We're coming up on our Sixth Anniversary here at Bikes For The Rest Of Us (you can read our first post here). To celebrate, we're going to pick the top "Six Outstanding Transportation Bikes" since 2008, i.e., since the inception of Bikes For The Rest Of Us.
To do so, we're going to need your help. You can make your nominations by leaving a comment to this post or by joining the discussion on twitter at hashtag #BFROU. We will publish the Six on our Sixth Anniversary on February 1, 2014!
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Friday, January 10, 2014
Breezer Uptown Infinity
 |
| Photos courtesy of breezerbikes.com |
If you read Edwin's epic Lights for the Rest of Us (and you really should, if you haven't), you probably noticed that Breezer stands apart when it comes to offering bikes with dynamo lights. The Infinity also has a Nuvinci 360 hub, which basically makes shifting something you don't have to think much about (For more info, read Simple Cycle's review of the hub).
So, you don't have to think about lighting, and you don't have to think about shifting. No wonder Maurice Tierney compared this bike to a toaster in his Bicycle Times review. Comes with a full chaincase, fenders, and a rear rack. Here are the specs on the LS:
| Sizes | Low-Step: XS (15"), S (17"), M (19"), L (21") |
| Color(s) | Gloss Marine Blue |
| Main frame | Breezer Custom-Tapered Aluminum, Single Water Bottle Mount |
| Rear triangle | Breezer Custom-Tapered Aluminum |
| Fork | Breezer Chromoly |
| Crankset | Breezer Aluminum, 38T |
| Bottom Bracket | FSA 7420 Cartridge-Style |
| Pedals | VP, Polished Aluminum Body, Chromoly Axle |
| Front derailleur | - |
| Rear derailleur | - |
| Shifters | Nuvinci N360 Twist Shifter, ∞ - Speed |
| Cassette | Shimano, 18T |
| Chain | KMC |
| Wheelset | Shimano 3W Dynamo Front/Nuvinci N360 Continuously Variable Planetary Rear, 36H Hubs, Vera DM25 Aluminum Double-Wall CNC SSE Rims |
| Tires | Vera CityWide Plus, 26x1.75" w/ Puncture Protection, Reflective Strip |
| Brake set | Breezer Aluminum Linear Pull, Cold-Forged, Stainless Hardware |
| Brake levers | Breezer Aluminum, 4-Finger Ergonomic w/ Kraton Grip |
| Headset | FSA Sealed, 1" Threaded |
| Handlebar | Breezer North Road Aluminum, 25.4, 26mm Rise, 590mm Wide, 33° Sweep |
| Stem | Breezer Aluminum, 25.4, Quill-Style |
| Tape/grip | Breezer Ergonomic Dual-Density |
| Saddle | Breezer Comfort Saddle |
| Seat post | Breezer Suspension Aluminum, 40mm Travel, 27.2mm |
| Fenders | Polycarbonate, 50mm, Stainless Fittings, Integrated Lighting Conductors |
| Headlight | B&M Lumotech Lyt LED, Standlight, Auto Sensor, On/Off Switch |
| Taillight | B&M DToplight Plus, Standlight |
| Rear Carrier | Breezer Tubular Aluminum w/ Spring Clip |
| Other | Full Chaincase, Kickstand, Bell, Frame Lock |
Monday, November 25, 2013
#8 Peter's Repurposed Bikes
Today we return to hearing about readers' bikes with an entry from Peter, who has mastered the art of the repurposed bike (aka "RUB"):
Great blog- I'm happy to see people glorifying repurposed bikes and parts. Like Angus said, there are many bicycles already in existence which, with a little attention and modification, are better suited to many riders' and potential riders' needs and budgets than the majority of new bikes for sale in bike shops and department stores. The problem is simply that people are unwilling or unable to make the necessary adjustments, despite the beautiful simplicity of the bicycle and the many resources available.
I've only bought one new bike- the rest of mine are salvaged and cobbled together to my liking.
This past spring, I
finished building up what has been vying for the top spot on my list of
favorite bikes I own. (The list changes frequently and there are many ties):
I'll wrap this up
with the bike I'm working on currently. This project has been on the back
burner for me for several months, partly because I haven't made up my mind
exactly how I want it to end up. I've got a Trek Antelope frame that I'm
converting into a three speed. I overhauled a nice Sturmey Archer in August:
The four mile trip went... without a hitch... :/
Great blog- I'm happy to see people glorifying repurposed bikes and parts. Like Angus said, there are many bicycles already in existence which, with a little attention and modification, are better suited to many riders' and potential riders' needs and budgets than the majority of new bikes for sale in bike shops and department stores. The problem is simply that people are unwilling or unable to make the necessary adjustments, despite the beautiful simplicity of the bicycle and the many resources available.
