The Blue Iris
Member
I want to know what it is like to ride one of these and any issues you have had so I know what to look out for.
Looking for cruzbike owners in Australia, conversions or bike owners, looking for your opinions.
- Thread starter The Blue Iris
- Start date
Kim Tolhurst
Well-Known Member
What is your nearest city in Australia?
and or are you anywhere near Geelong, Victoria? earliest best help for cruzbike riding, www.cruzbiking.com.au First Ride.
best, Kim.
and or are you anywhere near Geelong, Victoria? earliest best help for cruzbike riding, www.cruzbiking.com.au First Ride.
best, Kim.
Charles.Plager
Recumbent Quant
Hi,
You can read about my
Hi,
You can read about my first four days of riding my Sofrider here. Most people who try and ride one of these bikes (who take the time) succeed. What are you worried about in particular?
Cheers,
Charles
You can read about my
Hi,
You can read about my first four days of riding my Sofrider here. Most people who try and ride one of these bikes (who take the time) succeed. What are you worried about in particular?
Cheers,
Charles
The Blue Iris
Member
I am looking to talk to
I am looking to talk to actual customers about their experience. The bikes are expensive and some of the conversions I have seen look very unstable. I just want some first hand feedback about the bikes and the company. Charles do you work for Cruzbike?
ta
Nataly
I am looking to talk to actual customers about their experience. The bikes are expensive and some of the conversions I have seen look very unstable. I just want some first hand feedback about the bikes and the company. Charles do you work for Cruzbike?
ta
Nataly
Charles.Plager
Recumbent Quant
Hi Nataly,
No, I don't work
Hi Nataly,
No, I don't work for Cruzbike. I do very highly recommend the videos Kim posted, both as a good idea to view before trying to ride the bike for the first time, but also for those who are trying to figure out if this is for them.
Cheers,
Charles
No, I don't work
Hi Nataly,
No, I don't work for Cruzbike. I do very highly recommend the videos Kim posted, both as a good idea to view before trying to ride the bike for the first time, but also for those who are trying to figure out if this is for them.
Cheers,
Charles
The Blue Iris
Member
Thanks Charles, I am not
Thanks Charles, I am not concerned about the riding I am just interested in feedback of the quality of the bikes and the company as a whole. Did you buy a bike from them? What did you get?
I am looking at the Vendetta now as it is the only one that looks right, the others look front heavy and high.
ta
Nataly
Thanks Charles, I am not concerned about the riding I am just interested in feedback of the quality of the bikes and the company as a whole. Did you buy a bike from them? What did you get?
I am looking at the Vendetta now as it is the only one that looks right, the others look front heavy and high.
ta
Nataly
The Blue Iris
Member
Hi Kim, I am not ignoring
Hi Kim, I am not ignoring you, I just want feedback from real customers. If I hear the right things I may take you up on the offer of a ride, do you have a Vendetta I can try?
ta
Nataly
Hi Kim, I am not ignoring you, I just want feedback from real customers. If I hear the right things I may take you up on the offer of a ride, do you have a Vendetta I can try?
ta
Nataly
vonhazza
Member
I have had my Cruzbike bought
I have had my Cruzbike bought as a kit for 5 years now, the kit has been swaped over onto 3 different frames with no ill effects, and is currently on a Cruzbike V2K frame.
I have been very happy with my purchase and enjoyed changing and setting up my bike, I have toured with it and commute to work on it most days.
I have a Trike & a DF bike but the Cruzbike gets by far the most milage, and dispite the initial learning curve I have found
it better for me to ride than RWD 2 wheeled recumbents I have tried.
I would also point out that my learning period was without the instructions currantly available and I have tought other riders in a short period of time.
I would be happy answer any spesific questions you may have,
Steve.
I have had my Cruzbike bought as a kit for 5 years now, the kit has been swaped over onto 3 different frames with no ill effects, and is currently on a Cruzbike V2K frame.
I have been very happy with my purchase and enjoyed changing and setting up my bike, I have toured with it and commute to work on it most days.
I have a Trike & a DF bike but the Cruzbike gets by far the most milage, and dispite the initial learning curve I have found
it better for me to ride than RWD 2 wheeled recumbents I have tried.
