Pics of my new commuter! Bacchetta Cafe
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Pics of my new commuter! Bacchetta Cafe
First pics of my new commuter!
I haven't really seen any Cafe pics around here so I thought I'd post a few.
I started accessorizing and decided it would be a good time to take some.
I am very impressed with the accessory mounts from Terracycle. What neat little gizmos! I got two... one for my Light & Motion Vega tail light and one for my Sigma 1606-L cyclocomputer.
I've been using that headlight for about a year on my other bike and I love it. Has its own internal rechargeable battery. The battery lasts for a few hours in blinky mode. My streets are usually fairly lit up so I just need something that lets other people see me. It's blindingly bright, rock solid, good mounting system, and no external battery or wires.
The Sigma 1606-L is ok. For 35 bucks it will get me by until i can upgrade to a Garmin or something else with more info. I really liked my old Planet Bike Protege 9 because you could see most of the info you needed on one screen, including temp. But i wanted a back light which it didn't have. The sigma is ok but it's not as user friendly. But I do like the way it mounts using those rubber bands. I give it a 6 out of 10 whereas the Protege gets an 8 out of 10. I have not tried to hook up the cadence yet.
The tail light is a Cateye LD-1000, again moved over from my other bike. It's pretty darn bright and it's waterproof. Might upgrade to a DiNotte later on.
The pedals are from Shimano. Clipless on one side and platform on the other. Great for commuting so you can ride with any kind of shoe, keep one foot unclipped between stop signs, get through the intersection before clipping in, etc.
And last but not least, I gots me one of them thar fancy Norback bags to hold my Topeak RoadMorph pump and other odds and ends. I like the internal pockets and the straps that hold the pump secure. I also like that it's so easy to install/remove.
This isn't it, though! I have a few more things I'm waiting for. Bacchetta kickstand, Bacchetta mid-ship rack, Bacchetta fenders, Ortleib Front Roller Classic panniers, and a FastBack hydration pack with Nalgene bladder. I'll take more pics when I get that stuff.
I haven't really seen any Cafe pics around here so I thought I'd post a few.
I started accessorizing and decided it would be a good time to take some.
I am very impressed with the accessory mounts from Terracycle. What neat little gizmos! I got two... one for my Light & Motion Vega tail light and one for my Sigma 1606-L cyclocomputer.
I've been using that headlight for about a year on my other bike and I love it. Has its own internal rechargeable battery. The battery lasts for a few hours in blinky mode. My streets are usually fairly lit up so I just need something that lets other people see me. It's blindingly bright, rock solid, good mounting system, and no external battery or wires.
The Sigma 1606-L is ok. For 35 bucks it will get me by until i can upgrade to a Garmin or something else with more info. I really liked my old Planet Bike Protege 9 because you could see most of the info you needed on one screen, including temp. But i wanted a back light which it didn't have. The sigma is ok but it's not as user friendly. But I do like the way it mounts using those rubber bands. I give it a 6 out of 10 whereas the Protege gets an 8 out of 10. I have not tried to hook up the cadence yet.
The tail light is a Cateye LD-1000, again moved over from my other bike. It's pretty darn bright and it's waterproof. Might upgrade to a DiNotte later on.
The pedals are from Shimano. Clipless on one side and platform on the other. Great for commuting so you can ride with any kind of shoe, keep one foot unclipped between stop signs, get through the intersection before clipping in, etc.
And last but not least, I gots me one of them thar fancy Norback bags to hold my Topeak RoadMorph pump and other odds and ends. I like the internal pockets and the straps that hold the pump secure. I also like that it's so easy to install/remove.
This isn't it, though! I have a few more things I'm waiting for. Bacchetta kickstand, Bacchetta mid-ship rack, Bacchetta fenders, Ortleib Front Roller Classic panniers, and a FastBack hydration pack with Nalgene bladder. I'll take more pics when I get that stuff.
Last edited by d2create; 04-10-07 at 10:49 AM.
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Just a tip if you get the 100mm arms for the TC accessory mount you can position the light forward and down. This will eliminate most if not all the strobe from the light hitting your feet.
Blog entry for TC Accessory Mount in Lower Position
Blog entry for TC Accessory Mount in Lower Position
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Vik, good suggestion! I turned my mount upside down and it got the light a little lower and more forward. I didn't notice and strobing on my feet. Thanks!
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Thanks!
The Cafe goes for about $995 at your local LBS.
