New Q45 coming....

[rfneep]

So, what's the speculation on the upcoming "...exciting updates and options this Fall..." for the Q45? I've been kind of waiting to see how the Q evolves since I sold my two Q559s over the past two years.

I think it'd be nice to see some modifications on the seat mount and height to integrate it a bit more smoothly into the frame, but that's just me.

Any thoughts, desires?

Ray

 

[ak-tux]

I wish it could have
1 . Lower seat that is simpler and closer to the frame.
2. Drop bars like the S40
3. bigger stiffer oversized main frame.

 

[super slim]

I wish it could have
1 . Lower seat that is simpler and closer to the frame.
2. Drop bars like the S40
3. bigger stiffer oversized main frame.

You are describing a S40 with rear suspension!!!

 

[ak-tux]

You are describing a S40 with rear suspension!!!

Hahaha! I guess you can't deny a good simple design.

 

[DocS]

You could always get an S30

Blessings,
DocS

 

[Giloun]

Add a head rest.
Front suspension.

 

[zzThom]

I wish it would be available as a frameset:

• to lower the import taxes when the bike is ordered from abroad (in France this is custom taxes + 20% VAT), frameset would have a lower the price, a lower shipping price, have a lower rate custom taxes since this is not a "complete product" and hence the 20%VAT calculated on this total would be lower - I prefer to pay for a product, not for taxes
• to choose the gearing adapted to my usage of the bike and the montaineous region where I live, the current 1x11 option is not the good one for me

 

[McWheels]

I wish it would be available as a frameset to lower the import taxes when the bike is ordered from abroad (in France this is custom taxes + 20% VAT)...

Same rules across the EU. I had to look into this for importing my 2nd hand s40. It's only 4% duty for bike parts.

 

[Dudley]

I too would be interested in just the frameset. We have a Q2 and a Q3 with new brakes, seats, wheels, gearing etc.
I did look at changing to a Q45 but realised I would be junking a lot of it, and basically just using the frameset. It just wasn't financially viable. Plus I hate waste.

 

[zzThom]

Well, I got the answer from Cruzbike that the new Q45 will not be available as a frameset, they did not give me any reason.

 

[dule0911]

I paid something like 50% of the final price on shipping, customs, VAT, spedition... Ordered to Serbia (outside EU). We have this idiotic rule that customs & vat is paid on shipping also. The S40 I ordered as a frameset but also paid everything in full, guess not being part of EU the administration can do whatever they want to "protect" the local (non-existent) bike industry.

I think that for the lower priced bikes they don't have enough margin to offer just the frameset, since it would be a really small amount of sales.

 

[benphyr]

... they don't have enough margin to offer just the frameset

Thank you @dule0911! Your answer is exactly what Cruzbike has explained when asked this question several years ago.

Demand has to be analyzed and the profit margin determined along with other variables like storage space, shipping constraints and costs - of four different models, in small batch sizes compared to large companies) and I am sure many, many more details that Cruzbike has to balance in order to continue to be a viable business and thereby enabling Cruzbike to be the fantastic company supplying excellent bikes that we all love to ride and a family that adopts us.

Still a bummer for those of us who would like a Q45 frameset but understandable.

Those extra costs to get a bike to places outside the USA - that is truly astounding!

 

[zzThom]

> I think that for the lower priced bikes they don't have enough margin to offer just the frameset

The T50 is available as a frameset, the T50 is I think the "lowest" in the range of Cruzbike bikes

 

[benphyr]

@zzThom That's right, T50 is offered as a frameset.

I don't envy Cruzbike (the company) the hard choices they have to make but one of those choices for the last several years is to offer the T50 as the least expensive entry level and to have it doubling as the tinkerers's choice as a frameset option that can be customized as much or little as you want.

It is highly adaptable in stock configuration but we are actually lucky that Cruzbike is able to provide 4 full excellent models as a small company. Most companies focus on only one part of this huge range:

T50: entry level, lowest (of Cruzbike) engineering design, lowest spec, easy to learn, lowest cost, cruising around town to commuting uses. Kind of like a quality, entry level mountain, hybrid, or cruiser bike.

Q45: fits that middle ground between the entry level T50 and the high end S40 and V20. It is a balance and fills the niche for commuter, packable airline touring, most rough road capable, and most comfortable with rear suspension. And has received the front triangle design of the faster siblings at significantly lower cost.

Highly developed and engineered frame and front triangle design:
S40: road, loaded touring, fast commuter
V20: no holds barred road, time trial, racing bike

I too would like a Q45 frameset but am glad it is available rather than not available at all. It is a significant upgrade over the T50 and has many advantages. Maybe someday when Cruzbike is as big as Trek, Specialized, Giant, et al. then we will have more options. For now this amazing family has 4 distinct models offered with some as frameset and some as complete.

We are a long ways from the early days of making kits with mountain bikes, Sofrider, then welded Silvio with boom, then "foldable" Quest, then hydroformed frames, disc brakes, kickstarter T50 simplicity, improved bottom bracket without so many restrictions, racing boom handed down to Q45, gravel inspired components simplification for the masses. It makes me wonder with anticipation, what is just over the horizon for Cruzbike?

 

[zzThom]

Maybe my English is so-so: I am not talking about the price of the bike, I am very happy that Cruzbike makes money, and I am happy to give them money.

There is no reason why they would not make more money (I mean margin) selling a Q45 frameset rather than a complete bike. At some point in the "production chain" the bike is available as a "frameset", and this is more worries, more money spent, more subsidiaries paid, to get to a complete bike, which of course is sold at a higher price. For any company this is the margin that makes their living.

 

[Dudley]

I don't buy the argument about margins. There is a margin for the frameset, a margin for the components, and a margin for the labour to put the components on the frameset. I'd be happy if they loaded a bit more margin on the frameset. It would probably still be cheaper for me than buying the whole lot then junking some of the parts and most of the labour.
I think it boils down to complexity of managing the inventory and working out how many they would sell to make it worthwhile.
The S40 has the frameset option and the new Q45 will come in various colours so having a frameset option will just like offering another colour (in terms of inventory)

 

[benphyr]

We are certainly stating our wishes loud and clearly: We would love to see a frameset available for the Q45.

And Cruzbike is known for seriously weighing the options and even implementing many of the suggestions, requests, and wishes of the customer base. For which we are thankful.

 

[3bs]

Margin as a percentage of dollar cost of product is probably not what they are talking about. It’s probably more like base cost coupled with fixed production numbers dictating a need for the component part and assembly margins recovered on a fully assembled q45. This could also be reflected in the outside labor involved

 

[benphyr]

If you don't watch the Cruzbike website often you may have missed this sign up for early news. It is under Cruzbike.com then Products > Q45.

 

[ak-tux]

You are describing a S40 with rear suspension!!!

Yeah, you never know! I once came across on some website this: Well , I hope the new Q is similar but with underseat rack bosses and that S40 frontend