I would also point out that my learning period was without the instructions currantly available and I have tought other riders in a short period of time.
I would be happy answer any spesific questions you may have,
Steve.
Kim Tolhurst
Well-Known Member
Cruzbike trial rides,
Thankyou Nataly, you are welcome yes there is a Vendetta here.
Kim.
Thankyou Nataly, you are welcome yes there is a Vendetta here.
Kim.
The Blue Iris
Member
Thanks VonHazza, that is good
Thanks VonHazza, that is good to hear, so you have purchased stuff recently and it all went well?
Thanks VonHazza, that is good to hear, so you have purchased stuff recently and it all went well?
Charles.Plager
Recumbent Quant
HI Nataly,
I ordered a
HI Nataly,
I ordered a Sofrider from them online in Februarywithout ever seeing a bike in person. I've now got more miles on this bike (1700 miles/2750km) than I've probrobably ridden on all of the other bikes I've ever owned.
I'm very happy with the bike. Some of the components on the Sofrider are lower end, but the only issues I've had is needing to tighten spokes and my front shifter cable broke after 1500 miles (I wasn't a fan of twist shifts anyway and swapped them both out for trigger shifters).
The Vendetta is clearly the nicest looking and lightest of the Cruzbikes. The Sofrider is just heavy (which doesn't help climbing); the Quest and the Silvio much less so.
I'm extremely happy with my decision to buy this bike sight unseen. If I suddenly have the cash lying around, I'm sure I'll end up with a Vendetta too.
Cheers,
Charles
I ordered a
HI Nataly,
I ordered a Sofrider from them online in Februarywithout ever seeing a bike in person. I've now got more miles on this bike (1700 miles/2750km) than I've probrobably ridden on all of the other bikes I've ever owned.
I'm very happy with the bike. Some of the components on the Sofrider are lower end, but the only issues I've had is needing to tighten spokes and my front shifter cable broke after 1500 miles (I wasn't a fan of twist shifts anyway and swapped them both out for trigger shifters).
The Vendetta is clearly the nicest looking and lightest of the Cruzbikes. The Sofrider is just heavy (which doesn't help climbing); the Quest and the Silvio much less so.
I'm extremely happy with my decision to buy this bike sight unseen. If I suddenly have the cash lying around, I'm sure I'll end up with a Vendetta too.
Cheers,
Charles
vonhazza
Member
Hi Nataly,
My kit was ordered
Hi Nataly,
My kit was ordered through the website and although their was some hiccup with the ordering system it was resolved quickly and my order arrived within a few days from overseas so must have come airfreight.
The frame was the last thing I ordered early last year and came from Kim's stock in Victoria.
No issues with customer service and was pleased with the prompt replies with the original order, by Maria Parker I believe before she got busy riding bikes all the time.
My kit was ordered
Hi Nataly,
My kit was ordered through the website and although their was some hiccup with the ordering system it was resolved quickly and my order arrived within a few days from overseas so must have come airfreight.
The frame was the last thing I ordered early last year and came from Kim's stock in Victoria.
No issues with customer service and was pleased with the prompt replies with the original order, by Maria Parker I believe before she got busy riding bikes all the time.
The Blue Iris
Member
Thanks for the feedback
Thanks for the feedback Charles, I am sorry to hear they use low end components as the bikes are quite expensive. You have done a lot of miles in a short time, is that daily commuting or weekend riding? Anyway I’m glad to hear that the overall experience has been good.
Von, that is all good news, yes I can’t get the ordering system to work, won’t give me a quote for shipping! Do Cruzbike still sell the V2 frames? Kim do you have any, if so what's the price? I think I will go with a conversion now as the built bikes are too expensive, sounds like I will need to practice as well so I would like to do that on a cheaper option. What is your flat road cruising speed on that bike Von?
Thanks for the feedback Charles, I am sorry to hear they use low end components as the bikes are quite expensive. You have done a lot of miles in a short time, is that daily commuting or weekend riding? Anyway I’m glad to hear that the overall experience has been good.
