Hello Cruzbike community.
I have been watching and reading about Cruzbikes for several years, ever since visiting a great guy named Gary at his shop, NW Recumbent Bikes in northern Idaho.
I have been tucking away gift money for a long time, and I'm hoping 2024 is the year I finally get to join the CB crowd with my own bike. But now that the moment seems close, I find myself torn between the S40 and the Q45. So I'm hoping if I give you a little background about my riding, some of you might offer me some input on which bike might best meet my riding preferences.
I very recently retired and currently own both a traditional road bike and a decent full suspension mountain bike. I enjoy getting out on flowy single track a few times a summer, but I am not a thrill seeker when trail riding. I expect to keep riding my traditional mountain bike for those kinds of experiences, at least for the next several years.
Most of my riding is on my road bike, and primarily on a few paved trails in my area of rural northern Idaho. I enjoy both shorter, hard & fast bike workouts and also building up my endurance to do longer rides. I'm motivated by keeping data on distance, average speed, cadence and such, and I really enjoy feeling like I am improving on my average cruising speed, especially on longer rides. I have done several century rides in support of Bike MS, and have always had a goal to someday do Seattle To Portland as a one day ride. And I would love to get into multiple day rides soon, perhaps even to ride across the U.S.
I often ride with a friend of mine who only has one bike, which could probably be described as a hybrid bike; with drop handlebars but wider tires that allow him and his wife to also ride on converted gravel Rails-To-Trails. And where I live there are also many, many miles of beautiful country gravel roads that could also be explored.
I can probably only afford to pick one CruzBike to purchase, at least for the foreseeable future. So I find myself torn between getting the S40 that I KNOW I would love pushing my limits on to see how fast and far I can go without the pressure point discomforts of my traditional road bike. But I would also love to get further off the beaten path and away from the noise and danger of car traffic.
So I am seeking input on which machine I might be able to hit more of the types of riding I would like to enjoy. Is it possible to affordably get and fit a second, wider set of wheels and tires on an S40, that would allow me to feel in control handling it on packed gravel roads and trails? Or might I be better off with the comfort of the Q45's suspension and wider tires, and perhaps buy a narrower set of wheels and higher pressure tires for when I want to go faster and longer on the pavement? I know from the bike info that the Q45 "off the shelf" weighs about 4.5 pounds more than the S40, which I am guessing I would feel; particularly on climbs. But I also weigh about 220 pounds and I often wonder if a few pounds on a bike really makes that big an impact when there is room to "lighten the load" on myself. ???
Perhaps other factors I have not touched on or even considered when trying to make this choice?
If you have slogged your way to the end of this long message for a brand new member to the forum, THANK YOU for taking the time to read it (and hopefully) offer me any insights you might be willing to share with me. Have a good one.
