See.Sense Ace Rear Light on a Brompton

A few months ago I saw an advert for the 'See.Sense Ace' rear light which you could get for £24.99 rather than the usual £44.99 official retail price. At that price I thought that I would give it a go.

The Ace was a bike light originally started as a Kickstarter. It arrived very quickly and opening the packet my first thought about the Ace rear light was how small and lightweight it was. Looking at the specifications it is a mere 35 grams.

As part of the pack you get:

• The Ace rear light of course
• 1 x Ace mount and insert
• 1 x aero mount (nit really of any use to me)
• 1 x bag mount (very useful indeed)
• 4 x straps of varying size
• 1 x micro USB cable

Plugging the light into charge didn't take long and in about two hours or so I have a full charge. The light can be operated by the button on the front but where it comes into its own is the additional functions to be had via the app.

The app has worked really well with my iPhone and there have been no issues connecting it to the light. With the app you can power the light on and off and control the different modes. You can choose between having the light on constant, flash, twin flash, burst, pulse and Eco mode. They are all pretty useful but for me the best feature is the ability too dial down the brightness for the obvious but also to increase burn times.

 Another option that can be turned on / off is the brake mode. With this on, when you get to a point where you come to a stop - traffic lights, junctions, roundabouts - the Ace increases its brightness automatically. Again this works very well.

Other options include the ability to send crash alerts to a designated contact or you receiving an alert shock you bike be moved.

The light pumps out 125 lumens at it maximum setting and provides 200 degrees of side visibility and is IP67 rated for its waterproofing.

The mounts are small and discrete and work well. I like the bag mount in particular. The lightweight clip is strong and there is little chance of it coming loose from a saddlebag, jacket or jersey. The seat post mount, attached via two rubber straps works well, holding the light very securely.

I have used the light on a couple of all night rides and had plenty of juice left on the light when I am back in London in daylight. Dialled down it is still an excellent rear light after 7 - 8 hours of constant use but can then be put to the maximum brightness setting for daytime use so that it can still be seen.

For £24.99 it was a bargain but you can get one for about £33 from a few shops. It is a great little light and I am really glad that I bought it.

Wahoo Elemnt BOLT

I have used Garmin devices for a number of years or should I say had. About a year ago I saw the light as it were and converted to Wahoo. Since doing this I haven't looked back.

For me they were excellent at recording a ride and providing data to peruse over but that was about it. For me at least, I found navigating on them more or less impossible. The 820, which I had for about a year, was actually the best of all of the Garmin devices I used but I remember trying to use it to navigate from Liverpool Street Station to Euston and it was a total joke. It was rubbish. It took ages to load and when it did it crashed and crashed again.

Trying to be more independent in terms of navigation I started to used my iPhone and either google maps or RidewithGPS but it wasn't a long term solution.

I was invited to go on an overnight ride to the south coast over a year ago by a group of people really into 'Specilaized AWOL' bikes that were kitted out in front racks, rear panniers, dynamo lights, UBS chargers...the list goes on. They were doing training runs to test out various items of equipment which they planned to use on various biking expeditions. They used the BOLT and its bigger screened sibling the ELEMNT simply as a way of navigating. I was amazed at how quick and simple it all was.  Afterwards I took the plunge.

This is about the BOLT which is slightly smaller than the ELEMNT but they both function  identically. The BOLT is abbot the size of a Garmin 820. The big difference is that it has a greyscale screen - unlike the colour one the Garmin has.  The other big difference is that it has no touchscreen. As you will read later, neither of these omissions is a problem.

The BOLT has three buttons on the front of the device, one on the left had side to power on and two on the right side for scrolling up and down and changing the size view of the screen.

It is quite a simple and just works. That near-phrase will be used again, possibly more than once.

The BOLT is mounted on something similar to Garmin but specific to Wahoo. You get an out front mount and a smaller one that you can attach with cable ties (also included). I have the out-front mount on my road bike and the smaller one on my Brompton. You also get an additional mount which can be used on aero bars.

Charding is via a micro-USB cable (supplied) and the good news is that it doesn't take and age to charge.

Much is made of the BOLT's aerodynamic shape. I am sure it it but this is wasted on me I have to say. Still, marginal gains and all that.

The BOLT works hand in hand with the companion app and it would be foolish not to do so. They work really, really well together! 

If for example you want to navigate somewhere, you can use the companion app to take you anywhere you like. Just type in to your phone and a route is shown as below. These are full turn by turn directions.

