S40 Build Notes

[Doug Kline]

If you're going to build your S40 with rim brakes, you need to know that the S40 takes long reach rim brakes. This is to allow for larger tires. Looks like 57mm should work. Something like TRP RG957 or Shimano BR-R650 should work.



I was going to build my S40 with rim brakes, but got tripped up on this one. Standard reach brakes like SRAM Force won't work. I have two sets of wheels, disc and rim, so I swapped the disc set up from my V20 and put the Force calibers on the V20. Unfortunately, SRAM Force only works on the lower V20 brake mount, so that means my nice new Moose bag has to go on the shelf

 

[Doug Kline]

The S40 frame has plenty of clearance for a rear disc rotor. This photo shows a 140mm rotor. That was the largest that fit on my V20.



The disc brakes went on the same as my write up over on the V20 thread, except no filing was needed and there is plenty of room for a larger rotor.
http://cruzbike.com/forum/threads/a...ront-wheel-of-new-v20.8335/page-2#post-133690

 

[Doug Kline]

If you are going to attach bottle cages under the seat, the cable routing out of the hydroformed frame has an interesting placement.



I haven't figured out my seat yet, but I won't be putting cages on the seat. I just don't have the needed shoulder dexterity. I'll either put them on the headrest or stick with using a Camelbak.

 

[Doug Kline]

Another note on the seat. There are attachment wings further up the seat which were not on my V20. That should make the seat very stable. And the seat has holes in it to access the Perez clamp without taking the seat off. That improvement will greatly aid in adjusting your headrest.

A quick measurement has the seat about 2.5 inches (6.3cm) higher off the ground than my V20 and my eyes are positioned about 6 inches (15 cm) higher than my V20 with a Thor seat. Your mileage will vary.

 

[Eric Winn]

There are attachment wings further up the seat

That is a good idea. I'm guessing because the seat back angle is more upright. I think there will be a tendency to lean your upper torso toward the side of the seat during certain maneuvers. Those extra horns would certainly help to stabilize the upper seat better.

-Eric

 

[Doug Kline]

The same size TerraCycle flag mount works on the S40 as the V20. With the higher seat stay angle you just have to put one clamp up and one clamp down.

TerraCycle Flag Mount http://t-cycle.com/purple-sky-flags...es-c-131_135/terracycle-flag-mount-p-310.html
Pole size: 1/4 inch
Clamp size: 3/4 inch on Vendetta V20 and Silvo S40
Weight: 51 grams

 

[Jeremy S]

If you are going to attach bottle cages under the seat, the cable routing out of the hydroformed frame has an interesting placement.

Hm, that doesn't look good. Is there room to move the bottle cages higher up on the seat and out of the way (by drilling more holes)?

 

[Doug Kline]

Is there room to move the bottle cages higher up on the seat and out of the way (by drilling more holes)?

Yes, that could be done. Curiously enough, there is also a cable housing exit on the right side of the frame that is lower down. You could run the housing there and zip tie it away from the wheel on the crossover.

 

[ratz]

These will solve the problem. https://www.amazon.com/Jagwire-Alloy-Stick-Guides-C-Clips/dp/B004EDIJUC as long as you stick them to the frame 24 hours before using they stay put. Use them to go up the frame behind the bottle holder and then make a look to enter the break from above.

The lower opening is for the lower brake mount the higher is for the higher brake mount.

 

[Doug Kline]

A couple improvements I really really like are the handlebars and chainstay attachment to the boom. The new Cruzbike handlebar has a nice flat area to pull on, gives good knee clearance, and most importantly I can set up the SRAM Force brifters so when I lay the bike down it is not on the brifters. Expect to see these improvements coming to a V20 near you.

Sorry about the messy workshop. Now that the kids are out of the house I temporarily took over a room, but I'm liking having an out-of-the-way space so much that I think I'll clean it up and make a permanent bike workshop away from the mosquitoes in the garage. How's that for luxury?




For the record, that is not the actual S40 seat. The post office still has the S40 cushion set coming, so I've been playing with my old V20 seat (which was replaced by a Thor G Sport seat). The actual S40 seat is very similar, but has additional holes for the high mount and accessing the Perez clamp. Just thought I should clarify.

 

[tiltmaniac]

For the standard seat, I'm sure the top-wings-extension-brace things are a good idea.
For an aftermarket seat, they're going to be problematic.

It would be awesome if the wings were bolt-on in general, honestly.

 

[Doug Kline]

I think I have the boom length set up the way I want it, so I went ahead and cabled the front derailleur, but found a gotcha to watch out for. The front derailleur cable pulley holder was on backwards placing the pulley too far over from the cable stop. Fixed that and it is shifting nicely.

 

[Winded Lowrider]

Doug Kline:

I really appreciate your reply!

hmm....mine looks like the "wrong side" picture. How did you determine what was the correct assembly? The cable angle looks more extreme in the current "wrong" configuration. Makes sense that moving the pulley 2-3mm over would improve/smooth out cable travel...

Exactly how did you fix it?

 

[Doug Kline]

Doug Kline:

I really appreciate your reply!

hmm....mine looks like the "wrong side" picture. How did you determine what was the correct assembly? The cable angle looks more extreme in the current "wrong" configuration. Makes sense that moving the pulley 2-3mm over would improve/smooth out cable travel...

Exactly how did you fix it?

I have two working V20's in the house to compare against. To fix, I had to pull my crank off to get to it, then it is just a hex bolt. Note that the plastic pulley has one side bigger than the other. You'll want the larger size on the outside.

 

[Winded Lowrider]

Wow! Thanks!
I think I can get at it if I just take off the chainrings...its a project that will have to wait until after my son's baseball tournament.

