Take-aways from Portland retreat

AbramClark

AbramClark

Active Member
I'm starting a double purpose thread here. I'd like to see what other people got the most out of from the retreat, so others can see something they may have missed, get a new perspective, and also get a sense of what others were most interested in. The other purpose this will serve is matching up forum accounts to people I met. I'll start out:

I'm Abram who's currently in Oakland, and rode my electrified orange Quest at the retreat. The big things I'm taking away are 1. The S30 is awesome and I can't wait to own one, and 2. Not only has CruzBike made amazing progress since the humble conversion kit beginnings but its continuing to do so right now. Yes their original products are discontinued, but it's being done for good reasons, and they're in no way abandoning any part of their market. 3. CruzBike riders are amazing. My craziest and most extreme CruzBike rides are a walk in the park compared to what a few out there are doing. I'm talking about completing the Utah Hoodoo 500. And hiking in and out of the Grand Canyon carrying a Quest loaded for unsupported touring.

Small things I happen to remember now:
* Learned how to track stand a stock Quest! (and probably most Quests and Sofriders)
* Don't ever get dirt in your rims or on your tube (thanks for the awesome class Robert and all)
* The new Sram derailleur has a lockable idler spring for working with the chain
* There's a fix (an alternative for the Dia-compe lock-ring) for the Quest's headset continuously geetting loose
* How to properly adjust the front triangle on Silvios and Vandettas: loosen, make adjustments, verify fit, tighten and close quick release on axle, tighten the c-clamps on the bottom bracket with medium force, tighten the clamp above the headset with medium force, tighten the sliding boom clamp to very tight. Note the clamp above the headset especially must be kept loose for Silvios with a suspended fork, because the angle of that joint changes with the fork travel. This is all thanks to Elliot who has ridden CruzBikes for ~50k miles of unsupported tours.
* On Sofriders and Quests, use a strip of bar tape to tidy up all the cables on the riser tube above the fork. If you'd like the bike to remain adjustable and you have a front derailleur, make sure to leave its cable outside the taped bundle.
* The Sram dual drive gear hub needs to be adjusted every 500-1k miles or so. If your hub is clicking you probably simply need to remove the cable end box, and hand tighten the pin. Also this pin is replaceable, and you should cary a replacement in case the cable end-box is impacted. (thanks to Robert again!)
* Ear fuzzies! You can find or make a little fuzzy strip of fabric that velcros to your helmet strap in front of your ear. At speeds greater than 20mph this cuts wind noise dramatically from deafening to pleasant. (thanks Lief!)
 
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ratz

ratz

Wielder of the Rubber Mallet
Lief said:
Ask her if she really thinks it sucks?
or maybe, if she thinks that it just blows?
And if she can't decide or...
if she quips that "I don't knows?"
Then tell her that it turbulently flows.

(then ask her if she detests wind dynamics jokes in the form of a poem)
Click to expand...

You forget her Animee name is SwerLykeSaylr I had to pg-13 the comment

Before I compose a serious addition to this thread here's a simple one: when you have a chance to ride 100 miles with Maria, Larry , and Tom and you sprain your ankle the night before in the Cruzbike olypmics being a goof, you find ibuprofen and worry about it on the drive home. According to UCI this, take home, makes me a doper. Right leg is a little swollen thank goodness for cruise control on the long drive home
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Lief

Lief

Guru Schmuru
oh hell - I just remembered something...Elliot's pedals.
Ergon PC2 (PC2L)
They don't look like much on the site (https://goo.gl/OBuwYf) but in person they are amazing in their simplicity.
Elliot rode those up from CA with his moccasins! (who makes those shoes @marshall2389 ?)
BEST platforms ever.
 