You then send to your BOLT - and I kid you not within a 10th of a second - it is there on the BOLT ready to be used. No waiting around, no having to repeat yourself over and over again. It just works...and quickly!

On the BOLT you can set up multiple custom pages and if you want data believe me the BOLT can tell you just about everything and certainly as much as I remember from the Garmin 820.

Setting this up via the app on your phone is easier and when on the phone, using the up/down buttons on the side you can make the number of fields showing on the bolt increase or decrease.

The map screen that you use to navigate has a black and white chevron line that you follow. You can zoom the map screen in or out to make bigger or smaller. You would think that it might be hard to follow not being in colour, but it is very easy to see, clearer and less prone to glare in the sun. I would go as far as saying that it works faultlessly. 

I am not a confident person as far as navigating goes on the bike and have found it very difficult. With the BOLT I have used it to navigate:

• Kew Gardens to Box Hill and back

• London to Cambridge

• West London RideIt Sportive

• CobbleMonster (with lots of complicated turns)

In addition to this I have found myself at various main line train stations and used it to get back to where I know. It is utterly, utterly brilliant for this. I feel much more confident using it.

The one caveat - at least for the moment - is that if you go off course the BOLT cannot re-route you back to the route or calculate an alternative on the fly. It isn't all bad however as loud bleeps and a set of red LEDs along the top of the BOLT let you know very quickly and it is quite easy to retrace your steps. To be honest I found the Garmin so terrible at dong this, I set it so it didn't re-reoute you anyway.

The other thing I have found is that the route seems to refresh very quickly. This means if you have lots of turns on a route, the BOLT can keep up.

The greyscale screen is actually very good and clear to see and read all the data thereon and I the colour screen of the Garmin devices is not something I miss as a result. In addition, as the BOLT works in conduction with a iPhone the need the for a touchscreen is again not missed.

Once a ride has been completed and you hit end the ride the BOLT does a few things almost instantaneously. A map fo the route and ride data is ready and waiting on the ELENMT app on your phone. If you use STRAVA the ride data is already there as soon as you open the app to have a look. It's the same story if you use the excellent 'RideWithGPS' or any of the other apps that link with Wahoo. Again it just works and there is little fuss or drama in getting it to do whatever you want it to.

Another feature I have found useful for pre-planned rides is that you have a page for evaluation. This provides a side on profile of elevation as you are riding which allows you to check your progress on a particularly steep incline. This was put to good use when I recently did a nocturnal re-run of the CobbleMonster. 

I am really glad a ditched the Garmin and went the Wahoo route and cannot sing its praises highly enough. In fact the group of Specilized AWOL riders I cycled with last year told me that they deliberately tried various cunning ways of making the BOLT fail in terms of navigation and its ability to record all sorts of data with every sensor know to humanity but you've probably already guess...it just worked.

Electric Brompton Impressions

The Electric Brompton has certainly caused quite a stir since it was announced. There has been rumours of this happening for ages but the reality is now here and Brompton are even taking pre-orders.

In a first for my humble blog, one of my Brompton colleagues and all round good egg, Simon S has written a rather superb review of the Electric Brompton. If you have not gone for a test ride yourself, Simon's review certainly gives food for thought. All the words and photos below are his. Many thanks to Simon for a quite excellent review. Enjoy.

It was a long time coming, but the Electric Brompton is finally here, and last week I got to try one during a Cambridge demo day. What was it like? Is it the future?

To give you some background, I own three Bromptons and love gadgets. Last winter, I converted one of my Bromptons to electric to learn about what makes a great e-bike and this review is written based on this experience. The opinions in this review are my own and I am not associated with Brompton Bicycle in any way.

What does the Electric Brompton look like?

Well pretty much like the standard bicycle, albeit with some slightly strange front luggage.

The approach Brompton took has the battery in a detachable front bag and a motor embedded in the front wheel. It is pretty conventional and there are already a number of similar pre-existing conversion kits on the market. It is a proven approach that works well and still allows the bike to fold. The 2-speed version of the bike was quoted as being 13.9kg with the battery pack weighing 2.7kg. The battery pack detaches for easier carrying, and whilst you notice the extra weight it is not excessive. The one time you will notice the extra weight of the motor is when folding and bringing the front wheel round to hook it in position.

What differentiates the “official” Brompton approach is the attention to detail. There is no clutter around the handlebars and all the wiring is neat. The battery clips on and off with a new connector block system and a well placed release latch. Controls are simple and the application of power seamless. Front forks are subtly modified and strengthened to mount the motor. There is a connector to easily disconnect the power supply to the front wheel to repair a puncture. A torque sensor is fitted which is part of an advanced control system for the application of power.

