Quest 451 to 507

[super slim]

What tube make and size are you using, as they might be thin racing tubes!

http://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/tubes/all
For a 507*50 tyre, Schwalbe recommends a 507 SV10 for 507*40 to 507*62 tyres with a 40 mm Presta stem and weighs 165 grams.

If your tubes weighs 100 gms, it is too thin for general riding, as it would be easy to pinch, blow out between the tyre and rim if not seated perfectly, and be more puncture prone.

Have you also got a secret outside 500 m velodrome that you train on?

 

[castlerobber]

What tube make and size are you using, as they might be thin racing tubes!

The tubes that came with the tires were already out of the box. I think they're Schwalbe. I have SV10 tubes on order.

Have you also got a secret outside 500 m velodrome that you train on?

LOL! No, just quiet country roads, where I do "dog sprints" if I forget to bring Halt!.

 

[castlerobber]

Having ridden about 50 miles on the Q507, I like the changes I've made even more. I hauled it out to a MUP today for an 11-mile loop. The handling is rock solid, speed is consistently better than it was pre-upgrade, and navigating bollards and narrow bridges is much easier. I'll try to get some decent pictures this week of the final setup.

 

[super slim]

What is a MUP???
You Yanks LOVE your acronyms!

Do you find the BB (Bottom Bracket) being at the same height as your hip joint, so power is horizontal a lot more comfortable.
It also means that your frontal area has decreased, with your legs at the lowest position now nearly being at the seat bottom height.

On my Silvio V1.0 with a fixed seat, that the 100 mm extension stopped my thighs pressing into the seat front + less wind resistance.
The 153 mm cranks further decreased the frontal area, as the foot at the lowest pedal position was now level with the seat bottom.

 

[SamP]

MUP = Multi-Use Path (walk/bike/skate/...)

Example: http://www.nps.gov/gate/learn/management/images/Bicyclists-web-small.jpg

 

[super slim]

Thanks

 

[castlerobber]

What is a MUP???
You Yanks LOVE your acronyms!

Sorry, I'd seen MUP used around here so much I thought everyone knew that acronym. Multi-Use Path.

Do you find the BB (Bottom Bracket) being at the same height as your hip joint, so power is horizontal a lot more comfortable.
It also means that your frontal area has decreased, with your legs at the lowest position now nearly being at the seat bottom height.

With each equipment swap, I made sure to ride the Q at least once to observe any changes in handling or speed. The longer chainstay/higher BB with the smaller wheels gave me about 0.25 mph improvement. I didn't try the larger wheels without the clipless pedals; I may put the platform pedals back on for a ride or two to isolate how much difference comes from the wheelset vs. the pedals.

 

[castlerobber]

While most of us here are never really finished tweaking our bikes, this conversion is pretty much complete. I had no idea that upgrading wheels and tires, and raising the bottom bracket just a couple of inches, could make such a difference in speed; nor that going from a spring shock to even a low-end air shock could improve a bike's handling so much.

With almost 110 miles on the new setup, average speed has increased from a plodding 11.4 mph on the Q451 in 2015, to a more respectable 12.9 mph (and still improving!) on the Q507. The only "drawback," if it can be called that, is how much harder it is to decide whether to take the Q or the Silvio on shorter road rides.




Much as I liked the style of the Fastback Flash frame pack, the Fastback tool pouch was larger, and looked like it should fit the area behind the seat perfectly.


A comparison with the Silvio 1.5:

 

[super slim]

Are the seat heights the same now?

Have you tried laying the Quest seat back to 30 degrees, and rotating the handlebar stem 180 deg. for the same reach?

Why are both the front lights pointing UP into the air the same amount?
Are the pickups (Utes) in your area THAT high?

 

[castlerobber]

Are the seat heights the same now?

Very close, yes. I haven't measured, but I'd say the Silvio is about half an inch higher.

Have you tried laying the Quest seat back to 30 degrees, and rotating the handlebar stem 180 deg. for the same reach?