I've only bought one new bike- the rest of mine are salvaged and cobbled together to my liking.
My Schwinn World
Sport has more miles on it than any bike I've owned. The 4130 frame is in great
shape; I sanded off all the surface rust when I acquired the frame and sprayed
it with a two-part hardening clear coat paint. I fitted the frame with Mavic
Cosmos wheels and jumbled together old Shimano 105, 600, and ultegra parts to
make up the drivetrain. All parts on the bike, aside from the brake calipers,
cassette, and 6700 bar-ends, were bought used at the Iowa
City Bike Library. Here's the result:
 |
| All photos credit Peter Szabo |
I've commuted on
this bike since 2009, ridden it on many miles of rural Iowa gravel roads, and
taken it on its share of centuries.
My Trek 520 has
been my new bike of choice for long rides, gravel, trail, and the occasional
commute. It doesn't feel as fast as the World Sport does, but on calm days I
manage an average speed of around 18 mph on ~50 mile rides. Here it is in Des
Moines:
This bike has been
wonderful so far, and there is much I look forward to adding to it.
A year ago as I was
preparing to move out of my apartment, I looked at my spare parts and thought
that “there must be at least a full bike’s worth of parts there.”
I bought the clean
white housing and the rear brake cable, but nearly everything else was just
waiting to be put to use. I rode it a handful of times this past summer, but
not enough to warrant keeping it around. I will probably sell it in the spring.
Last week, I found
a Univega frame at Working Bikes. You can guess why I've decided to
sell the Raleigh. I built the Univega up as a beater cyclocross bike, but it is
still awaiting a wheelset. It's pictured with the wheels from the 520. I
haven't decided if I will race this season, but if I do, all I'll need is a set
of appropriate tires:
The build was fun
for a few reasons. The trickiest part
was putting together cantilever brakes that would reach from the 26” wheel
positioned posts to the rims of the 700c wheels. Here’s how it turned out:
They were both
finds in a spare parts drawer, and the springs needed to be replaced in order
to suit the position of the arms. The
other wonky thing about this bike is the chain guide. I wanted to make this bike a 1x9 because I
didn’t want to buy a front derailleur, so this is how I’ve kept the chain on
its ring so far:
It's parts from a
reflector bracket, and so far the chain has not slipped from the front ring.
I'll still be cautious while riding, but I've been pretty rigorous with it so
far.
Among a few other
things, I can’t decide what color I want to paint the frame (or whether to
paint it at all). I’ve considered olive
green with tan Big Bens and slate blue with gray cruiser tires, but right now
the bike mostly still looks like that.
Feel free to offer advice!
These two are from
the Schwinn in the field and the train:
The time I
transported my ladder with my b.o.b. trailer and a skateboard:
The four mile trip went... without a hitch... :/
Friday, November 22, 2013
Lights For The Rest Of Us
On behalf of his sister-in-law, Edwin searched far and wide for bicycles in the U.S. market that come standard with dynamo lights. We are grateful that he's chosen to share his research with us.
As a long time reader of Bikes for the Rest of Us, I like practical bikes. Bikes that are good for most people, most of the time. The kind that you can ride most places in most conditions. The kind where you can go shopping for a week’s worth of groceries, commute to work and head out at night. The kind of bike that, if you wanted, you could ride on a 30-mile charity ride. Or adventure ride with your friends. The kind of bike that works during the day and during the night, rain or shine, without modifications. Kind of like the cars we drive.
Breezer
Uptown 8 LS
Uptown 5 LS
Beltway 8
Finesse
Greenway Elite
Greenway Elite ST
Novara
As REI’s in house brand of bicycles, Novara has tried several different bicycles with dynamo hubs, including the Transfer, featured on this site. Other models included the Fusion, also featured here. Sadly, they are both discontinued. The current line up seems to include one bike with dynamo powered lights, the Gotham.
Gotham
This company has turned out a lot of practical city bikes, commonly called “hybrids.” Not many have had dynamo lighting, but they have one out now.
Fairfax SC6
Electra is famous for its comfort bikes, Cali-style and their Dutch style Amsterdam models, some of which have dynamo hubs.
Amsterdam 8i
Fashion 3i
Other: Shimano Nexus 3 speed rear hub, wheel guards, cutesy colors.
Other Options
Specialized: This big bike company had a few
dynamo versions of the high end commuter bike called The Source over the last
few years. They
also used to make a dynamo powered version of one of their Globe bikes. They
don’t anymore. On
their Dutch site they still have several Source models with dynamos.
