Electric 2021 Cruzbike Q45

[offGridDownUnder]

I have documented this in the Cruzbike forum with technical detail. Early in the thread, another rider gives some details of his conversion, but he also actually took a grinder to his motor over concerns the spinning brake rotor would damage the motor cable. If you read further, I detail the part my local fabricator came up with to prevent this. The approach I used involves no changes to the original Cruzbike.

This is pending sale as I write this, but the solution works very well. With the motor on the rear wheel, it has all-wheel-drive and goes up hills wonderfully, and the regen braking can stop the bike without invoking the brake pads at all (you can still use them for emergency stops).

Electric 2021 Q45

You may need to register to view the pictures - I don't know the state of things when you are reading this. But then, if you have a Cruzbike, that's not a bad idea - there is much useful other information there.

 

[neptronix]

I'd love to see more about your build here.

 

[offGridDownUnder]

I posted extensively in the Cruzbike forum at the link. Is it not accessible?

I suspect the V3 All-Axle may have done away with the need for the collar to hold the cables, but the torque arm mount solution is still relevant, as is the battery mount.

Remember, you put a 'front wheel hub' on the rear of a Cruzbike - 100mm OLD width.

I don't have this machine now.

 

[neptronix]

Just don't want to sign up for another forum to see pictures.

Why don't you have it anymore? i've personally considered getting one of these.

 

[offGridDownUnder]

I'll look into whether I have the pictures I posted on the Cruzbike forum to post here.

Cruzbikes have most of the hill (mountain) climbing records - they are very effective. Riding one is different - but quite doable.

No one "knows" how to ride a bike. Instead, they put themself on one, and then do it again, until their body and brain have worked out how to keep them on it. They can't write that down and transmit it that way - anyone else has to go through the same process with their own body and brain.

So, you must do the same with a Cruzbike, even if you "know" how to ride an upright bike, but it works fine and they are quite nice - I liked looking at the sky and trees instead of the pavement. No back pain, no wrist pain, no neck pain, no numb nuts. My trike also offers this.

There are directions of steps to work through to speed the process of being able to ride a Cruzbike - takes a week or less. They help. The best I've seen is a video of a fellow riding one along all the painted lines in a parking lot, making right angle turns back and forth at walking speed - that does take practice, but then it also gives great confidence.

The most recent iterations of the Q45s have the front leg length adjustment co-axial with the wheel/hub/cluster (as they use a 12mm thru-axle, as mine did). The same shop that helped me make the adaptations for mine also put a Rohloff and Gates belt on another (front wheel - motor goes on the rear). It turned out that the chainstay distance permitted this with good tension.

Q45 models make good gravel bikes. I wouldn't want to do air time with one, but otherwise I don't see a problem taking one off-road.