Sofrider
- Thread starter milcrow
- Start date
Stay tuned regarding this
Stay tuned regarding this subject for good things to come both interim and long term.
Have to to disagree with the steep learning curve however. Cruzbikes are as easy to ride as you believe them to be. ;-)
Robert
Stay tuned regarding this subject for good things to come both interim and long term.
Have to to disagree with the steep learning curve however. Cruzbikes are as easy to ride as you believe them to be. ;-)
Robert
Charles.Plager
Recumbent Quant
Hi,It's a good question with
Hi,
It's a good question with well reasoned points. I'll be interested to find out the answer.
Cheers,
Charles
Added: I agree with Robert below about the steep learning curve. If you don't tell people it's difficult, they have a tendency to jump on and ride after a little bit of instruction.
p.s. Cruzbike is a small company where they have to pay attention to survive and thrive. Just because they don't always do what I think works best doesn't mean they aren't doing the right thing.
Hi,
It's a good question with well reasoned points. I'll be interested to find out the answer.
Cheers,
Charles
Added: I agree with Robert below about the steep learning curve. If you don't tell people it's difficult, they have a tendency to jump on and ride after a little bit of instruction.
p.s. Cruzbike is a small company where they have to pay attention to survive and thrive. Just because they don't always do what I think works best doesn't mean they aren't doing the right thing.
milcrow
New Member
Easy but not Immediate
While I agree that most riders can master a CruzBike within a few hours, most cyclists cannot immediately test ride one with no previous experience.
This is why I am very excited about the TTRIKE Project!
While I agree that most riders can master a CruzBike within a few hours, most cyclists cannot immediately test ride one with no previous experience.
This is why I am very excited about the TTRIKE Project!
milcrow
New Member
"Model T" of Recumbents
I agree with Charles about protecting the company first, but I have a feeling that a revolution is coming.
Cycle commuting is the fastest growing segment of the cycling market, and for that application CruzBike is king. The Sofrider is an urban traffic warhorse...incredibly rugged and easy to maintain, yet fast enough to run in rush hour (which I do twice on a daily basis). The low price and standardized parts make it more economical than any other recumbent on the market (and many of the better uprights).
I try to get the word out, but there is much stigma around bents, with the typical RWD recumbent's unusual parts and drive train performance issues. If more commuters could try CruzBikes, I think we would finally see a significant shift away from early 20th Century bicycle geometry.
I agree with Charles about protecting the company first, but I have a feeling that a revolution is coming.
Cycle commuting is the fastest growing segment of the cycling market, and for that application CruzBike is king. The Sofrider is an urban traffic warhorse...incredibly rugged and easy to maintain, yet fast enough to run in rush hour (which I do twice on a daily basis). The low price and standardized parts make it more economical than any other recumbent on the market (and many of the better uprights).
I try to get the word out, but there is much stigma around bents, with the typical RWD recumbent's unusual parts and drive train performance issues. If more commuters could try CruzBikes, I think we would finally see a significant shift away from early 20th Century bicycle geometry.
MrSteve
Zen MBB Master
I Hope Not
If our collective conservative bicycling mindset evolves and FWD MBB
?becomes mainstream, then my position as one of the top local recumbent
hillclimbers will be threatened.
No thank you.
Please, don't tell everyone you meet how wonderful your Cruzbike is.
Just blow their doors off quietly.
I'm comfortable ruling my little world, in the seat of my hot-rodded V1 Cruzbike Sofrider.
Shhhhh....
-Steve
If our collective conservative bicycling mindset evolves and FWD MBB
?becomes mainstream, then my position as one of the top local recumbent
hillclimbers will be threatened.
No thank you.
Please, don't tell everyone you meet how wonderful your Cruzbike is.
Just blow their doors off quietly.
I'm comfortable ruling my little world, in the seat of my hot-rodded V1 Cruzbike Sofrider.
Shhhhh....
-Steve
milcrow
New Member
But these marvels are also used for transportation...
Haha, Steve. The number of urban cyclists in Houston has increased at least five-fold since I gave up my auto ten years ago. Houston is an ideal city for cycle commuting because it is completely flat and it never gets too cold or too hot to safely ride. That said, way too many people in Houston drive oversized autos for trivial reasons, and that makes for dangerous cycling conditions.