Trek used to make a cute bike called the Belleville that came in diamond frame or mixte with dynamo lights, fenders, with front and rear racks. A true bike for the rest of us. And it was featured here.
On their Dutch site, Trek has several bikes with dynamo lighting like this one:
Cannondale
I don't think they ever had one in the US, but on their Dutch site, you can find:
The Tesoro 3!
Giant
Overseas, yes, here in the US, no.
On their Dutch site… you can find:
Jamis
I have read about Jamis' prior offering here, but their 2014 Commuter line does not come with a dynamo option.
As a long time reader of Bikes for the Rest of Us, I like practical bikes. Bikes that are good for most people, most of the time. The kind that you can ride most places in most conditions. The kind where you can go shopping for a week’s worth of groceries, commute to work and head out at night. The kind of bike that, if you wanted, you could ride on a 30-mile charity ride. Or adventure ride with your friends. The kind of bike that works during the day and during the night, rain or shine, without modifications. Kind of like the cars we drive.
The key features to this kind of bike are comfort, so
that you can ride it all day; fenders, so you don’t get wet; a rack or basket,
so you can carry your goods; and most importantly, lights, so you can see and
be seen.
After riding around
cities for the first 30 years of my life without a permanent lighting system on
my bikes, I was blown away when I finally made the investment in a dynamo hub a
few years ago. It has not changed my bike style or bike practices, as I always
biked most places most of the time; it just made it so much more dependable and
safer. Now I ride with my front and rear lights on all the time. I think it is
safer and I stand out whether biking alone or in a crowd. My front light is a
Busch and Muller Lumotec
IQ Premium Fly RT Senso Plus ( I hope this name is actually shorter in its
native German!)  |
| Lumotec front light. Credit: Peter White Cycles |
The lower lights stay on all the time – day time
running lights! And the top light turns on at night for a more traditional head
light with a horizontal cutoff according to German lighting standards. (Yes,
they exist, and you can read about them and other light-nerd stuff here.)
My rear light is a
Busch and Muller Toplight Line Brake Plus.  |
| Credit: Peter White Cycles. |
It has a great, steady rear light that brightens
when you brake!
I bought them both from the man who knows more about
bicycle lighting than anyone else in the U.S., Peter
White.
Enough about me. What inspired me to write this post
was looking for a good production bike for a friend. Actually, for my
sister-in-law, which is slightly more pressure than just for a friend. I was
thinking the best bike for her would be the kind of bike I described above,
that comes with fenders, racks, and dynamo lighting, so she could ride at night
without worrying about whether her batteries were charged or her lights had
been stolen off her bike last time she parked it for a few minutes outside.
So I started thinking about the options for a stock
bike, sold in the U.S., that fit these criteria. And here is what I found, with
a few notes on the specifications of each. I have ridden very few of these
bikes and so this is not a review, but more of a gathering of what is out
there. Let me know in the comments if there are others that you know about that
are not listed.
These bikes are fairly widely distributed and can even be
found in two of our five bike shops here in Nashville. Models that come with a
Dynamo hub are:
 |
| All Breezer courtesy www.breezerbikes.com |
o
Price: $1099
o
Dynamo Notes
§ Dynamo System: Shimano
DH 3N20-NT
§ Front Light: B&M Lumotec Lyt
§ Rear Light: B&M DToplight Plus with Standlight
o
Other: Comes in diamond frame and
step through. The rear hub is a NuVinci 360 Continuously Variable Planetary
gear system. In short: there are no gear “steps,” but a gradual change in
ratios.
Uptown 8
Uptown 8 LS
o
Price: MSRP $849
o
Dynamo Notes
§ Dynamo System: Shimano
DH 3N20-NT
§ Front Light: B&M Lumotec Lyt
§ Rear Light: B&M DToplight Plus with Standlight
o
Other: Rear hub is a Shimano Nexus
Revo-shift 8 speed internal hub. Comes in diamond frame and step through frame.
Uptown 5
Uptown 5 LS
o
Price: MSRP $789
o
Dynamo Notes:
§ Dynamo System: Shimano
DH 3N20-N
§ Front Light: Trelock Bike-I Uno LED
§ Rear Light: Trelock Trio Flat Standlight
o
Other: Rear hub is Shimano Nexus 5
speed. Comes in diamond frame and step through frame.
Beltway 11
o
Price: $2099
o
Dynamo Notes
§ Dynamo System: Shimano DH S501
§ Front Light: B&M Lumotec IQ Fly
§ Rear Light: B&M DToplight Plus with
Standlight
o
Other: Rear hub is Shimano Alfine 11,
a high quality internal gear hub with a wide range of gears.
