First s40 in Poland from Cruzeum

Damien

Damien

Active Member
Finally, my 2023 S40 arrived in patriotic white and red colors (just like the Polish flag). It's definitely the first S40 here and most likely the second original CB. I heard about one Silvio – not counting a few homemade versions. Purchased from Larry at Cruzeum (thank you for everything!)– as a lightly used bike (here’s the link to the listing LINK). The only flaw, besides the scratched right shifter and tape, is a bent outer chainring. I fixed the chain rubbing by loosening the screws where the hit occurred. It works now – doesn't matter much since the outer chainring has no teeth (1x11 setup) – only the inner one is functional. Other than that, no issues. It looks great.

Assembly took me about 4 hours, during which I degreased the entire drivetrain and applied wax. It’s the first CB I’ve seen in person. It’s bigger than a standard road bike – unfortunately also heavier (I need to weigh it, but a weight reduction is planned) – but not as heavy as the Azub Max 700, which was my first choice until I tried it and lifted it. I did the first fitting right outside my house and immediately hopped on. My first thought was, 'Oh my god, I'm going to kill myself on this thing' – but I had the same reaction when I got my first road bike.

Learning the basics went quickly, except for my first fall when my shoelaces got caught in the pedals (lol). I managed to fit the bike into my car by removing both the front and rear wheels – it’s much larger than a standard road bike, and I have a typical compact city car (size B – I don’t believe in external racks). I headed to a park in Kraków with long straights. I got on and rode 24 km without major issues! Now it’s time to learn cornering and better control. I’m not fully confident yet, but learning has been quick.

A quick upgrade for this bike is already on my mind:
I definitely don’t like mechanical brakes, and the 1x11 drivetrain isn’t suitable for my area. I have a Shimano 105 s11 group with an 11/34 cassette and hydraulic brakes in the garage, and I’m thinking about getting a 46/30 crankset – but I’m not sure whether to go with 145 or 155 mm crank arms. CRODER
Any advice?

In the future, I plan to switch to a mix of di2 GRX/105/Ultegra. I’m also considering SRAM, but I prefer to keep everything Shimano so I can share my carbon wheels between bikes.

And maybe I will buy Thor seat - I can get one of them for only ~ 150 $ (manufacture is located in Poland )
1727246019285.jpegScreenshot 2024-09-25 at 10.06.04.jpeg
 
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Damien

Damien

Active Member
Update:
Yesterday, on the 2 day of learning, I did about 40 km through parks and bike paths.

But today, on the 3 day, I didn’t feel like loading the bike into the car, so I decided to do a shortened version of my usual daily training loop, cutting 10 km off. It ended up being 40 km on public roads with a total elevation gain of 432 m, including climbs with over 10% gradient. Unfortunately, the car traffic at that time was significant, and I still don’t feel very confident riding around cars, especially on narrow uphill roads.

Here’s the problem: the 1x11 drivetrain only has a 1:1 gear ratio, which is clearly not enough. On the very first day, I discovered that completely different muscles work on the Cruzbike compared to a DF bike, something I wasn’t aware of. I feel physically weak and very slow. On climbs above 4%, it starts to be a problem. Above 8%, I struggle to hold my line, and when it’s narrow and there are cars, it's game over. On three climbs with over 10% gradient, I was only able to complete one from start to finish. So far, climbing is more challenging than I thought. And once I stop, starting again on a steep incline is impossible – I had to push the bike up twice to finish the climb. My average speed on this ride was 19.2 km/h (max 55,5 km/h), while on my other bikes I can easily ride above 25 km/h.

What’s great, though, is how this bike descends and how effortlessly it brakes on the downhills – much better and more confidently than on a DF bike. I have a lot of work ahead to get to my usual level on this S40. I’ve already given up on the crazy idea of doing a 200 km brevet on it this weekend. Another time. I’m in for a winter on the trainer with my Cruzbike, and only in spring will I be ready to go all out.

