Trek Cytronex - First Impressions.

[Chris_Bike]

It's great to hear that my status as sole Cytronex reviewer for the Universe will shortly be coming to an end. I do hope that the courrier does his job Mike and that your finger lets you out soon John. I know you are both going to love the bike.

 

[frank9755]

just tried posting a reply and the computer went crazy, turned out something was resting against my other keyboard and I posted some gobbledygook, sorry!

You can delete the post - just go in to 'Edit' and it gives you that option!

 

[Cyclezee]

I bet you will be out on it splint or no splint

I'm not going to risk it at this stage Paul. I wouldn't be able to operate the front brake and gearchange safely

J hn

 

[felix]

You can delete the post - just go in to 'Edit' and it gives you that option!

thanks Frank, just done it.

 

[Cyclezee]

It's great to hear that my status as sole Cytronex reviewer for the Universe will shortly be coming to an end. I do hope that the courrier does his job Mike and that your finger lets you out soon John. I know you are both going to love the bike.

Thanks for Chris. Have you fitted a propstand or carried out any other mods yet that you would recommend?

J hn

 

[Chris_Bike]

Thanks for Chris. Have you fitted a propstand or carried out any other mods yet that you would recommend?

J hn

I have fitted a rear rack + panniers to Lynne's. The rack was a cheap one from Wiggle, but seems fine:

LifeLine Alloy Rear Rack for £17.99 | LifeLine Racks | Cycle | Wiggle

The panniers were the Basil Briefcase panniers previously recommended by Flecc. They are very robust - too robust for her and I have ordered a single hook on bag to assess.

On mine, I changed the saddle to a trusty Brooks B17 Pro, which I have used on several different bikes over the past 25 years. The Bontrager saddle supplied looked comfortable enough but it did not suit me. I also fitted toe clips (I'm far too old for the clipless pedal generation!). I will also put a rear rack on mine in due course (and therefore use the panniers).

Mudguards would be near essential in winter, but I'll wait a bit for those (and a solid rear pannier rack stops most of the spray from behind throwing that nasty streak up your jacket).

I am still looking for a prop stand for Lynne's. SJS have several and this one looks like it should work:

Chainstay fitting adjustable length propstand, bla

Btw, if anyone buys from Wiggle remember to un-check the express delivery box on checkout. Their standard delivery is free and, in my experience, just as quick!

 

[Cyclezee]

Thanks for the info Chris, I think the only mod I will make is to add a propstand as I would like to keep it as light, minimalist and stealth like as possible.
I'm looking upon the Cytronex as my spring and summer bike, using my Agattu for autumn and winter.

J hn

 

[felix]

Also thanks Chris. I'm probably going to collect the bike after all as Mark prefers to hand them over completely assembled and checked. Got to wait till next Saturday before I can travel down though

Mike

 

[Chris_Bike]

Also thanks Chris. I'm probably going to collect the bike after all as Mark prefers to hand them over completely assembled and checked. Got to wait till next Saturday before I can travel down though

Mike

It will be worth the wait Mike. I think it's good to get the lowdown on the machine from Mark and he is within 2 mins of the railway station if you come by rail.

 

[Chris_Bike]

Thanks for the info Chris, I think the only mod I will make is to add a propstand as I would like to keep it as light, minimalist and stealth like as possible.
I'm looking upon the Cytronex as my spring and summer bike, using my Agattu for autumn and winter.

J hn

I should have said that I'm also going to try some lighter tyres. The Bontragers are bullet-proof but a bit heavy. I have experience of using Conti 4 Season 4000 on road bikes. These are very puncture resistant, good in the wet and a lot livelier - and you can get them in a 28mm version from Ribble.

 

[Cyclezee]

I like bullet-proof tyres Chris, and use Continental Contact Security and Schwalbe Marathon Plus on other bikes for this reason. You might regard these as a bit agricultural.
I will try the Bontragers before making any changes.

J hn

 

[Chris_Bike]

tyres

Hi John,

I suspect you are probably en route to/from Winchester collecting your bike. I hope you are pleased with it.

I said I was going to order some Continental 4 seasons to try and, despite only being ordered from Ribble yesterday lunchtime, they turned up this morning. So, of course, I had to try them out!

I'm pleased. They weigh little more than half of the Bontragers at 260g and, at 28mm, they look very sleek on the bike. The bike does feel livlier, which I put down to the reduction in rolling weight (a controversial thing to say here) and their low rolling resistance.

I should make it clear, I'm not ideologically opposed to "agricultural" tyres. I used to swear by Conti Top Touring on the tandem. But when I started racing it with 10 year old sons on the back, I discovered that I got no more punctures with good quality racing folders.

I tried the 4 seasons beause my kids have used them on Belgian cobbles in the wet and dirt tracks in the Lincoln GP. Most important, they are available in 28mm, which really suits the Trek.

They wouldn't be everyone's up of tea and I'll tell you about punture resistace when they have done more miles. Meanwhile, if anyone wants a pair of Bontrager 32s for a tenner plus postage (done 180 miles, think they are called racelite) let me know.

 

[flecc]

.

I should make it clear, I'm not ideologically opposed to "agricultural" tyres. I used to swear by Conti Top Touring on the tandem. But when I started racing it with 10 year old sons on the back, I discovered that I got no more punctures with good quality racing folders.