Beltway 8
o
Price: MRP $1569
o
Dynamo Notes
§ Dynamo System: Shimano 3N30-QR
§ Front Light: B&M Lumotec Lyt
§ Rear Light: B&M DToplight Plus with Standlight
o
Other: Rear hub is Shimano Alfine 8,
a high quality internal gear hub with a moderate range.
Finesse
o
Price: MSRP : $1649
o
Dynamo Notes
§ Dynamo System: WH-S501-V-3D (Complete Wheel)
§ Front Light: B&M Lumotec IQ Fly
§ Rear Light B&M DToplight Plus with
Standlight
o
Other: Rear hub is Shimano Alfine 8
internal gear hub, disc brakes.
Greenway Elite
o
Price: $899
o
Dynamo Notes
§ Dynamo System: Shimano DH-3N30-QR
§ Front Light: Trelock Bike-I Uno LED
§ Rear Light: Trelock Trio Flat Standlight
o
Other: This is the one Breezer dynamo
offering with a derailer: 2x10 speed.
Novara
As REI’s in house brand of bicycles, Novara has tried several different bicycles with dynamo hubs, including the Transfer, featured on this site. Other models included the Fusion, also featured here. Sadly, they are both discontinued. The current line up seems to include one bike with dynamo powered lights, the Gotham.
Gotham
 |
| Photo courtesy of REI. |
·
Price: MSRP $1399
·
Dynamo Notes
·
Dynamo System: Joytech Dynamo hub
·
Front Light: specifications
unavailable (looks like a handlebar mounted spotlight)
·
Rear Light: specifications unavailable
·
Other: Nuvinci N360 continuously
variable transmission like the Breezer Uptown Infinity, but driven with a Gates
carbon drive.
MarinThis company has turned out a lot of practical city bikes, commonly called “hybrids.” Not many have had dynamo lighting, but they have one out now.
Fairfax SC6
 |
| Photo courtesy Marin. |
·
Price: Roughly $2000, MSRP not listed
on site
·
Dynamo Notes
·
Dynamo System: Shimano Alfine Dynamo
·
Front Light: Super Nova E3 Pro
·
Rear Light: unknown
·
Other: Shimano Alfine 11 rear hub.
ElectraElectra is famous for its comfort bikes, Cali-style and their Dutch style Amsterdam models, some of which have dynamo hubs.
Amsterdam 8i
 |
| Photos courtesy Electra Bikes. |
o
Price: $1200
o
Dynamo Notes
§ Dynamo System: Shimano Nexus
§ Front Light: Spanninga, unknown model
§ Rear Light: Spanninga, unknown model
o
Other: Shimano Nexus 8 speed rear
hub, wheel guards, cutesy colors.
Fashion 3i
o
Price: $899
o
Dynamo Notes
§ Dynamo System: Shimano Nexus Roller
§ Front Light: Spanninga, unknown model
§ Rear Light: Spanninga, unknown model
Other Options
·
Dutch/Danish and other Euro bikes
These are the real deal European style bikes sold by bike
shops like Adeline Adeline and Rolling
Orange in NY, Bicycle
Belle in Boston, JC Lind in Chicago, Dutch
Bike Co. in Seattle, Clever Cycles in Portland OR, and My Dutch
Bike in SF. These shops all sell bikes
with dynamo lighting or will adapt dynamo lighting to your bike. You can add
your favorite shop with dynamo bikes in the comments.
These shops sell bikes from several makers who have models
with dynamo lighting. The prices tend to range from $1000 to $3000 when you add
a few accessories! Some of those brands include: Brompton (UK), Gazelle (NL) Pashley (UK), Paper (UK), Pilen (SE), Retrovelo
(DE), Van
Moof (NL), Velorbis (DK), Workcycles
(NL)
· The big guys:
They don’t
offer anything here in the US, though they have tried in the past. I never know
if they drop these attempts because the public won’t buy them, or if they do
not know how to sell them!
Trek used to make a cute bike called the Belleville that came in diamond frame or mixte with dynamo lights, fenders, with front and rear racks. A true bike for the rest of us. And it was featured here.
On their Dutch site, Trek has several bikes with dynamo lighting like this one:
 |
| Courtesy Trek Bicycle Products |
Cannondale
I don't think they ever had one in the US, but on their Dutch site, you can find:
The Tesoro 3!
 |
| Courtesy: Cannondale |
Overseas, yes, here in the US, no.
On their Dutch site… you can find:
·
Aero RS 0
 |
| Courtesy: Giant. |
I have read about Jamis' prior offering here, but their 2014 Commuter line does not come with a dynamo option.
Edwin Williamson
Nashville, Tennessee
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