moobiker

My name's Mike, and at 52 am discovering that being on a bike is my happy place. I commute (a little over an hour round trip) three or four days a week, and try to take longer rides on weekends treating my bike as a car. Recently I've been having problems with numb hands and wrists, and am playing with my setup to take weight off my hands. In the meantime, I'm really interested in the RANS crank forward design, having ruled out a true bent based on prior ownership and the steepness of the hill I have to climb to get home. I'll be looking forward to tapping into the vein of experience here regarding all things bicycle.

East Hill

Hello Mike, taking the weight off your hands should help with the numbness. What are you currently riding?

Welcome to BF, and feel free to PM me with any questions !

East Hill
Forum Moderator

moobiker

My daily commuter is a Trek FX7500 with strait bars, rack but no fenders. It is a great bike and has served my needs well, but is currently in need of modification to get my riding position a little more upright. I have an adjustable stem on order that should do the trick.

East Hill

Oh, that's good. Happy future riding .

East Hill

ForwardCrank

Hi Mike!
I'm 53 and got my Rans Fusion one month ago. The more I ride this bike, the more I love it... and I've ridden about 500 miles on it so far. I've always had neck problems, and the upright posture on the CF bikes completely fixed that. Likewise with hand/wrist issues - there is no weight on the wrists at all with the Fusion (and very little with the Dynamik or Zenetik models).

My longest rides so far have been about 50 miles, and when I'm done I have no discomfort in my neck, back, wrists, or butt at all (I do get sore legs of course, but that's because I'm pushing to become a stronger rider).

There's nothing about the Fusion I don't like, but I never got to try the other models (only the Cruz, which is just like the Fusion but with curved tubes). So I'm not sure if I'd like the Zenetik more than the Fusion. Besides the better components and bigger wheels (and a bigger price tag) the big difference is that it has a less radical angle on the seat post, which allows you to stand on the pedals. But I like the way the Fusion climbs - by pressing against the back of the seat and pulling on the handlebars.

Anyway, I heartily endorse the Fusion - especially for us less-young folk who don't mind a little more comfort.

moobiker

Thanks for the input on the fusion CF, I'm very close to ordering a zenetik pro frame and undertaking my first build. I've spec'd out a parts list and it looks like I can get it done for less than the cost of the Zenetik Road, and save about 4.5 pounds off the weight. Which, again, is good for getting up my hill. I've been spending time on the Crank Forward Forum and am finding all the input there very helpful. I'll probably post progress when I start building.