Blue Leader

I originally ordered a SP PV-8 hub dynamo, but they were out of stock, and the seller upgraded me to the PD-8X. Supposedly it offers some improvements, and it has the disc brake mount which only hurts the looks a little.

I'm not sure when I built the wheel up. I ordered the hub, and a third rim around March. Seems like there were some delays. I'm guessing I got to it some time around May.

I wanted to change the capacitor in the Edelux II headlight because it seemed more flickery than I remembered.

I used https://swhs.home.xs4all.nl/fiets/tests/verlichting/koplampen/Schmidt_edelux/analyse/index_en.html for internals reference. It doesn't help with the capacitor value though.

I used a Klein S6HB strap wrench to open the light. The cap is a fine normal direction thread. I didn't see evidence of loctite, but getting it to move took more force than I expected. The strap wrench did a great job, no marring.

There was epoxy all over the board, and the capacitor. I decided to just dig the capacitor epoxy out, and try to remove it. I ended up cutting the legs, and half prying it out.

Came out pretty mangled, but I did manage to read the label. It was a 1000 μF 16V. It was about 8x15mm. A fairly long cap, but it doesn't look like a low ESR one.

Not impressed by the servicability. The metal housing is nice and openable which beats a lot of plastic ones that would have to be cracked open. Replacing components or putting on a new wire is a right pain.

I got some new tires to try (CST Energia C3045 700x25C) so I swapped them on. Then I finished up the bike build. That consisted of:

• Mounting lights
• Adjusting front rack tilt
• Bike computer install and program new tire circumference
• Handlebar wrap

I had some Deda Elementi logo tape in grey, but also got some rubbery feeling Croder Touch tape in black recently. Decided to stick with black on this bike. It was pretty good to install. Wish I had started from the inside of the roll to skip the logo. Last time I used tape with silicone type adhesive I wasn't impressed, but I tried to stretch it tight so we'll see how it holds up this time.

I went for a quick test ride, 4 miles or so. A few things need tweaking:

• Light hits street signs too much
• Bag won't stay centered between the handlebars
• Rear shifting is a little off, but I did adjust it during the ride
• Lower the saddle a bit
• tail light seems a bit blinky, and its standlight didn't seem to work at all

The smaller big chainring (50 -> 46) will take a little getting used to.

I loosened the rack and pushed it over to one side while tightening everything back up. This got the bag in a better place.

Standlight on my tail light is definitely not working, but I didn't notice any blinking.

Somehow I am a whole gear off on the rear derailleur. Hopefully that's the only trouble, but I think my shifter might need a clean and lube too.

Still need to mess with the headlight. I would like to attach a p-clamp, and a strut going to the front of the disc brake adapter I'm using. That should make for a stiff triangle, and eliminate bouncing.