Has anyone electrified a Cruzbike or tried one???

[Ken M]

I've never been a huge fan of recumbents because most are 3-wheelers. I have a Rans 2-wheel recumbent but it's a bit unruly because the wheel base is short so I don't want to put a motor on it.

I ran across the impages of the Cruzbike S40 Endurance model and like the idea of human driven front and motor driven rear 2-wheel drive ebike. I know there is a learning curve to riding these but has anyone put a motor on a Cruzbike and can provide some real world feedback?

Thanks....

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Ken …
I suspect that few EBR Forum members are familiar with Cruzbikes. They are a niche product with an enthusiastic band of followers including one who was a member of my Sunday morning chain gang a decade ago. Here is a photo of the Cruzbike T50E recumbent ebike.
… David

 

[Saratoga Dave]

Well, there’s something you don’t see every day!

 

[Ken M]

I like that it's a 2 wheel recumbent and you sit a bit higher than most so you are more visible + your visibility is also better. But I think the coolest thing would be the 2-wheel drive configuration if you put a hub motor in the rear wheel. I would someone has some actually riding experience on one. The one in the photo looks like a very under-powered hub motor and battery.

 

[Ken M]

Just getting this back top on the form hoping to find someone that has ridden an e-Cruzbike. I like the design of this recumbent because a bit higher than most (better safety) and would provide an ideal way to have two wheel drive since the pedals power the front wheel instead of having a crazy long chain like most recumbents have.

 

[Ken M]

Just adding another post to get this back to the top to see if anyone has feedback on electrifying a Cruzbike. The idea of an optimize rear drive for the motor and optimized front drive for the human has a ton of merit in my opinion (in reality mid drives really compromise the capability of a motor at higher speeds because of the mechanical losses incurred by the gearing to keep the human input and cadence acceptable.

 

[Marcela]

I had an S40, for a little while. That was enough. To electrify one, would be more than enough. I told the guy who I sold it to, you don't want to go down on it. He said why? I said you ever slid into second base on concrete? The aero of a trike or recumbent is phenomenal compared to a diamond frame. If I did go recumbent again it would prob be on a Bacchetta.

I do have a Cattrike that would be a hoot on electricity.

 

[Ken M]

I had an S40, for a little while. That was enough. To electrify one, would be more than enough. I told the guy who I sold it to, you don't want to go down on it. He said why? I said you ever slid into second base on concrete? The aero of a trike or recumbent is phenomenal compared to a diamond frame. If I did go recumbent again it would prob be on a Bacchetta.

I do have a Cattrike that would be a hoot on electricity.

You have a great point about sliding on concrete but my thought was that if a cruzbike were electrified with a really great rear drive system the weight of the bike becomes moot so the seat could literally be redesigned to slightly encase the rider ... maybe to the point of protecting them from a side auto impact. There must be a way to dramatically improve rider safety on the cruzbike platform and not having to worry so much about extra weight opens up a lot of possibilities.

I want an S40 so let me know if your buyer decides to resell. I want to test some rear drive system ideas, larger air volume tires, and a protective seat.

I was assessing the the dramatically lower aero drag on a cruzbike vs a traditional more upright mountain bike and the difference in power needed to say cruize at 28mph was huge (like 1/3 to 1/2 which would result in big performance or range boost of any drive system put on a cruzbike.

 

[Ken M]

What I like most about the cruzbike design for converting to electric is the ease of having a two wheel drive bike with both the motor and human inputs optimized.

I do not like the super long chains of most recumbents. I have a Rans recumbent and it's interesting but the wheelbase is pretty short so it's twitchy to ride.

 

[Marcela]

I would suggest you find one and ride it and make your decision based on experience. Takes time to become acclimated to the moving bottom bracket.

 

[steve marino]

As Marcella pointed out, the downside of a recumbent like the one shown above is that if you drop it, and at some point you will drop it, bad things will happen. I had a Sun EZ Racer for a spell, and loved the riding position. Before buying it I rode a recumbent like the one you're interested in and didn't care for it. The short wheelbase combined with the higher center of gravity and not enough rake to the front fork made it way too twitchy. Didn't care for my feet being way up high in the air either. I would go w/ an EZ Racer myself because they're a better suited design for electrifying and a bargain for the price.

Easy Racers Recumbent Bicycles | Bicycles | EZ/Sun Recumbent Series

As for anything you could add to the seat that would protect you if a 2,000 - 4,000 lb car hits you......

 

[Ken M]

I've read about how the moving bottom is like learning to ride a bike all over again but there are videos with good riders pedaling with no hands which is interesting.

I do want to understand the injury risks that everyone is referring to. I'm still a mess from hitting a fence post 18 months ago which broke my next in a traditional bike which is one of the reasons I'm looking for something like the cruzbike. Being a bit lower would seem to be safer but I could see where road rash to the sides could be more likely.