T50 - whatcha planning to build.....

[DavidJL]

I don't see why one couldn't use MTB drop bars, but the shifters and brake levers I used are made for flat bars or the gull wing bars I used. I tried using a straight flat bar, but the hand positions and the clearances were not to my liking. I definitely want a front end I can put all my upper body effort into should I need or want to do it.

 

[super slim]

I don't see why one couldn't use MTB drop bars, but the shifters and brake levers I used are made for flat bars or the gull wing bars I used. I tried using a straight flat bar, but the hand positions and the clearances were not to my liking. I definitely want a front end I can put all my upper body effort into should I need or want to do it.

This is what I did to the Quest V1.0 (3*9) to see if it was as fast and comfortable as the Silvio V1.0, for a 4 month cycling trip in the rockies of Canada and USA, as I wanted disc brakes.
I was able to lower the reversed handle bar stem, so my thighs just touched the bars.

I chose the Silvio due to its better front suspension, a comfort with the 100 mm chainstay extension moving the BB up 75 mm, as with a 46" x seam the BB is below the seat height on the Quest.

It required new brifters (Shim Tiagra triple 9 speed) and Road Disk applicators (21 mm cable movement) (BB7), instead of the MTB BB7 (35 mm cable movement)

 

[DavidJL]

Another little mod I did was to take some more Razor dual scooter clamps and QR seat skewers and make a no-tool seat height adjustment, though not sure how this would work with a rear rack. Had a really fun ride this evening. But FWD-MBB is going to be a hard sell, even though it's fun as heck to ride. The hill climbing ability of Cruzbikes is just amazing. Until I stumbled across Cruzbike, I had given up on recumbent bikes. Would really like to see the T50 take off.

 

[DavidJL]

Right now, I am using regular hex nuts to join the two clamps together, but would like to find M6 internal wrenching nuts so carrying a 10 mm wrench isn't needed. I have found standard ones with the trade name "Allenut", but nothing in metric. Anyone have any ideas on this?

 

[Cruzer1]

Hey folks,
Can someone please post pictures on
1. Cable routing for front derailleur?
2. Fender mounting?

I have 650b wheels with enough clearance for a fender on the front and rear. Since I'm moving fenders from my current bike (with 700c wheels), I wonder whether the T50 front takes the rear fenders of my current bike, and the T50 rear takes the front fenders of my current bike.

Pictures that show mount/bolt points of the fenders and front derailleur cables will help.

 

[Lim]

Hey folks,


I have 650b wheels with enough clearance for a fender on the front and rear. .

How thick your tires are? 40-650 or 37-650? I thought 650 wheel might have almost no clearance at all.

 

[Cruzer1]

I have 38-650 tires and it has enough clearance for fenders.
Someone posted a 700c x 28 tire that still had some clearance as well.

Was just thinking of how to move my 700c fenders to the T50 frame (with 650 by 38 tires).

I'm yet to figure out front derailleur cable routing, so I'd appreciate any help in that regard.

 

[Bill K]

A while back, @RojoRacing posted about DT Swiss skewers, and because of this I now have to have them on all my bikes.
So, I got one for the T50 front wheel: a DT Swiss RWS Aluminum Lever Steel Skewer - Rear 135mm.
They make two versions: a road version and a mountain bike version.
If you get one, get the mountain bike version. I got the road version and the handle is curved in towards the frame so much that it contacts the frame. To tighten it you need to ratchet the handle since it will not rotate the full 360 degrees.
Otherwise it works fine and allows you to tighten the wheel into the fork better than a standard quick release skewer.

 

[DavidCH]

Well I finally took delivery of my T50 today. My wonder brother brought it over from Florida. Not sure if I am going to use twist grips or something else. I have lots of cranks , brifters and levers available. Just got to wait for the Lucifer weather system to evaporate and perhaps I can get a bit more creative

 

[DavidCH]

I quite like Hardy's creation. Might go for swept up bars or use my old aluminum bull horns. Go for a smaller rear wheel to give it the T30 effect with disc brakes.

Being all black it should look despectfully fast.

 

[DavidCH]

I am walking the Camino de Santiago and this summer there seems to be more bikes than ever but I haven't seen a recumbent. A nice short wheel base, such as the t50 would be great but I don't think it takes the 700c wheels, which is a shame as I have two challenge 33mm cx tires that I could put on them. They would be ideal for the gravel paths that the Camino has.

