This is my one week review of the Quest 559.
A little background.
I am a 50 year old guy that has ridden ~3500 km on an older model LWB “Recumboni” in the last year, primarily commuting. Prior to that, I was a casual (fair weather only) road/mountain bike rider. Now I ride year round, riding a recumbent has made cycling fun again.
I have been lurking on the Cruzbike site for quite a while & finally convinced myself to sell my seldom used Hobie16 catamaran to fund a Quest559.
Shipping & Assembly.
I ordered the bike late one night, it was shipped promptly & at my door in less than a week. (Vancouver Island, BC, Canada) There was a $34 duty, (just a little info for the Canadian customers).
The bike comes what I would consider “mostly” assembled.
The cables were run, the brakes & shifters were attached. It was primarily a matter of unfolding the frame, then bolting the seat, stem & handle bars on, and attaching the wheels.
I took my time, inspected each and every piece and read the instructions several times. I would guess it took between 2 & 3 hours, could probably do it in 45 minutes or less now. I also had a 5 hour interruption during the build because of a school function (frustrating!).
It was very late by the time I got it assembled. Jumped on peddled 30' across the driveway before I had to put my feet down. Pushed the bike back to the shop, straightened out the handlebars & tightened them properly. (oops) :roll:
Wobbled around the backyard in the dark a few times, trying to avoid the dog & the duck. Skinny tires didn't work so well on the dewy grass. Took it out on the street for a short ride, wobbles got better, seat felt very nice.
The Rides.
Friday: Rode around the neighbourhood visiting, wobbles got better. No odometer yet so I am guessing 5 km.
Saturday: Had company so not much riding. Quick 2 km tip. I rolled up a rag & tucked it in the seat back cushion for a little extra lumbar support, no fault with the seat design, I just need a little more support. Bike was feeling pretty comfortable.
Sunday: Rode down the Old Island Highway to Rosewall Creek, about (54 km return). My riding buddy set the pace, he rides his old 1970's 10 speed. There was a stiff headwind all the way down but we made it to the Buckley Bay Ferry in 40 minutes which is about the same time as on my LWB. While I could feel the wind, I didn't really notice much effect from the wind.
Traffic was heavier than it has been on other Sunday rides. At times the shoulder is only 1 or 2 feet wide, I had no real troubles keeping it straight.
I had “tweaked” my back moving lawn furniture on the day before & was really tight in between my shoulder blades prior to the ride. By the end of the ride, the top tip of the seat seemed to have massaged all the kinks loose. Bonus chiropractic treatment
Monday: Commuted to work & back, 14 km if I take the shortest route. I noticed that at times I am riding one handed or just very lightly gripping the bars. On the way home I managed to ride ~100 yards no hands. (Bike path, no cars around)
Tuesday: Getting more comfortable with the handling, seldom wobble. Caught up to another commuter on a hybrid, he seemed to be making good time but no trouble catching him. Managed to ride no hands for about 300 yards down the bike path on the way home. Went out for an evening ride as well up to Boulder Hill.
Wednesday: Took the long way into work, toured around town for a bit. Rode about 5 blocks no hands through a quiet subdivision, this included a 90 degree corner & an S-bend. Finally had to grip the bars to use the brakes. Took the really long way home, including a good climb up to Cumberland.
Thursday: What's left to say, just another commute. No surprises, just a fun ride.
Summary:
Wow. Nice bike. I have put about 130 km on it so far. It is more comfortable than I had hoped. It is easier to ride than I had imagined. The learning curve is shorter than I had expected. Hats off to John Tolhurst & the Cruzbike Team.
I echo the remarks made in other posts. Comfortable, fast, climbs well & the suspension smooths out rough roads. I had been concerned about the 1” tires but they seem to be just fine for commuting.
Any cons are pretty trivial and not really related to the design of the bike. The kickstand clangs a little when I hit a big bump, but an O-ring on the leg should fix that. Also the right handlebar grip slides off a little. Pretty trivial grief.
I am looking froward to a short camping trip in a week, we will see how it handles with a trailer.
