Thinking of upgrading...
- Thread starter Postapocalypsia
- Start date
Postapocalypsia
Active Member
Thanks, some good comments there! I would say N+2 personally on any given day.N is the number of bikes you currently have, N + 1 is the usual phrase and means that you always want just one more bike than you already have, N + 2 then is get them both then you can ride either depending on your mood/needs...A bit of a tongue-in-cheek comment but then again who knows, many people have different bikes for different needs
I would say that if you have the Q559 you have a reasonable idea of the Q45's abilities. I might be missing some but here are some of the improvements/advantages/disadvantages compared with your Q559:
Differences for both:
-1x chainring up front (simpler gearing) (personal preference will decide whether this is an advantage or disadvantage) this can be changed with relative ease as you wish
Q559:
-possibly front suspension
-Well maintained, solid pickup truck/SUV
-grass is always greener...
Q45:
-stiffer front end (more efficient, better steering, lighter?)
-longer rear shock travel and more standard size shock (even cushier ride, more options to upgrade)
-comes with and possibility for bigger tires,
-same Mountain Bike componentry
-can be disassembled for shipping / car trunk quite easily
-only 56% the $ as S40 leaving ample room for upgrades (but can't upgrade the biggest impact on overall purpose = frame)
=serious name brand SUV or new pickup truck (definitely not old farm truck)
S40:
-same front end as Q45 (more efficient, better steering, lighter?)
-no rear suspension (but longer and bigger tires so this might not impact depending on your riding surfaces)
-comes with an possibility for bigger tires (maybe not as big as Q but if you get the S you are not likely wanting THAT big of tires)
-Road bike componentry
-lighter weight
=Fancy Sports Car/SUV eg. Porsche Macan Turbo
V20:
-nothing spared super sports car eg.Ferrari
I guess some part of the decision is: do I want an upgrade with similar or a different purpose = fast touring. (I guess that would more accurately just say "fast.".)
Am I keeping the Q559? How much $ do I want to spend? That is, does the difference in $ force the decision? Will I always regret not getting the xxx?
And are there ones in your neighbourhood that you could test ride?
I reckon my tweaked Q559 must come pretty close to a Q45 except I can't quite get the front end stiffness yet.
I would say speed and endurance are what I am looking for primarily.
I am curious about the single crank/11 speed setup that seems to be the trend...it strikes me that there would potentially be greater bending strain on the chain as it covers either end of the cassette, and this would be most pronounced in the lowest gear when you are pushing the hardest on a steep grade. I wonder if this arrangement wears the drivetrain out faster or leaves the rider potentially bending metal in low gear - just curious! And to that end, do many folks opt for a double crank on the S40 to smooth out the gear range. It can't add much weight surely.
I don't have that issue so much as I have the internal dual drive to even things out. I know it's heavy but gee it comes in handy.
Are there other cruzbikes in my neighborhood? None that I know of. I feel a bit like Robinson Crusoe in that respect. I heard that people I know were waving at some guy they thought was me, but the mystery rider remains a mystery.
super slim
Zen MBB Master
I agree with the bad chain sideways twist with a single speed!!!
I use a triple front, so that the rear is only 2 sprockets off line from the front, not 5 or 6
!!!!
Last edited:
woodguy
Well-Known Member
I've got the Q45 with single crank & 11 speed. Have about 4,500 miles on it. No problems until recently. Now the chain is starting to slide off the crank and wedge in between it and the bash guard when shifting somewhere between gears 6 - 8. It's interesting that I can downshift slowly & the chain will pop back on the crank, but want a better solution. There is some wear on the crank sprocket so I'm trying a new crank gear. If that solves it, I'm going to still be happy with the single.
super slim
Zen MBB Master
Have you checked your chain for stretch?
Postapocalypsia
Active Member
Actually, I just went through that process - my chain would fall off seemingly at random. I removed 2 links and now it is as good as gold.
woodguy
Well-Known Member
New chain about 1,000 miles ago, but haven’t checked it. Thanks for the idea @super slim .
paco1961
Zen MBB Master
Don’t know if this has been discussed here before but during my DF days, road, gravel ant mtb, any 1x set up I ever ran used a wide/narrow front ring. I used Sram, Absolute Black and Wolf Tooth, all with excellent performance. I’d never run a 1x without it. Not sure what comes on the stock 1x CBs.
