Rear vs under seat pannier racks?

[Gofer]

Woodguy would your rack support say 25-30lbs of panniers?

 

[woodguy]

Woodguy would your rack support say 25-30lbs of panniers?

I would say yes, but I haven’t tried anything other than the bag you see in the picture. A couple of things to consider I think would be if the extra weight would cause the shock to compress too much that the tire would hit the rack frame since I’ve turned the seat post upside down, and I’ve read in some forum posts that too much weight in the back causes handling instability. The rack is the one Cruzbike sold me, so they might have a weight capacity limit.

 

[Black Hawk Down]

You are doing pretty much what I did on my Q45 - turned the seat post around & I’ve got my Thor seat at about 34 degrees. Pretty much totally eliminated the recumbutt. I love it. Here’s a picture:

Yes. I checked out all your posts before embarking on this mission. Once I have it assembled and working, I'll do a photo review and post it on the forum. I appreciate all the people who have done this work and gave me ideas.

 

[Black Hawk Down]

I would say yes, but I haven’t tried anything other than the bag you see in the picture. A couple of things to consider I think would be if the extra weight would cause the shock to compress too much that the tire would hit the rack frame since I’ve turned the seat post upside down, and I’ve read in some forum posts that too much weight in the back causes handling instability. The rack is the one Cruzbike sold me, so they might have a weight capacity limit.

I'm attempting to mount my S40 racks on the Q45. The back rack will sit substantially lower, hopefully reducing the center of gravity. I ride heavy. I'll post photos when I get that far.

EDIT: That didn't work out. I wound up purchasing new racks from Cruzbike.

 

[Animal494]

You are doing pretty much what I did on my Q45 - turned the seat post around & I’ve got my Thor seat at about 34 degrees. Pretty much totally eliminated the recumbutt. I love it. Here’s a picture:

Question for those who have "laid back" their seat on a Q45: Have anyone considered or attempted lowering where the boom mounts to the steer tube? Looks like this would require shortening the steer tube to lower where the boom mounts.

 

[Black Hawk Down]

Question for those who have "laid back" their seat on a Q45: Have anyone considered or attempted lowering where the boom mounts to the steer tube? Looks like this would require shortening the steer tube to lower where the boom mounts.

I shortened mine by about 3.5 inches. It was too much but I was able to compensate with a curved slider pointing up. It's perfect now.

 

[Animal494]

I shortened mine by about 3.5 inches. It was too much but I was able to compensate with a curved slider pointing up. It's perfect now.

WOW!!! Awesome! I figured you were cooking up something awesome! I think I've gone from initially getting sucked into this world by the V20c, then shifting towards the S40, and now I am focusing in on a "speedy" Q45 like you have done. Thanks for sharing!!

Is there anything preventing swapping the fork out with something more supple/light?

 

[Black Hawk Down]

I still like the V20 and plan to get mine back on the road, but for touring the modified Q45 is the best I can come up with. I'm pretty happy with it. It seems a shame that Cruzbike doesn't sell the frame separately. I got lucky and bought a used frame in perfect condition.

 

[Gofer]

Very nice looking Q-45 .What is your gearing on it ?Front chainring , cassette etc

 

[Gofer]

I just found the information thanks

 

[Black Hawk Down]

Is there anything preventing swapping the fork out with something more supple/light?

I don't see why not, but this is a question for @Robert Holler

 

[chicorider]

WOW!!! Awesome! I figured you were cooking up something awesome! I think I've gone from initially getting sucked into this world by the V20c, then shifting towards the S40, and now I am focusing in on a "speedy" Q45 like you have done. Thanks for sharing!!

Is there anything preventing swapping the fork out with something more supple/light?

It would be worth asking Robert for the definitive word about swapping in a softer fork, but here is my understanding: the Q45 and S40 share the same front ends--fork, chainstay, boom, slider, and headtube. The Q fork might come with a longer steerer tube to accommodate the more upright seat angle, but otherwise I believe that the Q and S forks are the same. The only other option would be an older stock V20 fork with QR dropouts, which might ride a little softer (but maybe not--it's still aluminum). It would have a shorter (maybe too short) steerer tube, and the the narrower crown would limit you to about 28c road tires, which on a Q45, would probably not be ideal. The V20c fork does have a smoother ride, but the same tire size limitations apply, and the fork's steerer tube is tapered, so it would not fit inside the Q45's straight headtube. (Also, to use a V20c fork, you'd need the whole V20c front end, which is probably pretty pricey, if it's even available, and the boom/slider angles would be super funky on anything but a V20c frame).

 

[Black Hawk Down]

My experience with Cruzbike forks is I replaced the V20 fork with an S40 fork. There was lots of confusion on my part as to which bearings to use, but Robert straightened me out. It worked fine. Now that I have a Q45, I'm putting the V20 fork back on the bike and will make the V20 back into a light road bike.

 

[SteveY]

I assume you meant "Ventist". Damn spell checker,

I did the same as you and it helped but didn't eliminate the recumbutt. I add extra cushion inside the ventist. I find that Yoga mat material works well. But, after many seats, cushions, orientations, I found no suitable solution for the S40. I took the seat off the S40 (Thor carrier) and put it on the V20 and it's like heaven to ride. I can do 100 miles without any pain and the Thor seat has you sitting up higher so it's easy to look around comfortably, but slower. I'm moving the same seat to the Q45. I turned the seat post around 180 deg and am mounting it as low in the back as possible, using molding plastic. I also use molding plastic to mount the seat clamps in the front to avoid the Thor ribs. I'm hoping to get an angle close to what I get on the V20. I'm not done yet, but when I finish, I'll take photos and add a thread in the Q45 forum to help others.

I get recumbutt using the ventist. I got it used so that may be a factor. But I can ride forever on the Cruzbike seat comfortably.

 

[Black Hawk Down]

I get recumbutt using the ventist. I got it used so that may be a factor. But I can ride forever on the Cruzbike seat comfortably.

My recumbutt was severe. I worked on a solution for many months and hundreds of dollars. Nothing worked. The only solution for me was to reduce the angle. Doing that, it didn't matter what seat or cushion I used, no recumbutt. I did this recently on my Q45 and it's a joy to ride.

 

[roadhog]

This my take on luggage.The racks are standard racks the front slightly modified.The small bags hold everything heavy

 

[Black Hawk Down]

This my take on luggage.The racks are standard racks the front slightly modified.The small bags hold everything heavy

I'm surprised at how low the bags are in the back. Are you using the CruzBike racks? I wanted mine to be lower but I couldn't find a way to do it. If you have a close up photo of the back rack, I wouldn't mind seeing it. Here's mine:



I have my seat lowered substantially and had to jury rig the rack, so that may explain the difference.

 

[roadhog]

I am using this type of rack. On an unsuspended bike a rack that isn't cantilevered makes better sense. Will obviously not work on yours.

 

[Black Hawk Down]

I' m using this type of rack. On an unsuspended bike a rack that isn't cantilevered makes better sense. Will obviously not work on yours.

I didn't notice that the bike was unsuspended. Wish I could use that rack. I have half a mind to replace the shock with an aluminum bar or tube. Don't really need it.

 

[Animal494]

I have half a mind to replace the shock with an aluminum bar or tube. Don't really need it.

Interesting idea. With a spacer shorter than the shock, it could adjust seat angle as well as head tube angle (handling), no?