Jean-Francois
New Member
I am in France and am planning to buy the Cruzbike kit from the distributor Bentonline-cycles.
I am planning to buy this hybrid bike, the B'Twin 7, from the big sport gear shop Decathlon :
http://www.decathlon.fr/velos-adulte-et-enfant-btwin-7-2009-id_MAN_11630_8076847.html
for 280 euros.
It has two sizes M and L. The M version has 26" wheel and fits all the criteria to get the kit : 22,2 OD stem, etc.
But I want a very high riding position like a chopper and then I prefer the size L for the trekking confort of rolling on its 28"/700X42c 44-622 wheels, for urban, road and moderate all terrain : tyres not enough knobby and bike and suspension not designed as a MTB, more for trekking according to the vendors in fact. It's called in French a VTC, V?lo Tout Chemin (all path bike), you say "hybrid" in the USA.
I want a very high riding position for trekking like the expensive 28X28 M5 bent which is used for trekking, and like the Silvio could perhaps be used for trekking. And be able to have 6 bikes in one by carrying on treks the seat and the saddle with me and three sets of tyres :
1 set of MTB 29" large and knobby tyres to be used at moderate speed only, as the bike is not designed for montain biking, but for sand and mud
1 set of hybrid normal urban width tyres with few small knobby patterns only on sides for town visits and paths
1 set of road/race thin tyre for long distance roads, but not too thin to be compatible with the rim width with security
all this to be used with the bike set as a non recumbent when I begin to trek in montain countries like Switzerland but used as a "chopper" style Cruzbike recumbent most of the time.
My question 1 is :
The Cruzbike kit triangle fork is it compatible with a 28"/700 (44-622 rim) urban moderate 42 width wheel/tyre ? That is about the external diameter of a MTB 26" large 2" MTB tyre so the answer should be yes if the kit can be used with MTB 26" wheel/tyres.
My question 2 is :
The Cruzbike kit triangle fork is it compatible with a 29" (700 rim) MTB 1,75" width wheel / tyre ? If the anwser is no I can still anyway fit 26" MTB wheels on this 28" hybrid bike but I would need to carry 2 26" MTB wheels on my treks in addition to its 44-622 wheels.
So if the inventor could make the kit fork compatible with 29" MTB wheel/tyres it would make the most versatile kit.
Extract from a forum proving the recumbent bikes with 28" at the front and at the back can be great for trekking :
A couple of randonneurs have reported their excitement about the M5 Carbon High Racer with 700c wheels (and Tijmen Hoeve seems to have reduced his PBP time substantially on such a bike). Of course the 700c wheels limit the bike to riders with long legs but the M5 Carbon High Racer does appear to have some properties that make it suitable for randonneuring:
* It has a fairly small seat to bottom bracket delta.
* It can accommodate a ready-made tailbox (for luggage and aerodynamics).
* With the tailbox it can do without mudgaurds because the boom will deflect a certain amount of spray and so will the tailbox.
The question about the M5 will be the usual question about carbon fiber bikes for randonneuring. Will the frame stand up to high-kilometerage randonneuring use and is the idler mount going to remain sturdy and aligned in all-conditions types of riding (including maximum exposure to heavy rain and steep climbing)?
I am planning to buy this hybrid bike, the B'Twin 7, from the big sport gear shop Decathlon :
http://www.decathlon.fr/velos-adulte-et-enfant-btwin-7-2009-id_MAN_11630_8076847.html
for 280 euros.
It has two sizes M and L. The M version has 26" wheel and fits all the criteria to get the kit : 22,2 OD stem, etc.
But I want a very high riding position like a chopper and then I prefer the size L for the trekking confort of rolling on its 28"/700X42c 44-622 wheels, for urban, road and moderate all terrain : tyres not enough knobby and bike and suspension not designed as a MTB, more for trekking according to the vendors in fact. It's called in French a VTC, V?lo Tout Chemin (all path bike), you say "hybrid" in the USA.
I want a very high riding position for trekking like the expensive 28X28 M5 bent which is used for trekking, and like the Silvio could perhaps be used for trekking. And be able to have 6 bikes in one by carrying on treks the seat and the saddle with me and three sets of tyres :
1 set of MTB 29" large and knobby tyres to be used at moderate speed only, as the bike is not designed for montain biking, but for sand and mud
1 set of hybrid normal urban width tyres with few small knobby patterns only on sides for town visits and paths
1 set of road/race thin tyre for long distance roads, but not too thin to be compatible with the rim width with security
all this to be used with the bike set as a non recumbent when I begin to trek in montain countries like Switzerland but used as a "chopper" style Cruzbike recumbent most of the time.
My question 1 is :
The Cruzbike kit triangle fork is it compatible with a 28"/700 (44-622 rim) urban moderate 42 width wheel/tyre ? That is about the external diameter of a MTB 26" large 2" MTB tyre so the answer should be yes if the kit can be used with MTB 26" wheel/tyres.
My question 2 is :
The Cruzbike kit triangle fork is it compatible with a 29" (700 rim) MTB 1,75" width wheel / tyre ? If the anwser is no I can still anyway fit 26" MTB wheels on this 28" hybrid bike but I would need to carry 2 26" MTB wheels on my treks in addition to its 44-622 wheels.
So if the inventor could make the kit fork compatible with 29" MTB wheel/tyres it would make the most versatile kit.
Extract from a forum proving the recumbent bikes with 28" at the front and at the back can be great for trekking :
A couple of randonneurs have reported their excitement about the M5 Carbon High Racer with 700c wheels (and Tijmen Hoeve seems to have reduced his PBP time substantially on such a bike). Of course the 700c wheels limit the bike to riders with long legs but the M5 Carbon High Racer does appear to have some properties that make it suitable for randonneuring:
* It has a fairly small seat to bottom bracket delta.
* It can accommodate a ready-made tailbox (for luggage and aerodynamics).
* With the tailbox it can do without mudgaurds because the boom will deflect a certain amount of spray and so will the tailbox.
The question about the M5 will be the usual question about carbon fiber bikes for randonneuring. Will the frame stand up to high-kilometerage randonneuring use and is the idler mount going to remain sturdy and aligned in all-conditions types of riding (including maximum exposure to heavy rain and steep climbing)?
