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kil0ran wrote:
If I had the budget that Layham’s would be mine. Gorgeous thing….I’m currently in a fairly similar situation to you as I want a new rim brake commuter/winter bike come Spring time. I’ll let my current hack put up with this winter!
I think this time I’m going to buy a complete bike, not a frameset. In your situation a Bowman Layhams sounds ideal although maybe a bit too pricey?
https://bowman-cycles.com/product/layhams-copy/
A cheaper option could be a Genesis Equalibrium frameset, not sure if it can fit 28s with guards mind.
I think I’m going to grab a Specialized Allez when they’re back on the market as they can have mudguards with 25″ tyres, I’ll grab the Sora one as I’ll have some spare 105 parts to upgrade it myself and also some better wheels to fit on it.
And now it is – found an unbuilt one on eBay! Now busy force-refreshing the DPD tracking website. Utter porn and should be buildable in to something around 8kgs.
The other option was a Fratello, or a Kinesis GF Ti v2 but they so rarely come up for sale.
Layhams completely fits the brief. I could have gone for a Rourke or Bob Jackson or Mercian, but winter would have been done by the time they were ready. Hopefully be out on the Layhams over half term now…
Is the lack of clearance at the chainstay bridge for the tyres only, or tyres and guards? i.e. could you just stop the guard before the chainstay bridge?Am embarking on fitting full length guards to my Rose Xeon tonight, cautiously optimistic but 25s are my max and the guards will need to stop at the fork crown and the chainstay bridge, much dremelling!
p.s. did you check out the Holdsworth Competition? I ended up not buying one because I didn’t think I had the time to do my own build, possibly regretting that decision now…
Anecdotally it can take 28s with room to spare. You would need those little mudguard eyelets that sit on your QR axle but they’re cheap enough.
I did like the look of that (absolute sucker for orange bikes, plus a Holdsworth would make the old man jealous, as long as he didn’t realise it wasn’t a “real” one) but really wanted proper mudguard eyelets.
As to mudguards I was primarily interested in keeping myself dry rather than protecting the bike so was looking in to options for cutaways, etc. That would have meant metalwork and proper guards rather than chromoplastics which just don’t like being cut, so probably PDW or Gilles Berthoud.
How tall is she? Kinesis
How tall is she? Kinesis adult bikes go down to 45cm frames?
I’m going the self-build
I’m going the self-build route, from a Beinn 24 to a Giovanissimi frame (sold until recently by PlanetX). Lovely bright red frame, caliper brakes, hydroformed tubes, feels light.
My thinking is to start with him on flats and then eventually end up on drops, but at the rate he’s growing he’ll be on a 43cm/650 standard frame soon from someone like Kinesis.
Hoping to involve him in building it up, or at least get him to strip down the Islabike (its being cannibalised due to an unfortunate roof rack/car park barrier incident)
Just one thing to bear in mind – the Islabikes use mini-v brakes, if the replacement frame takes caliper brakes you’ll need to change the levers (looks like you’re going to do that anyway) as the pull is different. Not sure 105 levers will play nice with Mini-V’s so make sure the frame takes calipers.
I asked around the main kid’s bike manufacturers when I crushed the Islabike and none of them will sell you a frameset, which monumentally sucks from a recycling perspective. Islabikes will give you a discretionary discount on a replacement frame but you have to provide a purchase receipt for the original and evidence that you’ve destroyed the damaged frame.
Whilst it won’t solve the purple requirement, don’t discount Charge or Genesis or even Forme in your search, all make good bikes that rival the usual Islabikes/Frog options.
Battery cars: I wonder where the materials to make all these batteries are going to come from in the first place, and that is apart from replacements that will be needed in the future. Batteries only have a limited number of charging cycles. Personally I think we need to look at a different way to get propulsion in vehicles because batteries are not the long term answer…The trouble with this argument is it forms a very strong case against carbon fibre. Carbon fibre cannot be practically recycled, it requires a lot of energy to burn off the toxic resin which then leaves lots of very small carbon fibres which aren’t very useful.
So based on that premise, we shouldn’t ride carbon fibre bicycles.
And aluminium is fearsomely expensive to smelt and recycle. Ditto Titanium
Steel is real… …ly good for the environment it would seem. Or bamboo
Battery or dynamo? Dynamo, pretty much any of the Gerrman lights will work tolerably well- I’ve had problems with the Luxos U, but the Supernova road specific light is ok. Battery – the Ixon IQ Premium, essentially the battery version of some dynamo light or other, is usable, although the battery compartment isn’t wonderfully built.To my mind, although these lights are generally ok, the beams are too narrow for some situations – on some bends one effectively has to ride into darkness – bit scary at times.
Battery. Not quite ready to invest in another front wheel with a good dynamo system (don’t think I could skeak that past my wife…)
Doesn’t need to be that expensive – and will probably end up cheaper than a battery light that will do the same job.
Take a look at Taylor wheels – you’ll get a front wheel, dynamo, and light package for around £130.
