3 months in - What I've learned so far while having the Riese & Müller Load 75

It's September in Tromsø, the summer is soon passing by, if it hasn't already, and I've done a few experiences with the Load 75.

The seat post is crap

The seat post has one pin that keeps the bike seat in position. After a few bumps while riding the bike, the seat will most likely tilt upwards. Chris from Propel Electric Bikes in New York proposes this solution:

"We have seen this issue and have found luck in adding some carbon assembly paste in the friction portion. I’m sure the new one is probably good, especially if it’s 34.9mm."

The last bit, is about the fact I changed the seat post to a different 34.9 mm to keep the seat straight. The new seat post uses to two pins instead one, and doesn't slide as easily.

I hit a rock

And fell with the bike on the right side, so probably the worst side to fall on due to the steering arm. The o-ring on the link had to be replaced because it was damaged during the fall, luckily it was easy to replace (hint: Biltema). Other than a few scrapes on the right side of the bike, the bike seems fine.

I should have gone Rohloff

My Cube with Nuvinci 360, only requires a wash and new brake pads. The Load 75 with the derailleur is great, but I miss not having to clean and oil a chain. I was heavily warned about going the belt route, since nobody has a clue how to maintain a belt setup with Rohloff in Tromsø.

Another thing I miss, is the smooth gearing you get with the belt. I've gotten used to shifting gears manually (instead of setting cadence).

I've passed 650 km

150 of them was to Hillesøya. The rest has been all around Tromsø, either for grocery shopping or going to the city center. It has been nice to use the bike no matter the weather conditions, instead of using the car. Especially during rush hours. 

Locks, chains and where to put them?

Securing the bike is always on the top of my mind when leaving the bike somewhere. The ways of securing a bike especially at grocery stores, are laughable. The usual situation is there's no wall mount, rarely was to fasten the bike without obstructing something and often there's just a crappy bicycle rack which I cannot use.  Am I worried about the bike getting stolen? Not yet, but as soon as Tromsø reaches the "mørketiden" or "the time of darkness" as google translate calls it, there's probably a higher chance of someone stealing it. Just have to make an effort to make it annoying to steal it I suppouse.

Bikeriet is great and Evo Elsykler too

I bought the bike from Evo Elsykler in Oslo, so far they've been great at answering all sorts of questions about the bike. Especially after the accident with the bike.

Bikeriet probably has been very patient with a guy who comes inside their shop with a huge ass bike, which they don't retail, for all sorts of reasons. They ordered the seat post for me and upgraded the software on the engine (cost 400 NOK). They even guided me when I was looking to fix the ailing o-ring on the steering arm. Glad to have them in the vicinity and hope they have a place in the marked. 

Tromsø Ski and Sykkel only services the bikes that has been bought at their store, so that's worth noting. But they have a greater variety of accessories than Bikeriet and sometimes more than XXL too.

The next experience: Winter

I have very little to go on about how the bike works during the winter time. What's it like to bike on ice with the 2.15" Schwalbe Marathon tires? 
What's it like to bike when the surface is extremely slippery?

So yeah, it'll be an experience.

Kind of weird to seem like a n00b when it comes to biking during the winter time, eventhough I've have nearly two decades of experience with studded tires. But this is a Long John and a totally different experience.