A little background.
I am a 50 year old guy that has ridden ~3500 km on an older model LWB “Recumboni” in the last year, primarily commuting. Prior to that, I was a casual (fair weather only) road/mountain bike rider. Now I ride year round, riding a recumbent has made cycling fun again.
I have been lurking on the Cruzbike site for quite a while & finally convinced myself to sell my seldom used Hobie16 catamaran to fund a Quest559.
Shipping & Assembly.
I ordered the bike late one night, it was shipped promptly & at my door in less than a week. (Vancouver Island, BC, Canada) There was a $34 duty, (just a little info for the Canadian customers).
The bike comes what I would consider “mostly” assembled.
The cables were run, the brakes & shifters were attached. It was primarily a matter of unfolding the frame, then bolting the seat, stem & handle bars on, and attaching the wheels.
I took my time, inspected each and every piece and read the instructions several times. I would guess it took between 2 & 3 hours, could probably do it in 45 minutes or less now. I also had a 5 hour interruption during the build because of a school function (frustrating!).
It was very late by the time I got it assembled. Jumped on peddled 30' across the driveway before I had to put my feet down. Pushed the bike back to the shop, straightened out the handlebars & tightened them properly. (oops) :roll:
Wobbled around the backyard in the dark a few times, trying to avoid the dog & the duck. Skinny tires didn't work so well on the dewy grass. Took it out on the street for a short ride, wobbles got better, seat felt very nice.
The Rides.
Friday: Rode around the neighbourhood visiting, wobbles got better. No odometer yet so I am guessing 5 km.
Saturday: Had company so not much riding. Quick 2 km tip. I rolled up a rag & tucked it in the seat back cushion for a little extra lumbar support, no fault with the seat design, I just need a little more support. Bike was feeling pretty comfortable.
Sunday: Rode down the Old Island Highway to Rosewall Creek, about (54 km return). My riding buddy set the pace, he rides his old 1970's 10 speed. There was a stiff headwind all the way down but we made it to the Buckley Bay Ferry in 40 minutes which is about the same time as on my LWB. While I could feel the wind, I didn't really notice much effect from the wind.
Traffic was heavier than it has been on other Sunday rides. At times the shoulder is only 1 or 2 feet wide, I had no real troubles keeping it straight.
I had “tweaked” my back moving lawn furniture on the day before & was really tight in between my shoulder blades prior to the ride. By the end of the ride, the top tip of the seat seemed to have massaged all the kinks loose. Bonus chiropractic treatment
Monday: Commuted to work & back, 14 km if I take the shortest route. I noticed that at times I am riding one handed or just very lightly gripping the bars. On the way home I managed to ride ~100 yards no hands. (Bike path, no cars around)
Tuesday: Getting more comfortable with the handling, seldom wobble. Caught up to another commuter on a hybrid, he seemed to be making good time but no trouble catching him. Managed to ride no hands for about 300 yards down the bike path on the way home. Went out for an evening ride as well up to Boulder Hill.
Wednesday: Took the long way into work, toured around town for a bit. Rode about 5 blocks no hands through a quiet subdivision, this included a 90 degree corner & an S-bend. Finally had to grip the bars to use the brakes. Took the really long way home, including a good climb up to Cumberland.
Thursday: What's left to say, just another commute. No surprises, just a fun ride.
Summary:
Wow. Nice bike. I have put about 130 km on it so far. It is more comfortable than I had hoped. It is easier to ride than I had imagined. The learning curve is shorter than I had expected. Hats off to John Tolhurst & the Cruzbike Team.
I echo the remarks made in other posts. Comfortable, fast, climbs well & the suspension smooths out rough roads. I had been concerned about the 1” tires but they seem to be just fine for commuting.
Any cons are pretty trivial and not really related to the design of the bike. The kickstand clangs a little when I hit a big bump, but an O-ring on the leg should fix that. Also the right handlebar grip slides off a little. Pretty trivial grief.
I am looking froward to a short camping trip in a week, we will see how it handles with a trailer.