Stick with it, those sort of
Stick with it, those sort of skills would get you to manager level in Halfords 🙂Seriously though, watch and learn, it’s a rewarding career if you like bikes. You’ll get to ride all the latest gear and have access to the best tools to fix your own bike. Learn spannering, I’ve really enjoyed starting from scratch and learning how to build up a bare frame.
Just give thought to whether you need the daylight running lights and light sensor. There’s only about £20 difference between the two versions of the light, but that would buy you a rear light. On pitch black lanes you’ll need to put it on The rather than Senso to switch off the DRLs and put full power to the main beam. I do use mine on the morning commute in Senso mode but to be honest you could just run the full lamp output instead. When you buy the light it comes with everything you need to connect it to the hub and a rear light except the plug (which should come with the hub). No soldering or patching required, all you need is an Allen key to remove your brake caliperThanks. That’s just the information I wanted. It’s so much better to hear from people who have used the product in real life than a review.
The Busch & Muller Cyo IQ Premium T Senso Plus Headlight sounds like a good option at that price.
I like the idea of the daylight running lights…maybe a bit less drag from the hub. Found the prices from Germany are much less than here:
https://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=8;product=67804;menu=1400,1410,1411;mid%5B39%5D=1;orderby=3
Thanks again…and it’s good to know there are others out there battling with the cold, rain, wind, ice and mud every morning.
Definitely buy from Germany – I got mine from Rose. They’ve usually got awesome deals on dyno wheelsets too, or take a look at Taylor wheels on eBay. Usually built with Shimano dynohubs rather than SP though. You can’t ride a bike after dark without dyno lights in Germany so market volumes are much higher and therefore prices much more competitive.
I’ve got the snappily named “Lumotec IQ2 Luxos U senso plus front” light from B&M and I have to say I’m slightly disappointed with the light output. The beam is broken up with shadows rather than being an even spread which is nothing like what you see on Peter White’s site linked above. Also, I find that even using the 90 lux flood mode it isn’t bright enough on unlit country lanes above 25mph to highlight the potholes and surface changes soon enough especially when it’s wet. I supplement it with a 600 lumen Lezyne for the unlit bits of my commute.Having said that I do appreciate the wide flat-topped beam and for general riding it’s much better than the more concentrated beam of the Lezyne.
Mark.
I was put off the U range for just this reason, the beam shape is better on the Cyos, despite those lights having lower output. Similar ergonomic issues with the IQ-X – I guess the market demands extra features but the product designers at B+M have lost their way a little.
I guess I’m more risk-averse than you, I wouldn’t ride at 25mph+ on unlit country lanes round here, too much capacity for critters to appear out of nowhere. In daylight I’ve had near misses with pheasants, squirrels, and rabbits recently so perhaps I’m being conditioned into being over-cautious.
Shame I didn’t pick up on that difference between the U and non-U lights when I did my research but I do like the neat all-in-one charging setup of mine. I know what you mean about the speed on unlit roads and to be honest I only have two short sections of downhill where I’m going that fast on my commute.
I run a B+M rack mounted rear dynamo light as well which might reduce the output a bit I guess. That’s another slight disappointment because I bought the one with the built-in brake light function but it doesn’t seem to work. That might be because it is wired to the tags on the front light rather than direct to the dynamo but I haven’t experimented with splicing the dynamo output yet.
Despite my moaning I’m glad I switched to a dynamo system – it’s always available, provides plenty of good quality light in most conditions and in my case means I can charge my mobile phone when I’m “off-grid” touring.
Mark.
I thought I read somewhere that the U isn’t compatible with the brake light function on the rear but I might be wrong. I think its because the light is actually powered from a cache battery rather than direct so the rear light won’t be able to detect the voltage drop as your hub speed drops. The U needs the cache battery so it can provide a reliable supply to any accessories you’re running from the charging port.
You’ve definitely got it cabled up right – my rear light is done the same way using the tabs on the Cyo and it definitely works OK.
Running a rear definitely reduces front light output on my Cyo – I notice it particularly as I do the same route on both bikes with the same model light but only one has a dynamo rear.
OP – all the above probably sounds horrendously complex but modern dynamo lights really aren’t compared to the older style ones which earthed via the frame. The B+M really is plug and play, admittedly with tiny connectors that you need to be careful with. Just make sure you tape the connectors for the rear light if you’re not using one.
Bikeworkhorse wrote:
Thanks. That’s just the information I wanted. It’s so much better to hear from people who have used the product in real life than a review.
The Busch & Muller Cyo IQ Premium T Senso Plus Headlight sounds like a good option at that price.
Just give thought to whether you need the daylight running lights and light sensor. There’s only about £20 difference between the two versions of the light, but that would buy you a rear light. On pitch black lanes you’ll need to put it on The rather than Senso to switch off the DRLs and put full power to the main beam. I do use mine on the morning commute in Senso mode but to be honest you could just run the full lamp output instead.
