Busch and Muller IX-Q Nighttime Photos

The roads were dry tonight, so I was able to take the new IQ-X light out for a nighttime test ride.

My first impression was something like, "Holy s***, this thing is bright!" Based on a purely subjective comparison with the Edelux, Edelux II, and Luxos lights I have on several other bikes, the IQ-X is far brighter. It also throws a more even and consistent pattern of light on the roadway, with only minor variations across the swath of illumination it lays on the road.

The light is very well focused, with a definite cutoff that prevents the light from shining up into the eyes of oncoming vehicles. The photos below tell the story:

Adjusted for maximum throw. The far edge is about 150 feet down the road.

The cutoff is clearly visible here in the railings on the side--the IQ-X is lighting up just the very bottom of the railings, with almost no light spillage upward.

I like to run my lights adjusted to point as far down the road as they will go--I do this by pointing them up until the far edge starts to blur and get dim. With the IQ-X, that far edge is about half again as far away as with an Edelux or Edelux II, and the swath of light between that edge and the front of the bike is much more even. As shown in the photo at the top, there is only one small area in the middle of the illuminated area that's a little dimmer than the rest.

One minor quibble: When making a turn, the tilt of the bike makes the pattern change, drawing it in a bit on the side you're turning toward and creating a less "throw" in that direction. It's not a big deal (I use a helmet-mounted light to look around turns), but it would be great if the optics could be changed to reduce or eliminate this effect.

That minor quibble aside, this is an amazing bright light. So bright, in fact, that I was sure several times that a car behind me was lighting up the road with its headlights, only to check and see that there was no car there.

The IQ-X is available in the USA at www.peterwhitecycles.com and www.clevercycles.com  (Disclosure: I paid full retail price for my light from Clever Cycles.)

Busch and Muller IQ-X Headlight: Brightest Dynamo Light Ever?

Just installed the IQ-X on my Singer! Haven’t been outside to try it (it’s pouring down rain outside), but based on spinning the front wheel, this thing is amazingly bright (they advertise it as 100 Lux; Peter White calls it “… the brightest dynamo powered light,” which I take to mean brighter than even the Supernova). I’ll post photos from the road as soon as conditions dry out a bit.

Front View. "Daytime" LEDs are visible at the top.

Rear View.

Another Front View.

A few notes:

— The silver version has a brushed finish that looks quite nice, but not polished like an Edelux. According to Peter White, the housing is also the heat sink for the LED.

— The light turns on an off with a pushbutton at the back, which is ringed by a blue light that comes on when the light is on. In the light’s location on my bike, the front bag will block this from my view, but YMMV based on where you put it on your machine.

— When the light is on, it’s always in “senso” mode, which turns off the main lamp during the day and leaves on a set of front-facing LEDs that act as daytime driving lights. After dark, the daytime running lights go off and the main light comes on. There is no “full-on-during-the-day” mode (you can’t have the brighter “nighttime” light on during the day).

— There are small slits on either side of the black band that let out light for visibility from the side.

— YES, the light can be mounted upside down! Just rotate the black mounting band 180 degrees and you’re good. No more need to buy a special light for upside-down mounting! Note, however, that the wires will still come out of the *bottom* of the light (not the top, like an upside-down model Edelux).

— Connecting my bike-mounted taillight was easy. The IQ-X has the same male connector as an Edelux (but on a wire pigtail, not part of the light). I had to connect the other wire lead to the frame to ground it, but with that done everything worked perfectly.

— The wire to connect to the front hub was *exactly* long enough (well, maybe 1/4th inch too long). Per the photos, my Singer’s front rack has the light mount on the lefthand side, so I need a little extra length to get across the bike from left to right, and from the front of the rack to the fork. If you mount to the fork crown or pretty much anywhere else, the wire will be fine.

— The wires, by the way, are standard B&M side-by-side conductor type, not the nicer coaxial that comes with the Edelux. B&M’s wires seem more flimsy to me, but on the other hand I’ve never had a problem with them.

Euclid or Centaur?

Can anybody out there help fellow reader Steven D? He can't remember if this set of NOS Campy ATB rings is Euclid or Centaur. Anybody?

Email Steven at his web site: www.StevenDWilliams.com 

My Paris-Brest-Paris 2015 Video

The video of my PBP experience is now online at YouTube!

If you have trouble viewing the video (people in some countries may have issues, due to some of the soundtrack music), try the viewer below. The video file is large, so it may take a minute or two to start playing.

Beautiful Mixte

Our good friend and sponsor, Joe Bell, recently painted this gorgeous mixte built by Bishop Handbuilt Cycles. The workmanship of both the builder and the painter are just amazing. Check out more photos in the link below the image.

More photos!

Randonneuring and Food

This reminded me so much of randonneuring:

 

"Exhausted and hungry, he turned at last, with the pleasure that only a man who has pushed himself past his physical limits can ever experience, into the fat-laden atmosphere of frying eggs and bacon"

 

Excerpt From: Galbraith, Robert. "The Silkworm."

Riding the Davis Double this year?

