@Black Hawk Down there is a lovely new Q45 coming out in a few weeks depending on your touring style and needs. If you are curious, sign up for the emails from Lucia on the Cruzbike Q45 page.
Thor Easy GS Medium mount to S40
- Thread starter Black Hawk Down
- Start date
Black Hawk Down
Senior Rookie
Thanks, but I'm pretty sure I'd have the same hip problem with the Q45 that I have with the S40. The problem stems from the seat angle. When grinding uphill, my legs push my back/hips against the seat, putting lots of force on my hips. The V20 doesn't have this problem. However, I can climb hills faster on the S40.
Black Hawk Down
Senior Rookie
I think 2 CruzBikes are my limit. Will probably Use the V20 with a trailer and Banana Racers this trip. If my hip gets better, I'll give the S40 another try later.
DocS
Guru
You didn't have the hip issue prior to switching over to the Thor Seat on your S40, correct? So why not go back to the original Cruzbike Seat?
I'm finally getting used to my Thor seat on the Vendetta, but now that the light is reduced because of the time change, I'm sticking to my S40 for night riding...
I've thought about changing the Cruzbike seat out on the S40 for the Thor, but am holding off a bit...
The Jury is still out on the 1x11 drivetrain... I'm thinking about changing out the single geared front out for a double...
So, where are you planning on touring?
Blessings,
DocS
Black Hawk Down
Senior Rookie
Before switching to the Thor seat, and the reason for switching was, I had serious recumbutt and lower back pain with the stock seat. Also, the show stopper was the seat back was too narrow and caused pain in my shoulder blades. The Thor seat is wider at the shoulders and has a larger seat pan for my butt to sit in. I don't have recumbutt or sholder blade issues with the Thor seat and the back pain is very familiar to me. It usually takes a little time on the bike to get it in shape. I experienced the same pain on my DF's at the start of every cycling year. The hip pain is an old age problem. I experienced some of it while hiking the PCT 5 years ago. Now its back but much worse. Probably need a new hip, but I'm not in a hurry to take that on. I don't have any physical issues on the Vendetta. It's just not a great touring bike. I could list the reasons, but they should already be obvious to people who own one.
My tour plan is to cycle around the perimeter of the US plus going down the Rockies and down the Cascade/Sierra mountain ranges. It will mostly follow the Adventure Cycling maps for the Southern Tier, East Coast, Northern Tier, Great Parks North/South, West Coast and Sierra/Cascades tours. About 16.5K miles starting Feb 15th or so and taking about a year. I start/end in Austin. Clearly, I can't be worried about physical problems due to the S40, though, I could really use the hill climbing advantage of the S40. The trade off is the V20 does much better in headwinds, which I expect to experience in abundance crossing the plane states. My start date may be affected by Covid and my hip issue. I hope to be vaccinated before leaving.
Bill
Mathew Fy
GRU
I tip my hat to you. I’m having similar thoughts because I signed up for America by Bicycle’s Ride The West in September. There will be long climbs, so lower gearing will be appreciated and I’ve been getting recumbutt with the S40.
I think the V20 makes an excellent tourer with the laid-back position taking up more weight and lower wind resistance. I rode mine for the first two years with 650b and Sram’s mountain bike drivetrain. See here, here. (These have migrated to my S40.) You can get very low gearing for your climbs up until the wheel starts to slip or your speed becomes too slow to balance. Soma Gator bars fit mountain bike shifters & brakes. The widest 650b tires I can fit on my V20 is 38mm, but I sometimes had rubbing. 26” wheels might be a better choice due to wide availability. If the S40’s fork can fit the V20, then wider tires could easily fit. Somebody please let us know if that’s possible. @Robert Holler ?
Can anyone here confirm the actual weight of their Thor seat? I see on the website they list a range of 450 to 750 g for their CF models. If you have one, please email me the model, size, and the actual weight. Thank you.
jim@cruzbike.com
jim@cruzbike.com
Mathew Fy
GRU
My large GS Easy is apparently 477 grams
I think the large Sport G on my V20 was about the same
Attachments
@Jim Parker my Large GS Easy Carbon seat is listed at 605 grams.
Mathew Fy
GRU
http://www.thorseat.eu/en/type-of-recumbent-seats/recumbent-seat-model-easy-gs/
The Easy GS has a bit more curve that works well with the more upright S40. The Sport G works well on the V20.
I ordered mine with the Ventisit, I’m happy with the combination.
The Easy GS has a bit more curve that works well with the more upright S40. The Sport G works well on the V20.
I ordered mine with the Ventisit, I’m happy with the combination.
Thank you for the info the GS is the one I will go with
I am totally happy with the stock seat on the V20
Black Hawk Down
Senior Rookie
For the record, I was unable to make the V20 into a proper touring bike. Too much flex in the frame to pull a heavy trailer. I tried using large Radical Design Banana panniers, but they also caused the bike to be wobbly in the horizontal and they crowded my legs when starting, so I was forced to start laying down. Not my favorite way to start moving. There were other issues... After trying many iterations and combinations of panniers/trailer, I gave up. I'm now back to looking for a solution for the recumbutt/back and hip pain on the S40. If I can't figure it out soon, I'll have to buy a different recumbent and give up on touring with a Cruzbike.
Robert K Hall
Member
I had the same problem with Recumbutt on my S40 & too uncomfortable to ride any distance. Tried many different cushions & added the next size on my chain stay. Liked having my feet higher from the chain stay but still had the recumbutt issues. Ordered the same manufacture (Volae) seat cushion in a medium size, considerably longer & wider than the cushion that comes with with the S40. Purchased this from Hostel Shoppe & for the most part this has solved my recumbutt issue. I can feel it slightly but nothing like before. I have never understood why Cruzbike puts such small cushions on these bikes. I have always felt like I was going to slide off (short) & was too narrow in the back. This cushion measures 33" long & 10.5" across the mid part of my back. It's very comfortable.
Black Hawk Down
Senior Rookie
Thanks for the info Robert. I will try every option until I find a solution. I need to have something I can ride continuously for a year. For now, I have another order in to Thor for a LARGE GS Easy seat. The Thor seat did solve my recumbutt but I had a back/hip pain issue. The medium seats do feel too small for me. I'm hoping that with the large seat and some combination of cushions, I can make the S40 work for me.
I hope you got the ventisit cushion with the Thor seat, too? That made a difference for me.
Black Hawk Down
Senior Rookie
I always purchase the matching ventist cushion. Got a bunch of them now. Not sure if I will use it this time, or I may need to add extra cushioning under it at the bottom (butt).
