New S40 build

[James Lombardo]

I’m totally new to Cruzbike (don’t have it yet) and fairly new to recumbents. My plan is to have a new S40 built from a frame set and my donor bike. Group set should include Shimano DI2 and a Dezero power meter/sram crankset. Will this work? Two issues that I’m not sure is whether the new s40 will work as a 2x11 and whether the 172.5 crank arms will cause me grief. I’d rather not replace it as it’s currently $1000 paperweight.

On an related note I’m fortunate to have a Cruzbike dealer within driving distance. The shop seems really great and pretty much insist I try the Cruzbike first before committing. I genuinely appreciate their concern and have agreed but I’m a little afraid I won’t be able to pick up riding it in a 45 minute test ride. How concerned should I be? Also, if I can’t ride it that quickly should I reconsider my purchase?

For reference I’ve been an avid cyclist for many, many years and recently have to ride a recumbent due to lingering medical issues. I bought a used LWB but it’s old and slow which I cannot abide.

Thanks in advance for any insights or suggestions!

 

[jond]

I’m totally new to Cruzbike (don’t have it yet) and fairly new to recumbents. My plan is to have a new S40 built from a frame set and my donor bike. Group set should include Shimano DI2 and a Dezero power meter/sram crankset. Will this work? Two issues that I’m not sure is whether the new s40 will work as a 2x11 and whether the 172.5 crank arms will cause me grief. I’d rather not replace it as it’s currently $1000 paperweight.

On an related note I’m fortunate to have a Cruzbike dealer within driving distance. The shop seems really great and pretty much insist I try the Cruzbike first before committing. I genuinely appreciate their concern and have agreed but I’m a little afraid I won’t be able to pick up riding it in a 45 minute test ride. How concerned should I be? Also, if I can’t ride it that quickly should I reconsider my purchase?

For reference I’ve been an avid cyclist for many, many years and recently have to ride a recumbent due to lingering medical issues. I bought a used LWB but it’s old and slow which I cannot abide.

Thanks in advance for any insights or suggestions!

james this forum is a great resource. As is the cruzbike resource page. There is a definitive instruction on how to learn to ride. If you follow advice you’ll pick it up quicker.

without labouring the point the search function is your friend plus the many cruzbike instructional videos.

there are loads of s40 build threads and learning to ride threads. A fantastic resource of the company and the tribe of cruzbikers.

will you be capable yes of course but it takes time. Patience. It’s like in many ways learning to ride all over again. Once you do learn and it is not hard if you follow the process you’ll receive a big big big payoff. Of course everyone’s personal learning is unique to them. You took longer to learn to ride a bike than 45 minutes. So no you should not reconsider your purchase.

2x11 on an s40 of course it’s possible that information is on the home page description of the new s40.

Generally bent riders prefer short cranks to spin but standard is open. I run 165 and 170 on my cruzbikes and other bents. The bottom bracket standard is 68 mm threaded bsa on cruzbikes.

the new s40 moved to thru axles.

the s40 is a popular lightweight responsive climber versatile and ready to show you what a smartly designed recumbent can be.

for reference I’ve got a cruzbike vendetta and sofrider v3 . Also a rwd bents a pelso brevet a challenge hurricane and a greenspeed trike gto. Each type has specific advantages and disadvantages at the extremes of their riding experience. (I mostly ride my cruzbikes. I want an s40 badly. Can you tell lol. )

Eg a trike unfaired is always overall slower but a great hauler . Rwd is inefficient or a steering hindrance depending largely on chain line and heel strike can be a factor. Fwd wheel slip at extreme grades that most can’t climb anyway on any bike becomes a matter of personal skill set. We are talking 20% grades at walking speed.

that drivetrain once mastered and nuanced cannot be beaten. It is the only platform that allows upper body input through exertion adding wattage as chosen or not. This makes the cruzbike the best climbing recumbent. You will see.

Now without doubt the cruzbike is the best. Quality speed weight efficiency . The new bikes ooze quality. They back that up with performance.

ive saved the best for last......

Best of all is the company itself. Real people invested in their product and their tribe.

welcome and get researching.

 

[paco1961]

You’ll pick it up pretty quickly. Plenty of advice and help here.

2x11 is not a problem. Takes a bit of fiddling w the FD but loads of us set up both V and S as 2x.

But sorry to say I suspect your $1,000 paper weight may be just that. I’m 6’1” ave build and I had to make an immediate jump from my 172.5 to 155. Considering 150. Not everyone’s experience but pretty common around these parts. 172.5s killed the knees after just a few rides.

Good luck w it. Keep us posted!

