S40 as a town bike?

[Vulcanelli]

I am wondering if anyone uses the S40 for their bike for town errands. My only bike is a Trek and I am on on it usually every day a few times to ride into town to do my shopping with my two panniers on the back. The other end of town is about 3 miles one way and I just cant do it anymore without my 60+ year old hands going numb. I would like to get an S40 and use it for my town bike and I am just wondering how it would do with stop and go traffic and how much a problem parking is.

 

[Leif]

I use mine for errands all the time! Works great!

https://forum.cruzbike.com/threads/s40-wow.11984/page-5#post-150492

 

[Frito Bandito]

That would be on heck of a grocery getter. An S40 with panniers and a scarab bag would be a really nice upgrade.

 

[DavidCH]

S40 converted to a trike could carry a bigger grocery bag and you could give it 3000 watts

 

[bladderhead]

Silvio is the best town-bike a recumbent can be. Recumbents cannot do bunny-hops up kerbs. Some types of lock are really awkward with a recumbent. If your Trek has a hub-gear you will miss that. I have a Grasshopper, but I did most of my shopping on my Silvio. I overstuffed the Silvio's bag until the zip burst. I hung bags on the handlebars. Even though my Grasshopper's panniers are the biggest in the world. Once you learn to ride it you will be almost able to do track-stands. Commuting is the best way to learn to handle a bike. Once I get my S40's tyres sorted out the Grasshopper will go back into retirement.

 

[paco1961]

My S40 is a do everything Bike. Tubular head rest installed upside down w a Velcro bungee is perfect for a run out for a bag of bagels, delivering a package to the post or throw a plastic milk crate on the back for a few groceries. But it also works great for gravel rides, rails to trails or road rides when the surface is too bad for 25mm rubber. With fat, knobby tires it is great for a snowy winter ride on golf course paths.

 

[chicorider]

While I don't have my S40 anymore, it was a great town/errand/run-around bike.

 

[benphyr]

While I don't have my S40 anymore, it was a great town/errand/run-around bike.

Hey everyone, how do you lock up your s40? I usually try to bring my bike in but I have run into people not wanting to let the bike in and the s40 is significantly bigger than my small mtb conversion and my qx100.

 

[Mathew Fy]

how do you lock up your s40?

Here’s the lock I carry on my V and my S.
https://forum.cruzbike.com/threads/tigr-mini-bike-lock.12430/#post-146083
https://cruzbike.com/collections/all-products/products/tigr-mini-lock

 

[McWheels]

I reckon my commuter would also cheerfully be the town bike if I needed a town bike. I live in small village and there's not very far to the other end or the corner shop. Work's 25 miles away which is really what it's for. Were I to carry more weight, I'd probably get a wider rack to add a rack-top-bag, and the under-seat rack to take more bags.

20200929_1232252

• McWheels
• Jan 9, 2021

 

[3bs]

My t 50 on 406 wheelset is a total city bike easy stops starts smaller very upright very tossable.
Like a mini velo.

 

[Vulcanelli]

Thanks for the replies and I think it will work for me. It looks like parking and locking up will be the biggest challenge and maybe crossing railroad tracks while not being able to transfer my weight from the seat to the feet.

I have in my cart a complete S40, a standard rear rack for pannier and a ventisit since I had one on my Performer recumbent and like it. I am wondering if ordering the ventisit replaces the cruzbike seat or if that comes regardless. Seems like a waste to get the standard seat when I getting the ventist.

Also, I am not on fire for the Cruzbike mirrors. They look OK, but any suggestion for other mirrors?

I am also thinking of a new helmet with built in visor. Somehow my old helmet seems out of place with this beauty.

 

[Frito Bandito]

Spy Zefal. It is adjustable and attaches via a silicon band so I can more it around on the bars. My bar ends have TT shifters so I can't put a mirror there now, but if I switched back to brifters on flared bars then I would consider a bar end mirror on the side that cars approach from, or maybe even Magyver a small mirror onto the inside part of the brifter so it won't get knocked off.

 

[cpml123]

I have the B&M mirrors on my Q45. I don't like them... not wide enough angle and so so quality for the high price.

I have these mirrors on my S40. https://www.rei.com/product/188637/dd-oberlauda-ultralite-bike-mirror. I like them better. Wide angle and clear image. Also very light.

 

[McWheels]

...I have in my cart a complete S40, a standard rear rack for pannier ....

Is that the Cruzbike rear rack? If so all is well. If it's a generic rear rack, then be aware the fittings aren't easy to fettle into place. I ended up using some M5 connector nuts to get around the shape of the frame castings.

20200818_122643

• McWheels
• Aug 18, 2020

Rack spaced out with M5 10mm connector nuts

 

[chicorider]

Ditto on the Zefal Spy mirrors. I have one on each side and they work well without being in the way.

 

[Vulcanelli]

Ok, I pulled the trigger and my S40 is, as they say, in the pipe 5x5 (never did understand what that means) as are the spy mirrors.

Having come this far I would be remiss not to consider a new helmet and risk a comment like, "Dude, nice bike, but your helmet sucks". I have been considering one with a detachable lens because I am not big on sunglasses and having an integrated lens would be one less thing to track.

The Giro Vanquish looks good although pricey. I am wondering if anyone has tried the Dux Helm helmets on sale now for $106. I called them for information and no one answered and no answer message. I also emailed and got no reply. Not a good sign. Regardless, I am also wondering why there are internal and external versions.