castlerobber
Zen MBB Master
I haven't seen this question answered anywhere else yet.
V = Vendetta.
S = Silvio.
Q = Quest.
T = ???
Trainer?
New To Cruzbike and your T50?
- Thread starter ratz
- Start date
Trainer?
benphyr
Guru-me-not
NeaL said: ↑
I haven't seen this question answered anywhere else yet.
V = Vendetta.
S = Silvio.
Q = Quest.
T = ???
T=Tough or Trail - for those who will use it as a rail trail tramper
T=Tarmac
T=Tamper - for those who can't help but make improvements to everything they touch
T=Thor for a seat worth its weight in carbon fibre
T=Try-it-out
T=Test the market
T=Talk Together
T=Talk of the Town
T=Town
T=Two needed
T=Triangle
T=Torque
T=Tuque
T=Twisted
T=Tra-lala-lala
T=?
I haven't seen this question answered anywhere else yet.
V = Vendetta.
S = Silvio.
Q = Quest.
T = ???
T=Temporary - for those who will use it as a stepping stone up to a Vendetta or Silvio
T=Tough or Trail - for those who will use it as a rail trail tramper
T=Tarmac
T=Tamper - for those who can't help but make improvements to everything they touch
T=Thor for a seat worth its weight in carbon fibre
T=Try-it-out
T=Test the market
T=Talk Together
T=Talk of the Town
T=Town
T=Two needed
T=Triangle
T=Torque
T=Tuque
T=Twisted
T=Tra-lala-lala
T=?
PapaJ
New Member
I'm a trike rider and have a question. Is the T50 as comfortable as a trike? Thinking about getting one, but still unsure. Some of the people here complain about sore butts, do you find that true?
Jim
Frisard
Active Member
Never had a trike, but looking at the seats, the Cruzbike has a backrest which is oh so wonderful. As to the seat, it depends on your butt. A wide butt, and a narrow, not so firm T-50 seat may not be too comfy. A heavy body, and skinny butt, and T-50 seat may not be too comfy either. But a Ventisit, I think you will be just fine with, and better than a trike. When I get my T-50 complete it will have a 2-piece QX100 seat (from my QX100), which is wider than, and I believe firmer. And, order up a Venitsit for the QX100.
Maybe an old steel tractor seat...
Maybe an old steel tractor seat...
Frank Costantini
Active Member
At first, my T50 seat seemed pretty uncomfortable, particularly on bumpy roads. But I made a few changes that helped quite a bit. 1) Played with the angle of the seat bottom so there was more rise in the front; 2) put some rubber washers between the seat and the bracket that attaches to the frame; 3) got a Ventisit seat cushion; 4) got 2” wide Schwalbe Big Apple tires that I run at low pressure. For non-bumpy roads, the Ventisit and the seat bottom angle probably help the most. Now, I find the T50 very comfortable, except on really bad roads. I’m planning to ride it 50 miles tomorrow in the Tour de Staten Island.
Part of the comfort of riding a trike is the confidence that you won’t fall over at an intersection if the drive wheel slips on the dust and gravel that might be there. The bike is faster, but there is always that little bit of tension about the risk of a fall. This is the same for any bike. The T50 is easy for me to ride with confidence. You have to make this part of the choice for yourself.
Frank covered seat comfort pretty well. I put a Thor seat on mine and haven’t changed back to the original to see if it would work for me.
I tried a more reclined position with the original seat and it helped. I am now more reclined with the Thor than I ever tried with the original seat. Going to this same angle with the original seat might also be comfortable.
The seat pad that the T50 launched with was not good enough. I ordered the Ventisit with mine, but I think it was too narrow in the seat area. It did not cover the whole seat. I think it might have worked for me if it was wide enough to actually cover the whole seat.
The reviews of the new Q45 seat cushion has been very positive. Since the seats appear to be similar, maybe T50’s now ship with the same improved seat cushion. You might ask before you order.
Most trikes have mesh seats. I had a Haluzak Horizon with a mesh seat. It was as comfortable as a trike seat. However, I think the narrower hard seat on most other bikes adds a lot of psychic comfort for stopping and starting and being stationary at a stop. It is so much easier to get your feet on the ground on a hard seat than from a mesh seat where the frame restricts your ability to spread your thighs.
The ride on the T50 is fun and comfortable, but it will be different than a trike. You will be enough faster on a T50 that you could stop to stretch and still maintain the same average speed on longer rides.
I have an AZUB T-Tris trike which I like a lot. I almost always choose to ride my T50.
Good luck with your decision.
Brad
rx7mark
Guru
I just mounted a Thor GS Easy seat and Ventitist pad. No more sore butt! I just rode 40 miles without stopping, I could only do 20-25 miles on the stock seat before I was forced to take a break.