No, I tried lowering the seat below 40 degrees once, and my neck didn't like it at all. If/when I get to the point of wanting a more laid-back bike, I'll look for a newer used Silvio, or maybe even an old yellow Vendetta. (never thought I'd even consider saying that... )

Why are both the front lights pointing UP into the air the same amount?
Are the pickups (Utes) in your area THAT high?

Yes, some of them are! Not to mention the farm tractors, combines, and cotton-pickers I sometimes encounter. The front lights have a flashing mode, which I almost always use during the day. I don't ride after dark if I can help it.

 

[super slim]

The NEED for speed is slowly catching up on you!!
The Mellow Yellow is the best V to buy unless you want to run 28 mm tyres!

I thought you were aiming the lights high for a reason!

 

[castlerobber]

One year on...

Still very pleased with the modified Q. It's been exactly what I had hoped for when riding the multi-use paths and navigating around town.

I never had liked the way the thumb lever on the DualDrive right-hand-only shifter was designed. It was stiff and oddly placed, and my thumb slipped off on shifts more than I thought it should. Plus my left thumb was getting really bored on longer rides with nothing to do. So during the summer, I replaced the all-in-one shifter with trigger shifters, and the stock grips with slim, bright orange MTB grips. Both have been a great improvement.

I realized a few months ago that it had finally become second nature to take a hand off the handlebar to signal turns, wave, grab a water bottle, etc. No thinking about it first, no wobbling. Now I'm working on riding no-hands when the conditions are right. At most, I can manage a few hundred yards, with hands hovering just above the grips; but that's more than I ever thought I'd be able to do!

 

[super slim]

Remember "If there are NO photos, then the Mod did not happen!!!!" is what a wise old Cruzbiker would say!

 

[castlerobber]

Remember "If there are NO photos, then the Mod did not happen!!!!" is what a wise old Cruzbiker would say!

But of course!

 

[Charles.Plager]

Remember "If there are NO photos, then the Mod did not happen!!!!" is what a wise old Cruzbiker would say!

I'm not wise...

 

[super slim]

Yes, you are, as you use triple crank-sets to give a wide gear range, with small increments between gears!

 

[Charles.Plager]

Yes, you are, as you use triple crank-sets to give a wide gear range, with small increments between gears!

 

[castlerobber]

View attachment 3916

Another reason I replaced my stock right-hand-only DualDrive shifter, besides not really liking it, was that it protruded so far down that my right knee would frequently bump into it, say when pushing hard up a hill or making a turn. Over 20 or 30 miles, those little bumps add up to a bruise the next day.

Replacing the one-hand shifter with trigger shifters, and swapping the stock stem for the longer, adjustable stem pictured above, helped some; but my knees still have only about an inch of lateral (outside) clearance. So now each kneecap sometimes contacts the pointy little corner of the lower lever. My teenager complains of the same problem when he rides the Q. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a twist shifter for my DualDrive hub--there apparently was for the older models, but even that was rare. Besides, I like trigger shifters.

Who has replaced the stock Q handlebars, and what did you use? I found one post from 2013 that mentions using a Volae handlebar, "inverted and facing forward," but the Flickr photo that was linked in the post is long gone. @Charles.Plager, what do you have on the Cruzigami?

 

[DavidJL]

Taking the seat angle back to 30 degrees requires a neck rest. I got that angle by using the front slider to replace the stock seat support. As far as a triple crank goes, I could not get it to clear properly because of the boom pivot.

 

[Emeljay]

I also sometimes contacted legs with handlebars when I first started riding my Q. So i tested several positions of bars/boom and also bar types on my Q and settled on straight bars for awhile. But my arms were a little too high. Then added bar ends that made it like drops and these allowed me to put my arms in a lower and more natural position. I also did this for my X100 with also changing the fork riser with a longer boom. Eventually I am going to replace the straight bar/bar ends with road drop bars with similar dimensions, and also replace shifters, brake levers, maybe change gearing to 1x? to simplify the boom configuration. Pic below is my current setup on my X100.