Nice instructional DVD by Bill Mould, an Alexandria Virginia based wheelbuilder, makes it easy as 1-2-3. One mistake in lacing required me to backtrack 5 minutes or so, but otherwise it went quite smoothly.
Moved some bike tools indoors for comfort, and so I could watch the DVD as I worked. Note to self: any future housing must have room for a bike shop area indoors. |
... Now I just need to wait for the LED light I ordered for use with this ... |
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UPDATE: I ordered a Busch + Mueller Lumotec IQ Cyo Plus LED front light, and a Philips LED SafeRide dynamo front light 60 Lux from Bike24 in Germany. They arrived Tuesday so I was able to try them in the evening. I wish there were some darker streets near my house ... It was easy to connect these -- removing the front brake and then using the brake bolt to hold the light's base/adapter to the frame, then winding the wire around the right fork. The Shimano hub has a very easy to use terminal for the wires -- easy to plug in/unplug when you remove the wheel.
The B + M is smaller and lighter than the Philips. It also was a bit cheaper (46 vs 62 Euro). But I think I made a mistake in ordering the IQ Cyo Plus -- a model without any "senso" (automatic light detector) or a manual on/off switch. The IQ Cyo T senso plus -- which Yan (commenter below) has -- would be a better choice. Anyway, the B + M has a very bright "standlight" which runs from a capacitor and stays on for several minutes even when the hub is not spinning. The main light is also quite bright -- significantly brighter than my Gentos LEDs.
But it has an odd beam pattern, with a bright trapezoid in the middle and some weird dark spots. This would take time to get used to it, I think. And the model I ordered is not "switchable" -- and seems designed for a rim "bottle" dynamo where you switch it off by lifting the dynamo away from the rim of the wheel. My error, though I could add a manual switch if I wanted to ... A mixed verdict.
The Philips is impressive. It is really bright (brighter than the B + M, I think, and WAY brighter than my Gentos LED lights). It has a very smooth, even beam pattern, which projects a carpet of bright light a long way ahead onto the road as you ride, and also manages to throw a bit of light wider to the sides and onto the ground near the front of the bike -- perfect. Also, I got the right model -- with off/on switch, and a separate cable if I want to add a rear LED as well, or connect to another device/charger. The standlight is dimmer than the B + M, but still enough for checking a map and being visible to others. This is consistent with the results of a tester/blogger in the Netherlands reports -- it seems comparable to the much more expensive Supernova E3 Pro or Schmidt Edelux.
The dynamo and Philips LED Saferide light are staying on my commuting fixie for the time being.
6 comments:
This is excellent. Both this and frame building are on my bucket list. At some point I will endeavour to give them a go too.
For when you upgrade your truing stand, you may want to consider http://www.pklie.de/truing_stand.html which would be the "Rapha" of truing stands at a mere USD$1950, expensive, but a thing of rare beauty.
I used this Hub dynamo combination with LUMOTEC LED lights for Brevet and daily commuting. This set is really relyable and comfortable to use. Additionally I added rear LED lights.
http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/jitetsu_8125/35028452.html
http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/jitetsu_8125/35193189.html
James -- I see the P&K Lie truing stand for a mere E980 (plus shipping and, if in the EU, VAT). Far less than US$1950. If I start saving now, I can get one for Christmas a few years from now.
Yan: Glad to hear that you are enjoying the Shimano 3N80 and Busch & Muller Lumotec IQ Cyo LED light! I ordered a B + M light and also a Philips LED Saferide dynamo front light for use with Shimano hub. They arrived today, and I just tried them out. I'll add a brief summary to the body of the blog post.
Unfortunately I got the
What's that truing stand you are using? Looks like a very sturdy one, but I haven't seen it anywhere before.
The truing stand is a TACX very basic model. http://road.cc/content/review/115090-tacx-exact-wheel-truing-stand
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