Really, really happy with the Thor. I will post some pictures tomorrow. I have the glass fiber version, with shipping it was under $200, but took 6 weeks to arrive.
Mark
Really, really happy with the Thor. I will post some pictures tomorrow. I have the glass fiber version, with shipping it was under $200, but took 6 weeks to arrive.
Mark
iambent
Member
I do not own a Cruzbike (yet), but have owned a lot of recumbent bikes and trikes. Recumbent seat comfort is very subjective and very individual specific. A seat can be super comfortable for one person and terrible for another person. I have found most of my recumbent bike seats as comfortable as my trike seats. The advantage of the trike is not having to worry about balance adds a level of comfort.
There are so many types of seats. There are the all mesh seats, the hybrid seat which are hard pan bottom and mesh backrest, and the hardshell seats. I prefer the all mesh seats like come on most trikes and some bikes. They do not give me recumbent butt or neck pain. The drawback as Brad R points out is if you have short legs on a bike it can be hard to reach the ground. The hybrid seats tend to be more upright and I have no neck pain with them, but they give me terrible recumbent butt. The laid back fiberglass and carbon hardshell seats eliminate recumbent butt. If you have neck issues they can cause neck pain.
My problem is I get recumbent butt from the upright seats and neck pain from the really laid back seats. I have my Gekko trike seat at 42° but still have to use a neckrest. So it is really hard for me to find a comfortable seat.
If you are interested in a T50 probably the best thing if possible is try to get an extended test ride on one to see if seat works for you. If no test ride is possible you could always make changes to seat or replace with another seat like some on this forum have done.
There are so many types of seats. There are the all mesh seats, the hybrid seat which are hard pan bottom and mesh backrest, and the hardshell seats. I prefer the all mesh seats like come on most trikes and some bikes. They do not give me recumbent butt or neck pain. The drawback as Brad R points out is if you have short legs on a bike it can be hard to reach the ground. The hybrid seats tend to be more upright and I have no neck pain with them, but they give me terrible recumbent butt. The laid back fiberglass and carbon hardshell seats eliminate recumbent butt. If you have neck issues they can cause neck pain.
My problem is I get recumbent butt from the upright seats and neck pain from the really laid back seats. I have my Gekko trike seat at 42° but still have to use a neckrest. So it is really hard for me to find a comfortable seat.
If you are interested in a T50 probably the best thing if possible is try to get an extended test ride on one to see if seat works for you. If no test ride is possible you could always make changes to seat or replace with another seat like some on this forum have done.
Charles.Plager
Recumbent Quant
I would love to build a conversion kit to fit a 20" fatbike. Just sayin'...
Suz
Well-Known Member
So awesome!
DavidCH
In thought; expanding the paradigm of traversity
No idea... I just put my requirements into Google and out popped this in images-> view all.
I guess if you wanted fat tires like that you would have to swap out the front forks and find a solution for the rear triangle.
It's on eBay
https://m.ebay.com/itm/VeloMotion-Sequoia-brand-new-recumbent-FAT-BIKE-frame-set-/122998700561
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The Brook
Well-Known Member
My T50 is the fastest bike I have ever owned. This is fun.
I can only compare the 2 recumbents I have ever owned: a RANS Stratus with fairing (retired after the frame broke in a rear end collision, no injuries to me), and my present ride, a Cruzbike Freerider, The Rans with fairing was about 2 mph faster in the rather flat area I live in, but was slower in hilly areas. Without the fairing, my average speeds are very close to each other, approx 16 mph, but the Freerider is quite a bit faster going up hills.
I'd love to be able to buy either a S40 or a V20, but at this time, there are other, more urgent demands for my disposable income. But it is still the most fun I've had on any bike. My Stratus was more comfortable on rides above 30 miles, but not by that much.
Enjoy what you ride, I certainly do!
Denis
I can only compare the 2 recumbents I have ever owned: a RANS Stratus with fairing (retired after the frame broke in a rear end collision, no injuries to me), and my present ride, a Cruzbike Freerider, The Rans with fairing was about 2 mph faster in the rather flat area I live in, but was slower in hilly areas. Without the fairing, my average speeds are very close to each other, approx 16 mph, but the Freerider is quite a bit faster going up hills.
I'd love to be able to buy either a S40 or a V20, but at this time, there are other, more urgent demands for my disposable income
. But it is still the most fun I've had on any bike. My Stratus was more comfortable on rides above 30 miles, but not by that much.Enjoy what you ride, I certainly do!
Denis
Opik
Well-Known Member
got this t50 in January and it finally replaced my chromoly Omega Mongoose to be my go to bike. Even a full sus MTB and gravel bike haven't been able to displace the old omega.