I’ve already started making upgrade plans. It’s going to be a Di2 mix. I’ve bought the first part – the left 105 Di2 hydraulic shifter for a ridiculous price of 65$. I’m not sure if it’s a pricing error – I’ll test it and see :)
 
ak-tux

ak-tux

Zen MBB Master
Damien said:
Update:
Yesterday, on the 2 day of learning, I did about 40 km through parks and bike paths.

But today, on the 3 day, I didn’t feel like loading the bike into the car, so I decided to do a shortened version of my usual daily training loop, cutting 10 km off. It ended up being 40 km on public roads with a total elevation gain of 432 m, including climbs with over 10% gradient. Unfortunately, the car traffic at that time was significant, and I still don’t feel very confident riding around cars, especially on narrow uphill roads.

Here’s the problem: the 1x11 drivetrain only has a 1:1 gear ratio, which is clearly not enough. On the very first day, I discovered that completely different muscles work on the Cruzbike compared to a DF bike, something I wasn’t aware of. I feel physically weak and very slow. On climbs above 4%, it starts to be a problem. Above 8%, I struggle to hold my line, and when it’s narrow and there are cars, it's game over. On three climbs with over 10% gradient, I was only able to complete one from start to finish. So far, climbing is more challenging than I thought. And once I stop, starting again on a steep incline is impossible – I had to push the bike up twice to finish the climb. My average speed on this ride was 19.2 km/h (max 55,5 km/h), while on my other bikes I can easily ride above 25 km/h.

What’s great, though, is how this bike descends and how effortlessly it brakes on the downhills – much better and more confidently than on a DF bike. I have a lot of work ahead to get to my usual level on this S40. I’ve already given up on the crazy idea of doing a 200 km brevet on it this weekend. Another time. I’m in for a winter on the trainer with my Cruzbike, and only in spring will I be ready to go all out.

I’ve already started making upgrade plans. It’s going to be a Di2 mix. I’ve bought the first part – the left 105 Di2 hydraulic shifter for a ridiculous price of 65$. I’m not sure if it’s a pricing error – I’ll test it and see :)
Click to expand...
It's hard to describe it, but it does take a while to really fine tune the fit. There is a certain sweet spot for the boom extension and cleat position that will allow you to really engage the quads. There is a technique and skill that takes time to master.

Offcourse there is a limit to the maximum climbing gradient, compared to a regular upright. You are likely to start loosing traction above 12-15%(depending on the tires and surfaces). Obviously, an upright road bike can out climb the S40, just becuase of pure physics. But once you master it, the S40 can climb pretty close to a regular roadbike on moderate gradients. The roadbike still edges it out as the roads get steeper.

knee-angle-neck-support-dia.png
 
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Damien

Damien

Active Member
@ak-tux Thanks a lot for you help. I didn't finish fitting to this bike. That day I changed setting and I had too much extended legs. Before next ride I will improve this position.
I need to fix my trainer ASAP – it's the quickest way for me to find the right position. Fall is starting here, so I’m facing long autumn and winter evenings on it and on the Zwift platform. I’m hoping to train my muscles for riding the CB, and by spring, I’ll be riding brevets on it. For now, I’ll be heading out to farther areas to ride on flatter terrain. Unfortunately, I’ll either be transporting my bike by car or squeezing through the big city of Cracow just to get some training in.
 
Damien

Damien

Active Member
Update.
I’ve already ridden over 200 km. I slightly changed my strategy, and for the last 3 rides, I’ve been cycling in Cracow – mainly because most of the city is on flat terrain. And that was a great decision. Riding on city bike paths helps with learning how to start, maneuver, and control the bike without the stress of dealing with cars. Short climbs are no longer a problem for me. However, I still avoid longer ones with more than a 10% grade. This weekend, I had my last brevet of the season and left my CB at home. The 2025 season will belong to it – for now, I need to train a bit more.
 
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