Here's what the unpaved section of Big Canyon Road looks like:



Yep, it's my latest video. Check back soon--I'll have a more complete video of the entire DC workers ride.

My Latest Video: SFR 400K Brevet March 2015

My latest video, hot off the computer!







See all my videos here.

Campy Equipped? Who Cares?

Couldn't resist posting this one ...

Comments welcomed.

The Latest Campy Only Video: San Francisco Randonneurs 300K Brevet of Feb 28, 2015

A video snapshot from this past weekend's 300K brevet from San Fransisco to Healdsburg and back. Enjoy!





Be sure to follow my cycling exploits this PBP year, both here on the Campy Only Blog and on Twitter: @CampyOnlyguy and #PBP2015 and #RUSAPBP

Happy Valentino's Day!

Be sure to spend time with your loved ones today!

Colorado Custom and Vintage Bicycle Expo

Wish we could be in Denver on Feb 15 for this event! The Colorado Custom and Vintage Bicycle Expo will have something for everyone who appreciates the art of handmade bicycles:

Custom Builder Expo

Concours d'Elegance

Swap Meet

Check out their web site for more info: http://coloradobicycleexpo.com

Venerating the Italian Worker?

In 2013, Blogger Augustus Farmer visited the factory in Vicenza and posted an interesting article with photos (of the areas where cameras were allowed). Read his post and see his copyrighted images here.

Farmer was clearly impressed with the quality of the factory and the dedication of the workers who make the company's signature components. The workers in 2013 were treated well and returned that respect in the form of a commitment to do their very best for the company. From his blog post:

"What I was to witness over the next few hours was to genuinely blow my mind. A mixture of old fashioned machine shop with its  metal and heat and noise and aroma, and a more delicate side of hand/ eye co-ordination, experience, care, design, love and dare I say it, Italian-ness. 

Watching a Ghibli wheel being made for example, will be etched onto my soul forever."

That partnership has unfortunately been thrown into disarray in recent weeks, with workers striking to protest the layoff of workers in Vicenza, a move that is part of Campagnolo's effort to move some of its production to cheaper workers in Romania. The company has announced that the layoffs will be rescinded, but the strike continues while the workers seek a solution that will retain both their work and the reputation of Campagnolo.

Campagnolo Lays Off 68 Italian Employees; Workers Strike

Campagnolo's efforts to reduce costs by shifting work to cheaper workers in Romania and elsewhere now includes laying off 68 manufacturing workers at the company's flagship facility in Vicenza. Workers there are not happy at all.

Read this report from Bike Europe.

According to Bike Europe's report, Campagnolo management says that high-end components will still be made in Vicenza, and that the move is part of their effort to remain competitive with other companies (ShimaNO?) that make components in parts of the world with much lower labor costs.

Does it matter to you where your Campagnolo parts are made? Would you care if, in some future year, Campagnolo left Italy for cheaper shores? Let us know in the comments below.

Our Latest Video!

We helped our friend celebrate his 63rd birthday by riding 63 miles with him and a great group of fellow revelers. Here's a video:



Reminder that we are on YouTube. Visit our YouTube channel for many more cycling videos!

Cleaning a Stinky Bike Helmet ... in the Dishwasher!

Thought there might be some interest in the method my wife discovered to clean my bike helmets when they get sweaty and gross: the dishwasher!

My helmet now gets washed and disinfected every week or so. It keeps my wife’s sensitive nose happy, and I like having a clean helmet. 

Despite the soaps and high temperatures in the dishwasher, there have been no ill effects to the helmet that I can detect. The padding is still firmly attached to the shell.

To save energy, we don’t use the “dry” feature on the dishwasher, so the helmet air dries after going through the regular wash cycle.

P.S. In response to one question that was asked about this ... No, none of our guests have complained about the silverware tasting funny!

Reader's Bikes: Daniel's Electronic Look

Reader Daniel A sent this photo of his Record EPS-equipped Look 675, which looks fast just sitting there.

To see your Campy-equipped bike here, email a photo or two to enorris [at] campyonly [dot] com

First Chance 200K Brevet 1-1-2015

My first video of 2015! A record of the Davis Bike Club's 200K "First Chance" brevet on New Year's Day. I finished the ride in 8:30, riding a 1970s Motobecane equipped with a 3-speed hub (sorry, no Campy drivetrain!).



Watch this space for more videos from the 2015 brevet season, culminating with Paris-Brest-Paris in August.

Paris Brest Paris Dates Confirmed

From the official PBP Facebook page:

We are pleased to announce that the departure of the PBP Randonneur 2015 is maintained on Sunday August 16th. More information to come in the coming weeks.

Follow my posts about PBP here and on Twitter. Look for the Twitter hashtag #PBP2015

Paris Brest Paris PBP 2011: The Movie

While the start date for Paris-Brest-Paris 2015 is still a bit uncertain, we can be reasonably sure that it will happen. With this in mind, here's my look back at the last edition:



Follow my progress at my Twitter feed. Look for tweets with #PBP2015