Seat angle

[elg]

I'm trying to decide between a Quest and a Sofrider. I really like the idea of the disk brakes that the Quest has, but I have one concern. Every picture that I've seen has the Quest seat more upright than the seat on the Sofrider. Is that an accurate assessment, or are the ranges of the seat angles pretty much the same on the two bikes?

Thanks,

Ed

 

[JonB]

elg wrote: I'm trying to decide between a Quest and a Sofrider. I really like the idea of the disk brakes that the Quest has, but I have one concern. Every picture that I've seen has the Quest seat more upright than the seat on the Sofrider. Is that an accurate assessment, or are the ranges of the seat angles pretty much the same on the two bikes?

I have a freerider with a disk brake in front. It is VERY efficient, do not squeeze too hard, or you will fly over. As for the rear wheel brake, it doesnt do much, and it is very easy to block the wheel and skid.

 

[John Zabriskie]

I've got the seat back angle on my Quest 559 set @ 45° (like the Silvio's). This can be lowered some more, probably down to about 40°, but my wife complains about it being too laid back (she prefers 48-50°). You can also reverse the seat mounting tube 180° to get even lower angles. See the discussion on this thread <http://www.cruzbike.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=2337>. The only problem is on the Q559 -- you may get tire rub during large rear suspension movement, since rotating the seat mounting tube reduces tire clearance to less than 2-inches.

I also have a demo V2.2 Sofrider with the seat also set @ 45° (to match the Silvio). You have a bit wider range of adjustment, than with the Quest. I don't feel comfortable below 35° though. To get severe recline angles you'll have to use a bent seat post.

I use the Q559 as a commuter bike. It feels a bit more maneuverable than the Sofrider in traffic. I really like the 3 x 9 drivetrain; the spacing between gears is very comfortable. The spacing on the Sofrider feels a bit wider & is actually, since it's only a 2 x 8. The brakes on either bike stop very well. The disks are a bit noisier, though. Finally, I feel more "in" the bike with the Quest compared to the Sofrider, since the seat height is about 3-inches lower.

 

[elg]

John,

Thank you for the very detailed information. That's exactly the kind of things I was hoping to learn to help me choose between the two bikes.

Any more Sofrider vs. Quest info would, of course, be welcome.

Ed

 

[defjack]

Heres my Quest 451 and Silvio no butt pain on either of these bikes. Jack

 

[elg]

Thank you for the pictures. That helps a lot to clarify things. The pic does raise one more question. I notice that the handlebars are much further forward on the Quest than the Silvio. I think they may be further forward than on the Sofrider as well. Has it proven to be a problem to have to hold your arms that far forward?

Thanks,

Ed

 

[elg]

John,

I hope you are still checking the thread. I read the comment thread that you linked to, and it has great info. Thank you for all your work in testing the adjustments of the Quest.

I'm wondering about the possibility of replacing the seat support tube with a straight one. It seems as though the bent support prevents setting the seat angle to sometwhere between 47 degrees and 29 degrees that might be optimal. I guess that more holes would be needed in the bracket on the back of the seat, or perhaps a redesign of that bracket for continuous adjustment.

 

[John Tolhurst]

Could be viable to drop a straight matching diameter seat tube in there, with a binding bolt and seat rails, similar to how the sofrider seat is done. Not tested yet as far as I know.

 

[John Zabriskie]

Ed, I've thought about different ways of getting the seat angle more reclined without the tire interference. The stock seat mounting tube has about a 15° bend. I have an idea for a triple mounting setup with positions at 10°, 5° & 0°. I was also going to see if I could trick up a quick release, also. I don't know when I'll get to actually building it. Currently, I'm developing some prototypes of a rear disk brake mounting bracket for putting Avid disk brakes on the back of the Freerider/Sofrider/V2k frames.

Back to riding impressions: The Sofrider is very comfortable to ride, as is the Quest. The suspension travel on the front fork of the Sofrider is a bit more than on the Quest. The 26 x 1.5 Kenda Kwests are a pretty good tire for the Sofrider, but since they're heavier than the 26 x 1's fitted to the Quest, you can feel the difference in rotating mass when you try to accelerate. Also realize that the Sofrider will handle a much wider range of tires & wheels sizes than the Quest. With the Quest you are limited to 26 x 1.25 as a maximum. Nanda has built up some fairly wide tired 406 rims for one of his clients to tour on.