The T50 would be easier to transport as it should fit in a normal bike box.

I've had all sorts of ideas ... Even trading in my old trek mtb for a descent wheelset.

Must be because I am baked in the sun.

 

[trapdoor2]

I am walking the Camino de Santiago and this summer there seems to be more bikes than ever but I haven't seen a recumbent. A nice short wheel base, such as the t50 would be great but I don't think it takes the 700c wheels, which is a shame as I have two challenge 33mm cx tires that I could put on them. They would be ideal for the gravel paths that the Camino has.

700c x28 fit nicely on mine. I posted a pic a while back. The tire is a Vittorio Rubino @ 100psi. About 5-6mm of clearance to the fork crown. Much more on the sides.
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[snilard]

No holes...you can look at the pix on the T50 kickstarter page that shows a bike with mudguards. It has a couple of clamps on the fork to hold the mudguard stays. I just received my chrome fenders for my T50 and I'll probably have to come up with some sort of similar system.

What is diameter of fork in place good for mounting mudguards clamps? I would like to order one of these: https://www.rosebikes.com/article/rose-bandage-set/aid:340316

 

[Bill K]

What is diameter of fork in place good for mounting mudguards clamps?

I just took some rough measurements:
Mid-fork: circumference is 3.8", slightly oval with width = 1.1" and depth = 1.15"
Low-fork (just above the 160mm rotor): circumference is 3.1", slightly oval with width = 0.9" and depth = 0.93"

Those clamps look interesting... I might also get a set.

 

[rx7mark]

My red/orange T50 is finally done. I had an agreement with the wife, that the whole bike had to be financed from selling off stuff from past car, golf, audio, and bike projects. So cleaning out of the garage and listing on E-bay or Craigslist came first, then part ordering, then building. Took a little longer this way. But the wife is happy, and she wants to try to learn to ride the T50 also, so another T50 or S40 might be in my future.

Lots of firsts for me. First recumbent, first 1x11, first tubeless tires, and first scratch wheel build.

BOM and more pictures in next message. Only a few issues or dumb mistakes. Threaded the chain wrong the first time and had to get another master link. Couldn't get one of the tubeless tire seated and had to get help from LBS. Had to replace the stem extension, put the long one on first, then switched to shorter version.

I am starting to learn to ride and having a ball. Still to come lights and fenders.

 

[rx7mark]

My build BOM - I'm 6' 2" and 230 lbs, so sort of a Clydesdale build
Wheels (Home Built): 26 inch WTB Frequency Team i25 rims, 32 hole. DT Swiss 350 Hubs, Sapim Force spokes, and Sapim Brass nipples, Stans tape, orange sealant.
MICHELI PROTEK URBAN Tubeless tires 26X1.85 (these actually measure just shy of 2.0 inches @ 50psi)
SRAM GX long Cage RD
Shimano XT M8000 11 speed 11-42 Cassette
SRAM GX twist shifters
SRAM BL-700 flat bike road levers
TRP Spyre Calipers with 160mm disks
Redline Microline 155mm Crank
RWC 440C Bottom bracket
KMC X11SL Gold chain
Yokozuna Reaction Universal Cable set
Wolf 42T Drop stop elliptical chainring and bolts.
Pedal Innovations Catalyst oversize pedals.
WALD 8095 Touring bar
Pro Adjustable 90mm stem
Seat mod- Moved the mounting bracket up to reduce the seat angle.
Added 5/8 inch thick layer of black foam from a sports matt.

 

[defjack]

Looks good except your boom clamp is upside down I did the same thing and you cant get 2 wrenches on the headset nuts. Mine is fixed now.

 

[rx7mark]

Defjack,
Thanks, I will take a look, but I had no trouble getting two wrenches on my headset and everything seems to be working OK.
I will check out the T50 page and videos.

Mark

Yep, all the pictures show it inverted, I will get it flipped.

 

[Doug Kline]

I finally got around to building out my T50. In the end I went a slightly different direction with the handlebars than I originally planned. I kept looking at that steering tube post and thinking I didn't want that poking in me if I crashed, so I used a Soma Gator bar with a Deity stem that provides a more flat surface. The Gator bar is unique in that it has the right outside diameter to take MTB controls in the drop and road controls on the bend. It provides both good knee clearance and good reach.

