Someone called recently asking for suggestions about what to do with the Cyo tailight wiring connectors if you’re not using a tailight. Unlike other dynamo headlights the tailight connectors for the Cyo are not connected to the headlight body, but attached to a few inches of wire. If you’re not using a tailight the stray wires look a little ragged.

One fix is the take a piece of heat shrink tubing and sleeve the connectors with the main headlight wire. Apply a little heat and you’re finished. The wires are tidied up and you can cut the heat shrink off with a razor to connect a tailight in the future.

A couple of announcements about the excellent IQ Cyo lights. After being out of stock of the black Cyo’s for a little while, I now have a small shipment of the R version Cyos, which will be all I have until the end of January/beginning of February (fingers crossed). However Busch and Muller have released a silver Cyo, which I have in both the R and regular version.

The bad news is that the silver Cyo’s are only produced in the senso version of the light. The senso version have a third switch position (on, off, and senso) in which the light shuts itself on or of depending on the light conditions. Personally I find this setting useless and it makes the lights cost an extra $10. However, some people like it, and even more people (myself included) have a weak spot or shiny silver bicycle parts.

I was able to build up one of the new Polyvalent framesets from Velo-Orange over the holiday. I won’t be able to take the bike for a long ride until the weekend (crossing fingers) but I have some observations from the build and short errand-running rides that might be useful for those considering the frameset.

My goal for the build was a spirited porteur–something that felt a lot like a road bike and could carry a large load on the front rack.  Parts selection was widely guided by what I had sitting in bins in the shop. The build went smoothly and I didn’t encounter any frame quirks. The welds are very nice and the flat black black frame color grew on me.

As luck would have it, a day after the bicycle was completed I received a call from my wife telling me she was at the post office picking up an unexpectedly large package. So the Polyvalent was able to do a little porteur duty immediately.

While very large, the box above wasn’t extremely heavy, and wind was much more of a concern on the ride home than the weight. When installing the VO porteur rack I made one simple change from the rack installation shown on their blog that improves the rack performance. If you click on the link you’ll see that mounting the porteur rack level on the PV moves the rack away from the headtube, creating a long lever between the rack and the single mounting point at the fork crown. I sacrificed a level rack and mounted the rack as far back as to shorten the rack strut/lever.

I’ve started to use the Polyvalent for sans toddler grocery runs. I usually treat these rides as a form of exercise, ride fairly quickly, and haven’t once felt the bicycle was holding me back at all. Although my schedule rarely allows it, I do like to ride with the local roadie club once in a while. I stick with the 17-18 mph group, and the rides are generally from 30 to 60 miles. I intended these rides to be the Polyvalent’s second use, and my first few miles have done nothing to make me think it won’t serve this purpose well.

The obligatory component list follows. For the interested the bicycle as pictured would cost $2175. This price includes assembly and two wheelbuilds. $2025 unassembled (wheels built, headset and bottom bracket installed). Framesets are $400. Call or e-mail to order.

• Nexus 8spd rear hub
• Alfine trigger shifter (akward and hideous–I spoke with Jtek yesterday and they should have their Alfine/Nexus barend shifters back in production in a month or two)
• Sugino XD700 compact double cranks used with single ring and Sugino chainguard
• VO bottom bracket, headset, seatpost, porteur rack, 650B fenders, and Diagonale rims
• Nitto Technomic Deluxe stem and Promenade bars
• Dia-Compe Giudonnet Levers with Tektro CR720 brakes
• Shimano DH-3N72 dynohub
• Busch & Muller Lumotec IQ Cyo Chrome Senso headlight and Planet Bike Superflash tailight
• Gran Bois Hetre tires
• Brooks B17 Champion Special
• MKS Sylvan Touring pedals
• Sunlite double legged kickstand

Happy New Year to all and best wishes for 2010. I’ve changed the shop walk-in hours which will now start at 1:30 instead of noon on the weekdays and 1pm on Saturday. I’m happy to set an appointment for those who want or need to come to the shop outside of walk-in hours.

The Christmas wheelbuiding special was such a success that I’ve decided to keep it around in a slightly modified form. Wheelbuilds with components purchased from us will be $15 for 2010.