Lesson #1 Don't push the slider too far into the boom
Do NOT push the slider as far into the boom as it will go as it will probably get stuck!
I'm short at 5 feet 6+ inches. I used to be about 5 feet 7 inches when I had more hair. My inseam is 28 or 29 inches and my xseam is 38 or 39 inches depending on how you measure.
I had ordered a small Vendetta frameset based on
John's sizing chart and other fit guidance but Jim had met me in person at Sebring this year in February and sent me a medium which he felt I would like better and would fit me. The small frameset uses a really short chainstay and the slider has a downward kink aft of the pivot cage.
My introduction to Cruzbikes began with a test ride on a v1 Silvio with the straight boom. Neither I nor the seller could manage to adjust the thing to fit me. The pedals remained a bit elusive no matter what combination of loosening and adjusting we did.
This created a quandary. Riding the Silvio is to fall in love with the darned thing. Even more amazing was how a brand new potential customer (aka total stranger) could communicate directly with the designer, John Tolhurst, who reassured me the v1.5 model which added the curved boom would most assuredly fit me. How cool is that?
I was all set to pull the trigger and buy a Silvio but the more I looked at the Vendetta the more I saw that I liked so that is how I ended up here.
On with my lesson learned. I was a little apprehensive about getting a good fit with the medium triangle (boom, slider, BB/chainstay) because of my Silvio experience and hearing about some of Lisa's efforts to fit her Silvio especially since it sounded like we are similar in size.
So I carefully assembled the frame to this point:
When I inserted the slider into the boom, I pushed it smoothly but firmly until it stopped figuring it was going to be close. I then grabbed the bottom bracket in one hand and the center of the handlebars right at the slider clamp in the other hand and squeezed together to check to see if there was any more give to seat it a little further. DO NOT DO THIS! You have been warned.
I then set the bike on the carpet and carefully sat in it to check to see how far the pedals were from my feet. They were too far.
I went to pull the boom out and it wouldn't budge. I got my son to help steady the bottom bracket end, while I detached the slider at the pivot cage and tried to use the handlebars to twist and work the slider out. Turns out this required a huge effort for movement of only a few degrees.
I spent a few days trying several things in consulationt with John and Doug but failed to free the darn thing. Long story short, John shipped me a replacement slider and boom and I sent Doug the one I got stuck so he can get it unstuck with his greater arsenal of tools and mechanical wizardry.
Stuck and not stuck. The large wooden dowel is clamped to the stuck one to try and give me more leverage to twist it but this didn't help.
Here is what I've learned since.
Yes, the medium frame can fit a 38 inch xseam but it requires trimming the end of the slider.
Details:
Based on some photos I sent to John, he recommended I start of with trimming 50mm off the end of the slider and assemble the top of the fork steerer tube with the pivot clamp on the bottom and the three spacers on top. More on this in another post.
So I made marks at both ends to keep track and monitor what was happening:
Starting at the tip of the slider, I measured to 50mm and then added more marks for each additional 10mm inboard up to a total of 100mm from the tip.
I also added the same marks starting from the leading bevel where the tube widens for the pivot cage underneath.
I also measured how far I had inserted the slider in the stuck set as a reference guide on how far was definitely too far.
John admitted to me that he had gotten his boom stuck and Maria's stuck but was able to get them unstuck. Apparently I'm more talented at the sticking part... According to John, bending to create the nice curved boom results in the tube getting a somewhat oval cross section some distance
before the curve.
Also according to John,
minimum recommended insertion distance is 50mm (approx 2 inches),
ideal insertion is 75mm or more (approx 3 inches or more ).
My recommendation is not to exceed 178mm (7 inches) insertion AND still test carefully as you approach this length.
Here is where I lopped off the initial 50mm recommended by John. I used a miter box and a hand held hack saw. Pretty easy to do. Dressed the edges with a metal file and also used a sandpaper coated sponge thingy I had left over from several years ago designed to sand non-flat surfaces. Worked well to smooth and round the edges of the tube. I squished it in half and stuck it inside the tube, then let it expand and twisted it around to make sure the inner edges were smoothed over a bit too.
I reassembled everything, checked fit and my feet were still not reaching the pedals so I lopped another 25mm off and checked again.
Each insertion was very ginger. I pushed in a little, pulled back to make sure it would release. Pushed a bit more, pulled it back, etc.
With 75mm lopped off I could comfortably get the slider and boom such that I could reach what seemed to measure as 39 inches from pedal axis to seat crease. I marked this on the tube and measured how far the trimmed slider was inserted - 7-1/4 inches:
It was still feeling a bit tight and my foot to pedal reach was still feeling a little long so I went ahead and trimmed another 25mm off the slider for a total of 100mm being lopped off. In this next photo, you can also see where the tip was still binding some when inserted to 7-1/4 inches - this was really more compelling for me to trim a little more so I could make the pedal length even shorter, if needed.
Note the striations running at least 15mm from the tip toward the aft end. I am still seeing a little of this with the slider trimmed back 100mm and inserted up to 6-1/4 inches into the boom but it is much fainter and the slider feels more smooth inserting and removing to this length.
Note: This is after trimming off 75mm.
With 100mm trimmed off, the slider ends up being inserted 6-1/4 inches or about 160mm into the boom to reach my 39 inch mark. Well within John's limits and still a lot of room to extend it out for a taller rider.
Results:
Here the slider inserted into the boom up to my 39 inch
xseam mark : As in my posts above, this mark is from a fine point Sharpie pen. The mark can be removed with a little rubbing alcohol.
Below is a short video with a viewpoint from the cockpit checking clearance, reach, etc. I'm moving very slowly and carefully because the bike is sitting on the wheel dropoutss on carpet with me sitting fully on it. Fittings are just barely snugged as I am waiting on a new smaller torque wrench I ordered. My current one is a Sears Craftsman Digitork 44597 1/2 inch drive with a 35-340 NM (25-250 ft-lbs) capacity. I've been meaning to get a nice small capacity one anyway so I ordered a
Topeak D-Torq Wrench DX with a 4-80NM capacity and a really nice case with accessories.
-Eric