Postapocalypsia
Active Member
...waiting for the AUS dollar to spark up a bit, but who knows, impatience may get the better of me.
Of course, the folks at CB Central may see the promotional potential of selling me a discounted S40, knowing that it would get great exposure in an as yet untapped market (rapidly growing cycle friendly capitol city) lol
velocio
Austrian roadside steckerlfisch (fish on a stick)
Postapocalypsia, I realize you were having a bit of fun in posting that, but stranger things have indeed happened... As a bright-eyed 21 year old, just a few months after I finished undergrad and obtained employment as an engineer, a friend gave me the name and mailing address of a marketing person at Ford Motor Co., so I could write to her/him explaining why it was in Ford's best interest to sell me a new car at a discount. I explained I'd just finished college and was shopping for my first new car and that the bulk of my friends and co-workers were also recently graduated to well paying jobs, interested in replacing their student-mobiles, and thus my new car would receive significant exposure among a group of well-heeled & motivated car buyers. A few weeks later I received a letter in reply that thanked me for writing and included paperwork for me to present to the Ford dealer of my choice that allowed me to buy the car of my choice for the Ford employee price ("A-plan" price, usually below even the dealer's wholesale price). A couple of months later the testosterone infused 21 year old version of me was calmly and carefully (ha!) driving my co-workers to lunch in a shiny new 5 speed, 5L V8, red ("medium canyon red glow", actually) Mustang GT.
So, I say, give it a shot with the notoriously awesome Cruzbike folks. The worst that can happen is they kick you off the forum and put you on their "do not sell to, ever" list. But that's not very likely.
-Jack K.
Postapocalypsia
Active Member
Indeed it was tongue-in-cheek, but my Q559 is quite a novelty wherever I ride. CB don't sell my model any more so what better advertising for them than me show-ponying on my new shiny S40 on our well patronised bike lanes here in SE Qld in AUS!Postapocalypsia, I realize you were having a bit of fun in posting that, but stranger things have indeed happened... As a bright-eyed 21 year old, just a few months after I finished undergrad and obtained employment as an engineer, a friend gave me the name and mailing address of a marketing person at Ford Motor Co., so I could write to her/him explaining why it was in Ford's best interest to sell me a new car at a discount. I explained I'd just finished college and was shopping for my first new car and that the bulk of my friends and co-workers were also recently graduated to well paying jobs, interested in replacing their student-mobiles, and thus my new car would receive significant exposure among a group of well-heeled & motivated car buyers. A few weeks later I received a letter in reply that thanked me for writing and included paperwork for me to present to the Ford dealer of my choice that allowed me to buy the car of my choice for the Ford employee price ("A-plan" price, usually below even the dealer's wholesale price). A couple of months later the testosterone infused 21 year old version of me was calmly and carefully (ha!) driving my co-workers to lunch in a shiny new 5 speed, 5L V8, red ("medium canyon red glow", actually) Mustang GT.
So, I say, give it a shot with the notoriously awesome Cruzbike folks. The worst that can happen is they kick you off the forum and put you on their "do not sell to, ever" list. But that's not very likely.
-Jack K.
Good story about the Mustang GT! I hope you kept it
Postapocalypsia
Active Member
Yep, I agree - I often feel like we have won the lottery up here. Mind you, I do sneak down over the border occasionally on a covert camping mission.
I agree on the dollar too - it's just an excuse for me to fum-diddle a bit more before I empty my wallet!
...and it is tempting to make my home a news free zone for the rest of the year!
As an update to my post - I've discovered that some of my Q45 rear-end play is in the wheel bearings. The left side bearing has failed, which also explains why I have been going through rear brake pads. I've got a couple of new bearings on the way, but am surprised at this failure on such a new bike. In 15 years of near daily riding, I have never replaced a wheel bearing before, even when I've rebuilt rim brake wheels on old hubs.
super slim
Zen MBB Master
You MUST have ridden it through too many flooded Queensland rivers, above the axle height!!!!
Do you live in Townsville?
