Handlebar configurations--S30, specifically

[kz22]

Just bought an S30. Came with a non-standard handlebar installed as well as the original and one other.

Does anyone have this one installed?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of each of these? I had test ridden a Sofrider, S40, and a Silvio 2.0 prior to buying the S30. Each had the standard handlebar. The one I have now doesn't feel bad, just different--although I have noticed knee interference with the big shifters when shifting. Was hoping to get an idea of what problem each of these purports to solve before I start chasing various configuration changes.

 

[Bruce B]

The following link shows how the Deda bullhorn bar can be used on the Silvio;

https://forum.cruzbike.com/threads/bullhorn-and-dropbar-options.7014/page-8

 

[MrSteve]

The advantages of the bullhorn handlebar on my V?
- After years of fiddling with hand position for comfort, aerodynamics, power, aerodynamics, lightweight, aerodynamics, and aerodynamics, I settled on my bullhorn handlebar.
-The bar I chose is just wide enough to clear my knees.

The disadvantage?
-Since the shift-levers of the brifters must occupy the same space as my knees, proper timing when shifting while pedaling is required.

The only real factors to consider, if I were you, would be your comfort, your control feel, and your needs!

 

[Bruce B]

The bar shown on the bike appear to me to be a bullhorn with the ends shortened and the bar inverted so that the shifters could be fit on the bend of the bar?

The Deda bar could also be installed the same way. See the link to "Bullhorn and Dropbar Options".

I used a Soma bullhorn in this fashion several years ago. I just never found it to work for me because my hands were too high.
View attachment 10461

The original bar has to accommodate a variety of riders.. Could be the camera angle but perhaps the ends of the bar have been shortened to also allow better clearance in turns.

 

[Rampa]

I currently have bullhorns on mine too. It gives a very good "on the hoods" hand position. It is how I always rode my upright, so actually quite comfortable. The ergonomics are pretty great!

 

[chicorider]

I've never tried the bullhorn style, but here is my setup, for what it's worth. The bars are Genetic Digest flared drop bars, 44cm wide (they come in a 48cm version too). I love them and have them on three CBs. The hand position feels natural, I have no shifting issues, and they are aero enough for my needs (my hands are not out that much wider than my knees, but they aren't in the way either). The only issue is that they can be a little hard to find, but they are out there. Why are they called "Genetic Digest"? I have no idea.

 

[kz22]

Thanks, all--appreciate the feedback. The ones installed now are Soma Urban Pursuits. I am probably measuring these incorrectly, but from center of tubes at widest points here's what I got.

Soma Urban Pursuit (installed) 44 cm wide based on pics online, appear to have been cut back
Standard drop bars 56 cm wide do not appear to have been cut
Deda CronoNeros 44 cm wide uncut

 

[3bs]

i tried a couple different bull horns and then a v bar, and then settled on shallow drops with a flare. but, i am not a straight arm rider, i am bent arms elbows in, and i don't ride the hoods barley ever.

 

[kz22]

So, after much sitting and adjusting, here's where I have landed. Flipped the curved bar to point down, installed the drop bars, brought everything back towards the cockpit. It handles much better now--although I still have a ways to go before feeling comfortable riding with traffic. I think I ended up with about the arm position and reach of the rider in this clip. https://fr-fr.facebook.com/cruzbike...on-the-cruzbike-silvio-s30/10153088580852377/

Still have to wrap the bars or install some kind of handgrips. Found some I liked, but too long.

 

[benphyr]

It looks like @Maria Parker in that video.

 

[CruzinCambridge]

Question for the S30 crew. I'm trying to dial in the fit of my S30. When I got this a few months ago it had been modded to a 40 degree seat angle with an Easton short drop bar and a huge stem riser. At the advice of @chicorider I brought it back to original spec and find I have much more control now at 30 degree seat angle and bars that are much lower.

I'm having a hard time adjusting the bars. When they feel a natural extension for my hands, my thighs touch the bars. When I raise the bars, I feel like my arms are crowded and the steering's twitchier. Do you think the solution is:
A) Find a set of long reach randonneur drop bars so I can raise the bars to get more clearance for my thighs and more reach for my arms?
B) Raise the bars and get used to the steering?
C) Raise the bars and lower the boom with a curved boom or by cutting down the steerer?

I see people using bullhorn bars, but I feel like I want the steering to be lower rather than higher

 

[Mathew Fy]

I'm having a hard time adjusting the bars. When they feel a natural extension for my hands, my thighs touch the bars. When I raise the bars, I feel like my arms are crowded and the steering's twitchier. Do you think the solution is:
A) Find a set of long reach randonneur drop bars so I can raise the bars to get more clearance for my thighs and more reach for my arms?
B) Raise the bars and get used to the steering?
C) Raise the bars and lower the boom with a curved boom or by cutting down the steerer?

I see people using bullhorn bars, but I feel like I want the steering to be lower rather than higher

I have my boom/slider length just long enough for the handlebar to clear the thighs. On my V20 I trimmed (slammed) the stem and changed to a curved slider so the bars are as low as possible. This has the hoods at shoulder height so I can ride Superman style. Seen here with mine and Larry’s.



Cruzbike sells a wide sweep mountain handlebar you may like. Though marketed for the Q45, here Robert shows it working well on the S40.