I built this as a greenway bike and tried it out on some muddy sections and its doing it's job fine. My V20 and S40 handle reasonably similar to each other, but the T50 is quite a bit different, but ride-able. My only issue so far is the small seat surface area hurts my back while I can ride on my larger Thor seats all day (i.e, I did a 12-hour ride two weeks ago with 219 miles on my V20 and no hurt back). I'll have to figure out what to do there, but I've already dumped too much money in this hobby.

2018-05-14 EDIT: One note on the Gator bar set up, it fits me nicely but I just tried to adjust for my wife and she was too short. When I pulled the crank up enough for her to reach at the furthest extent, her legs hit the handlebars. The whole reason I did a 1x11 set up on the T50 is so it would adjust easy. So be aware that the Gator bar set up might be too cramped for shorter riders. I am 6 foot (183cm) and she is 5'2'' (158cm).



Parts list. Some of these components are overkill for this bike...but they were sitting in my parts supplies.

T50 Frameset
Stan's Notubes 26" Crest S1 wheels with an XD driver
Continental Travel Contact tires 26" x 1.75" (47-559)
Continental tubes (I know, the rims are Stan's)
Deity Components Cavity Stem, 31.8mm clamp, 35mm
Soma Gator bar - drops are 22.2mm OD so can accept MTB controls
Oury Lock-On Grips
SRAM S-700 11 speed trigger shifter
SRAM 700 Flat Bar Brake Lever Set (short pull)
SRAM GPX BB
SRAM Rival-1 42t Crankset (170mm)
Egg Beater 3 pedals
SRAM XG-1180 10-42t cassette
SRAM PC-1170 Chain
SRAM Force 1 Rear Derailleur 11 Speed, Long Cage (Exact Actuation)
Red22 chain
Avid BB7 Road S Mechanical Disc Brake 140mm
Avid BB7 Road S Mechanical Disc Brake 160mm
Jagwire cables and housing
TorTec Ultralite Rear Rack Black
Ortlieb panniers


















2018-05-14 Edit:

 

[Brad R]

I finally got around to building out my T50. In the end I went a slightly different direction with the handlebars than I originally planned. I kept looking at that steering tube post and thinking I didn't want that poking in me if I crashed, so I used a Soma Gator bar with a Deity stem that provides a more flat surface. The Gator bar is unique in that it has the right outside diameter to take MTB controls in the drop and road controls on the bend. It provides both good knee clearance and good reach.

I built this as a greenway bike and tried it out on some muddy sections and its doing it's job fine. My V20 and S40 have reasonably similar handling, but the T50 quite a bit different, but ride-able. My only issue so far is the small seat surface area hurts my back while I can ride on my larger Thor seats all day (i.e, I did a 12-hour ride two weeks ago with 219 miles on my V20 and no hurt back). I'll have to figure out what to do there, but I've already dumped too much money in this hobby.

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Parts list. Some of these components are overkill for this bike...but they were sitting in my parts supplies.

T50 Frameset
Stan's Notubes 26" Crest S1 wheels with an XD driver
Continental Travel Contact tires 26" x 1.75" (47-559)
Continental tubes (I know, the rims are Stan's)
Deity Components Cavity Stem, 31.8mm clamp, 35mm
Soma Gator bar - drops are 22.2mm OD so can accept MTB controls
Oury Lock-On Grips
SRAM S-700 11 speed trigger shifter
SRAM 700 Flat Bar Brake Lever Set (short pull)
SRAM GPX BB
SRAM Rival-1 42t Crankset (170mm)
Egg Beater 3 pedals
SRAM XG-1180 10-42t cassette
SRAM PC-1170 Chain
SRAM Force 1 Rear Derailleur 11 Speed, Long Cage (Exact Actuation)
Red22 chain
Avid BB7 Road S Mechanical Disc Brake 140mm
Avid BB7 Road S Mechanical Disc Brake 160mm
Jagwire cables and housing
TorTec Ultralite Rear Rack Black
Ortlieb panniers

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The pictures from above the seat show that the Cruzbike utility Ventisit is not as wide as the seat. I think it would be a lot more comfortable with a comfort thickness Ventisit that was actually wide enough to cover the seat.