Quest front suspension

[Christo]

Hi guys
Just joined the forum after buying 2 cruzbikes in a week.
A softrider which I've just dialled in with 700c wheels and flared drop bars. Very happy with it and getting more confident with it every ride.
The other bike, a quest 451 which has had a lot of use and abuse by previous owners.
Quite a lot of slop and sag in the front end which I haven't been able to adjust out. Pulled the fork apart and have a few issues with it. One of the internal bolts is broken and I'm struggling to get the 8mm Allen spring tensioner nut back in as the thread had been crossthreaded.
I've decided to delete the suspension and want to convert it to a solid fork.
Has anyone done this? Looking for some advice.
Another thing I've noticed is the bottom bracket is quit low compared to the softrider as it has the 451 chainstays. Are the longer stays freely available and where could I sure a pair as I would like to raise the height of the bottom bracket and have the option of fitting larger wheels.

 

[Rampa]

Sofrider looks good in yellow!

 

[castlerobber]

The other bike, a quest 451 which has had a lot of use and abuse by previous owners.
Quite a lot of slop and sag in the front end which I haven't been able to adjust out. Pulled the fork apart and have a few issues with it. One of the internal bolts is broken and I'm struggling to get the 8mm Allen spring tensioner nut back in as the thread had been crossthreaded.
I've decided to delete the suspension and want to convert it to a solid fork.
Has anyone done this? Looking for some advice.
Another thing I've noticed is the bottom bracket is quit low compared to the softrider as it has the 451 chainstays. Are the longer stays freely available and where could I sure a pair as I would like to raise the height of the bottom bracket and have the option of fitting larger wheels.

Welcome!

You should be able to get both the unsuspended fork and the longer chainstays from Cruzbike, as they're the same ones used on the current QX100. I swapped the chainstays a couple of years ago, and am about to change out the fork (or have the LBS do it).

Also consider replacing the rear shock with an air shock from the same company. Look at the build thread linked in my signature for details (click on 507).

 

[billyk]

Yup. Do it! I recently swapped out the suspension fork in my Q2 and it dramatically stiffened the bike.

See the recent threads "replacement fork" and "upgrading a Q2" for in-depth discussions of this, including a lot of detail of the steps.

The parts are available from Rose City Recumbents in Portland OR, a great place to do business and learn about these bikes. If you're near Portland a visit to this shop will be very valuable.

Also yes to replacing the shock with an air shock. Again, this has been well-discussed in these forums and you should be able to search for those threads. You have to order the shock from China (3 weeks), but it's another big upgrade.

 

[Christo]

Thanks I’ll have a look at the links
I’m in Aus so getting the parts here may be costly
Has anyone welded the fork solid or installed a stopper to keep it from moving

 

[billyk]

Thanks I’ll have a look at the links
I’m in Aus so getting the parts here may be costly
Has anyone welded the fork solid or installed a stopper to keep it from moving

Welding might work, but you'd have to be careful about changing the temper of the metal.

I don't think a stopper on its own would be useful, because the problem is the overall flex of the many parts/joints of the Q front end. Every bit of flex steals a bit of the work you put into pedaling. It's not the vertical motion of the shock that matters, but the motion of the shock within the fork. Same reason the air shock works so well compared to the stock spring shock.

 

[Gary123]

I locked my fork with a short piece of PVC pipe slit on one side and spread to go over fork steerer tube and zip tied around it. It feels a lot better but I'm sure I would like a solid fork even better. I considered replacing rear shock with a solid block but so far just tightened shock as tight as possible. I don't want to spend too much on the quest right now.

 

[super slim]

Thanks I’ll have a look at the links
I’m in Aus so getting the parts here may be costly
Has anyone welded the fork solid or installed a stopper to keep it from moving

To take the vertical loads, when riding over a rough load, with NO Movement, pull the front suspension apart!