Not bad at all for a bent, and Bacchetta makes good stuff.
They keep the price down on this one by specing lower end components. But they work well, it's just not the latest and greatest stuff. It's a good way to get a great bike you can upgrade later. My first upgrade will probably be to get rid of the twist grip shifters replacing them with shimano barcons.
New pics coming very soon with more accessoriess added!
The Cafe goes for about $995 at your local LBS.
Not bad at all for a bent, and Bacchetta makes good stuff.
They keep the price down on this one by specing lower end components. But they work well, it's just not the latest and greatest stuff. It's a good way to get a great bike you can upgrade later. My first upgrade will probably be to get rid of the twist grip shifters replacing them with shimano barcons.
New pics coming very soon with more accessoriess added!
Last edited by d2create; 04-12-07 at 10:09 AM.
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K, here's a bunch more pics!
Got more gear on. Ortleib Front Roller Classic paniers, Bacchetta mid-ship rack, Fastback Hydration System with Nalgene bladder, and Bacchetta fenders. Woot!
Got more gear on. Ortleib Front Roller Classic paniers, Bacchetta mid-ship rack, Fastback Hydration System with Nalgene bladder, and Bacchetta fenders. Woot!
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That is a beautiful bike! I wonder how practical the Bacchetta Cafe might be for touring. What are your thoughts about this subject?
Best regards from Northern Virginia.
Javier
Best regards from Northern Virginia.
Javier
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Well, i have never toured so I'm probably the wrong person to ask.
But one of the major reasons I decided on this particular model was because it seemed to be a great all-arounder type bike, just like my Atlantis. It's main task for me is commuting. But I could also take it on group rides and it can do distance and touring. I don't think it would win me any races but it's no slouch either. Another reason I liked it is it seemed to soak up the bumps much better than some others, like the Rans Rocket for example. It's not a LWB, yet it's not a SWB. The BB is not high, but it's definitely not low. The components are not the lastest and greatest but they work, they'll take a beating and then I can replace them with better stuff later. To me it's definitely a practical bike that looks good and performs well for what I need it for.
But one of the major reasons I decided on this particular model was because it seemed to be a great all-arounder type bike, just like my Atlantis. It's main task for me is commuting. But I could also take it on group rides and it can do distance and touring. I don't think it would win me any races but it's no slouch either. Another reason I liked it is it seemed to soak up the bumps much better than some others, like the Rans Rocket for example. It's not a LWB, yet it's not a SWB. The BB is not high, but it's definitely not low. The components are not the lastest and greatest but they work, they'll take a beating and then I can replace them with better stuff later. To me it's definitely a practical bike that looks good and performs well for what I need it for.
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cafe tour
I just got back from 10 days in the Texas hill country with a woman who biked across the country a few years back. She's a very strong diamond frame biker and the Bachetta cafe (new to me) did great. I stayed in middle sproket for a few days to build some recumbent muscles, then jumped up on the big sprocket and made her ride hard to stay with me on the flats. Like everyone else says, we yo-yoed on the hilly parts - she passed me half way up, me catching and passing her on the downhill--but we biked 60mile hilly days and I had a plenty left at the end of the day.
As you can see, (if my attachment works) I went with old school gear -- had some 20 year old paniers that fit the back rack and mid ship rack, even slipped a bright green diaper bag over the back of the seat to hold tools, snacks and a wind jacket.
The only problem is, when it rains, you get unbelievably wet really fast. We were able to choose the days we rode, so only went out once knowing we'd get wet -- but my lap was full of water immediately. I may rig up an old kayak skirt for my next rainy ride.
It's a fantastic bike for commuting, day rides and tours. Fits on the bike rack behind my subaru. I turn the front wheel around and lay the handle bars into the seat to make it easier to deal with. We drove to Texas from North Carolina in her Honda Element, and it slid straight in with the wheel turned around backwards.
The one piece of gear I might add is a wrist mirror - in traffic, left turns can be hairy with just the eyeglass mirror.
As you can see, (if my attachment works) I went with old school gear -- had some 20 year old paniers that fit the back rack and mid ship rack, even slipped a bright green diaper bag over the back of the seat to hold tools, snacks and a wind jacket.
The only problem is, when it rains, you get unbelievably wet really fast. We were able to choose the days we rode, so only went out once knowing we'd get wet -- but my lap was full of water immediately. I may rig up an old kayak skirt for my next rainy ride.
