When is S40 going to get a carbon front end?

david hopkins

New Member
Anybody like to help me speculate if S40 is going to get the carbon front end and if its worth the wait rather than just get a current frameset. Would love to hear peoples opinions.
thanks
 

Apollo

Well-Known Member
I'm pretty confident it will eventually. It's a question of when. The current worldwide problem with manufacturing and supply will no doubt delay the time frame.
 

McWheels

Off the long run
If it could be backwards compatible I would probably buy just that component, but it's not a change that's worth a whole new bike to me.
 

Apollo

Well-Known Member
If it could be backwards compatible I would probably buy just that component, but it's not a change that's worth a whole new bike to me.
Unfortunately, it's not backward compatible. Robert Holler confirmed the carbon front triangle incompatibility with older Vendettas in the V20C thread, and that means the S40 is incompatible as well.
 

Robert Holler

Administrator
Staff member
This is very highly unlikely to happen - FYI.

And also no backwards compatibility here with any old frames of any model - the new front end is 100% it's own thing - along with the changes that had to be made to the main V20 frame (namely the tapered head tube with much larger lower bearing.)
 
Probably not a good idea as the price difference is one of the main selling point for the S40. It gives people an all round bike at a lower price point above the price of the Q45 but below the V20C price. I can only think of one tweak to improve the S40 and that would being trying to solve the recumbutt issue some people have. Maybe a collaboration with Thor seats.
 

Robert Holler

Administrator
Staff member
The good thing about this is once production is able to stabilize, Cruzbike should be able to make and have in stock more "front ends" for S40 replacements, which would also work on all the other V20 that still exist.
Not likely either - the head tube on the V20c is oversize. This was a requirement to make a fork and front end strong enough. There will not be a carbon front end retrofit for the older bikes as you can't change the established head tube size, and the development of the new from as oversize head tube bearing only.
 

LarryOz

Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
Not likely either - the head tube on the V20c is oversize. This was a requirement to make a fork and front end strong enough. There will not be a carbon front end retrofit for the older bikes as you can't change the established head tube size, and the development of the new from as oversize head tube bearing only.
Robert, you must have misunderstood me - I agreed with you - I know the new V20c front end will not fit the v20 or S40 - i was just saying that hopefully Cruzbike will be able to make more "old" front ends for the existing V20 and S40 to have them in stock.
 

Robert Holler

Administrator
Staff member
Robert, you must have misunderstood me - I agreed with you - I know the new V20c front end will not fit the v20 or S40 - i was just saying that hopefully Cruzbike will be able to make more "old" front ends for the existing V20 and S40 to have them in stock.
Ahhhhh-my bad. Definitely no worries there.
 
The main advantage of going carbon fiber for the front triangle is aero right?

And if you're on an S40, aero likely isn't your primary concern?

Basically, I can see why they made a carbon fiber front triangle for the V20: Cruzbike wants the bragging rights of having the fastest bike in the world, and if that's the goal, aerodynamics are critical.

But for an S40? Not so much.

I have a carbon fiber road bike, and a Silvio 2.0. I really appreciate having a carbon frame for a road bike, it really makes the road a lot less punishing. But on my S40? Meh. It's already smooth to begin with.

In a lot of my Frankenbike projects, I actually stopped using carbon fiber for the most part. Fiberglass is 25% the cost and works nearly as well. The one thing I like about carbon is that it's sandable, whereas fiberglass isn't at all. (Good luck sanding strands of glass.) So in a lot of projects, I'll build things up with fiberglass and then use one or two layers of CF just to achieve a smooth/sandable finish.
 

Gary123

Zen MBB Master
The main advantage of going carbon fiber for the front triangle is aero right?

And if you're on an S40, aero likely isn't your primary concern?

Basically, I can see why they made a carbon fiber front triangle for the V20: Cruzbike wants the bragging rights of having the fastest bike in the world, and if that's the goal, aerodynamics are critical.

But for an S40? Not so much.

I have a carbon fiber road bike, and a Silvio 2.0. I really appreciate having a carbon frame for a road bike, it really makes the road a lot less punishing. But on my S40? Meh. It's already smooth to begin with.

In a lot of my Frankenbike projects, I actually stopped using carbon fiber for the most part. Fiberglass is 25% the cost and works nearly as well. The one thing I like about carbon is that it's sandable, whereas fiberglass isn't at all. (Good luck sanding strands of glass.) So in a lot of projects, I'll build things up with fiberglass and then use one or two layers of CF just to achieve a smooth/sandable finish.
 

M.J

Well-Known Member
The main advantage of going carbon fiber for the front triangle is aero right?
Nope, not at all. Round tubes are round, no matter what the material.
The advantage is weight, stiffness, and (probably above all) bragging rights and advertising copy.
 

rdl03

Active Member
Unfortunately, it's not backward compatible. Robert Holler confirmed the carbon front triangle incompatibility with older Vendettas in the V20C thread, and that means the S40 is incompatible as well.
He also said that it only reduces the weight of the bike by about a pound - I'd love to see the bike more like 3-4 pounds lighter.
 

LarryOz

Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
He also said that it only reduces the weight of the bike by about a pound - I'd love to see the bike more like 3-4 pounds lighter.
I doubt if a full CF frame would be any lighter than the aluminum. I do not see anywhere to loose 3-4 lbs. Easier way to loose that kind of weight is for the rider to use it. :D
 

Apollo

Well-Known Member
I doubt if a full CF frame would be any lighter than the aluminum. I do not see anywhere to loose 3-4 lbs. Easier way to loose that kind of weight is for the rider to use it. :D
The only advantage in making the whole frame CF that I can possibly see is if the design was completely changed to make it optimized for aerodynamics, such as filling in the rear triangle. To do that in aluminum would increase weight. Wherever a large amount of material is required, that's where the biggest weight savings is obtained by switching to CF or another ultralight material. So you're right, as the Vendetta or S40 rear frames currently are shaped there's no compelling reason to switch to CF unless a secondary advantage existed besides weight decrease, because the weight savings alone would be trivial.
 
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