Von, that is all good news, yes I can’t get the ordering system to work, won’t give me a quote for shipping! Do Cruzbike still sell the V2 frames? Kim do you have any, if so what's the price? I think I will go with a conversion now as the built bikes are too expensive, sounds like I will need to practice as well so I would like to do that on a cheaper option. What is your flat road cruising speed on that bike Von?
ak-tux
Zen MBB Master
@Nataly, the V2/K Frameset
@Nataly, the V2/K Frameset is an option when purchasing the conversion kit: http://www.cruzbike.com/conversion-kit .It is marked as $230. I think you have to check the option checkbox when buying online. The details are here http://www.cruzbike.com/v2k-frameset.
The V2/K looks like a nice frame for those who want to do alot of customizations. I have seen some really pretty V2/K builds:
@Nataly, the V2/K Frameset is an option when purchasing the conversion kit: http://www.cruzbike.com/conversion-kit .It is marked as $230. I think you have to check the option checkbox when buying online. The details are here http://www.cruzbike.com/v2k-frameset.
The V2/K looks like a nice frame for those who want to do alot of customizations. I have seen some really pretty V2/K builds:
The Blue Iris
Member
Thanks AK - I think I will be
Thanks AK - I think I will be spending a little bit of time in my Daddies workshop.
Thanks AK - I think I will be spending a little bit of time in my Daddies workshop.
vonhazza
Member
Hi Nataly,
I can comfortably
Hi Nataly,
I can comfortably sit on about 25kmph, not sure about the flat ground part, this is Tasmania which means hills & head winds abound.
I have my bike set up to climb better with a bit more weight on the front wheel and a fairly upright seat back, when I was setting this frame up I had the seat laid back and was very aerodynamic and faster on the flats but not as good on the steep bits, so IMHO you can customize your bike to suit your riding conditions.
My bike has 26" wheels, Mountain bike gearing 22,32,42 fr &11 to 28 rear, 1.5 Schwalbe Marathon tyres, makes it a very reliable commuter/tourer,
If you want a bike for more speed you could build one up with 700c wheels & skinny road bike tyres, should be a few examples on this site.
Not sure where you are but if you can get down to Geelong Kim has some test bikes to try
I can comfortably
Hi Nataly,
I can comfortably sit on about 25kmph, not sure about the flat ground part, this is Tasmania which means hills & head winds abound.
I have my bike set up to climb better with a bit more weight on the front wheel and a fairly upright seat back, when I was setting this frame up I had the seat laid back and was very aerodynamic and faster on the flats but not as good on the steep bits, so IMHO you can customize your bike to suit your riding conditions.
My bike has 26" wheels, Mountain bike gearing 22,32,42 fr &11 to 28 rear, 1.5 Schwalbe Marathon tyres, makes it a very reliable commuter/tourer,
If you want a bike for more speed you could build one up with 700c wheels & skinny road bike tyres, should be a few examples on this site.
Not sure where you are but if you can get down to Geelong Kim has some test bikes to try
Charles.Plager
Recumbent Quant
Hi Nataly,
Just for
Hi Nataly,
Just for clarification, I wouldn't call the low end, just lower. The difference is (in my mind at least), low end means what you find on a department store bike and are really pretty crappy. What you find on a Sofrider is what you are likely to find on the less pricy bikes in a real bike store (SRAM lower end components) and generally work quite well. If you are used to very high end components, you might notice. Otherwise I think you'll be quite pleased.
For recumbent bicycles, there is no economy of scale. None of the recumbent manufactures produce enough to get the prices down any where near the diamond frame bicycles (either for production of the frames or buying the components that go on the frames). If you want to see this, we all need to do a better job getting more people riding recumbents.
About half of my riding miles are commuting (this often includes very non-direct routes); the other half is weekend riding. I've ridden as far as 100 km in a day (the Bloomin' Metric century) where as the longest ride I've been on as an adult on a diamond frame was probably much closer to 20 km.
If you are concerned about the cost of the bikes (I certainly was), a conversion is a great way to get started. You can often find a very nice used bicycle to use as a conversion, often with higher end components. 26" wheels or 700c probably doesn't make that much of a difference. Just find the right tires and pressure for where you are riding and you're off. One big advantage of the Sofrider/Quest/conversions is the flexibility that I haven't seen in any other recumbent. I can pull a trailer, I can pull a trail-a-bike attached to the seat post (try that on another recumbent), and the Sofrider has been used to ride around the world.