It should be noted that these changes do mean that the frame is subtly different and the electric system cannot be retrofitted to a normal bike, but this lack of backwards compatibility is worth it for the benefits the bespoke nature of the frame brings.

How does it ride?

This is the big question. Without electrical assistance it rides just like a normal Brompton with a heavy front bag. Same gears, levers, handlebars, seat. You select one of three levels of assistance on the battery pack itself, and the motor then assists your cycling when you pedal. The level of assistance is set while stationary and the rest is left to the bike. 

The motor itself has gears and a freewheel inside it. In use, it gives off a high-pitched hum that is actually quite nice as it tells you the motor is working and gives you reassurance. However, the noise is a bit of a giveaway if you are thinking of using your electric Brompton to burn off MAMILs at the traffic lights.

When setting off from stationary, the bike has to detect the effort the rider is applying to start the motor assistance, and this is done with a torque sensor in the bottom bracket. It is a legal requirement that the motor may only assist while you are pedalling, and this is the reason for fitting a torque sensor. But even the best torque sensor needs a bit of movement on the cranks to detect the rider’s effort, which means that when pushing off and starting to ride, the motor assist lags a big. Brompton’s technical staff say they are working out how to minimise this, and it would be great if they could get this even better as, whilst not a problem on the flat, you do notice this lag on hill starts.

Another legal requirement is that e-bike assistance is limited to 25 kph or 15.5mph. When cycling between 15 and 16mph you can hear the motor cut out, and you are left pedalling a conventional bike. This transition is smooth, and being able to hear if the motor is working is really useful as you can judge your speed accordingly. It is especially useful as, unlike on most electric bike control systems, there is no speedo. During my test ride, I was using a Suunto GPS watch to check my speed and the 2-speed version I was using seemed really well matched to cruising at a power assisted 15mph. I suspect that the 6-speed would spend more time going a bit faster unassisted, but remember that you are also putting in more effort to do this.

The test ride was in Cambridge, which is not renowned for its hills, but a short cycle alongside the guided busway brought me to the Addenbrookes guided busway bridge. This is quite steep and some cyclists need to get off and push their bikes over it. On this impromptu test the Electric Brompton flew over it with minimal effort from the rider. Yes, you could hear the motor working harder, but it took it all in its stride. This gave me a lot of confidence that it could manage gradients and deliver on its promise of power assistance.

There is a 300 watt-hour battery, which Brompton say is good for at least 25 miles and up to 50 miles in eco mode. Some other unofficial Brompton conversions use 36V cordless drill batteries, which only give between 6 and 12 miles, which is just not enough real world range. Range anxiety (the fear of running out of juice) is a genuine concern when running any electric vehicle. The battery size that Brompton have used is sensible, allowing you to do a 10-mile each way commute with confidence.

So who is it for?

At first glance, spending over £2500 on an electrically powered folding bike which is effectively limited to 15.5 miles an hour doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense. On the forums there seems to be a kneejerk reaction, with many people saying “how much?” or “what’s the point?”, but this does not consider the bigger picture. Let’s think about commuting for a moment, as this is not the fun sort of cycling - it is getting to work on time, day in and day out, come rain, shine or wind. Generally commuting is tolerable in spring and autumn, but in summer you arrive all sweaty and in winter cold and knackered from the headwind. The biggest revelation when running my electric bike was how it changed my attitude to commuting. No longer is a headwind an issue, no longer do you arrive sweaty at the height of summer, journeys are more consistent and the whole experience pleasant – all year round.

The other insight comes from my daughter, who has started riding my Electric Brompton because it allows her to keep up with her brother on family cycle rides. Where two people want to ride together and one of them is not as much of a “keen” cyclist as the other, then I can see that the combination of one conventional and one electric bike would work well.

In summary

If you commute by bike, then an electric bike will transform your journey. Yes, it does cost twice as much as a normal Brompton but it is worth it when you consider what you would save on train / tube / bus fares or even running a car. It is an all-year-round solution.

The Electric Brompton’s mainstream appeal is limited not by the capabilities of the bike, but by the law which imposes a speed limit on assistance. 15.5mph is just not quite fast enough for fun cycling. This is especially true in the UK where cycling is seen more as a sport rather than as a means of transport.

After the release of a number of limited editions featuring only superficial changes such as different colours, with no tangible improvements or refinements, Brompton have now improved the bike and made it relevant. This shows the bike and the brand have a future.