bhave
Member
I rode my modified 2019 Q45 on the GAP and C&O Towpath ride last week. Rented a pickup and drove to the Pittsburgh Airport, where I dropped it off. Then I rode from the airport back to Point State Park and back to DC. 375 miles over 6 days. My Q45 has the Thor fiberglass seat, 145mm cranks, 38t chainring in the front and the stock 11-42t in the rear (1x11). I have a Ventisit seatpad. I also have the Cruzbike Q-series rear rack and under the seat racks. I have switched the stock shock to an oil/air 1000lb load shock from Amazon. The 2019 Q45 has a the 135mm width for a QR wheel. The through axle setup came later.
My Ortleib City Rollers on the underseat racks did scrape the ground while leaning on turns.
Pros: In a straight line, on descents, and while climbing, the bike rode beautifully. No back or butt pain whatsoever. My riding companions on upright bikes were hurting after 8 hours in the saddle. No mechanical problems at all. I was very impressed!
Cons: It has the turning radius of a greyhound bus. On steep climbs, I wish I had a few more gears. My seat angle doesn't give me the best position to mash the gears on an ascent. I hadn't noticed this previously because I didn't do a shakeout ride with my full pannier load on pea gravel trails. My Ortleib City Rollers on the underseat racks did scrape the ground while leaning on turns.
I went light on the rear rack, with only a Topeak MTX trunk bag. In addition to the Ortleib panniers, I had 20l banana bags by Radical Designs. We camped along the way, so I brought my 2p tent, inflatable sleeping pad, sleeping bag, and warm and cold weather riding gear. The Q45 probably won't be my first choice for loaded touring. It's my go-to bicycle for tours where I'm staying in hotels though.
My Ortleib City Rollers on the underseat racks did scrape the ground while leaning on turns.
Pros: In a straight line, on descents, and while climbing, the bike rode beautifully. No back or butt pain whatsoever. My riding companions on upright bikes were hurting after 8 hours in the saddle. No mechanical problems at all. I was very impressed!
Cons: It has the turning radius of a greyhound bus. On steep climbs, I wish I had a few more gears. My seat angle doesn't give me the best position to mash the gears on an ascent. I hadn't noticed this previously because I didn't do a shakeout ride with my full pannier load on pea gravel trails. My Ortleib City Rollers on the underseat racks did scrape the ground while leaning on turns.
I went light on the rear rack, with only a Topeak MTX trunk bag. In addition to the Ortleib panniers, I had 20l banana bags by Radical Designs. We camped along the way, so I brought my 2p tent, inflatable sleeping pad, sleeping bag, and warm and cold weather riding gear. The Q45 probably won't be my first choice for loaded touring. It's my go-to bicycle for tours where I'm staying in hotels though.
