Just bought the kit...have a few questions

[gymbnz74]

Well after months of lurking around on here I finally ordered the kit. I do have a few general questions:

1. How much should I be focused on finding a full suspension donor? See the attached photo for a possibility near me that is only front suspension, will that be enough to soak up the bulk of the bumps and add to control? One poster said they thought FS was the most important consideration for a donor.

2. Wheel slippage? In the Silvio threads there was discussion about the front wheel slipping. How much of a factor might this be on a conversion, I do ride all year in all weather, and I admit it has me a little concerned.

3. Top tube height? I have a 32" inseam, is there a magic number I should be looking for a top bar height. I do some traffic riding so I assume lower will be better for planting both feet on the ground while still leaning back in the seat.

thanks in advance for all your help. I will share my progress as I get the donor and install the kit.

Jim
Sacramento, Ca

 

[JonB]

gymbnz74 wrote: Well after months of lurking around on here I finally ordered the kit. I do have a few general questions:

1. How much should I be focused on finding a full suspension donor? See the attached photo for a possibility near me that is only front suspension, will that be enough to soak up the bulk of the bumps and add to control? One poster said they thought FS was the most important consideration for a donor.

That depends on what kind of surface you drive on. Is it nice and smooth asphalt, or not? And do you put a big wide tire with not so high pressure on the rear wheel?

gymbnz74 wrote: 2. Wheel slippage? In the Silvio threads there was discussion about the front wheel slipping. How much of a factor might this be on a conversion, I do ride all year in all weather, and I admit it has me a little concerned.

Again, this depends on the surface you ride on. Gravel roads with a high pressure tire tends to slip. But if you run at a lower pressure you wont have such a big problem.

gymbnz74 wrote: 3. Top tube height? I have a 32" inseam, is there a magic number I should be looking for a top bar height. I do some traffic riding so I assume lower will be better for planting both feet on the ground while still leaning back in the seat.

I dont lean back when i have both feets on the ground, because it doesnt feel right. I sit up with a vertical back.

 

[defjack]

You get a better ride with full suspension but a hard tail will work ok.Try to keep the seat under 25 in. over is too high lower is ok. I ride in heavy traffic and twisty sandy bike paths with no traction problems. Jack

 

[Doug Burton]

Hi Jim,

Not a bad frame design, particularly if you have a 32" inseam. Is it steel or aluminum?

My rule of thumb for seat height has been to make it at least 2 to 3" less than my inseam. This allows you to plant your feet and have more confidence leaving from a stop in traffic.

I have to agree with Jack; these bikes work perfectly well without suspension, particularly if you use a 28mm/1.25 width tire at around 100 psi. I've built one that was completely non-suspended, and one with front suspension only. With really cheap donor bikes, you'll probably find that the front shock will bottom out and not help you much.

Let us know what you need, and enjoy the build...

Best,

Doug

PS: Jack, nice looking bike! (Looks like it could be a good 700c bike if you replace the front fork with a 700c road fork... but hey, that's what the Silvio is for?)

 

[gymbnz74]

thanks for all the prompt feedback.

Jon: most of my riding is on bike paths with some humps and bumps, nothing crazy. I really hadn't made up my mind on tire size, I would probably go with a slightly fatter tire and 90-100 psi. thanks for the comment about sitting up when stopped, I have a vision R40 now with USS and wish I had OSS at stop lights so I could more easily sit up.

Jack: I agree that trek looks great....very clean build. Looking through photo examples I appreciate how clean the hardtail conversions look, Doug's mixte is also quite sharp.

Doug: The univega is aluminum and is only 27lbs, the top bar is 28" so its probably way too high. How high above the top bar does the base of the cruzbike seat usually sit? It does have better quality air front shocks which might be advantageous as opposed to a really cheap donor.

Thanks again for all of your input. I have a feeling I'll be running around looking at donors with zip ties and seat in hand to see what will work. I'll probably look a bit kooky but I think us recumbent riders are already over that

cheers