Cannondale Bad Boy Rohloff Commuting - 1 year on

geordiefella

Bought what i thought was the best all round commuting bike available, Cannondale Bad Boy with a Rohloff back end. It's tricked up with commuting bits, clock, horn, saddle bag of reparis bits, bottle for recovery drinks / juice, 500 lumens of exposure strada up front and a superflash at the rear, SKS Blumells guards, Continental Rubber (no punctures yet in 4500 miles) and a brooks B17 which i wouldn't swap for the world.

One year on, my heart rate is down in the 40's, I've broken down once (read on) and as i've got fitter I've realised that i missed a trick early on.... weight.

Break down: I broke down out the saddle giving it the beans out of a roundabout in traffic. The Eccentric Bottom Bracket on Canondales is a right bu**er the move / adjust as it uses wedges to hold it tight and can't be undone easily without hammers, WD40 and a hairdryer! Losening chain as it wears means it can come off the cog and snap eventually without regular hairdryer use. In the middle of trying to sort that out.

Weight: Rohloffs are becoming lighter I believe, but weight is still an issue for a Rohloff user. As i've got fitter and leaner commuting by bike instead of car I've yearned for more and more speed. I'm at the limit I think and have gone from 1hr 5m over 15 miles down to about 45mins (PB). At 14kg, It's just not fast enough, even when stripped down and no commuter bag, neither is it aerodynamic enough as i've become more picky about the speed. Weight knackers you over hilly commutes too.

So in short, completely excellent bike, sh*t bottom bracket shell that can't be replaced with third party offerings due to 'in the way' internal cable routing for rear brake.

If you're considering one, make sure that weight isn't an issue to you. It's fast to a degree and lovely to ride but if you're gonna want to get faster and faster and build up your fitness to other types of riding ie, the odd sportive or faster rides rather than C2C trundles then you'd best give strong consideration to a Road bike for commuting. Alien at first but speed becomes more important to you after a while of day to day riding on similar routes to work and back.

What am i going to do. no idea. It's too good to get rid of on a whim. entered various cycle challenges from June onwards and I'm sure as hell not lumping 14+ kilos up any hills over that distance. besides corrosive conditions and snow, a road bike is going to be what i'm going for (Planet X, Condor or some other nice deal i can get most likely). It's the next level on riding-wise, but its taken me a year to realise that I NEED SPEED!

Good luck commuter types.

Geordiefella (130mpw (miles per week) bike commuter.
It's nearly spring - hang on in there

bradford

geordiefella wrote:

Bought what i thought was the best all round commuting bike available, Cannondale Bad Boy with a Rohloff back end. It's tricked up with commuting bits, clock, horn, saddle bag of reparis bits, bottle for recovery drinks / juice, 500 lumens of exposure strada up front and a superflash at the rear, SKS Blumells guards, Continental Rubber (no punctures yet in 4500 miles) and a brooks B17 which i wouldn't swap for the world.

One year on, my heart rate is down in the 40's, I've broken down once (read on) and as i've got fitter I've realised that i missed a trick early on.... weight.

Break down: I broke down out the saddle giving it the beans out of a roundabout in traffic. The Eccentric Bottom Bracket on Canondales is a right bu**er the move / adjust as it uses wedges to hold it tight and can't be undone easily without hammers, WD40 and a hairdryer! Losening chain as it wears means it can come off the cog and snap eventually without regular hairdryer use. In the middle of trying to sort that out.

Weight: Rohloffs are becoming lighter I believe, but weight is still an issue for a Rohloff user. As i've got fitter and leaner commuting by bike instead of car I've yearned for more and more speed. I'm at the limit I think and have gone from 1hr 5m over 15 miles down to about 45mins (PB). At 14kg, It's just not fast enough, even when stripped down and no commuter bag, neither is it aerodynamic enough as i've become more picky about the speed. Weight knackers you over hilly commutes too.

So in short, completely excellent bike, sh*t bottom bracket shell that can't be replaced with third party offerings due to 'in the way' internal cable routing for rear brake.

If you're considering one, make sure that weight isn't an issue to you. It's fast to a degree and lovely to ride but if you're gonna want to get faster and faster and build up your fitness to other types of riding ie, the odd sportive or faster rides rather than C2C trundles then you'd best give strong consideration to a Road bike for commuting. Alien at first but speed becomes more important to you after a while of day to day riding on similar routes to work and back.

What am i going to do. no idea. It's too good to get rid of on a whim. entered various cycle challenges from June onwards and I'm sure as hell not lumping 14+ kilos up any hills over that distance. besides corrosive conditions and snow, a road bike is going to be what i'm going for (Planet X, Condor or some other nice deal i can get most likely). It's the next level on riding-wise, but its taken me a year to realise that I NEED SPEED!