AbramClark

AbramClark

Active Member
@Lief Elliot was wearing Soft Star Shoes. I got one pair years ago and found they wear out way too fast (like a few months), and Elliot said he had the same experience. Personally I much prefer Lem's Shoes, they're not as thin and light, but still very flexible, have 0 drop, and I've been wearing my Lem's Boulder Boots for about 3 years about every day with one 10$ repair of stitching the soles to the uppers.
 
marshall2389

marshall2389

Guru
Lief said:
oh hell - I just remembered something...Elliot's pedals.
Ergon PC2 (PC2L)
They don't look like much on the site (https://goo.gl/OBuwYf) but in person they are amazing in their simplicity.
Elliot rode those up from CA with his moccasins! (who makes those shoes @marshall2389 ?)
BEST platforms ever.
Click to expand...

I would love to recommend the Soft Star shoes but cannot. Although they are assembled in Corvallis, Oregon, make efforts to responsibly source materials, have leather tops for crash protection, and very thin soles for barefoot dynamics I cannot recommend them because they fall apart quickly and the company does not repair. They have a buy-a-new-pair policy.
The Ergon pedals are amazing. I've been riding barefoot for the past 250 miles or so and loving it. Barefoot S30 on Ergons is a religious experience. As it's just a matter of time before the next crash and I like being able to hop off the bike and walk right into a store I'm looking at these as riding/living footwear:
http://fyf.io/products/fyf?variant=544073697
They look amazing.
 
LarryOz

LarryOz

Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
Taking a break from crawling on my hands and knees installing flooring in my hall (help me - I'm on the floor and I can't get up!!), and thought I would post my take-aways from the Cruzbike weekend:
There were so many things that others have already commented on that where awesome:
Robert's "ask me anything and I'll show you how to do it on a Cruzbike" seminar - That was great.
Show and tell - all the cool things everyone has done to their Cruzbikes, from electrifying to cool bags, lights, ways to do many things, and even tennis racket covers to mount and carry stuff.
...
I think the biggest impression that I was left with was the amazing cross section of society that we had at the retreat.
We were are about as different as you could get: age, what kind of Cruzbike we rode, how we rode, where we rode, what we liked, etc, etc."
But, with one awesome thing in common that knitted us together: Our passion for cycling and our passion/love for our Cruzbike! :D
The other thing everyone had is common was just being nice, and open, and sharing, and giving! Willing to listen, question, encourage, help, coach - Such wonderful qualities!
...
I also realized that probably more so that anyone I have become very single minded in my pursuit of high speeds, racing and records that I become pretty single dimensional. :eek::oops:o_O
Training indoor on a trainer Monday - Friday, and riding on a track on Saturday, partly because of the fear of being hit on all the terrible roads around here, was all I ever do unless I am riding in a race or an event.
It is partly a sickness I suffer with - but I think we all "get into a grove" of what we do, and find it hard to deviate from it sometimes. We are creatures of habit!
..
Riding the Century on Saturday with Maria, Bob, Tanya, and Tom, and later met by Leif and Abby reminded me what a joy it is to ride with others that share your passion.
Every ride doesn't have to be an attempt at your "personal best" or to satisfy some training segment. Really - are you sure???!!!! Gee what a revelation! ;)
...
In short I was reminded to take a step back and smell the roses, and I'll try and do that more often where I am at.
Thanks again all my Cruzbike friends (old and new) for reminding me of that!

And thanks Maria, Jim (sorry you couldn't be there), Lucia, and Genevieve Parker, (also Robert and Jacob) for the awesome idea, plan, place and everything!!
It was GREAT, and I can't wait until next year!
 
RojoRacing

RojoRacing

Donut Powered Wise-guy
LarryOz said:
I also realized that probably more so that anyone I have become very single minded in my pursuit of high speeds, racing and records that I become pretty single dimensional. :eek::oops:o_O
Training indoor on a trainer Monday - Friday, and riding on a track on Saturday, partly because of the fear of being hit on all the terrible roads around here, was all I ever do unless I am riding in a race or an event.
It is partly a sickness I suffer with - but I think we all "get into a grove" of what we do, and find it hard to deviate from it sometimes. We are creatures of habit!
..
Riding the Century on Saturday with Maria, Bob, Tanya, and Tom, and later met by Leif and Abby reminded me what a joy it is to ride with others that share your passion.
Every ride doesn't have to be an attempt at your "personal best" or to satisfy some training segment. Really - are you sure???!!!! Gee what a revelation! ;)
...
In short I was reminded to take a step back and smell the roses, and I'll try and do that more often where I am at.
Thanks again all my Cruzbike friends (old and new) for reminding me of that!

