Comments on: Kyoko’s Bakfiets Cargobike

By: henry

henry — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:37:42 +0000

Yeah, its a super sweet riding bike and Kyoko is very happy. Of course its 90% stock aside from the tricky wiring and cosmetic work.

The most notable technical changes are the Sram i9 9 speed hub and Busch & Muller Fly LED headlamp. One month is much too short to see how they’ll hold up in the long term but our impressions so far:

- the hub comes with a bag of different, special washers to fit various fork ends… but none fit so I had to improvise my own.

- the shifter requires this big tube thing by the hub that basically isn’t compatible with Dutch chain cases. Its sticks out and looks vulnerable. I got them to it togther with some careful dremel work, but that’s not realistic for production bikes. So right off the bat its not a hub for most of our bikes.

- Sram suddenly stopped production of their (terrible) i Brake (drum brake). I had been testing one on another bike so I understand why: it sucked. Nothing could solve the squealing, the action was imprecise and it dragged easily. This means that there’s no utility bike appropriate hand brake available for this hub. Strike four against using these for production. We just used a coaster brake version for our own bike but a hand brake is generally handier on such a big bike.

- The above two are really unfortunate because it otherwise feels like a really sweet hub. Typically Sram it has a much more “mechanical” feel to it; more clicky precise and efficient than the smooth but peanut buttery Shimano 8 speed. The shifting is perfect and the gears feel nicely spaced. There is no gear that is obviously less efficient than the others.

- The new B & M LED headlamps with standlight function are incredible. Roll a few meters and the capacitor is already charged up, giving light for a remarkable period. Further the beam is unbelievably powerful, like a motorcycle instead of a 6V bike light powered by a hub dynamo you can’t even feel. Construction is solid, much better than previous B & M lights, which tended to be rather flimsy.

By: fiets_503

fiets_503 — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:11:17 +0000

nice job henry. Any updates after nearly a month of use?

By: henry

henry — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 13:52:38 +0000

Nope, I painted both the Sram i9 and the Shimano dynohub myself… along with the fenders and part of the crank.

By: christian

christian — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 22:40:14 +0000

Wow–does the sram i9 actually come in orange from the factory, or is this a paintjob you did yourself?

By: henry

henry — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 22:37:23 +0000

Particularly in Amsterdam the bicycles are such a prominent feature of the street scene that it seems almost antisocial to put ugly bikes out there. Really there aren’t many places for ugly designed products anyway.

By: Green Idea Factory

Green Idea Factory — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 22:16:29 +0000

I was planning to avoid getting a pretty bike BUT after being here in Berlin for about seven weeks I have noticed a lot of really ugly bikes (not old or rusty ones, just yucky design).

Seeing this lovely creation just inspires me even more…

I once had something orange which people commented on all the time but now I cannot recall what it was.

By: henry

henry — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:47:19 +0000

and same colors as the 50’s cabinet Kyoko rescued from the street and restored… but your bike doesn’t have orange hubs. Gotcha there!

By: todd

todd — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:40:07 +0000

same colors as on my #1 brompton: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cleverchimp/2378176418/

By: henry

henry — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 08:14:30 +0000

Technically speaking Pascal can’t officially be Dutch until he turns 18, but he will nonetheless be an Amsterdammer the entire time.

Obviously we were following the election with one eye but there was really no news until early in the morning. We’re pleased with the results.. or maybe “relieved” is a much better word.

By: mindcaster

mindcaster — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:40:08 +0000

I’m actually surprised you are posting this now…not glued to the tv?