When you buy the light it comes with everything you need to connect it to the hub and a rear light except the plug (which should come with the hub). No soldering or patching required, all you need is an Allen key to remove your brake caliperI’ve got the snappily named “Lumotec IQ2 Luxos U senso plus front” light from B&M and I have to say I’m slightly disappointed with the light output. The beam is broken up with shadows rather than being an even spread which is nothing like what you see on Peter White’s site linked above. Also, I find that even using the 90 lux flood mode it isn’t bright enough on unlit country lanes above 25mph to highlight the potholes and surface changes soon enough especially when it’s wet. I supplement it with a 600 lumen Lezyne for the unlit bits of my commute.Having said that I do appreciate the wide flat-topped beam and for general riding it’s much better than the more concentrated beam of the Lezyne.
Mark.
I was put off the U range for just this reason, the beam shape is better on the Cyos, despite those lights having lower output. Similar ergonomic issues with the IQ-X – I guess the market demands extra features but the product designers at B+M have lost their way a little.
I guess I’m more risk-averse than you, I wouldn’t ride at 25mph+ on unlit country lanes round here, too much capacity for critters to appear out of nowhere. In daylight I’ve had near misses with pheasants, squirrels, and rabbits recently so perhaps I’m being conditioned into being over-cautious.
I ride a similar distance way
I ride a similar distance way after dark (leave work at 6pm) on completely unlit roads with plenty of (mostly furry) hazards.
The biggest benefit of a dyno light is positioning because mounted at the fork crown you get good shadowing of potholes and the like.
I used to use the Exposure Revo dyno light (essentially a downpowered version of their main line of off-road lights) with their hub which is a rebadged SP. It was brighter but not suited to fork crown mounting and didn’t have the beam shaping of the German lights. Its also quite a lump compared to the lightweight B&M lights I use now.
I’ve now got a B+M Cyo Premium Senso T (https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/lighting/busch-muller-cyo-iq-premium-t-senso-plus-headlight-for-hub-dynamos/) on my commuter and the non-Senso version on another bike and they both do the job very well indeed. I looked at the other options from Son, Supernova, and B+M and these were by far the best in terms of price/features/performance/weight. The ones you mention are solidly built but no brighter than the B+M and heavier because of the heat sinks and metal housing they use. One of my Sensos is 5 winters old (3 of those Scottish) and whilst the casing looks battered it is utterly reliable and still as bright as the day it came out of the box.
If you go with fork mounting there are a couple of things to bear in mind:
1. Make sure that your cables aren’t fouling the back of the light – particularly an issue if you have headtube mounted cable stops
2. If you’re running mudguards or fat tyres don’t discount the amount of shading you’ll get from the tyre/guard
I had both of these issues and solved them with the Supernova Multimount which lets you set the height and angle of the light to clear cables and minimise the shading.
You don’t say whether you’re running calipers or discs? If you have discs and the fork crown isn’t drilled Supernova do a mount that will screw in to the bottom of the steerer – this can also be used with the B+M lights.
One final thing – don’t forget that if you intend to run a rear light that your main beam power will be slightly reduced. Possibly worthwhile sticking with a battery-powered rear if being able to see where you’re going is most important. One of my bikes has a B+M Line Plus rear light which is amazing (brightens as it detects braking) but there is noticeable reduction in output from the front light.
I’m perfectly able to hammer along at 20mph on country lanes with these lights, I’d never go back to batteries and bar-mounted lights when commuting. Mine are left on all the time as daylight running lights and when you’re commuting every day its quite satisfying not to have to remember to switch them on/charge them.
Can you get the decathlon triban 500 frame-only? One of them has long drop brakes and would most likely take 28s +guards but I can’t remember the exact model.I also managed to get 28s and guards to work on my CAAD8 with some coaxing and modding but it was a bit of a labour of love to keep it working well like that. Its for sale if anybody wants a caad8 with 105.
Good point – pretty sure the new 500 has the clearance, same frame as the 100 and that has 32mm knobblies fitted as standard with a ton of clearance. Certainly an option – it has mudguard mounts and a carbon fork. I reckon I could get ~£150 back by selling the group, tyres, wheels, and bars from it so net cost would be around £200. Bit of a bargain really – the matt red finish looks excellent, it’s mercifully short of the usual B’Twin graphics screaming “6061 Aluminium is soooo coool kids”, and it even has pannier mounts front and rear. Not many carbon forks out there rated to carry 6kgs per side on low-rider mounts – you could probably ride round the world on it! Its not particularly light at 10.3kg but its sporting a square-taper triple with heavy wheels so it should be easy to get it way below 9kgs.
Whilst I’ve squeezed 28s into my Triban 3 clearances are super-tight, no way to fit mudguards unless you’re running 23s.
So I spoke to Decathlon about the 500 – no go for 28s plus guards, unless they’re skinny 28s. Issue is clearance on the chainstay bridge – they’d probably go in but you’d be running dangerously close.
So Kinesis, custom, or Condor it is.
Seen moped riders at the
Seen moped riders at the local MaccyD’s riding off without helmet on, guessing they’re targeted on time spent at the store as they seem to wait to put them on at the traffic lights just up the road.
alansmurphy wrote:
I’ll bet your hair gel weighs more…Doesn’t seem to hold Kittel back…
Then again, I hear Alpecin use carbon nanotubes in their hair care products
