Will Cruzbikes Take a Triple Chainring Crank

[Henrius]

Thinking about buying a new or used Silvio or Vendeta. Seems they are outfitted with 1X11 gearing typically. It doesn't give enough gear range for me.

My favorite crank of all time was the Rotor unit where the crank arms were not always 180 degrees apart. Unbelievably smooth, but with a weight penalty.

I have an extra Rotor crankset sitting around I would like to put on a Cruzbike. But will the new Cruzbikes take a triple chainring crank?

You might ask me: why not just a double? My experience is that with a triple one can ride in the middle most of the time, occasionally going into the small for hills and large for flats or downhills. The doubles require going back and forth more often.

 

[Frito Bandito]

My V20 came with a Shimano Tiagra 4700 3x10, so yes you can. I switched to a mechanical Shimano R7000 2x11 (52/36t). Then I left on the 105 crankset, but switched to SRAM AXS derailleurs to make it a 2x12 with an 11-30t cassette. I am always on the flats, so I changed the chainrings to a 53/39t to have enough top gear for the few times a tail wind is absolutely howling to be able to hold +50kph without high rpms. And yes, I am dumb enough to ride when there is a hurricane

Edit: To be more specific after what Robert Holler wrote, mine is a 2018.

 

[Robert Holler]

This largely depends on the year the bike was made. The old models had stays that grabbed the BB bearing shell, ands on those a triple is generally not compatible.

A modern double or very wide range 1x will usually get you a wider range than a triple nowadays.

Also it is getting very difficult to find good components in triples - as manufacturers have largely moved on from them.

On a newer one where the stay grabs the actual BB shell on the boom - you could get away with a triple, but it would be an experiment as to which one would not interfere with the state. Axle width, etc would have to be taken into consideration...

 

[IyhelM]

My 2014 Silvio has a 30/39/52 set (Shimano Ultegra) and it works fine. Not what I’d have chosen though - I have a 30/46 on the V and I love it so I’ll probably switch to the same config on the S.
If I chose a triple set, I’d look for a 24-46 to get real low gearing when touring with heavy bags or a trailer.

 

[IyhelM]

Take in consideration also that it’s not easy to find the ideal crankset with the right crank length - I prefer 165 or even 160 mm.

 

[Tuloose]

I ordered my first Cruzbike, a Silvio 2.0, with an Ultegra triple setup, probably the same ratios as lyhelM describes above.
I felt I needed a triple because all my other recumbents came stock with triple chainrings and I used the lowest gears for climbing the steeper hills in my area.
With any rear wheel drive recumbent you soon get used to utilizing the small ring to slooowly climb up steep grades while your diamond frame companions pedal out of sight.
What I didn't realize at the time was that Cruzbikes are such powerful climbers that they obviate the need for triple chainrings.
In addition I was faced with the inconvenience of managing the triple.
When in the middle ring, shifting up and down the cogset required trimming the front derailleur.
I also found out that I wasn't really using the small ring.

My next Cruzbike was a Vendetta and it came with a 50/34 double matched up to an 11-36 10 spd cassette.
Aah, this was perfection!
I've since replaced the 50 tooth with a 52 and the cassette is now 11-34 as my need for speed increased.
I can keep up with the group on climbs and I almost never use the 34/34.
My experience is that you just don't need a triple crankset on a Cruzbike once you learn how to incorporate the upper body into your power delivery.