DavidCH
In thought; expanding the paradigm of traversity
Hey... great photo of you Abbott. Hell yea... makes me want to get on my bike and kick arse.
S40- Wow!
- Thread starter Leif
- Start date
jond
Zen MBB Master
Awesome effort slim best place to ride for sure
I'll add my S40 dialogue, this appears to be 'the thread'.
Nice design features, appears to me it has a woman's touch with the curves and some of the detail.
I received mine assembled so it takes minimum assy to put it together but still leaves room to make it mine. It goes together well. I have a feedback sports DF bike stand and after playing with the floppy wheel for a while opted for their floor model stand as seen in some of the videos, money well spent.
Coming from a DF, I started riding a Catrike Expedition a few months ago and liked it so well decided to go 2 wheel so here I am. I didn't watch or read about the first rides for the MBB, what is the excitement in that, and if I was to do that I risk my man card being revoked, and why go against past practice? Only when something goes wrong or doesn't work do we read the instructions, right?
So takeoff was a little sketchy but once moving not so bad, out through the yard, miss all the big stuff, a few times. Subsequent rides are better and stay on the hoped for route. Maybe crossing the arms and riding that way would improve the large S turns but staying concentrated on the task at hand helps, until able to do it without concentration hopefully. The glide of the S40 is much better then the trike! The seat angles are similar so the boom length is set similar also and helps. I can see a bright future for the S40 if we decided who is in charge. I like the seat angle which helps pushing the peddles while riding uphill, wonder if the S20 is similar.
I was riding on the seat, no padding, kind of hard on the tailbone, but the ride is as expected. I have some underpad on order from Hydroturf in 3/8, 11/16, and 1" thickness and expect to play with those options. Maybe run the 3/8" up the back and the thicker stuff across the seat. Also have some 6mm molded diamond left over from the catamaran used for traction that might get used. For me the seat seems fine so far. I also set my handlebars out as close as possible remembering that maneuvering on the trap wire the arms do a lot better strength wise when they are close to 90 degrees at the elbow, pulling is a lot easier then having the arms extended.
I did order the curved steering arm as extra not knowing if it was needed. Before riding decided to install it as the curves of the bike just lent itself to wanting the curved steering tube. Worked out well. The bottle cage fasteners could be placed better as the curve doesn't lend itself to placement. What they use for the threads in the tube are rivnuts, you can get these at the hardware store and install yourself. I had some already so using one of the existing holes installed another further away and the cage/bottle fits perfect. Also installed a rear rack. Not sure how it was supposed to fit but for what I wanted a little massaging and it fits as expected. Installed the adjustable headrest, I can hold my head up at 40 degree seat angle just fine on the trike and expect that also on the S40 so the headrest ended up just outside of that parameter, and the whole assy makes for a nice grab handle.
Re the forward clamp on the boom, at the suggestion of another and I agree, the split of the clamp needs to be offset or 180 degrees from the split in the tube. If they are aligned all the tension will be central to the split in the tube resulting in the split gouging the inner tube and making for rough adjusting later. Offset with 5 lbs torque on the fastener my tube is holding fine, you can put a light coating of grease between the clamp and tube to facilitate the torque being equalized around the tube, but don't get any between the two tubes.
That's all for now, off for some more slap and tickle.
Nice design features, appears to me it has a woman's touch with the curves and some of the detail.
I received mine assembled so it takes minimum assy to put it together but still leaves room to make it mine. It goes together well. I have a feedback sports DF bike stand and after playing with the floppy wheel for a while opted for their floor model stand as seen in some of the videos, money well spent.
Coming from a DF, I started riding a Catrike Expedition a few months ago and liked it so well decided to go 2 wheel so here I am. I didn't watch or read about the first rides for the MBB, what is the excitement in that, and if I was to do that I risk my man card being revoked, and why go against past practice? Only when something goes wrong or doesn't work do we read the instructions, right?
So takeoff was a little sketchy but once moving not so bad, out through the yard, miss all the big stuff, a few times. Subsequent rides are better and stay on the hoped for route. Maybe crossing the arms and riding that way would improve the large S turns but staying concentrated on the task at hand helps, until able to do it without concentration hopefully. The glide of the S40 is much better then the trike! The seat angles are similar so the boom length is set similar also and helps. I can see a bright future for the S40 if we decided who is in charge. I like the seat angle which helps pushing the peddles while riding uphill, wonder if the S20 is similar.
I was riding on the seat, no padding, kind of hard on the tailbone, but the ride is as expected. I have some underpad on order from Hydroturf in 3/8, 11/16, and 1" thickness and expect to play with those options. Maybe run the 3/8" up the back and the thicker stuff across the seat. Also have some 6mm molded diamond left over from the catamaran used for traction that might get used. For me the seat seems fine so far. I also set my handlebars out as close as possible remembering that maneuvering on the trap wire the arms do a lot better strength wise when they are close to 90 degrees at the elbow, pulling is a lot easier then having the arms extended.
