Review and photos of the new S40

June 2, 2017/ Jim Parker

Introducing our newest model in the Cruzbike line-up, the S40. This is a refined lightweight performance bike, but with a more upright backrest angle than both our our record-setting V20 and it’s predecessor, the S30.I’ve ridden the bike here in flat lands of eastern North Carolina and in the hills of eastern Tennessee. This bike is equally at home in both settings.

I’ve ridden the bike here in flat lands of eastern North Carolina and in the hills of eastern Tennessee. This bike is equally at home in both settings.

Design highlights

The S40 uses the same power train as the V20, except we have widened the fork crown to take larger tires. The beautifully hydro-formed aluminum frame is also made from the same mold as the V20. The S40 is compatible with a variety of wheel sizes when using disk brakes, or 700c wheels and rim brakes. It comes with a headrest, which some customers may prefer not to use. Configure the S40 as a gravel/endurance bike, or a sleek and sophisticated touring or commuting bike. Put on skinny 700x23c tires and challenge your roadie friends for the KOM on their favorite Strava segment.

The re-designed handlebars are lighter than earlier handlebars and deliver a wider grip for better control and faster climbing. The bars also have more swept-out space for knee clearance.

We have also upgraded the Chainstay/BB interface making this bike compatible with more cranksets than ever before.

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 One other significant design improvement is that the front edge of the seat pan is adjustable. Some people may prefer more or less forward extension of the seat, and now this can be customized for a more comfortable ride.

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The ride

So how does it ride? On the descents, it felt the same as my beloved V20, which is not surprising considering that the wheelbase, trail, and head-tube angle are almost identical. Cornering felt smooth and natural, also like the V20, except for the more upright position of the body, which makes it easier to see farther around corners, but has a slight cost in aerodynamics.

While sailing down a hill is fun on almost any bike, wait until you rocket UP a hill on the S40. With your back pressed into the more upright frame, and the wider bars linked to the V20’s famously stiff drive-train, the bike leaps up the grades as responsively as any bike I’ve ever ridden… even better than my V20. You put the power in with your legs and your upper body and you can feel the energy surge through the cranks. This is Cruzbike’s best climber, period.

What about long rides? For me personally, I would install the headrest if I planned to go for more than an hour ride. I prefer the free feeling of no headrest for shorter rides, and my neck doesn’t fatigue without a headrest under those circumstances. Regarding suspension… there is none and I didn’t miss it. The fatter tires soak up the bumps comparably to the S30’s elastomer/titanium/CF chainstay suspension system. This change makes the bike simpler, less expensive and lighter.

Who is it for

Who would want this bike? Any fan of the Silvio/S30 and anyone who has ever considered the Vendetta/V20 but didn’t want to lay back so much. Now there is no excuse. Get an S40 while they are still in-stock. Oh yeah, what about the name? The “S” refers to the fact that this bike falls under the “Silvio” family of Cruzbikes, based on its high-end frame and more upright backrest angle. The “40” refers to the backrest seat angle.

Standover height: (the height of the seat above the ground) is 24 inches with the 700x32c tires.
Weight: The weight of the fully-built bike will range from about 22 lbs to 30 lbs depending on component and wheel/tire choices.
X-seam range: approximately 35 inches to 48 inches (about 5’2″ to 6’5″ body height).
Weight limit 250 lbs (rider + cargo).

Accessories and options:

All of the accessories designed to work with the V20 headrest will work with the S40 headrest. There is a VERY COOL “Easy Reacher” under seat rack made by TerraCycle specifically for the S40 (photo below). This will take a set of panniers or allow attaching batteries or other cargo in an ideal low and center position. If you prefer a more traditional rear rack, the Axiom Journey Adjustable 2429 works beautifully (with small modifications to the rack mounts).

World-record holder Maria Parker putting the S40 through its paces on a dawn training ride:


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Those are 700x32c tires and there is still some room for a fender or even fatter tires:

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This S40 has the Ventisit cushion upgrade and front and rear TRP Spyre disk brakes with 160 mm rotors:

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Stunning graphics (choose silver, green, blue or orange) make this bike a functional work-of-art:

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The critical numbers that help determine comfort and great handling characteristics:

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The S40 as configured in the photos above is built with SRAM Apex brifters, crankset (50/34), and front derailleur. The rear derailleur is the long cage SRAM GX. The cassette is 11×36. Brakes are TRP Spyre with 160 mm rotors. The wheels are 36-spoke deep rim made by Velocity. The tires are Ritchey SpeedMax Comp 700x32c with max PSI of 75. The total weight of this build, including the pedals and mirror is 28 lbs., 5 oz.

The stock wheels/tires/rotors etc. in the photo below weigh 9 lbs., 5 oz. For a complete 22 lb. road-bike build, start with a lighter group set, rim brakes,and lightweight wheels/tires.

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This solidly-built underseat rack by TerraCycle is the perfect compliment to the S40:
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Credits:

A bike this good takes the work of a lot of people. The groundwork of Tom Traylor and John Tolhurst form the basis of such a fast and practical FWD bicycle. The people who contributed to the functional and aesthetic improvements in this model include Robert Holler and Jonathan Garcia of Portland, OR, who tweaked the geometry and tested the prototypes. They firmly concluded it’s the fastest climbing Cruzbike (or any recumbent) they have ever ridden; our designer Jacob Bouchard, an innovative problem-solver who puts all the ideas down into beautiful 3D drawings and works patiently with our manufacturers, and, two Parker women, my wife, Maria, and my daughter, Lucia. They ride our bikes, love our bikes, and help make it all happen. Great job, everyone.

Jim

Find the S40 at Cruzbike.com/s40

 





 

 


25 comments


  • Lucia

    Hi @Duncan! Thanks for the comment and your interest in the S40! The Scarab Bag is not compatible with the Under Seat rack (they fit in the same space).


