Building a Cruz Clone
- Thread starter JW1951
- Start date
bladderhead
Zen MBB Master
And then modify it. I am not quite up to making booms out of oars, but I cut the slider, and I made a bar-end friction shifter. Which fits on the handlebars of my own design and construction.
You are going to love trying to get mudguards to fit.
You are going to love trying to get mudguards to fit.
benphyr
Guru-me-not
@bladderhead I can't recall seeing any pictures of your handlebars. hint hint wink wink nudge nudge.
JW1951
Member
So heres the latest pics.My Soma Gator bars are not here yet :-(. I'll update pics when I get them.)
The handlebars in the pics are Origin 8 Space off Road II- Width: 655mm / 40d backsweep.
For the Nuvinci Twist shift I need 22mm bars.
Added Mud Guards for on the gravel Tow Path.
3bs- I have about $650 in this bike and the pleasure of building - lot less than a $4grand Cruzbike- That said - if I had the extra $4 laying around - it would be an S40 !!
The handlebars in the pics are Origin 8 Space off Road II- Width: 655mm / 40d backsweep.
For the Nuvinci Twist shift I need 22mm bars.
Added Mud Guards for on the gravel Tow Path.
3bs- I have about $650 in this bike and the pleasure of building - lot less than a $4grand Cruzbike- That said - if I had the extra $4 laying around - it would be an S40 !!
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JW1951
Member
How about a pic of your handlebars (??)
bladderhead
Zen MBB Master
bladderhead
Zen MBB Master
I had this idea. The boom clamp was poking me in the sternum. It made it really hard to get on and off. It also made it really hard to lean forward in the seat, which is a really useful ability to have.
Look at drop-handlebars. The places where you put your hands are a long way forward of the clamp. On a Cruzbike this means that if the clamp is too close to you and you push it forward, you then cannot reach the drops. I wanted to move the clamp away from me without lengthening the reach.
This means that the clamp is further forward than it is on anyone else's bike. I ride on my insteps, which effectively shortens my X-seam. So my BB and clamp are very close together. So I cut the slider.
I now have a lot of space in front of my chest, which allows me to lean forward easily. And there is another unexpected benefit: Originally, the bars were behind the bike's centre of gravity. If I put my feet down and stood up and lifted the bike by the bars, the back wheel lifted instead of the front. Getting up kerbs was a right palaver. Now, the bars are in front of the centre of gravity, so the front wheel lifts. Kerbs are a doddle.
People who do not commute can disregard the above paragraph.
I think my BB is higher than most people's, but I do not mind that.
It is riser bars with the ends cut off and MTB bar-ends bolted on.
I am not an engineer. At least, I did not think I was until I got this bike, but it works for me so much better than it did before I modified it. It is not up to booms-out-of-oars level, but it took a lot of thinking and I am really pleased with it.
Since I gathered that image I have tidied the brake hoses up. A bit.
Look at drop-handlebars. The places where you put your hands are a long way forward of the clamp. On a Cruzbike this means that if the clamp is too close to you and you push it forward, you then cannot reach the drops. I wanted to move the clamp away from me without lengthening the reach.
This means that the clamp is further forward than it is on anyone else's bike. I ride on my insteps, which effectively shortens my X-seam. So my BB and clamp are very close together. So I cut the slider.
I now have a lot of space in front of my chest, which allows me to lean forward easily. And there is another unexpected benefit: Originally, the bars were behind the bike's centre of gravity. If I put my feet down and stood up and lifted the bike by the bars, the back wheel lifted instead of the front. Getting up kerbs was a right palaver. Now, the bars are in front of the centre of gravity, so the front wheel lifts. Kerbs are a doddle.
People who do not commute can disregard the above paragraph.
I think my BB is higher than most people's, but I do not mind that.
It is riser bars with the ends cut off and MTB bar-ends bolted on.
I am not an engineer. At least, I did not think I was until I got this bike, but it works for me so much better than it did before I modified it. It is not up to booms-out-of-oars level, but it took a lot of thinking and I am really pleased with it.
Since I gathered that image I have tidied the brake hoses up. A bit.
3bs
whereabouts unknown
doesn't it just make you wish you owned a handle bar bender? i did a similar thing for one version of bars on my tica. i added climbing bars tothe bottom of the preying mantis bar and got w bars. fun for a while then ended up with a widened matis on the tica and a totally flat bar on the m5m.
bladderhead
Zen MBB Master
Bar bender! The tool mutation of n+1 disease strikes!
JW1951
Member
I received the new bars - Soma Gators - drop bars to fit 22mm twist shifter for the Nuvinci. 655 wide. Don't really like the aesthetics, but they are super comfortable and give me much better control. Only have about 40 miles on them but so far - so good. Seat is now 40 degrees. bottom bracket at seat height and new bars place my hands well forward. Riding now with minimal "white knuckle"
Next project is the carbon fiber 700c.
Next project is the carbon fiber 700c.
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JW1951
Member
Took the 20" to the Tow Path (gravel) last week and did not like the way it handled on the gravel. Rough even with airing down the tires, squirrelly in the gravel. So .. I decided to try 26" wheels. Using stuff I had laying around, removed the 20" and cobbled together a 26". Set the seat at 23" / 40 degrees/ BB @ 22"/ 26 x 1.95 tires/ 11-42 cassette / 38 front ring. WOW what a difference - took it to the Tow Path and had a blast - I actually think I'm in love. Now I'll refine it with a Performer AL FWD fork, (new head tube for the tapered fork) / Disc brake both wheels. And of course a nice paint job. (Geometry is nearly identical to an S40)
.
Thoughts on a Carbon Fiber frame for this gravel bike?
Now I'll refine it with a Performer AL FWD fork, (new head tube for the tapered fork) / Disc brake both wheels. And of course a nice paint job. (Geometry is nearly identical to an S40).
Thoughts on a Carbon Fiber frame for this gravel bike?
skankingbiker
Member
That 26 is really pushing me to aT50
3bs
whereabouts unknown
@skankingbiker I ride my T50 on all trails and two tracks and gravel. Works well. My last modifications were to cut the seat stays down and cut the steer tube down so my seat goses back further and my arms are lower.
benphyr
Guru-me-not
It looks like the seat bottom is not attached to anything?Took the 20" to the Tow Path (gravel) last week and did not like the way it handled on the gravel. Rough even with airing down the tires, squirrelly in the gravel. So .. I decided to try 26" wheels. Using stuff I had laying around, removed the 20" and cobbled together a 26". Set the seat at 23" / 40 degrees/ BB @ 22"/ 26 x 1.95 tires/ 11-42 cassette / 38 front ring. WOW what a difference - took it to the Tow Path and had a blast - I actually think I'm in love.
.View attachment 9496
Thoughts on a Carbon Fiber frame for this gravel bike?