I did order the curved steering arm as extra not knowing if it was needed. Before riding decided to install it as the curves of the bike just lent itself to wanting the curved steering tube. Worked out well. The bottle cage fasteners could be placed better as the curve doesn't lend itself to placement. What they use for the threads in the tube are rivnuts, you can get these at the hardware store and install yourself. I had some already so using one of the existing holes installed another further away and the cage/bottle fits perfect. Also installed a rear rack. Not sure how it was supposed to fit but for what I wanted a little massaging and it fits as expected. Installed the adjustable headrest, I can hold my head up at 40 degree seat angle just fine on the trike and expect that also on the S40 so the headrest ended up just outside of that parameter, and the whole assy makes for a nice grab handle.
Re the forward clamp on the boom, at the suggestion of another and I agree, the split of the clamp needs to be offset or 180 degrees from the split in the tube. If they are aligned all the tension will be central to the split in the tube resulting in the split gouging the inner tube and making for rough adjusting later. Offset with 5 lbs torque on the fastener my tube is holding fine, you can put a light coating of grease between the clamp and tube to facilitate the torque being equalized around the tube, but don't get any between the two tubes.
That's all for now, off for some more slap and tickle.
In addition, looking for a rear view mirror so I could go further out into the masses and something temporary, found a Schwinn part # SW504 works real well using the brake lever housing and running the velcro around the front. For $8 it might be permanent. Takes some fiddling to get the ball in the right place so the knurled portion can twist down but doable.
Bar end shifters on the Catrike kind of spoiled me. If I figure out a way to use them on the S40 wouldn't hesitate.
Bar end shifters on the Catrike kind of spoiled me. If I figure out a way to use them on the S40 wouldn't hesitate.
ak-tux
Zen MBB Master
If the image is too large to upload here link to your photo bucket or other public photos site you may have.
http://www.hydroturf.com/sheets/underpad
The padding showed up today. Nice stuff. Thinking the 3/8" maybe up the back as it could be a little thin to sit on and the 11/16" for the seat bottom. The 1" is too cushy but I knew that possibility. Going to set it up with velcro so I can move stuff around and maybe put the factory foam on top for breathability and I have the diamond cut as an option. Could get two complete seats out of one piece. Cheers.
The padding showed up today. Nice stuff. Thinking the 3/8" maybe up the back as it could be a little thin to sit on and the 11/16" for the seat bottom. The 1" is too cushy but I knew that possibility. Going to set it up with velcro so I can move stuff around and maybe put the factory foam on top for breathability and I have the diamond cut as an option. Could get two complete seats out of one piece. Cheers.
Here's how my seat ended up. 1" of padding on the seat provides cush for the tush, 2 or 3 hrs of driving a vehicles doesn't sit well for me so thought I'd try to head that off at the pass. On the back 3/8 was too thin, 11/16" works with the door mat overlay which helps breathability. Even though the factory seat is open cell it was still pretty hot. This mat feels like it breaths better, we'll see. The doormat material is about $10, 24 x 36" crosshatch, mainstays brand. The mat is rubber backed with polyester facing. And it's all velcroed so I can mix and match.
Leif
Active Member
I just got back from another fantastic ride on the S4o and thought I'd share a few mods I've made sine last post.
Here's what the bike looks like now:
It's amazing how even the smallest changes can make a big difference. I moved my fanny pack from behind the seat to under the seat and added another one to the other side.. kinda like a poor man's scarab bag. I'm so happy I finally get to use them as they've been sitting in my closet for years! Anyway, they're great for carrying most of the necessities, tubes, tools, patch kit, etc.
I did move the pump from the fanny pack up to the boom, though:
Incidentally, the velcro strap holding the water bottle cage to the boom failed. Turns out, there's a sharp metal edge at the base of the mount that over time wears through the strap essentially cutting it clean off. The fix was to run new velcro (I have two thinner straps replacing the original thick one) over the rubber spacer that rests on the sharp metal base, protecting it from the edge. I also secured the whole thing with zip ties. Rock solid!
Finally, I found an excellent smart phone holder for the handlebars. I'm having a problem uploading the pic but I'll post later when I figure out what's going on.
Again, the bike is freakin' awesome! I still have my Thor seat to install but honestly, the stock seat seems fine (for me). I think the deciding factor will be after I do a few longer rides, say longer than 5 hours in the seat.
We'll see.
Here's what the bike looks like now:
It's amazing how even the smallest changes can make a big difference. I moved my fanny pack from behind the seat to under the seat and added another one to the other side.. kinda like a poor man's scarab bag. I'm so happy I finally get to use them as they've been sitting in my closet for years! Anyway, they're great for carrying most of the necessities, tubes, tools, patch kit, etc.
