T50 - Everyone likes a bike you can kick start

[ratz]

Ok my fellow fanati..... err Tribe Members.

The T50 is coming along and if you've been paying attention to the hints it's going to be a kick starter campaign. Yes we love our little corner of the world over here in Cruzlandia where we speak Austrl-nglish and worry about how to go .001 mph faster... But reality is for this new bike to be the success it should be and deserves to be we need to broaden reach. KickStarter is an awesome way to do that. But we need to get the word out near and far. So here's your chance to help. Who, what, where, when should the message go. If you have even 1 idea that helps. Click on this link and fill out the form to give Lucia and her team your best ideas for spreading the word on this campaign.

https://goo.gl/forms/74L8qGIa8G88UMKr1

 

[Cruzbike-in-Germany]

Will buy 1 on the spot to demonstrate / teach people.
Will post on the German recumbent forum as soon a kickstarter launch has taken place.
Affordable recumbents is king!

 

[DavidCH]

My idea with the bike was a frameset and not a bike out of the box. If it's Kickstarter it will almost definitely be a bike out of the box. If it's not, I think Robert will have to be cloned pretty quickly. He is very busy at the moment. Good to see the progression. I guess it will be sold with a cheaper Shimano groupset too. May be the 105?

 

[1happyreader]

If it's Kickstarter it will almost definitely be a bike out of the box.

How about different levels of kickstarter supporter for the frameset, and much more for a bike.

 

[Mark B]

My idea with the bike was a frameset and not a bike out of the box. If it's Kickstarter it will almost definitely be a bike out of the box. If it's not, I think Robert will have to be cloned pretty quickly. He is very busy at the moment. Good to see the progression. I guess it will be sold with a cheaper Shimano groupset too. May be the 105?

As far as I know... It's still a frameset.

Mark

 

[ccooper]

I'd like to see a smart-trainer version. Only an inexpensive rear wheel, 1x11 cheap groupset, no brakes. I guess that's easy enough to build from the frame-only, but it would be nice to have it already built.

 

[Lief]

Who would you tell if you could? (Market)
What would you say to them? (Message)
What sort of people ask you the most questions? (Demographic)
Who do you associate with that doesn't ride bikes? (Relationships)

Fill in the survey link.
The kickstarter campaign needs input - and our input is key!

#goTribal

Oh - and if you think someone else will probably cover your idea - doesn't matter add it. 10 of the same ideas can provide the proper focus.

 

[DavidJL]

I take it that it's gonna be a while before it hits the market, maybe not this year, depending on how campaign goes. I'm just going to focus on riding what I already have.

 

[ratz]

I take it that it's gonna be a while before it hits the market, maybe not this year, depending on how campaign goes. I'm just going to focus on riding what I already have.

Indications are the wait won't be that long. More info to follow. In all likelihood the forum will know before the world does.

 

[joy]

I try to spread the word on every ride if I can. I am a recreational rider on mostly my Vendetta. I have the best luck getting women to sit on it. Guys won't even try it, although they will try the Encore (husband) sometimes. I think it partially has to do with the look of the layback and how different it is overall. I just bought a used Qx100, which I will be riding on a popular gravel trail. I hope to get more interest in that. With the new T50, I think it should be a complete bike. We are talking entry level here, and how many entry level bikers will want to, or be able to build up a bike...tools, skill, time, space etc. The biggest problem in spreading the recumbent word is lack of dealers/places to try one. If I hadn't been in Florida and found Vite, I probably wouldn't be riding one. The only bents I have seen in Connecticut are really basic (Ezrider?) or Catrike. There needs to be a way to have a physical presence somehow. They are too expensive for most people to take a mail order chance on. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Mark B]

I think it should be a complete bike. We are talking entry level here, and how many entry level bikers will want to, or be able to build up a bike...tools, skill, time, space etc. The biggest problem in spreading the recumbent word is lack of dealers/places to try one.

I respectfully disagree.

I get where you're coming from with the beginner, beginner, brand new rider. What about the forty or fifty something guy that has ridden his entire life and wants to try this front wheel drive recumbent thing? That was me. You said it yourself; with no dealer network and not much of a chance of trying one, building my own was the only way I could try, without investing a bunch of cash in the unknown. For me, at the time, it was the conversion kit. Most people that have ridden for any length of time know how to assemble a drive train. Heck, even if you don't, You Tube is your friend.

I'll concede that a built bike should probably be an option, but a frameset..... That lets a person cannibalize their old road bike for parts and be riding in a very short time? I think that's the ticket for attracting another generation of new recumbent riders from the ranks of the upright world.

Mark

 

[trapdoor2]

No real reason it couldn't be configurable. Order complete bike, order frameset...sounds familiar.

Over the years, I've tried to get anyone that was interested a chance to sit on it or even ride it (my V2/k, not the V20). Rarely will anyone even sit. Most are turned off by the MBB and then price point...esp. for something they've never experienced...and have never seen before (except for that looney FOG on the MUT with the goofy bike).

I am probably nuts, but I think that 'entry level' should be a single-speed (freewheel). No gearing: a 'Schwinn-style/comfort-bike recumbent. Get that price down to rock bottom. Fat 559 tires that you can buy/service at Wal-Mart, cheap cranks, etc. Simplicity and value...and upgradeable, should the buyer want to do that. My original conversion eventually was made into a 3sp with a Sturmey Archer hub (the fixed gear version worked...but I just didn't like riding fixie. I have since converted my fixies to single-speed). It works great...and I am planning on re-working a V2/k to that configuration this summer (ditching the shock front-end too). It makes a wonderfully simple ride for the MUT.

 

[Mark B]

No real reason it couldn't be configurable. Order complete bike, order frameset...sounds familiar.