A to B magazine who do extensive bike testing have remarked on seemingly always getting far more punctures with heavily treaded tyres.
.

 

[Cyclezee]

Chris

I collected my Cytronex from Winchester this afternoon and was given very through and detailed instruction by Mark on it's workings. There has clearly been a lot of serious thought and effort given to this project and it shows.
Earlier in the day I met up with Sam, Mark's wife/partner, I'm not sure which
They were taking part in a an event as part of Winchester Cycle week and Sam was enlightening a very interested police cyclist about electric bikes when I arrived. It was interesting to note that he knew nothing the law regarding speed restrictions.

I also learned that a certain MP who shall remain nameless, no it's not Boris, is the proud owner of a Cytronex and rode in the Parliamentary ride on Tuesday. This resulted in a mention in Cycling Weekly Boris fails to show for Parliamentarian's bike ride - Cycling Weekly, Britain's biggest-selling cycling magazine, delivers an exciting mix of fitness advice, bike tests, product reviews, news and ride guides for every cyclist

As for me, I have to wait at least another week before I will be able ride mine, so all I can say for now is that my first impressions are very favourable

J hn

P.S. many thanks for the tea Sam

 

[HarryB]

Chris

I collected my Cytronex from Winchester this afternoon and was given very through and detailed instruction by Mark on it's workings. There has clearly been a lot of serious thought and effort given to this project and it shows.
Earlier in the day I met up with Sam, Mark's wife/partner, I'm not sure which
They were taking part in a an event as part of Winchester Cycle week and Sam was enlightening a very interested police cyclist about electric bikes when I arrived. It was interesting to note that he knew nothing the law regarding speed restrictions.

I also learned that a certain MP who shall remain nameless, no it's not Boris, is the proud owner of a Cytronex and rode in the Parliamentary ride on Tuesday. This resulted in a mention in Cycling Weekly Boris fails to show for Parliamentarian's bike ride - Cycling Weekly, Britain's biggest-selling cycling magazine, delivers an exciting mix of fitness advice, bike tests, product reviews, news and ride guides for every cyclist

As for me, I have to wait at least another week before I will be able ride mine, so all I can say for now is that my first impressions are very favourable

J hn

P.S. many thanks for the tea Sam

Why can you not name the MP - are you worried we will never have heard of him/her?

 

[Chris_Bike]

Why can you not name the MP - are you worried we will never have heard of him/her?

Just respecting privacy I suspect Harry - she's my missus.........

 

[coops]

The bike does feel livlier, which I put down to the reduction in rolling weight (a controversial thing to say here) and their low rolling resistance.

Not controversial at all here Chris.

I'd be interested to hear how you find the ride comfort through the handlebars (i.e. the level at which bumps/potholes are felt as shocks/vibrations) compares to a normal i.e. non-'road/racing' bike, because it can be affected by relatively high 'unsprung' weight of the hub motor in rigid front forks?

I'm also curious because I've never seen a mention of this for tongxin motors, and although it is about a quarter to a third less weight than some other similarly used hubs, the cytronex frame + battery weight is also lower by about the same proportion, so its a good test of how light frame & front hubmotor might be affected.

I'm also interested to hear if your tyre change to a narrower size makes any handlebar shocks more noticeable, or if you've felt any need to run at lower tyre pressures.

Stuart.

 

[Cyclezee]

Just respecting privacy I suspect Harry - she's my missus.........

Exactamundo Chris, I thought you might want to keep her under wraps, but now we will all be looking out for an MP with a pannier on each hip

If I told you what my daugters job is she would have you shot.....and me too for that matter

J hn

 

[HarryB]

Just respecting privacy I suspect Harry - she's my missus.........

Ok mums the word then.

 

[Chris_Bike]

Not controversial at all here Chris.

I'd be interested to hear how you find the ride comfort through the handlebars (i.e. the level at which bumps/potholes are felt as shocks/vibrations) with the relatively high 'unsprung' weight of the hub motor in rigid front forks?

I'm curious because I've never seen a mention of this for the tongxin, and although it is about a quarter to a third less weight than some other similarly used hubs, the cytronex frame + battery weight is also lower by about the same proportion, so its a good test of how light frame & front hubmotor might be affected.

I'm also interested to hear if your tyre change to a narrower size makes any handlebar shocks more noticeable, or if you've felt any need to run at lower tyre pressures.

Stuart.

Well, I'm no fan of suspension forks on the road - I think they add weight for little return. Road vibration is about typical for aluminium forks on the Trek - I don't think it's really affected by the front hub. To be honest, I'd rather have raked forks (which, in my opinion, soak up road bumps better than straight). That's one of my reasons for speculating about carbon forks - as we've said previously, they would need to have big fork-ends, very well bonded in. You would expect the tyre change to make for a harsher ride, but I can't say I felt it. I was just really impressed by the livlier feel. Of course, being 28mm, the bike should be going fractionally slower that it did with 32mm. I've not tried seriously to assess that yet but I guess I could by returning to a previously ridden route. I inflated them to 6 bar btw, which is actually a bit higher than I had the Bontragers. Th 4 seasons will go up to 8 bar in the 28mm version and I would probably inflate them that much on a road bike.