I'm currently building up a Freerider with some 700C x 28 Gatorskins, Vuelta XRP pro wheels & a 2 x 8 drivetrain. I'm anticipating a very quick ride. I've also got a version for a very overweight friend of mine with some 26 x 2.3 K-rads & a 3 x 9 drivetrain. If you convert the Sofrider to disk brakes, you can swap wheels with abandon, even putting the 406 rims on.

The steering feels a little bit quicker on the Quest, probably since the steering angle (unloaded) is about 72° compared to 68° on the Sofrider, in addition to the narrower tires. Although the Quest has steering with more "reach" than the Sofrider, they're both comfortable. However, I prefer the slightly stretched feel of the Quest. [When I did the Vendetta layback mods on the Quest, I reversed the steering stem 180° & lowered it 2". Then, I could comfortably reach the steering at the 29° seat angle. BTW, the aero advantages are very nice with this setup.]

The other thing I prefer about the Quest is the rear suspension; when stock it's a bit better at damping out the chip seal vibrations. To get a similar response on the Sofrider, I found I had to install an air shock & play with the spring rate.

 

[elg]

Thanks for more great info on Quest vs. Sofrider. I'm trying to decide between the two for purchase in mid-June. The main use that I want to put the bike to is commuting. It's only about 20 minutes each way with one fairly steep hill, down in the AM and up in the PM (unlike my youth in MT, where it was always uphill both ways through the snow, but I digress).

I really appreciate your insights about the two bikes. I'm switching from a DF road bike that now pains my aging back and neck. I want better ergonomics, but I can't bring myself to sit straight up and be a drag-chute after feeling the difference that riding low over dropped bars makes. The wind profile of a recumbent seems like the best way to go and the Cruzbike seems like an inspired recumbent.

From all that you've said, it seems like I should look most at the Quest 559. I'll be continuing to investigate. Again, the benefit of your experience and wisdom is very much appreciated.

Ed

 

[John Zabriskie]

Re: Seat angle - correction

Correction: I've received word that the specs for both the Sofrider & Quest forks are identical [meaning travel & spring rate]; it's just the fork length which differs. Apparently, what I'm feeling is the difference in tires.

 

[H in OH]

Re: Seat angle - How high can you go?

Great posts about how low you can go with the seat angle. Now, what about the opposite? How upright can the seat back reasonably go on a Quest 451? I have neck pain issues with reclined seats. It would be easy to set up a test with another bike for any stated angle to see if it is upright enough to avoid those neck pain issues.

Thanks.
---H

 

[John Zabriskie]

My wife like a more upright seat angle on her Q451, since she's inexperienced. It's set at approx. 60° (57°if I recall correctly.) This gives me glute burn (recumbent butt) in about 20 minutes. However, if I recline the seat to less than 50°, there is no problem.

 

[8253761]

feedback

Great info
Many thanks
The abilty to adjust the seat in the Quest was an important factor in my decision to purchase this model.
Whilst I acknowledge the advantges of the Silvio (700 wheels, speed etc) and prefer the way the handlebars are set up, I would certainly need to do a trial before I upgraded to that model.

 

[Romagjack]

I went with the Quest 2 559

I went with the Quest 2 559 and have no regrets. The IGH is great for commuting - especially for those quick, unexpected stops in traffic. When in high gear, it's so simple to "flick" into low gear with your thumb from a dead stop. I was always caught in the wrong gear with the all derailleur system on my conversion bike. The disk brakes on my Quest are silent and wonderful - I will not go back to cantilevers. I, too, have flipped the the steering stem 180 degrees like John for shorter arm reach - I like my arms hanging straight down for a more relaxed feel. I've done quite a few 75 - 100 mile rides without back or butt pain (after 2 lumbar fusions). I can cruise all day at 15 - 17 mph. For me, it is a very well designed and adjustable bike.