  • Duncan

    is the scarab bag compatible with the under seat rack? Any possibility of an accessory like the one for the V20 that exploits the space between the seat and the back tyre?
    Duncan


  • Marc Smith

    So much fun to see the brand evolve. The S40 design is sort of a ‘wish list’ of all the features I would ask for…not that I’m giving up my V20! Great job…I think y’all have another winner!


  • Mike

    I agree. It is a great bike. In the above review it says 700×32c + fenders. If 26inch wheels how wide can the tires be? 1.5, 2.2, etc. and still get a fender in there?


  • Steve Lai

    Question, can this or any of your other bikes be used on a stationary trainer, ie Minoura Mag 850?


  • Jim Parker

    Yes. Many Cruzbike owners use indoor trainers. Attach the trainer to the Cruzbike front wheel, just as you would normally attach the trainer to the rear wheel.


  • David Clark

    Great looking bike! Question: can the S40 be set up with a triple crank using a standard, square taper bottom bracket? What’s the smallest size large ring that can be used on the triple? Most of my riding is in the mountains…..


  • Jim Parker

    Yes. Any BB that is designed to work with a standard 68mm English-threaded BB shell will work.


  • Jeff

    One of my concerns would be “recum-butt”. Generally, 30 degrees). With a hard shell seat, has anyone verified is this is/is not an issue with the 40 degree seat on this model? For my part, at >30 degrees, I could only ride 1 hour before experiencing this and this fact would be a deal-breaker.


  • Jim Parker

    Hi Jeff,
    I don’t know of any widely accepted rules about getting “recumbent butt” (a pain in the gluteus muscles due to the muscles working under the pressure of the body’s weight).
    I didn’t get it on the S40 after a 3-hour ride, but everyone is different. I think your weight, conditioning level, and riding technique will have a lot to do with it. What kind of cushioning you use may also help or hurt the situation. If you prefer to recline at 30 or less degrees, then the V20 would be a better choice for you.


  • Mark Medina

    I am wondering if the trike is still in the works? I have seen the youtube vidio and looks preety good.


  • Lucia Parker

    Hi Mark, yes! We are still pursuing the trike project.


  • David Tseng

    If I set it up like a road bike using 700C wheels and rim brakes, would I still need to use 135 mm disk hub for the front wheel?


  • Jim Parker

    No, the disc hub would not be necessary if you want to run rim brakes. A 130 mm or 135 mm non-disc brake hub would be fine.


  • Glen Shepard

    Can you put the new Mt.bike gearing using just one chain ring up front 11-42 in the rear?


  • Mike

    I like your question. I am interested in cross country touring, and for that low enough gearing to haul the bike, panniers, and me over a substantial hill without having to get off and push is important. For loaded touring the recommended range of gear inches is 18-100. However the above setup is 25.5-122.7. This is more for racing than touring.

    In addition to the possibility of making a low range MTB gear setup, has anyone considered trying the Pinon 18 gear set up. It has from 16.7 – 104.8 gear inches. This is more than enough to tackle the ups and downs of any mountain roads. Would that be a possible option in the future?


  • Duncan

    The seat height is said to be 521.2mm or 24 in.
    Yet 24 inches = 610mm
    Is it really 24 inches?
    That seems rather high.


  • Aaron Hill

    I’d be very interested in max tire widths for various wheel setups, i.e., 650b or 26″. For winters up here in Maine, where chunky ice and huge potholes are the norm, Schwalbe Ice Spikers are the tire of choice and come in either 2.25″ in 650b or 2.10″ in 26″ (I am guessing neither is compatible as they are rather MTB, but who knows!). We also have thousands of miles of dirt logging roads to ride in summer, so I would love to know how suitable this bike is for rugged conditions, i.e., as a gravel bike. Are there any traction issues with fwd?


  • Jim Parker

    Excellent questions. I know 700 × 38 will fit, but I DON’T know what the max is with smaller wheels. Maybe over on the forum someone knows.

    Yes, traction with FWD can be an issue on steep/slippery inclines. Wheel slip can be reduced by leaning forward and pedaling evenly (rather than mashing/thrusting). I did a gravel grinder last year on the S40 and I could climb all the gravel inclines except one very steep one… that many of the MTB riders were also walking up. – Jim Parker


  • Allen Hoaglund

    When Installing fenders like the Cascadia ALX 700c x 35mm on the S40 stock tires of the Kenda Kriterium Endurance 700×30c tires…..will these fit well with spacing or take some finagling to install? Reading the fender specs for needed area around the tires, these fenders sound be be very close on space tolerance clearance.


  • Jim Parker

    Hi Allen,
    It will probably work but hard to say since I haven’t tried this fender on those tires. I would suggest posting this question on the forum. Or you might just want to order the fenders and see if they fit. Return them if they don’t.

    Jim


  • Allen S. Hoaglund

    Lucia had written me that Robert said this particular fender would fit the Kendra tire I have.

    When reading the Planet bike site about what tires this particular Cascadia fender would fit, it doesn’t sound like a good fit.

    I’ll order and see how it works and return it necessary.

    Thanks for the reply and all the crews efforts in bringing the Cruzbike to fruition.


  • Mike Reiter

    The Cruzbike V20 looks great as well as the 40; However I just bought a cat trike 700 and I am not happy! Any ideas? I wish I would have seen the Cruzbike first. Before I spent 4K.Help! -Mike


  • Lucia Parker

    Hi Mike! Thank you for your kind words – we’re obviously big fans of the Cruzbike V20 and S40. We’d love to connect with you at hello@cruzbike.com to talk cycling and what your needs are, if you like!


  • Michael

    I sent email. Call anytime. Thanks


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