We need more people on bicycles. Trying to sell the average commuter on a wedgie is tough. Trying to sell them on a RWD recumbent is tougher (particularly since the average recumbent height is only slightly higher than the wheel diameter of the average redneck Texas pickup). I could care less about hipsters or lances and their anachronistic ways. I want to give miserable, frustrated drivers better choices before they kill me.
Haha, Steve. The number of urban cyclists in Houston has increased at least five-fold since I gave up my auto ten years ago. Houston is an ideal city for cycle commuting because it is completely flat and it never gets too cold or too hot to safely ride. That said, way too many people in Houston drive oversized autos for trivial reasons, and that makes for dangerous cycling conditions.
We need more people on bicycles. Trying to sell the average commuter on a wedgie is tough. Trying to sell them on a RWD recumbent is tougher (particularly since the average recumbent height is only slightly higher than the wheel diameter of the average redneck Texas pickup). I could care less about hipsters or lances and their anachronistic ways. I want to give miserable, frustrated drivers better choices before they kill me.
HubbsCruzbike
New Member
I just want to put in another vote for an entry-level CruzBike. If not a Sofrider, then something else for us non-competitive riders.
I'd love to see a replacement for the Sofrider which has no suspension, but has room for lower pressure, wide tires (42 - 55 mm) and full fenders. Jan Heine and Bicycle Quarterly are pretty effectively showing that wide tires with supple sidewalls can be even faster, and safer, than narrow, high pressure tires in most situations. The bike would be simpler and have a traditional rear rack. It would have seat braces and an adjustable seat angle. I wonder whether such a bike could be built for a similar price to the Sofrider.
But what do I know? I've never ever ridden a Cruzbike! I just like what I'm seeing from the company.
But what do I know? I've never ever ridden a Cruzbike! I just like what I'm seeing from the company.
craniac
New Member
I was poised to buy a Sofrider but I'm currently overseas and won't return to the states until July. I think they were so competitively priced that they were competing against the Quest and higher end bikes. Unfortunately I have a 49" X-seam so would have to find the extended nose piece as well.
thwaters
Member
In 2008, while visiting my son and his wife in North Carolina, I called the Cruzbike number and Maria Parker answered. I had been reading about the Cruzbike Softrider and Freerider for about a year. I had never ridden a recumbent. I wanted to ride one. She said Halley's in Fayetteville had one, and I drove from Wilmington to try it out. I had read of several others' attempts on the Cruzbike website. The lady in the bike shop was reluctant to let a 62-year old "try" to ride it. She had not ridden it! She tried to get me started in 6th gear. Finally, shifting down to 2nd gear, I had limited success, and got rolling. I knew if I could stay up, I was going to buy it! A few minutes later, I was making stops and starts, though wobbly. Once I got it home, and unboxed and set up, it only took a few rides to begin to get comfortable, but not THAT difficult! About 100 miles and three weeks later, I was quite comfortable. The difference was my mind was pretty much made up ahead of time -- to make it happen! It is a great entry-level bike/commuter bike. When teaching, I rode it almost everyday about 4 miles each way to school and back. The kids loved it! Put about 12,000 miles on it since; mostly just short trips. Now retired, I want to set it up for touring. Cruzbike certainly needs a good entry-level/commuter bike that can also be equipped for touring; hope a newer version arrives soon!
milcrow
New Member
I'm confident that the team is working on a truly impressive entry-level commuter/touring bike with real all-road capability.
Per Kavman's comment, I've found that wide tires are essential for urban commuting. I run 1.35" (34mm) Schwalbe Marathons (max 95 psi) w/ Rhinodillo liners, simply because road tires cannot endure all the potholes, broken glass, metal shards and everything else that typical industrial streets throw at them. My only issue with my Sofrider it that the back wheel can slide out from under me when riding over mud slicks, wet metal or wet wood (all surprisingly common riding surfaces in Houston). I would love TTrike wheels for riding in heavy rain.
Per Kavman's comment, I've found that wide tires are essential for urban commuting. I run 1.35" (34mm) Schwalbe Marathons (max 95 psi) w/ Rhinodillo liners, simply because road tires cannot endure all the potholes, broken glass, metal shards and everything else that typical industrial streets throw at them. My only issue with my Sofrider it that the back wheel can slide out from under me when riding over mud slicks, wet metal or wet wood (all surprisingly common riding surfaces in Houston). I would love TTrike wheels for riding in heavy rain.