I did move the pump from the fanny pack up to the boom, though:
Incidentally, the velcro strap holding the water bottle cage to the boom failed. Turns out, there's a sharp metal edge at the base of the mount that over time wears through the strap essentially cutting it clean off. The fix was to run new velcro (I have two thinner straps replacing the original thick one) over the rubber spacer that rests on the sharp metal base, protecting it from the edge. I also secured the whole thing with zip ties. Rock solid!
Finally, I found an excellent smart phone holder for the handlebars. I'm having a problem uploading the pic but I'll post later when I figure out what's going on.
Again, the bike is freakin' awesome! I still have my Thor seat to install but honestly, the stock seat seems fine (for me). I think the deciding factor will be after I do a few longer rides, say longer than 5 hours in the seat.
We'll see.
benphyr
Guru-me-not
Thanks for the awesome pictures. Do you ever find your knees interacting with the headlight mount? I have an older Metro and newer ? Cygolite and I love the light and the mount, but the mount sticks out down into my knee space on the conversion in my avatar (definitely limited knee space).
Leif
Active Member
So far so good with knee clearance although I did run into a problem trying to mount a gopro. No biggie. It's getting kinda crowded up by the handlebars now and I figure there's plenty more room down the boom for a camera.
I don't know about other cb models but the cockpit of the S40 seems plenty roomy... and I'm 6'2".
Last edited:
ak-tux
Zen MBB Master
Looks like you went back to 28mm or sleek 32mm tyres! You really must be getting a hang of it now!
Leif
Active Member
...And it really didn't take that long!
I'm also getting the hang of swapping out wheels. When I'm doing a little off-roading, I use the wheels from my cyclocross bike (the kenda happy mediums). for everything else, it's the 28mm Conti 4000s's. Almost like having two bikes!
Leif
Active Member
It can, especially when I run them @ 100psi. But not bumpy enough to prevent me from using them occasionally. Don't get me wrong, I like a smooth ride as much as the next guy, but I'm more interested in how well a bike climbs and the kind of exercise I get from riding it.
My CA2 was a very smooth ride, but my Streetmachine was smoother. The carbon fiber of the CA2 reduces bumps and is light and fast, the SM has full suspension but it's also a tank. I'm not a race guy, and I'm not really a tour guy either... I'm just in it for the workout and at the end of a ride on the S40 my body feels WORKED (in a good way). Heck, I might even try installing the rack(s) and take it on a tour!
My biggest takeaway from all these discussions is that there's a huge variety of experience and preferences out there and no one bike is ever likely to address all of them. But that's a good thing. Different strokes for different folks and different bikes for different likes (could't help myself).
ak-tux
Zen MBB Master
Same for me. I ride 700x28mm Schwalbe Marathon HS420 performance in front at 85 PSI and a 28mm Schwalbe Delta Cruiser reflex at the back at 65 - 70 PSI (It can allow as low as 55 PSI according to the manufacturer spec on the tyre). I weigh an average about 69 Kg (151 pounds). This is a good compromise for comfort, rolling resistance and reliability, especially at the front.
I put the marathon in front for safety. It's relatively heavy but a very reliable high quality tyre. I don't want a front tyre failure. One day I will try 700x30mm Schwalbe spicer at the back.
Something interesting I noted is that the 28mm Schwalbe Delta Cruiser reflex looks slighty smaller than the 28mm schwlbe Marathon HS420 with the same rim width!
Last edited:
Here's what I ended up with. From 3-4 weeks ago I changed the chainstay from 19" to the 21.5", turned the steer boom so the curve is up and inverted the bars with the addition of the bar end shifters. Those are the big changes and I think it steers better then the previous setup of shorter chainstay, conventionally attached drop bars and steer boom curved down. Can't tell for sure which change it was, the longer chainstay or inversion of the boom but it steers better me thinks, much more enjoyable. Cruising in the upper teens is pretty easy
Anybody looking to hang a mirror off their bars, there is a 90 degree 3/4" pex support that fits the bars real nice with a little dremel work, 1/2 of the 90 gives you a 45 and the $8 bell rear view mirror fits it well with some attachment work, fits right behind your hand out of the airstream with no interference. The water bottles are hanging off a 1" x 1/8" aluminum strap between the two threaded bosses welded on the frame. Had one bottle on top of the boom but it kind of defeated the purpose of the aero advantage of a bent. 
Anybody looking to hang a mirror off their bars, there is a 90 degree 3/4" pex support that fits the bars real nice with a little dremel work, 1/2 of the 90 gives you a 45 and the $8 bell rear view mirror fits it well with some attachment work, fits right behind your hand out of the airstream with no interference. The water bottles are hanging off a 1" x 1/8" aluminum strap between the two threaded bosses welded on the frame. Had one bottle on top of the boom but it kind of defeated the purpose of the aero advantage of a bent. 