 

[Frito Bandito]

Take the plunge. If you can ride that old LWB recumbent, then you almost certainly can ride an S40. It will take a bit of practice and time to get your balance on it and to be able to maneuver at low speeds. A few very vocal riders didn't take to the MBB format, but I don't think their continued harping represents a truly sizable portion of S40 buyers. I'd guess that the vast majority of those who have S40s are out riding theirs instead of posting on forums.

As an example, I had only seen a few recumbents in person before buying a V20 site unseen. I knew that if other people could do it then I could too. It understandably took me a bit longer to get my balance than most riders switching from an NMBB to a MBB, but now I have no problems with low speed power-on turns, excessive wheel slip when climbing, wheel flop or anything else. So unless you have some kind of mobility issues that an MBB will expose I think you have nothing to worry about.

 

[Merczak73]

I will chime in here as well. Cruzbike is awesome, once you get to know it. I'll be honest - I hated the bike the first couple of months that I had it. Now? It's awesome. It was the learning curve that I knew was there, but did not want to acknowledge would happen. Well, it did happen and I'm glad I stuck with it. I get a lot of complements on my bike (circa 2019) and I gotta say it's faster than my old bike that weighed 7-8 pounds less.

As far as the 2x - it will work just fine. I finished putting on SRAM AXS 2x on my S40 and it is a smooth, sweet ride! The shorter cranks are a must. You are gonna kill your knees and develop muscle cramps with longer cranks. Its just the ergonomics of it all.

Have fun, good luck! Once you get the hang of it, you truly will smile! =)

 

[bladderhead]

You will think you have been conned. You will think that this is a specially created shill forum. You will be looking up the price of aluminium. You will be adjusting it all the time. Then it will start to work properly. Then you will know why we are all gushing about it. You will stop wanting to ride any other bike. You will stop wanting to do anything other than ride the Cruzbike. You will want to go to work, because you ride to work. You will want to go touring because that involves a lot of riding. If racing in lycra is your thing you will beat everybody except the person with the Vendetta. Short cranks is a good idea, but hard to find these days. The new 12sp cassettes have enough range, but the racers say the ratios are too far apart. Double chainwheel is probably cheap these days.

 

[David 19]

I am mechanically challenged and so don't understand much of what I read above. (Not understanding the abbreviations is a part of my problem.) But I think I'm reading that putting a second derailleur on an S40 works well. I gave up on the Q45 for a couple of reasons, one of which was that most every ride I take requires climbing a hill that, with the Q45's gearing, was at--and sometimes beyond--the limit of my strength. Now I'm thinking of buying an S40 and adding a second derailleur to solve that problem. (Mentioning my other problem with the Q45 would just be a complicated distraction here.)

The company says they designed the Q45 and the S40 with one derailleur for simplicity. I have lots of experience on two-derailleur upright bikes, so the complexity of having a second derailleur doesn't faze me. But I'm wondering whether there is some complexity in putting a second derailleur on an S40 that my experience on upright bikes wouldn't prepare me for. If you have experience with two derailleurs on an S40, please advise me--with few abbreviations.

 

[Gary123]

I am mechanically challenged and so don't understand much of what I read above. (Not understanding the abbreviations is a part of my problem.) But I think I'm reading that putting a second derailleur on an S40 works well. I gave up on the Q45 for a couple of reasons, one of which was that most every ride I take requires climbing a hill that, with the Q45's gearing, was at--and sometimes beyond--the limit of my strength. Now I'm thinking of buying an S40 and adding a second derailleur to solve that problem. (Mentioning my other problem with the Q45 would just be a complicated distraction here.)

The company says they designed the Q45 and the S40 with one derailleur for simplicity. I have lots of experience on two-derailleur upright bikes, so the complexity of having a second derailleur doesn't faze me. But I'm wondering whether there is some complexity in putting a second derailleur on an S40 that my experience on upright bikes wouldn't prepare me for. If you have experience with two derailleurs on an S40, please advise me--with few abbreviations.

Nowu gotta tell us the other problem with the q45.

 

[Frito Bandito]

David, I am not sure just how much or little you understand so I'll be simple just to be sure.

NMBB = Non-Moving Bottom Bracket. Essentially, recumbent bikes where the cranks don't move to the left or right when the rider turns.
MBB = Moving Bottom Bracket (which is what a Cruzbike is).

I have not tried a 1X12 (1 front chainring and 12 gears on the rear cassette) system so I cannot speak from experience. But I am happy with my 2x11 (2 front chainrings and 11 gears on the rear cassette. The 1x12 is slightly lighter and has an overall wider gear range on the rear cassette, but the 2x11 system is a bit easier on the cadence.

 

[bladderhead]

a hill that, with the Q45's gearing, was at--and sometimes beyond--the limit of my strength.

What about going downhill? Did you need your top gear to be so high? Could you tolerate a lower top gear? If so, you could get a smaller chainwheel. I have a lot of experience with double chainwheels. Too much.