Had hard time initially at first, neck pain, installing the compinents and finding replacement for broken parts. Itwas a custom build, so the T50 video didn't help one bit. The confusion f the headset, the tinkering with handlebar which seems impossible to get straight, the seat-frame locking mechanism that didnt match (actually, I need to straighten it a bit, used a brick and pushed it), no washers on the seat bolts caused them to crack the seat, and then the shifters and derailleur. I also still have the problem of not having enough reach which is still a problem.
But I still ride it, and I've done 2 century rides (124 km and 160 km) with it, and it doesn't hurt the body
Had hard time initially at first, neck pain, installing the compinents and finding replacement for broken parts. Itwas a custom build, so the T50 video didn't help one bit. The confusion f the headset, the tinkering with handlebar which seems impossible to get straight, the seat-frame locking mechanism that didnt match (actually, I need to straighten it a bit, used a brick and pushed it), no washers on the seat bolts caused them to crack the seat, and then the shifters and derailleur. I also still have the problem of not having enough reach which is still a problem.
But I still ride it, and I've done 2 century rides (124 km and 160 km) with it, and it doesn't hurt the body
Opik
Well-Known Member
I think the most important thing is comfort, which also means reach,
This was a 2nd hand buy and had many things that were good
I did many things to reach the comfort level now. When I firt rode it on a long distance (10 km), my neck hurts trying to look at the front as there was no head rest, my side hurts as the handlebars was tilted and my legs weren't equal in power, so my left had more force applied, my back hurts from the bumps. etc
so these are the tings I tried
1. Inserting wood from a sleeping bed frame as a neck rest, just put it below the ventist : didn't work too good as it was too straight so my head was on 90 degrees, it also is a huge aero destroyer.
2. Lowering the pressure of tyres a bit. I pumped them hard on the first one, but then I just let air out so they feel soft. They tyres themselves are 2.3 inch, the front Schwalbe marathon plus and WTB tyre, strong, thick, and for Schwalbe, reflective. No punctures and the confidence to roll even on bumps and potholes if you need to. less hassle
3. Straighten the handlebar, this isn't easy, As i never got it straight, so I choose the one a bit tilted to the left (my weaker side)
4. The best thing I did was inserting puzzle rubber mats (which I cut into the shape of the seat) below the ventist seat. Now I do 3 layesrs for the front part and 5 layers at the back. This greatly improves the comfort and also increase my legs reach to the pedals. Just two days ago, I taped them with electrical tape o They don't come off easily from my seat. The front part is a god send too. I purposely cut the puzzle rubber mat 2-3 times longer than the edge, which means I can bring my body more forward to exert more power and be more relaxed.
Doing a century ride is easy, I don't have special preparation, just do it, and eat usually. It's the comfort that makes it. With this setup, I've done my last century ride without too much hassle and didn't feel tired towards the end. You just need to keep pedalling at a comfortable cadence.
I definitely recommend cutting Puzzle rubber mats and put them below your seat foam. Just tie them together with Electrical tape and join with a string shoe to see how it goes, then you probably can glue them. I still have them just tied by a string shoe
This was a 2nd hand buy and had many things that were good
I did many things to reach the comfort level now. When I firt rode it on a long distance (10 km), my neck hurts trying to look at the front as there was no head rest, my side hurts as the handlebars was tilted and my legs weren't equal in power, so my left had more force applied, my back hurts from the bumps. etc
so these are the tings I tried
1. Inserting wood from a sleeping bed frame as a neck rest, just put it below the ventist : didn't work too good as it was too straight so my head was on 90 degrees, it also is a huge aero destroyer.
2. Lowering the pressure of tyres a bit. I pumped them hard on the first one, but then I just let air out so they feel soft. They tyres themselves are 2.3 inch, the front Schwalbe marathon plus and WTB tyre, strong, thick, and for Schwalbe, reflective. No punctures and the confidence to roll even on bumps and potholes if you need to. less hassle
3. Straighten the handlebar, this isn't easy, As i never got it straight, so I choose the one a bit tilted to the left (my weaker side)
4. The best thing I did was inserting puzzle rubber mats (which I cut into the shape of the seat) below the ventist seat. Now I do 3 layesrs for the front part and 5 layers at the back. This greatly improves the comfort and also increase my legs reach to the pedals. Just two days ago, I taped them with electrical tape o They don't come off easily from my seat. The front part is a god send too. I purposely cut the puzzle rubber mat 2-3 times longer than the edge, which means I can bring my body more forward to exert more power and be more relaxed.
Doing a century ride is easy, I don't have special preparation, just do it, and eat usually. It's the comfort that makes it. With this setup, I've done my last century ride without too much hassle and didn't feel tired towards the end. You just need to keep pedalling at a comfortable cadence.
I definitely recommend cutting Puzzle rubber mats and put them below your seat foam. Just tie them together with Electrical tape and join with a string shoe to see how it goes, then you probably can glue them. I still have them just tied by a string shoe
