lightduty
05-18-08, 04:11 PM
thinking about buying cruzbike conversion kit... how does rear wheel fit on front fork? The axle seems too wide to fit front fork dropouts. I am still in research mode but looking to pull the trigger soon. T
Recumbent - cruzbike conversion question
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StephenH
05-18-08, 11:15 PM
Look at this page. Scroll down to the second picture from bottom at the right:
http://www.cruzbike.com/conversions.html
It looks like you use the normal fork, but the axle actually goes through some of the hardware that they furnish and sits just in front of the normal position on the fork. Presumably, this lets them spread things out far enough to fit the cassette in.
On the Silvio, looks like they just use a custom wide fork (scroll down to fork picture):
http://www.cruzbike.com/silvio.html
I'm not familiar with these things myself, just was looking out of curiosity.
http://www.cruzbike.com/conversions.html
It looks like you use the normal fork, but the axle actually goes through some of the hardware that they furnish and sits just in front of the normal position on the fork. Presumably, this lets them spread things out far enough to fit the cassette in.
On the Silvio, looks like they just use a custom wide fork (scroll down to fork picture):
http://www.cruzbike.com/silvio.html
I'm not familiar with these things myself, just was looking out of curiosity.
JusticeZero
05-19-08, 06:47 PM
They mount a triangular piece on each dropout onto the fork, which is spun around; the other side of the triangle fits the drive wheel. The front (free) wheel has a new axle extension put through it.
I don't suggest getting the freerider bars; I did, they feel great and look distinctive, but the mounting for it is not designed to accommodate the location of the crankwheel deraillure braze-on; we had to spend some quality time with a hammer and anvil to get it past the braze-on, then tighten it again, and the fitting is in the way and screws with my adjustments on the crankwheel derail. Be sure you have the time and skill to do the work yourself; actual work time was maybe 2-3 hours, but the directions weren't as helpful as I might have hoped, and puzzling them out and trial and error ate up a full day or two.
Finally, recognize that the design was created to work on a full-suspension Y-frame MTB with slicks. Apparently, the only place to get a suitable Y-frame nowadays is either used on CL or at Wal-Mart, and it wasn't clear how long they would stay available at Wal-Mart. You'll also most likely need to almost immediately change out the front crankset; a MTB gearing is far, far too slow, and you'll find yourself in top gear a lot of the time otherwise. You may need other new parts as well; I needed to replace the front deraillor (different post diameter), seat post (needs the old style, so I had to get a new one), and crank bearing (different size).
Works great, just know that you won't be saving as much as you hoped.
I don't suggest getting the freerider bars; I did, they feel great and look distinctive, but the mounting for it is not designed to accommodate the location of the crankwheel deraillure braze-on; we had to spend some quality time with a hammer and anvil to get it past the braze-on, then tighten it again, and the fitting is in the way and screws with my adjustments on the crankwheel derail. Be sure you have the time and skill to do the work yourself; actual work time was maybe 2-3 hours, but the directions weren't as helpful as I might have hoped, and puzzling them out and trial and error ate up a full day or two.
Finally, recognize that the design was created to work on a full-suspension Y-frame MTB with slicks. Apparently, the only place to get a suitable Y-frame nowadays is either used on CL or at Wal-Mart, and it wasn't clear how long they would stay available at Wal-Mart. You'll also most likely need to almost immediately change out the front crankset; a MTB gearing is far, far too slow, and you'll find yourself in top gear a lot of the time otherwise. You may need other new parts as well; I needed to replace the front deraillor (different post diameter), seat post (needs the old style, so I had to get a new one), and crank bearing (different size).
Works great, just know that you won't be saving as much as you hoped.