Cheers,
Charles
p.s. If you can afford the Vendetta and ride on nice roads, well then maybe you have your answer.
Just for
Hi Nataly,
Just for clarification, I wouldn't call the low end, just lower. The difference is (in my mind at least), low end means what you find on a department store bike and are really pretty crappy. What you find on a Sofrider is what you are likely to find on the less pricy bikes in a real bike store (SRAM lower end components) and generally work quite well. If you are used to very high end components, you might notice. Otherwise I think you'll be quite pleased.
For recumbent bicycles, there is no economy of scale. None of the recumbent manufactures produce enough to get the prices down any where near the diamond frame bicycles (either for production of the frames or buying the components that go on the frames). If you want to see this, we all need to do a better job getting more people riding recumbents.
About half of my riding miles are commuting (this often includes very non-direct routes); the other half is weekend riding. I've ridden as far as 100 km in a day (the Bloomin' Metric century) where as the longest ride I've been on as an adult on a diamond frame was probably much closer to 20 km.
If you are concerned about the cost of the bikes (I certainly was), a conversion is a great way to get started. You can often find a very nice used bicycle to use as a conversion, often with higher end components. 26" wheels or 700c probably doesn't make that much of a difference. Just find the right tires and pressure for where you are riding and you're off. One big advantage of the Sofrider/Quest/conversions is the flexibility that I haven't seen in any other recumbent. I can pull a trailer, I can pull a trail-a-bike attached to the seat post (try that on another recumbent), and the Sofrider has been used to ride around the world.
Cheers,
Charles
p.s. If you can afford the Vendetta and ride on nice roads, well then maybe you have your answer.
Conversion kit and V2 Frame
Hi Nataly,
I am in the process of doing a conversion with the V2/K frame and conversion kit by putting the bits from my road bike.
It is very similar to the one in the picture AK has posted but I have 700c wheels on it.
The rear triangle has plenty of room for the 700c wheel with 28 tyres on, but I have to let the air out to get it into the drop outs, which are long so as to accommodate the 26" and 700c wheels.
I could saw the tips off if I were sure to always keep and use it with the 700c wheels.
I had to purchase a seatpost and front forks and V-brake for the front, but as the V-brake posts on the rear are for 26" wheels I am fitting the side pull brake from my old bike on the rear.
On my old bike the brakes had nuts that go into the frame, leaving no sticking out bit, which are too big to go into the holes on the V2/K frame, and the bolts are too short to stick a nut on as they don't stick out, but the front one is longer that the back one and so I can use that on the back and stick a nut on.
The clamp on the front derailleur from my old bike is too small to fit on the boom so I have bought a 34.9mm clamp for braze on derailleurs and a new braze on front derailluer.
They have arrived in the post today but I am querying with the supplier if they have sent me the right one as it says triple 8 speed on the bag, which is what I ordered, but the part says Shimano 9 speed on it.
These are the last bits I need to complete the conversion and have a go.
I have read another post where someone was having problems setting up a triple chainset front derailleur for his wife as the angle of the boom affects the angle of the derailler so it is more difficult to get it to work for short legged people, which may be the case for me.
We shall see. If so I might have to change to a double or sell it to a long legged person and upgrade to a Quest when I have worked up the funds. The fitting it in a suitcase and taking it to visit my friends in Spain option would come in handy.
I have enjoyed building the bike though.
I did get the bike shop to change my bottom bracket and cranks over for me and seat the fork crown race, but apart from that I have done all the rest.
I've never tried a recumbent before so am keen to complete it and try.
The weather forecast looks good for the weekend (sshhhh!)
Hi Nataly,
I am in the process of doing a conversion with the V2/K frame and conversion kit by putting the bits from my road bike.
It is very similar to the one in the picture AK has posted but I have 700c wheels on it.
The rear triangle has plenty of room for the 700c wheel with 28 tyres on, but I have to let the air out to get it into the drop outs, which are long so as to accommodate the 26" and 700c wheels.