Stay tuned

 

[Doug Kline]

I think I have this S40 just about all dialed in, ready for the 100 miler in the North Carolina mountains on Saturday (Hot Doggett 100). I have to say I love this bike right out of the gate. It's stable, I can start easily from a stop, and it is easy to look around. I think my eyes are placed about 6 inches higher than on my V20 setup. I'll give a better assessment after I get more miles on it, but right now I'm very happy.



I switched the seat over to a Thor Easy GS size large. In the end I didn't spend much time on the stock seat, but you can't judge yourself based on me. I have some lingering shoulder issues and had surgery on both of them this past winter. The Thor seat has a nice surface area and supports my shoulders quite nicely which also holds my head up. Right now I'm thinking that I'm not going to need a headrest any more than in a car. I guess I won't fully know until after my first long ride. As a bonus, the Thor Easy GS size large with #1069 Ventisit Comfort Pad is 100 grams lighter than the stock seat, extension, headrest, clamp, and cushions. But if I have to add a ADEM 2C headrest, that would be 250 grams and tip the scales back to Cruzbike. The bike without water, bags, lights, and computer, but with the Garmin mount, front light mount, and mirror weighed in just under 25 lbs (11.3kg) for my configuration with mountain gearing. Long reach TRP RG957 rim brakes would have been 1.5 pounds (700g) lighter than the TRP Hy/Rd set up, but I didn't wait for them to arrive and went ahead and put on the disc brakes. Had I used rim brakes, this bike would be about 6.5 lbs (3kg) heavier than my high end Ridley Helium SL bike. So that's the cost of a comfortable ride, 6.5 pounds. While I might not like the extra 1.5 pounds on the big climbs, I'm sure I'll like them on the backside of the mountain.

And I Velcro'd on a 3 liter Camelbak Stowaway for convenient water access.

I will say that to do a seat mod, you have to trim the four mounting wings. Taking a hack saw to a new frame is not for the faint of heart. But once they are trimmed back, the Thor Easy GS size large fit the contour very nicely and I could still use the mounting wings to securely anchor the seat.

Surface area comparison:

 

[joy]

My frame is supposed to arrive next Monday. Can't wait!
UPDATED to Friday!!! Of course my wheels won't be in, but we can begin!

 

[ak-tux]

View attachment 5031

drooling ! I Wish! I wish! I wish!

 

[Doug Kline]

I took the new S40 over to the North Carolina mountains to do the 100 mile, 10,000 ft of climb Hot Doggett. The bike was great, the engine not so much. This is easily the best descending bike I've ever had, but that statement is conflating bikes and rim vs. disc brakes. This is the first time I've had disc brakes in the mountains and although I was lamenting the extra weight, these are so much safer than rim brakes. The S40 gives me a commanding view of the road to avoid obstacles and pick a line, it handles very nicely around switch backs, and just generally felt very stable. My top speed was 47.8 mph before I said enough and scrubbed off some speed. I really like not having to brake until right before the curve. On my Ridley Helium SL I'd descend down in my drops so I could get enough leverage on the brake levers and had to keep pumping the rim brakes. Sitting up with a low center of gravity is a much more stable feeling position and I very much enjoyed descending with the S40 over that pro peloton bike.

About the engine. I only made 79 miles with 7000 ft of climb and had to SAG. In my defense I was 8 days into a 10 day antibiotic course for crud in my lungs and last weekend I was winded walking up the stairs. Miracle drugs for sure, but not miracle enough to get me all 100 miles. I enjoyed riding this on climbs more than my V20. Clearly the more leverage the S40 gives me allows me to sprint up short hills faster than my V20, but I can't bench-press all the way up a mountain. So as far as assessing performance on a long climb, I'll have to wait for a better day.

My only negative on this was that the higher seat angle put more weight on my tush, right where the Thor Easy GS seat turns up. Made me a bit sore, nothing like on a DF, but sore. I've done many centuries on my V20 with a Thor GS seat without feeling any pain.

 

[Mathew Fy]

I took the new S40 over to the North Carolina mountains to do the 100 mile, 10,000 ft of climb Hot Doggett. The bike was great, the engine not so much. This is easily the best descending bike I've ever had, but that statement is conflating bikes and rim vs. disc brakes. This is the first time I've had disc brakes in the mountains and although I was lamenting the extra weight, these are so much safer than rim brakes. The S40 gives me a commanding view of the road to avoid obstacles and pick a line, it handles very nicely around switch backs, and just generally felt very stable. My top speed was 47.8 mph before I said enough and scrubbed off some speed. I really like not having to brake until right before the curve. On my Ridley Helium SL I'd descend down in my drops so I could get enough leverage on the brake levers and had to keep pumping the rim brakes. Sitting up with a low center of gravity is a much more stable feeling position and I very much enjoyed descending with the S40 over that pro peloton bike.

About the engine. I only made 79 miles with 7000 ft of climb and had to SAG. In my defense I was 8 days into a 10 day antibiotic course for crud in my lungs and last weekend I was winded walking up the stairs. Miracle drugs for sure, but not miracle enough to get me all 100 miles. I enjoyed riding this on climbs more than my V20. Clearly the more leverage the S40 gives me allows me to sprint up short hills faster than my V20, but I can't bench-press all the way up a mountain. So as far as assessing performance on a long climb, I'll have to wait for a better day.

My only negative on this was that the higher seat angle put more weight on my tush, right where the Thor Easy GS seat turns up. Made me a bit sore, nothing like on a DF, but sore. I've done many centuries on my V20 with a Thor GS seat without feeling any pain.

You need to become a Cherohala Dragon Slayer and make us proud! I wish I had that much power and stamina.
https://ridewithgps.com/trips/5221828