REMOVE the O ring between the 15 mm high, 19 mm OD, rotational stops, and the bolt and washer that stops the forks falling out of the stem, to eliminate ANY vertical movement, after the springs have been replaced.
The two springs should be replaced with a 90 mm long 19 mm OD steel or Aluminium tube, making certain, that the tube lands fully on the end stop washer, and can not fall off, and flare in if required to fit neatly inside the rotating spring loading black aluminium top plug.
A 24?? mm OD O Ring that is just smaller than the ID of the outer tube, and fits tightly on the 19 mm OD tube, could be used to keep the 19 mm OD tube centered onto the washer.
Add blue loctite to the black rotating plug, and screw it down until there is locked solid.

The stem, that is screwed into the fork is Cr- Moly steel, and outer tube is magnetic, so also Cr-Moly.
These could be welded, but would be a brittle weld, so could ONLY stop rotational movement, so do after the springs have been removed.

I think a safer option would be to drill 6.25 mm (1/4") hole through the outer tube and the stem with a pedestal drill, about 40 mm from the bottom of the outer tube, and insert a overlength 1/4" dia. sherlock pin, then file the pin down so the bottom steerer bear can fit over it.
This could ONLY stop rotational movement, so do after the springs have been removed.







The chain stay would not be heavy and is a similar size to a Arkel rear rack (1 Kg, 350*150*12 mm), that cost me $31AU post from ACA in USA, using Shopmate Aust Post , compared to $96 UPS, and $58 US Postal Service
https://shopmate.auspost.com.au/our-rates/shipping-rates

 

[Christo]

Managed to pull the fork apart then decided the easiest way to get a solid fork would be to just run a bolt through the outer and inner steerer tubes and tighten it up. Feels solid now and the only play I have in the front end now is that damn diatech headset which I can’t seem to tighten enough.
I believe most people are installing a starfangled nut into steerer tube and getting it tight that way. Maybe tomorrow’s project

 

[billyk]

Actually I've come to like the Diatech headset, although it does need occasional tightening.
- Make sure the split in the steerer tube is lined up with the open back of the boom clamp.
- With the headset loose, press down on the boom clamp and tighten it hard. The conical Diatech ring needs to push against the boom clamp so its force is directed down when it is tightened.

 

[benphyr]

Actually I've come to like the Diatech headset, although it does need occasional tightening.
- Make sure the split in the steerer tube is lined up with the open back of the boom clamp.
- With the headset loose, press down on the boom clamp and tighten it hard. The conical Diatech ring needs to push against the boom clamp so its force is directed down when it is tightened.

Hi BillyK, et al.,
So first tighten the boom clamp, then after that is tight, then tighten the Diatech ring using the tiny allen? or the 4mm white allen? (I have a QX100 if that makes a difference. And I cannot get at the tiny hex bolt after the boom clamp is tightened because it partially covers it.) Any tricks or suggestions or pictures would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Ben

 

[billyk]

So first tighten the boom clamp, then after that is tight, then tighten the Diatech ring using the tiny allen? or the 4mm white allen? (I have a QX100 if that makes a difference. And I cannot get at the tiny hex bolt after the boom clamp is tightened because it partially covers it.) Any tricks or suggestions or pictures would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Ben - I have not seen a Q100, so this applies to the Q2/3, but in fact I think they are the same. Someone else on this forum will certainly know. Does the black ring at the bottom of the steering column say "Diatech"?

There are no tiny allens involved. All the allens around the boom clamp and Diatech ring are 5mm: big beefy ones. And they need to be beefy and they need to be tightened hard. See pics.

Oops, my uploading switched photos 1 and 2, sorry.

Photo 1 shows the side view, with 3 beefy screws (plus the boom pivot at right). Photo 2 shows the back view. Hopefully you can see the slot in the steering tube lined up so the two screws of the boom clamp squeeze it. Photo 3 shows the side view from lower down. You can just see the shiny lower cone of the Diatech; the black ring above it has a matching cone that, when tightened and prevented from moving up, forces the lower cone down and makes the head tube tight. It's the boom clamp that holds the Diatech cone down. That's why it needs to be real tight. And when tightening, do it gradually, alternating between the two screws. Then do the Diatech (which has been totally loose while you work on the boom clamp). Tighten it gradually, feeling the play in the steering column reduce. When there is no play, stop, otherwise the steering will be too tight. Ok?

 

[benphyr]

Thanks @billyk I will take a look at what I have.