And thanks Maria, Jim (sorry you couldn't be there), Lucia, and Genevieve Parker, (also Robert and Jacob) for the awesome idea, plan, place and everything!!
It was GREAT, and I can't wait until next year!
Click to expand...

Sounds like you have stumbled onto my secret to success. Over all my years of racing the one thing that's remained the same is never becoming rigid in my approach to cycling running or racing. I contribute my race day success to my loose way of thinking on a daily basis which leaves your mind unweighted and positive for race day. Make more friends(fast friends) and do more group rides like normal people :p

It's really too bad I couldn't make the retreat because I'm sure I would have been able to make a big ride of it from CA like I originally purposed to @Jim Parker when we tried to get me on the Vendetta. I'm sure I would have further added to the group diversity being the oddity among oddities as I'm know by friends :D
 
ratz

ratz

Wielder of the Rubber Mallet
There are old sayings in the world because for some reason the universe likes to ensure some level of consistency, or so it seems to me. Two of these sayings we've all said or heard are: "You can't go home again," and "You don't get to choose your Family." So as I was riding on my V20 trying to figure out how to explain the Cruzbike retreat for those that did not go and to do justice to those that did and the experiences they shared; it occurred to me that it's in the negation of those two colloquialisms that the answer lay.

I don't know if I choose my Cruzbike family or if it choose me; and with such things lay more questions like "is this real or just a surreal illusion?" No matter my certainty, there are always lingering doubts when you are trucking 4 bikes over 1750 miles one-way for 30 hours. We were optimistic, but highly nervous and there was much discussion along the way. How might this event turn out? But in the end we determined it was simply an immutable event in our biking journey .... So full steam ahead.

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I wish I could give a blow by blow account of what happened from the time we rolled into the parking lot until the time we rolled back out. I am not sure the forums software could handle a post of that detail. I remember it all very well, but worry I would offend if I omitted a key detail for brevity. So instead this is the essence of my recollection.

Hugs not handshakes.


As we are unpacking the bikes (insert joke that it takes Bob 3 hours to unpack 4 bikes from the truck) the stream of interruptions was non-stop. I got welcome hugs from guys, not just ladies. I had some manly “I can shake your hand harder than you can” introductions. Questions abounded about the bikes, the trip and kids.

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We took a break to teach three people to ride the bikes, and showed off some “wow I never thought to lean on the bike like that drills.” The next thing I know it's family dinner time. Looking around that room a third of the people seemed like life long friends that I knew really well from here, all with a shared passion. The rest?...... Well they made me nervous because crowds always do.

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Then the cool stuff happened.

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Over the course of three days of riding, talking and sharing, I got to know the other two thirds in neat little ways, that only shared experiences can allow. When it was time to pack up and go, I suddenly realized I was going to miss this entire little crew of people. Come on now, couldn't we stay longer and ride more? That was the pervasive thought as I packed up the bikes for the trip home.

In the end this is the family of people I choose and where I can just be myself while doing something I have passion for. I guess I get to pick my family after all. And apparently you can go home again, because, when there's another retreat we are going.

So to my new extended family; miss ya already, and looking forward to all the future new members that time is going to bring.