You struck a chord.

You know... Most newbie, newbie riders aren't going to consider recumbent. Some might, but most won't. They'll usually go one of two ways. They'll either go full on hi zoot road bike and matching kit, or they'll go the el-cheapo wal mart bike. That's just the reality of it. The first guy will discover it hurts. He might ride a while, but he'll either give in, or want to go another way. That guy is a candidate for a CB. The other guy will hang his $90 bike shaped object in the garage and go with "cycling sucks".

Of course, there are exceptions and there are examples all up and down the spectrum between those two examples. I'm just saying... That's pretty much the way it goes.

Mark

 

[trapdoor2]

You struck a chord.

You know... Most newbie, newbie riders aren't going to consider recumbent. Some might, but most won't. They'll usually go one of two ways. They'll either go full on hi zoot road bike and matching kit, or they'll go the el-cheapo wal mart bike. That's just the reality of it. The first guy will discover it hurts. He might ride a while, but he'll either give in, or want to go another way. That guy is a candidate for a CB. The other guy will hang his $90 bike shaped object in the garage and go with "cycling sucks".

Marketing is a very difficult business. Trying to place a 'new' product into an existing market (bicycles) depends on your capability to defeat all (reasonable and unreasonable) preconceptions tied to that pre-existing market. You don't really have to sell to the 1% (us), you need to define your target market and then create a need/reason for them to choose your product above all others. Buyer preconception is the hardest to get around; add an order of magnitude for Cruzbike.

We know the value. How do you convince that guy/gal in Wal Mart to ditch the $300 Schwinn and buy a T50? If not him/her, you're talking to the LBS...another kettle of fish altogether!

 

[Maria Parker]

I'm so grateful to all of you. More insider information on the T50 Kickstarter coming soon, for your eyes/ears only. Destroy it after you read it.

 

[Lucia]

Here it goes, our first *official* word on the T50 Kickstarter launch. We wanted to share it here with this community first because you are the heart of Cruzbike. You were the first to bet on this technology with us, to adopt it before it was proven. You stuck with us through growing pains and have pedaled alongside us since the earliest days. You’ve raced, traveled the world, commuted, gotten fit, enjoyed rides with your families and friends on old roads and new roads and proved that this platform is truly awesome. You’ve spread the word and are the reason we’re able to keep making bikes we love for customers we love.

As you know, we've been making Cruzbikes in small batches for years. High quality, small batch, unique bicycle production is expensive. And price is one of the biggest obstacles for people considering recumbents and Cruzbike. Even potential customers who are affluent don’t want to spend thousands on a bike they aren’t sure they are going to love.

So we’ve been working hard to design a simple, elegant, cost-accessible Cruzbike frame. And it’s just about here.

Initially our goal was conservative - perhaps we could sell 75 frames in six months? Then we asked ourselves what our real goal was. And it’s to change the world by getting more people to ride bikes everyday (and enjoy it!). We needed to think bigger. That was when we began considering a Kickstarter launch. A month later and we’re counting down to a 4/18/2017 Kickstarter launch date.

Here’s the plan: We have already taken out loans to pay for the first batch of 150 T50s. We are going to sell these as a loss-leader through Kickstarter to show what great bikes these are. If we are funded, we will place a follow up order of 500 bikes (our manufacturer is ready for us to say go), which lowers the per-item production costs, giving Cruzbike a sustainable profit margin.

We only get one shot at this on Kickstarter. We’re nervous, but know that if we get this bike in front of the right people in the right way, it’s going to be massively successful.

Okay, now for the really fun stuff. Some details and SNEAK PEEK PHOTOS!

We plan to award Kickstarter backers at different levels with frame sets (similar to the V20 or S30 frame sets), T50 basic builds, T50s decked out with accessories for city riding, T50s with trim and accessories for cruising and a couple of really special T50s for the very earliest backers. Sign up here http://eepurl.com/cHHfFb if you want to get updates right to your inbox on all of that.

Robert’s been assembling some frames we had air shipped over early to prepare them for photography. Check out the pics below.











We’ll keep you in the loop as we charge toward the Kickstarter launch. If you want updates straight to your inbox, subscribe to the Kickstarter-specific email list here http://eepurl.com/cHHfFb. Thanks for your enthusiasm and support as we launch this exciting new chapter!

 

[trplay]

I'm in (I think). My thinking is along the lines of CCoopers post above. Now that I'm heavily into the smart trainers I found the recumbents take up a much larger space than a DF. I need a frameset with the Cruzbike drivetrain angle along with the proper seat recline that isn't a space hog. It looks like one of these framesets will do this. You wouldn't even need a rear wheel. Perhaps a solid triangle base where the drops connect to the top. Hope the price is right.

 

[Lief]

Muahahahaha! Awesome!
I need a commuter that

A) doesn't toss me over the handlebars and
B) I can quickly adjust for any of my three other family members. (Aka converts)

My primary commuter (1.0) occasionally needs maintenance and I'd like to have a dead simple backup.

I'm in.

 

[ratz]

I'm in (I think). My thinking is along the lines of CCoopers post above. Now that I'm heavily into the smart trainers I found the recumbents take up a much larger space than a DF. I need a frameset with the Cruzbike drivetrain angle along with the proper seat recline that isn't a space hog. It looks like one of these framesets will do this. You wouldn't even need a rear wheel. Perhaps a solid triangle base where the drops connect to the top. Hope the price is right.

In other words ===== The kickr starter "trainer bundle" with coupons from Zwift and TrainerRoad...?

 

[trplay]

Well sorta, you could keep the trainer road coupons Since you are already all over this. Please tell me how much space you save with this version and confirm you can get the vendetta recline on it.