 

[chicorider]

Your chainstay looks to be about the right length, which is good. Do you happen to have the original Cruzbike seat pan and headrest? Some people really like the Thor-style seat, like what you have, partly because it offers more shoulder support, and brings the shoulders more upright, creating what some describe as a better view. The problem with bringing your shoulders more upright, or forward, is that it brings your arm extension forward too, which could explain why you feel cramped. The frame was designed around the more laid-out (stretched-out?) CB seat pan and headrest. In the one picture of you riding the bike, if that is the bike restored to its original seat angle, you are sitting pretty upright for an S30, meaning that there is less room in the cockpit area.

 

[CruzinCambridge]

Great feedback thanks. The picture of me riding the bike is the Thor seat restored to the 30 degree angle. I may be sitting up a little as I come in to pick up the camera. I think the most important next step is trying to get some decent video in profile to analyze my position and mechanics.

The prior owner provided me with the original seat as well as the Thor... but removing and reinstalling the Thor seat at 30 degrees was a three hour job... and I'm missing the clip that holds the headrest in place... so I'd need to source those parts before I give it a try. But it's not going to be harder or more expensive than new bars and a new boom though so maybe I should try that first. You *did* say take it back to the original factory build and I guess I only half listened.

Any S30 riders out there riding with the Thor seat have any advice on bar/boom configuration?

 

[benphyr]

Someone on an s30 put drop bars upside down to get better fit for them. Was it @ChaleJake ? I remember seeing pictures in a thread that sang the praises of the s30 and had posts by @rfneep. Come to think of it I think there were pictures if Thor seat or similar installed on an s30 in that thread. Can anyone help?

 

[Mathew Fy]

Great feedback thanks. The picture of me riding the bike is the Thor seat restored to the 30 degree angle. I may be sitting up a little as I come in to pick up the camera. I think the most important next step is trying to get some decent video in profile to analyze my position and mechanics.

The prior owner provided me with the original seat as well as the Thor... but removing and reinstalling the Thor seat at 30 degrees was a three hour job... and I'm missing the clip that holds the headrest in place... so I'd need to source those parts before I give it a try. But it's not going to be harder or more expensive than new bars and a new boom though so maybe I should try that first. You *did* say take it back to the original factory build and I guess I only half listened.

Any S30 riders out there riding with the Thor seat have any advice on bar/boom configuration?

I'm happy with the Thor on the S4o, but I think it does bring your shoulders one or two inches forward compared to the stock. Shown below I have the Cruzbike standard headrest with the Suspension Adjustable added.

With the S40 and the upsweep at the shoulders, the headrest is more of a luxury than a necessity, but I like it. You may notice I have a spot for a Bluetooth speaker.
A decent alternative headrest I have on a V20 is the ICE Trike Air Pro Neck Rest I got from here. Very adjustable.

 

[ChaleJake]

Someone on an s30 put drop bars upside down to get better fit for them. Was it @ChaleJake ? I remember seeing pictures in a thread that sang the praises of the s30 and had posts by @rfneep. Come to think of it I think there were pictures if Thor seat or similar installed on an s30 in that thread. Can anyone help?

No, it is not me. It was @castlerobber, I think? I use a Salsa Woodchipper drop bar with about an inch or so cut from the drop. I don’t ride the hoods. I like my arms bent and lower.

 

[ChaleJake]

Someone on an s30 put drop bars upside down to get better fit for them. Was it @ChaleJake ? I remember seeing pictures in a thread that sang the praises of the s30 and had posts by @rfneep. Come to think of it I think there were pictures if Thor seat or similar installed on an s30 in that thread. Can anyone help?

It is @castlerobber with a Thor seat and inverted handlebars. A pic of her bike is in the below thread. https://forum.cruzbike.com/threads/thor-seat-on-s30v2-vs-handlebar-height.12520/

She will be along shortly and can give you her opinion and whether or not she still has the same configuration.

 

[castlerobber]

It is @castlerobber with a Thor seat and inverted handlebars. A pic of her bike is in the below thread. https://forum.cruzbike.com/threads/thor-seat-on-s30v2-vs-handlebar-height.12520/

She will be along shortly and can give you her opinion and whether or not she still has the same configuration.

@ChaleJake LOL, you know me too well!

@CruzinCambridge Yes, I'm still riding that configuration. Adding a stem riser helped with the thigh interference, so I was able to push the bars out a little more to straighten my arms. It isn't nearly as high as the riser your S30 came with, though. You could cut that tall riser down as needed.

I was riding with inverted handlebars even before switching to the Thor seat. I like the secure grip it gives me, but I'm not sure how much difference it makes in straightening my arms, since I've never tried the bars in the standard position. I use a Soma Junebug handlebar--the stock handlebar in that position put my hands farther apart than I liked, and interfered with my wrists.

Riding with shorter cranks also helped reduce the interference with the bars. My first Cruzbike (Quest) came with 155mm cranks, and I liked them, so I went with 150s on the S30.

Definitely read through that old thread; there should be some helpful details mixed in with the rabbit-chasing.

 

[McWheels]

I run drop-bars on an S40, but I have the standard seat pan. Once I got my feet in the right place, I moved the handlebar tops so they were as far away as I could get them and still not hit them with the top of my thighs. If I go on tip-toes at the top of the stroke I can hit the bar, so there's not much in it. Ideally I'd still have my arms slightly straighter, but the lowness from the drops is what I value more after a high and straight V2k Sofrider bar previously.