Things I know and things I think I know. S40 edition. AKA Grumpy Curmudgeon edition.
My ride is complete!
This build fought me a lot more than some builds. Much of it was my own fault and I freely admit that. Still, it was a bit frustrating, at times. I was dealing with some new to me tech... Disc brakes, electric shifting, tubeless tires, and to my surprise. the thing that kicked me the hardest was the brakes. More later.
Things I learned.
The package arrived from Cruzbike well packed with no damage. The frame, under close inspection, is well built and the finish was more than adequate. My only comment is the welds are rather bulky looking, by today's standards. Look at modern hydroformed road bike frames and the welds are virtually invisible. In fact, you almost have to tink, tink, tink on the tubes to see if they are alloy, or carbon. Fortunately, I don't really care and yes, I know that my version 1.0 has the welds hidden with Bondo,
I tend to rush in to things and this was no different. When I ordered my brakes, (Spyre SLC) I was sure I needed flat mounts. Turned out, I needed post mounts. Then, I realized I needed adapters, even then. Thinking I was smart, I ordered a front mount and a rear mount, thinking the front mount would go on the rear and there rear mount would go on the front of our bikes. After I had placed my order, Jond correctly informed me I needed both rears. Who knew, but Jond? So, for now, I have a 140 on the rear of my bike and a 160 up front. That will change, soon. As for the setup, the SLCs were easy-peasy to set up. They gave me no issues, at all, once I had all the pieces parts I needed.
I built my bike around SRAM e-tap. I went with the mid compact 52-36 chainrings and the Wi-fli rear derailleur, so 11-32. Nice stuff! Setup was stupid easy. My only struggle is the little wedge that goes between the mounting stalk and the front derailleur. There isn't enough adjustment to reach, so I didn't put it on. It seems to shift just fine on the front without it. I did cut corners on the chain and the cassette, opting for the Force level gear and it seems to work just fine. The chain is hollow pin and you should know that with the Wi Fli, the S40 and all that, do not buy a standard 114 link chain. They offer the PG 1170 in both 114 and 120 link increments and the 114 is a full link too short. Buy the 120.
The S40 is a much bigger bike than the 1.0. I had to stretch my bike rack out to accommodate it and now, I can see wheel sticking out on either side of my car, from the side mirrors. I haven't measured, yet, but I'd say the wheelbase has stretched a good 4 inches.
The S40 sits up higher than the 1.0. Again, not measured, but I'd say a full inch, maybe two. I will gather more details on that in the near future. Here's a pic.
Being fair, the S40 is sitting on a stand and the 1.o is on the floor, so give back maybe an inch. Still, it is clearly higher.
Bottom bracket is now lower.
Maybe hard to tell from this angle, again, the S40 is sitting on a stand, so give back an inch, but given the difference in the seat height, it's a lower bottom bracket. Much lower and I felt it on the test ride. I felt slower, especially on the climb, but I know this is an acclimation thing. As is the width of the chain stays. I got some heel strike on the chain stays. I don't like that, but I will get used to it and accommodate for it in the future.
The seat is..... different. The nose of the seat is almost non existent and I thought I might have a feeling of wanting to slide off the front. So far, that hasn't been the case, but the jury is still out. The old Silvio seat gave you a feeling of sitting down in it, not on it. Maybe this will be better for recumbutt, we shall see. Then there is the water bottle bracket mounting issue. I still haven't sorted that out. Not to my satisfaction, anyway. I really don't want to bolt more stuff to the bike, at this point (ie, the headrest bottle mount adapter thingy). Speaking of which, to me, the headrest thingy is pretty much useless. I threw the pad in the corner. I did find that the frame for the headrest makes a good place to hang my seat bag and I will use it for mounting a tail light, at some point, so not completely useless. Otherwise, it just gets in my way throwing my leg over the seat back. Again, going back to the higher seat and then the head rest.... Much bigger challenge.
I weighed both bikes and the S40 comes in a full two pounds lighter than my 1.0. I was hoping for a little more difference than that, but given the longer wheelbase and higher seating position, I guess it's pretty good that way.
My initial test ride was ok. I didn't go but down the street and back, which means a good, fast downhill run, turn around and slog back up the hill. I didn't have a computer on the bike, so I have no idea how fast I was going in either direction, but the lower bottom bracket felt odd and everything was different. The heel strike was a little disconcerting and I am going to assure you the bottle will absolutely not be staying on the TFT. My legs hit is and NO, that will not work. Overall, once acclimated, I think it will be fine but....
This morning, I am sensing a little bit of buyers' remorse. Probably not as bad as the guy that buys a Cruzbike for the first time and realizes there is a learning curve. I can ride the bike, but I am not going to set the world on fire out of the chute. This is going to take a minute. I have all the time in the world and I am happy with a lot of the things, but I still have a little dialing in to do with water bottles, Garmin mounting, lights and such. No worries, I will get over it and in a couple weeks, absolutely be loving this bike. In the meantime, all I can do is ride!
There will be more I will add as I figure all this out.
Mark
