agree about the shifter knob I had the same problem of the shifter knob hitting my knee painfully. Fixed it by getting a steeper stem riser, which lifted the bars up a bit and solved it. I think the boom length should be adjusted to your leg, not extra because of this design problem. I...
  18. billyk

    More reclined position with higher feet by putting a small wheel /short suspension in the back

    Handling is (mostly) not about seat angle As usual, Yakmurph hits the main point: Head tube angle is key to bicycle geometry, and changing it - even slightly - makes a big difference. In particular, decreasing the head tube angle increases the trail, which tends to make the bike more...
  19. billyk

    Quest frame flex tested

    Right. Right. Right. Rich asked about the 1.5-tick deflection from holding the brake and pushing the pedal hard. In fact that one alone is a single-side deflection, since I can only do it one side at a time. This, it is equivalent to 3 ticks of the others. This makes sense since I was pushing...
  20. billyk

    Quest frame flex tested

    Back in April we discussed flex between the handlebars and the bottom bracket/pedals of the Quest (http://cruzbike.com/energy-sucking-handlebar-stick). Various people pointed to the handlebar bending, the Diatech headset, etc. John T noted that it is the accumulated flex of the whole system, and...
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