Footnote: Those that attended can atest I am not really doing it justice; and the rest of you will have to believe for now and come see next time
 
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Suz

Suz

Well-Known Member
Exactly what Ratz said. I think this is why I've not written. So much to write, so many take aways, so much respect for those I met and not to do a "take away" justice would be a crime.
Ya, maybe I thought about it too much on my drive home and maybe I'm (ahem) older and more emotional than I used to be. The family sentiment is accurate, the hugs instead of handshakes almost brought a tear to my eye and settled my nerves immediately. I feel like I made life long friends, the ones that you don't need to cater to but when you bump into them again you can start up a conversation like you never spent time away.
It exceeded all my expectations, fun, low key, good for slow riders (me!) and options for the more skilled.
I had to smile inside quite a few times, one being at the intense attention to the modification show and tell. We were all mesmerized for what felt like minutes but was probably a couple of hours looking at and discussing mods. And not always complicated mods.

Sticking with Abrams original post objective is tough because there were so many great take aways. But here goes:
1) Pedals. I realized I was stuck in my own paradigm of what I "should have" on a road bike, then Elliot showed up with those giant Ergon pedals. Commuting has scared me with my Silvio because of all the stop signs on my trip and because of the time of day - the traffic at those 4 way stops. I'm mostly worried about unclipping and reclipping without falling over or getting yelled at etc etc. So I have put the Ergon pedals on, practiced my starts and stops today and am excited to start commuting. So simple yet made so complicated in my own mind. I'll still clip in for long rides but I'm excited for this option.
2) I can ride on a dirt path with my sofrider! This made me so excited! I miss riding trails (I started out mtn biking) and have wanted to try out some of the great rails to trails paths we have in Idaho. Received my big apple 20x2's this morning!
3) I want Ratz and Plucky Blonds lights!! Wow. Oh! And I ordered the reflective stickers the Ratz team had. (I may have spent a little money since the retreat) ... Ratz said I didn't need a new tooth to ride. :confused::eek::D #whoneedsanewcrown.
4) I will fix a roadside front flat tire with mad skills!
5) Cruzbike tribe members rock!! (And the tribes children ... Abby! My adopted daughter.)

Thanks everyone I hadn't ridden much this year and have been out several times since the retreat. Just the incentive I needed.
 
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ratz

ratz

Wielder of the Rubber Mallet
The following parts list is the items on the V20's we took to the retreat.

If nothing else the Fiks:Reflictive products deserve everyone attention; they allow you to make your Cruzbike passively reflective without making your beautiful bike look like it has the measles.

The active lighting is hard to explain unless you have witnessed it; then it really sells itself. At this weekends big ride I could see PluckyBlond 2 miles ahead of me climbing a hill. And in the daylight they really aren't blinding to other riders unless you are running a pace ling and not wise enough to be mostly looking 3 bikes in front of you. That also has to be experienced to understand; but we passed 100's of riders this weekend and the only question I got was "where can I get those lights"

The links in the spreadsheet are accurate and usable.


https://www.dropbox.com/s/fpt1ssecgt6bfqa/Advanced-partlist.xlsx?dl=0


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trapdoor2

trapdoor2

Zen MBB Master
Those "designshine" lights are made right here in Nawth Alabama (about 10 mi across town). They're evidently small-batch...always 'out of stock'. Everytime I've seen the website with "in-stock", I've been on a gov't computer where I can't purchase anything. :mad: I went home at lunch just to buy one...out of stock by the time I got home. :(

I just mounted a Cateye Rapid X3 headlight...rode with it this morning. Really just a safety light...but I'm happy. Mounted easily to the riser cross-bar just ahead of the front tire. With the little black 'shield sticker', I had zero flashback. The only way I could tell it was 'on' was the road-signs that would flash back at me.

I put the Rapid X2 rear blinky on my headrest tube...Bro' Don reported that it was very visible, even at 10am.
 
DavidCH

DavidCH

In thought; expanding the paradigm of traversity
Good... Just ordered the pro cat-ears... I am getting sick of the ringing in my ears as I go out every day. Lets look after number one. Cant be good having 95+ db every day ; at the beginning of the day... for 1 or 2 hours...

I suggest you don't spend so much time as me with the deliberation!
 
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