Changing a front tire on a V20

[Mrnelson]

Wow. Holy moley. There's no getting around it, when you flat the front tire out on the road and you go to repair it and the front triangle falls apart and the derailleur is just hanging there and you have no one to help you, it is quite something. It's a challenge.

My advice. Practice it a LOT, because it is a hugely frustrating challenge.

I am not bagging on the design, I'm just being realistic with anyone who is used to popping a wheel back in on a conventional design and getting back on the road.

Love the bike, ride it every day (except now I have snow so I'll have to ride my winterized T50.)

 

[Frito Bandito]

It takes some time to get it down, but after a few tries I am confident I can do without much stress at all after watching this video....

 

[Doug Kline]

Here’s a trick that Jim Parker taught me a while back. You can use two overlapping zip ties to hold the front triangle together on the disc brake side of the triangle. I have rim brakes so there is no disc caliper in the photo, but the zip tie should still fit.

 

[Mathew Fy]

If you’re interested in reading more, there’s much more discussion here:
https://forum.cruzbike.com/threads/front-wheel-change.10940/

 

[DocS]

Here’s a trick that Jim Parker taught me a while back. You can use two overlapping zip ties to hold the front triangle together on the disc brake side of the triangle. I have rim brakes so there is no disc caliper in the photo, but the zip tie should still fit.

View attachment 10548

Yup, I do that too...
It's easy and cheap...

Blessings,
DocS

 

[Robert Holler]

Having the front come apart is not as shocking as it should be - IMHO I always pop it apart so I can then set the bike on the forks upright. This can only happen if the stay is unattached otherwise you would bend the hanger.

On every bike (recumbent or otherwise) I always encourage practice getting he wheels in and out many times before it is a needed thing on the road.

 

[trplay]

Having the front come apart is not as shocking as it should be - IMHO I always pop it apart so I can then set the bike on the forks upright. This can only happen if the stay is unattached otherwise you would bend the hanger.

On every bike (recumbent or otherwise) I always encourage practice getting he wheels in and out many times before it is a needed thing on the road.

Listen to the man, he knows of what he speaks.

 

[benphyr]

Now that we are old we think we know how to do everything without doing it.

How hard was it the first time you had to change a tire or fix a flat on a “regular” bike - you probably needed a 1/2” wrench and assistance from an older family member. And your first time with a derailleur? With disc brakes?

But now we assume that we can do it by ourself, in the rain, at night with a completely different setup WITHOUT ANY practice.

 

[Robert Holler]

Now that we are old we think we know how to do everything without doing it.

How hard was it the first time you had to change a tire or fix a flat on a “regular” bike - you probably needed a 1/2” wrench and assistance from an older family member. And your first time with a derailleur? With disc brakes?

But now we assume that we can do it by ourself, in the rain, at night with a completely different setup WITHOUT ANY practice.

Amen.

 

[3bs]

Yes. With my eyes closed....got a problem with that?......lmao

 

[benphyr]

Yes. With my eyes closed....got a problem with that?......lmao

Nope. No problem. My da went to school with your pa in the good ole days and he made you practice the closed eyes part while you were biking uphill both ways in a snow storm, barefoot and carrying 50lbs of textbooks. So the rest is peanuts to you.

 

[super slim]

Having the front come apart is not as shocking as it should be - IMHO I always pop it apart so I can then set the bike on the forks upright. This can only happen if the stay is unattached otherwise you would bend the hanger.

On every bike (recumbent or otherwise) I always encourage practice getting he wheels in and out many times before it is a needed thing on the road.

I tip my Silvio upside down, as per the original Silvio V1.0 instructions, and it makes it a LOT easier when reinstalling the wheel as you can see what is going on!

 

[3bs]

@benphyr those were the days.....
@super slim cheats and keeps his eyes open.

 

[super slim]

@benphyr those were the days.....
@super slim cheats and keeps his eyes open.

I am not as flexible as I once was so having the axle at waist height is a blessing!!!!

 

[benphyr]

I am not as flexible as I once was so having the axle at waist height is a blessing!!!!

Penny farthing?

 

[bladderhead]

My Silvio will not stand upside down, it falls over. And anyway, the bar-end shifter gets in the way.

 

[super slim]

My Silvio will not stand upside down, it falls over. And anyway, the bar-end shifter gets in the way.

When my Silvio is upside down, pretending it is in USA, it gently rests itself on the two rubber capped Shimano shifters, spaced 530 mm (21") apart, and the rear headrest, on a forever grassy roadside!

 

[3bs]

how does an aussie know when something is upside down? seems like a contradiction in physics.

 

[super slim]

how does an aussie know when something is upside down? seems like a contradiction in physics.

He is used to walking around on his hands!!!!!