Titanium china copy of cruzbike

Opik

Opik

Well-Known Member
looks like someone is duplicating cruzbike

https://m.alibaba.com/product/60720497966/Titanium-Recumbent-bicycle-frame-and-fork.html

Titanium Recumbent bicycle frame and fork Factory supplied Ti
recumbent bike frameset Custom Titanium bicycle frames Recumbent
$745.80 - $2,237.40

HTB1u98eirYI8KJjy0Faq6zAiVXaP.jpg
 
DavidCH

DavidCH

In thought; expanding the paradigm of traversity
Yes I had seen that. I eventually want to set up a bike trainer in the philippines where some of my relatives are. Nice and light to move around and durable. Guess custom fitting might be a little difficult with titanium but I guess if you gave them your v20 stats it could almost be the ideal. Not sure how Ti recumbent would ride though. You can get it in different finishes too.

So is it right or wrong to buy from them?

You need to take into account the ti alloy and be sure of the welding. Ti alloy is not incredibly light compared to aluminium.

 
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dtseng

dtseng

Well-Known Member
I am very happy with both bikes. When I had both frames made, I went to Taichung, Taiwan to purchase Microshift 2x11 drive trains, wheel rims, spokes, hubs, and 28mm tires and assembled the bikes.
I addressed several issues: the bike weight, front wheel flop, seat height, the stalk to attach the front derailleur( https://forum.cruzbike.com/threads/the-compact-chainring-front-mech-issues-thread.12284/) , the upper rear stay is curved to absorb vibration. The bike with higher back rest angle has shorter wheel base and therefore, very easy to make U-turn on bike path. The one with lower back rest angle has a longer wheel base. Since there are only two mounting locations for the seat, the Thor seat can be mounted in any angle from 20 to perhaps 40 degrees. I don't mean that the seat angle is adjustable if only two U-shaped mounting hardwares are used. I mounted the seat at about 25 degrees. Since the upper part of Thor seat is curved, I don't know exactly the back rest angle is. I am not going after speed, therefore am not concerned about CdA.
 
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RojoRacing

RojoRacing

Donut Powered Wise-guy
dtseng said:
I am very happy with both bikes. When I had both frames made, I went to Taichung, Taiwan to purchase Microshift 2x11 drive trains, wheel rims, spokes, hubs, and 28mm tires and assembled the bikes.
I addressed several issues: the bike weight, front wheel flop, seat height, the stalk to attach the front derailleur( https://forum.cruzbike.com/threads/the-compact-chainring-front-mech-issues-thread.12284/) , the upper rear stay is curved to absorb vibration. The bike with higher back rest angle has shorter wheel base and therefore, very easy to make U-turn on bike path. The one with lower back rest angle has a longer wheel base. Since there are only two mounting locations for the seat, the Thor seat can be mounted in any angle from 20 to perhaps 40 degrees. I don't mean that the seat angle is adjustable if only two U-shaped mounting hardwares are used. I mounted the seat at about 25 degrees. Since the upper part of Thor seat is curved, I don't know exactly the back rest angle is. I am not going after speed, therefore am not concerned about CdA.
Click to expand...

Pictures or it never happened
 
S

Supertramp

Member
The above bike is obviously well made and does what it is supposed to. There is a guy in Germany who had a slightly different bike made by this chinese company, and he had several issues with them. For instance the order was for wider tires, and the "specialized large-scale manufacturer" made the fork to fit max. 28mm. And the chainstays were not symmetrical, also decreasing clearance. Adjustability was so limited the owner had to mill away material to get his riding position. The derailleur hanger was made from titanium and not secured at all, giving you a handful of parts to handle when changing the wheel. And it should be made out of aluminum for good reason. The boom clamp was not quite up to it's task, deforming before it held the boom.

When he dared ask for a solution, the politeness was suddenly gone, the tone became rude. Not the people you want to deal with.
 
DavidCH

DavidCH

In thought; expanding the paradigm of traversity
I don't know if anyone has tried to saw or file through titanium but its friggin impossible. You need special tools.
 
dtseng

dtseng

Well-Known Member
Since more weight is on the front wheel in MBB bikes, from design point of view, the wheel flop factor is an important issue. This is the primary reason that I want a custom built frame (not crazy about Ti). I approached several companies in Taiwan, none showed any interest, except one small factory specialized in high strength steel tubing, but the asking price was astronomical. For the general public, I would strongly advise that you buy from CB, besides they have 100 miles return policy.

If the MBB bikes have more than 10 cm of wheel flop factor, it's not only a nuisance when you park the bike, it's a serious problem at critical situations such as when you hit a patch of loose gravels on a paved road, a hair-pin turn on a mountain road, or when you are tired after a days hard work. I remember watching Jim and Maria's son doing 100 miles ride on V20 on youtube. At the end, you see his bloodied hands and feet; no one ever asked what happened. I want a bike I can push by one hand at the back of Thor seat and the bike will go straight.
 
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benphyr

benphyr

Guru-me-not
dtseng said:
Since more weight is on the front wheel in MBB bikes, from design point of view, the wheel flop factor is an important issue... If the MBB bikes have more than 10 cm of wheel flop factor, ... I want a bike I can push by one hand at the back of Thor seat and the bike will go straight.
Click to expand...
@dtseng,
Is there a visual way that you can show the difference in geometry between your setup and the cruzbikes that makes the difference in front wheel flop? I'm having a really hard time understanding how you would be able to change that significantly.
Thank you in advance
 
benphyr

benphyr

Guru-me-not
@dtseng,
And how much crazy money did it cost to have an amazing looking, custom exactly to your specifications frameset made? It sounds like you are very hands on involved, did you supervise the whole fabrication? There is only a little jealousy in this corner.
 
B

bladderhead

Zen MBB Master
I have a unique custom Cruzbike. And so can you. Easy. Just cut the boom. I am a mid-footer, which makes my effective x-seam short, so I have the BB very close to me. I know some people do not like the BB to be so high but I am used to that. I think it is easier to steer because of the reduced angular momentum.

I also made my mudguards and fixed them on in a unique way. That was the biggest pain in the bum of all of it.
 
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