I could saw the tips off if I were sure to always keep and use it with the 700c wheels.
I had to purchase a seatpost and front forks and V-brake for the front, but as the V-brake posts on the rear are for 26" wheels I am fitting the side pull brake from my old bike on the rear.
On my old bike the brakes had nuts that go into the frame, leaving no sticking out bit, which are too big to go into the holes on the V2/K frame, and the bolts are too short to stick a nut on as they don't stick out, but the front one is longer that the back one and so I can use that on the back and stick a nut on.
The clamp on the front derailleur from my old bike is too small to fit on the boom so I have bought a 34.9mm clamp for braze on derailleurs and a new braze on front derailluer.
They have arrived in the post today but I am querying with the supplier if they have sent me the right one as it says triple 8 speed on the bag, which is what I ordered, but the part says Shimano 9 speed on it.
These are the last bits I need to complete the conversion and have a go.
I have read another post where someone was having problems setting up a triple chainset front derailleur for his wife as the angle of the boom affects the angle of the derailler so it is more difficult to get it to work for short legged people, which may be the case for me.
We shall see. If so I might have to change to a double or sell it to a long legged person and upgrade to a Quest when I have worked up the funds. The fitting it in a suitcase and taking it to visit my friends in Spain option would come in handy.
I have enjoyed building the bike though.
I did get the bike shop to change my bottom bracket and cranks over for me and seat the fork crown race, but apart from that I have done all the rest.
I've never tried a recumbent before so am keen to complete it and try.
The weather forecast looks good for the weekend (sshhhh!)
The Blue Iris
Member
Thank you every one for your
Thank you every one for your generous comments, you have been very helpful. Seems to be only 2 Australians here that are willing to comment, well publicly at least. So this weekend I will look for a suitable frame to work with. One more question, do people with front suspension get the bounce effect when they pedal, like you get with a dual suspension MTB? I guess if you do not ride a dual suspension MTB you will not know what I mean, when you push down on the pedal you unload the rear spring and pop up then when you pull up on the pedal you compress the spring and sink down, the result is that you bounce as you pedal and lose power transfer. Wonder if you get the same problems on the front wheel drive with front suspension. I can see that it would be reduced as the power is vectored away from the suspension axis but my physics tells me that it is only going to half the effect.
Thank you every one for your generous comments, you have been very helpful. Seems to be only 2 Australians here that are willing to comment, well publicly at least. So this weekend I will look for a suitable frame to work with. One more question, do people with front suspension get the bounce effect when they pedal, like you get with a dual suspension MTB? I guess if you do not ride a dual suspension MTB you will not know what I mean, when you push down on the pedal you unload the rear spring and pop up then when you pull up on the pedal you compress the spring and sink down, the result is that you bounce as you pedal and lose power transfer. Wonder if you get the same problems on the front wheel drive with front suspension. I can see that it would be reduced as the power is vectored away from the suspension axis but my physics tells me that it is only going to half the effect.
vonhazza
Member
Hi Nataly, No nothing like
Hi Nataly, No nothing like the pogo effect on an MTB because you are pushing forward not downward, front suspension helps a little with traction rear suspension comfort. When looking for frames I would recommend a small 16" MTB dual suspension frame even a 14" if you can find one, nice low top tube height fairly flat and close to level with the top of the wheels A Hard tail frame can still be good and lighter than a dually just need to remember to lean forward and get your back off the seat for any big bumps. steer away from newer K-mart type bikes as they are heavy with crap componants, better off with somthing older with a good quailty frame and better componant specs just not too much wear & tear. cheers Steve.
Hi Nataly, No nothing like the pogo effect on an MTB because you are pushing forward not downward, front suspension helps a little with traction rear suspension comfort. When looking for frames I would recommend a small 16" MTB dual suspension frame even a 14" if you can find one, nice low top tube height fairly flat and close to level with the top of the wheels A Hard tail frame can still be good and lighter than a dually just need to remember to lean forward and get your back off the seat for any big bumps. steer away from newer K-mart type bikes as they are heavy with crap componants, better off with somthing older with a good quailty frame and better componant specs just not too much wear & tear. cheers Steve.