It's a fantastic bike for commuting, day rides and tours. Fits on the bike rack behind my subaru. I turn the front wheel around and lay the handle bars into the seat to make it easier to deal with. We drove to Texas from North Carolina in her Honda Element, and it slid straight in with the wheel turned around backwards.
The one piece of gear I might add is a wrist mirror - in traffic, left turns can be hairy with just the eyeglass mirror.
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Originally Posted by mcjabos
in her Honda Element, and it slid straight in with the wheel turned around backwards.
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Originally Posted by mcjabos
The only problem is, when it rains, you get unbelievably wet really fast. We were able to choose the days we rode, so only went out once knowing we'd get wet -- but my lap was full of water immediately. I may rig up an old kayak skirt for my next rainy ride.
The one piece of gear I might add is a wrist mirror - in traffic, left turns can be hairy with just the eyeglass mirror.
The one piece of gear I might add is a wrist mirror - in traffic, left turns can be hairy with just the eyeglass mirror.
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Originally Posted by d2create
Thanks. Nikon D200.
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Originally Posted by vik
You might want to consider adding fenders - that way you could leave the kayak spray skirt....
Looks like the rack and bag set up might allow you to get away with none in the rear, but the front is an absolute must and they weigh next to nothing.
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regarding turning wheel around
You might try taking off the pack that is tied on in the middle -- it looks like it is taking up some of the slack of the cables. On my bike, the front wheel turns 180 degrees to the left (where there is more slack in the cables); it does not turn backwards the other way.
the other difference could be the handle bars. i don't know why this would make a difference, but i use the praying hamster position, so the bar is adjusted so that it leans all the way back. after i turn the wheel around, i push the handle bars down to the seat, and then lift the whole thing as a unit.
to go on my bike rack, the guy i bought it from suggested tieing the wheels to the rack so they don't spin. the Cafe will not sit up straight on my rack once i get going, so i just tie it on at an angle and it doesn't seem to matter.
In terms of the Honda Element, we pushed the back tire in between the two seats just enough to slide the whole bike in (with tire turned around). we were packed with tons of gear, so it didn't fall over -- you may have to rig a support to help it stand up on it's own in the back for quick load and unload.
good luck.
molly
the other difference could be the handle bars. i don't know why this would make a difference, but i use the praying hamster position, so the bar is adjusted so that it leans all the way back. after i turn the wheel around, i push the handle bars down to the seat, and then lift the whole thing as a unit.
to go on my bike rack, the guy i bought it from suggested tieing the wheels to the rack so they don't spin. the Cafe will not sit up straight on my rack once i get going, so i just tie it on at an angle and it doesn't seem to matter.
In terms of the Honda Element, we pushed the back tire in between the two seats just enough to slide the whole bike in (with tire turned around). we were packed with tons of gear, so it didn't fall over -- you may have to rig a support to help it stand up on it's own in the back for quick load and unload.
good luck.
molly
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Great looking pics. You'll have to let us know how it does as a tourer. I have an easy racer now and am thinking of gettting a cafe as my 2nd bike. I
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Originally Posted by mcjabos
In terms of the Honda Element, we pushed the back tire in between the two seats just enough to slide the whole bike in (with tire turned around).
Thanks Molly!
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That's a really nice ride !! I see you've got the Cateye TL-LD1000 on the back. If you want a second blinkie, try the Planet Bike Superflash.
Does the Cafe have heel strike with the front wheel while turning?
Does the Cafe have heel strike with the front wheel while turning?
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Mars, whatever gave you that idea?
Thanks! Yeah, I was either going to eventually pick up a superflash or an expensive dinotte tail light. The cateye is fine for me in the dark but the dinotte is supposed to be awesome during the day too.
I haven't had any heal strike problems yet. I can pedal through 90 degree turns in intersections at speed with no problem. Tighter turns are a little tricky due to the bars hitting your legs more than anything else.
Originally Posted by Dchiefransom
That's a really nice ride !! I see you've got the Cateye TL-LD1000 on the back. If you want a second blinkie, try the Planet Bike Superflash.
Does the Cafe have heel strike with the front wheel while turning?
Does the Cafe have heel strike with the front wheel while turning?
I haven't had any heal strike problems yet. I can pedal through 90 degree turns in intersections at speed with no problem. Tighter turns are a little tricky due to the bars hitting your legs more than anything else.