 

[David 19]

Thank you, Frito Bandito. It's good to have NMBB and MBB decoded for me. That much mechanics I can understand.

But I'm not sure what you mean by "easier on the cadence." Do you mean easier to find a cadence one likes? That's what I'd expect with a two-derailleur system.

In any event, I gather you're telling me there is nothing about a 2x11 system on an S40 that should confound a guy who has lots of experience with 2x (and 3x) systems on upright bikes.

Bladderhead, I'd rather not get a lower top gear. I enjoy charging downhill. But I appreciate your effort to solve my problem.

 

[Frito Bandito]

That's correct. I was satisfied with the 2X system on both the DF and V20 when I switched from a DF to the V20. As for the cadence, I was focused on relatively short rides (50km or so) at higher power, but then I switched to endurance rides to build it up as much as possible. Since then I find myself fine tuning my rpms more. Hey, you gotta do something when you have that many hours to kill. Having a 2X11 will give you an extra 10 gears over the 1X12 to find the sweet spot. Some things to consider on the 1X12 though might be the lighter weight and better aero though?

 

[chicorider]

I think that the 1x vs. 2x debate comes down partly to the kind of rider you are. A person who tends to take a more leisurely pace and rides to enjoy fresh air and the sights might appreciate the ease and simplicity of a 1x setup. It isn't that cadence doesn't matter on such rides, but it might not mater enough to demand a second chainring and a tighter cog cluster. Those who go out for long, hard rides, who pay attention to watts and average speed, who want to finish a century in under five hours, will want a 2x setup so that they will spend most of their time at the right cadence in the right gear for the terrain. Efficiency matters here, and the 2x is key to that. The Q45 is perhaps an ideal 1x bike, while 2x for the V20 is almost a must. The S40 is in between, equally ready to be an awesome 1x casual cruiser, or a 2x pavement pounder, depending on rider preference.

 

[Don1]

Spot on assessment

 

[Merczak73]

Agreed! Spot on chicorider! I enjoyed my 1x11 on my S40 due to ease of use. However, I like to get frisky on rides and was constantly struggling to find the right gear at certain speeds. I like to be around 90rpm, give or take. Now that I have switched to a 2x12 - much easier to find the right gear.

 

[Robert Holler]

I think that the 1x vs. 2x debate comes down partly to the kind of rider you are. A person who tends to take a more leisurely pace and rides to enjoy fresh air and the sights might appreciate the ease and simplicity of a 1x setup. It isn't that cadence doesn't matter on such rides, but it might not mater enough to demand a second chainring and a tighter cog cluster. Those who go out for long, hard rides, who pay attention to watts and average speed, who want to finish a century in under five hours, will want a 2x setup so that they will spend most of their time at the right cadence in the right gear for the terrain. Efficiency matters here, and the 2x is key to that. The Q45 is perhaps an ideal 1x bike, while 2x for the V20 is almost a must. The S40 is in between, equally ready to be an awesome 1x casual cruiser, or a 2x pavement pounder, depending on rider preference.

Good assessment - though wee are also limited to what the component manufacturers are making and have available for us to get stock bikes assembled - especially right now in the new post-Covid manufacturing economy.

 

[chicorider]

I can imagine that supply lines are tricky right now. Shipping the complete S40 as a 1x seems smart. The new rider will have an easier time learning and building strength, while the more ambitious rider can convert to a 2x easily enough (and with a bit more expense).

 

[Robert Holler]

I can imagine that supply lines are tricky right now. Shipping the complete S40 as a 1x seems smart. The new rider will have an easier time learning and building strength, while the more ambitious rider can convert to a 2x easily enough (and with a bit more expense).

Much worse than tricky - a real disaster. This will not change for a good 2-4 years IMO from all my discussions with many personal friends and contacts IN Taiwan and China in the manufacturing sector.

The big guns are hoarding and ordering ALL the parts. Shipping prices are triple now - or more. Shipping prices aren't just an "end to consumer" issue - raw material, parts, frames to the painter, components from X number of different companies, etc - all has a shipping cost associated with the movement of those individual pieces.

New manufacturers are not going to come on line... you can thank the WRECK that was the "share bike phenomenon" for that - as most of those companies that made those hundreds of thousands of bikes (that are nearly all in the landfill now) got burned and went under and wont participate again.

The reality; component parts you have - keep them.
Don't go around breaking chanins, etc as you might not get a replacement.
If you can get some extra tubes to stash - do it.
If you can find some spare tires - get them.

Etc...

Some good branded parts are already back ordered well into 2024.

The GOOD news for Cruzbike is this: we have stellar relationships with our manufacturers and suppliers. As in everything - it comes down to relationships. I have always made it my number 1 priority to build strong healthy ones.