new to cruzbike q45 questions

G

getsbent

New Member
Hello,

I just got a sun ez sport ax a few months ago and really enjoy riding it but I have been looking at trying a cruzbike mainly because the ez sport is a wonderful ride but it is slow up hills (user error applies here too) so I am looking for something quicker. I have been looking at both the q45 and s40, I know the s40 is faster but the laid back position still freaks me out quite a bit. Is there a way to make the q45 faster up hills? Any help is appreciated.
 
paco1961

paco1961

Zen MBB Master
If its climbing you want, you should go S40. The Q is much heavier and since it has a suspended architecture it will never be as stiff a climber (although I believe there is a suspension lock out that would negate that last bit. I switched from DF to CB several years ago. Initially the S40 did tend to "freak me out quite a bit" but I got used to it very quickly. I now ride about 75% on my V20 and 25% on the S40. When switching to the S40 (from the V) I initially feel like I'm siting bolt upright in a dining room chair. But I adapt after a couple of miles. The S40 is a miraculous bike, really. You can pack it full of all kinds of bags for bikepacking or strip it down and jump in a high speed group ride. And it climbs extremly well. A remarkably versatile bike. The V is a speed machine.
 
D

Donald Harter

Member
The Q is 7#'s heavier than the S but comfort is typically a compromise with weight. So depends on type and condition of road surfaces you will be riding. Main differences between the bikes is wider tires and rear suspension on the Q. Feels like I am floating over the road surface on my Q rather than being pounded. For long distance trekking, the comfort is more important than weight for me.
 
GV_Ottawa

GV_Ottawa

Member
While I've never ridden a S40 or V20, I switched to a Q45 from my HP Velotechnik Streetmachine GTE which I think was similar to those. The Streetmachine was a faster bike overall, but had a much more reclined / laid back position than the Q45. While I enjoyed the Streetmachine for several years, and completed some long tours on it, I found that being so far laid back was frightening in a few specific instances, and I had a couple of falls because I was unable to sit up / get my feet down quickly enough when needing to come to a sudden stop.

With about 1100 km on my Q45 so far, I have absolutely no regrets about switching to it from my Streetmachine. I don't find much of a difference in speed of climbing between the two - the Streetmachine was definitely faster downhills though because of the more streamlined riding position. But the more upright seating position on the Q45 feels much safer to me, and I have never had a fall due to not being able to get my feet down quickly enough when coming to a sudden stop. I'm happy to trade off a bit of speed for a safer ride overall. So I would vote for the Q45...

Good luck!!
 
M

Mrnelson

Member
I don't own the s40 but I do own the 2021 Q45 and as far as making it faster uphill you could obviously shed some weight on the wheels, tires, etc., but I think some quick research would show you that doesn't gain you much over the long haul vs the cost and headache. I don't love the Q45 nearly as much as my v20 but for someone coming from the Sun EZ I suspect you might love it. It's incredibly fun and nimble and the suspension is a dream. The heads up riding would be comparable to what you have but I'm guessing the steering and MBB system is going to be a lot more thrilling.

I may even reluctantly admit that I'm a tad faster uphill with the Q45 than I am on my V20 (very reluctantly) though on flats and downhills forget about it. It may be faster uphill than my T50 but I'd rate that a push.
 
C

cpml123

Zen MBB Master
I have both S40 and the new Q45. I haven't ridden the Q45 enough to tell which one is faster going uphill. I am going to start commuting with Q45, so should be able to tell in a couple weeks. I think Q45 is slightly more stable for sure going uphill (8-12%) at low speed.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
visit our website visit our website
Top