Cruzbike S40 in Nairobi, Kenya!

ak-tux

ak-tux

Zen MBB Master
Thank you cruzbike tribe! The bike is finally here! Your generosity is truly amazing. I may never know who the anonymous forum members are that contributed, but I'am deeply grateful and may you be richly blessed in return.

A special thanks to @billyk for going the extra mile to get the bike to Kenya despite the difficulties cuased by COVID-19 pandemic.

The bike is beautifully and professionally constructed. First impressions: It rides true and tracks like an arrow!

Some Photos:

Collecting the bike from the Shipping company's office:
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Assembly with a little help from my two boys (one taking the photos while the other held the bike):
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Assembly Complete (Thanks to the wonderful youtube videos by @Robert Holler )
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Old vs new : The S40 is approximately 4Kgs lighter and that boom tube is almost twice in size!. The S40 is also stiffer and has a slightly longer wheelbase and powerful disk brakes (vs my rim brakes). Another difference is the headtube angle: The S40 has a steeper steering angle and I noticed it turns easier. My homemade had 68deg head angle and 1" threaded headset. Otherwise, they are pretty similar geometry. Then offcourse, the shorter cranks, but more on that later. 20200911-DSCN7234.jpg


Ready for a Test Ride
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S40 out in the Nairobi Surburbs
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benphyr

benphyr

Guru-me-not
May God’s blessings continue to be shown through Andrew, Billy, the Cruzbike family, the forum, Cruzbike, shipping companies, donors, and the workers in the factory making the bikes. Many more were involved in the myriad of parts and raw materials needed to make this one bike.

The intricacies of interconnected human beings involved in the making of this one blessing using many, many minds, hands and feet is humbling me.

Thank you all from my small vantage point.

And may you all continue to bless one another (in insignificant ways that unbeknown to you may well form part of a story like this. )
 
ak-tux

ak-tux

Zen MBB Master
Thank you everyone! I have no other words to expresss my gratitude!

Oh and by the way today I got my first KOM on an S40! Not by a big margin, but Iam happy with it!
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I must admit that on my first three rides I disliked the shorter 165mm cranks. They made me spin like a hamster but with no visible increase in speed compared to my 170mm cranks on my homemade. I love spinning and I have been practicing 100rpm intervals on 170mm cranks but I also love the feeling of producing a good strong torque. But today , I loved those 165's. I think my legs are adapting to them.

And I must say something about that 1x system, wow! Shifting with no lose of momentum! Pure joy. Clearly alot of thought went into the gear selection. My tripple chainring used to disapoint me on that front. Dropping from a 52T to a 39T or even 30T chainring would need an extra shift on the cassette also, in order to reduce the sudden gear jump. That would always make me loose momentum. On a solo ride, it's not big deal. But on a group ride, na! I only wish SRAM Apex 1 had a 45T or 46T chainring option or had used a standard 110BCD or 104BCD instead of a proprietory asymmertrical BCD spider. Oh, well, I guess it's just business.

Today's ride in the Maasai Kajiado plains: my friend Philip has a feel of the S40:
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A Maasai man admires the S40:
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benphyr

benphyr

Guru-me-not
Awesome video @ak-tux.

It does justice to Cruzbike, the Cruzbike community, you, your riding skills, your video skills, the riding conditions, the scenery, etc. And it is a great overview of the S40. It could be used as a promotional video.
 
ak-tux

ak-tux

Zen MBB Master
Robert Holler said:
After watching that video I do not want to get another phone call - ever - where there is a complaint about "the bike" not being able to keep a straight line when there is traffic.

Like ever.


AWESOME video!!!
Click to expand...

Thanks Robert! I'am honored. The bike is great. It's very well balanced. Clearly a lot of thought went into the design. No bike is 100% perfect and neither is this one but we adapt and work with it. Soon we smile with joy at the pleasure of curving those smooth, winding roads at 40Kph!

People need to ride often enough for the bike, or any bike for that matter, to become an extension of one's self. In short, people need to take time to bond with the bike and not dismiss it too quickly. If possible, riding with others also helps to build the courage in public roads. It's psychological. The lower one sits on a bike the more vulnerable one feels. However, in reality , with those mirrors I have a better 360 view of the road than on my DF. It took me a while to develop the nerve to ride my recumbent in traffic until I started riding with my friends. There is a sense of security in numbers.

To achieve quick steering, my personal opinion is to keep the boom as clean and as lite as posssible. I avoid loading it (the boom) with any bags or a water bottle, especially near the Bottom bracket becuase it adds to the steering inertia. For the same reason a 1x system is indeed good for these MBB bikes despite the inefficiency at the top end gears (i.e. small sprockets with non-ideal chainline, occasional spin-out), it is a reasonable tradeoff. However, for a high paced group ride with roadies including long gentle descending roads, a double chainring may still be a good consideration IMHO.

And just like a regular DF road bike, one needs to do excercises to strengthen the core and upper body. I do planks, Bulgarian split squats with dumbells once a week. This, I believe, helps maintain and improve my balance and fine control. Hill repeats, intervals, body weight management, good diet, e.t.c. In short, there is no substitute for fitness. Period.

Blessings to all.
 
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