Good luck commuter types.

Geordiefella (130mpw (miles per week) bike commuter.
It's nearly spring - hang on in there

I am thinking of buying a Cannondale Bad Boy!
What fork's are you running?

Canny Jock

geordiefella wrote:

Bought what i thought was the best all round commuting bike available, Cannondale Bad Boy with a Rohloff back end. It's tricked up with commuting bits, clock, horn, saddle bag of reparis bits, bottle for recovery drinks / juice, 500 lumens of exposure strada up front and a superflash at the rear, SKS Blumells guards, Continental Rubber (no punctures yet in 4500 miles) and a brooks B17 which i wouldn't swap for the world.

One year on, my heart rate is down in the 40's, I've broken down once (read on) and as i've got fitter I've realised that i missed a trick early on.... weight.

Break down: I broke down out the saddle giving it the beans out of a roundabout in traffic. The Eccentric Bottom Bracket on Canondales is a right bu**er the move / adjust as it uses wedges to hold it tight and can't be undone easily without hammers, WD40 and a hairdryer! Losening chain as it wears means it can come off the cog and snap eventually without regular hairdryer use. In the middle of trying to sort that out.

Weight: Rohloffs are becoming lighter I believe, but weight is still an issue for a Rohloff user. As i've got fitter and leaner commuting by bike instead of car I've yearned for more and more speed. I'm at the limit I think and have gone from 1hr 5m over 15 miles down to about 45mins (PB). At 14kg, It's just not fast enough, even when stripped down and no commuter bag, neither is it aerodynamic enough as i've become more picky about the speed. Weight knackers you over hilly commutes too.

So in short, completely excellent bike, sh*t bottom bracket shell that can't be replaced with third party offerings due to 'in the way' internal cable routing for rear brake.

If you're considering one, make sure that weight isn't an issue to you. It's fast to a degree and lovely to ride but if you're gonna want to get faster and faster and build up your fitness to other types of riding ie, the odd sportive or faster rides rather than C2C trundles then you'd best give strong consideration to a Road bike for commuting. Alien at first but speed becomes more important to you after a while of day to day riding on similar routes to work and back.

What am i going to do. no idea. It's too good to get rid of on a whim. entered various cycle challenges from June onwards and I'm sure as hell not lumping 14+ kilos up any hills over that distance. besides corrosive conditions and snow, a road bike is going to be what i'm going for (Planet X, Condor or some other nice deal i can get most likely). It's the next level on riding-wise, but its taken me a year to realise that I NEED SPEED!

Good luck commuter types.

Geordiefella (130mpw (miles per week) bike commuter.
It's nearly spring - hang on in there

Good review, this is worth reading for any novice commuter thinking of spending decent money on a bike. I think if you become serious about this you will likely end up wanting a road bike, or a CX at least!

geordiefella

The Bad Boy i use has SI Fatty Forks. They are stem shocks.

Further comments:
I previously bought some xc knobblies. There's not enough clearance for these. with 700c wheels you best to stick with 28mm slicks if using permenant mudguards like me.

This leads me to thinking that besides the front shock of the bad boy being useful on poor surfaces, a cyclocross bike with mudguards fitted would enable studded tyre use too but getting a mudguard on these can be a fiddle i think.

The bad boy sometimes comes with 26" tyres. Rightly so, you could use 26" for knobblies or studded tyres for winter. A friend of mind with the single speed Bad boy did this and promptly rubbed a hole in the fork over only 7 miles (didn't hear the noise because of using an ipod)

So, you see, great, but not perfect. We're back to the old dilemma, what bike for my purpose that everyone, particularly new commuters come up with and I too have been mulling over ever since i've gone with this move to bike use instead of daily car use.

Best i can come up with in terms of new commuter evolution:
1. Ride any old bike for a few days per week and see the problems you encounter
2. Realise that for every day use you'll need something with mudguards to stay comfortable at the end of the ride, and for the ride home again.
3. Get a winter road bike (and think about not using that on snow / ice unless you got clearance for 35mm tyre clearance for schwalbe winter studded tyres)
4. Get a cross bike. You'll have clearance and will be faster and more versatile for paths and rougher use / magic for fitness
5. Hybrid choice. I seriously believe that if you really are committed to riding every day or most days then a hybrid is only going to suit you for slower / easy paced riding or urban riding mostly. Out on the roads between towns and / or cities, a road bike is inevitable eventually, as you choose to flow through the traffic at pace. If you buy a hybrid, buy a good one that you can keep for poor weather or local riding with the aim of somewhere down the line buying a road bike as you break out of your non cyclist shell and start feeling the rhythms of becoming a roadie and not just a bike commuter.
6. Come to the inevitable realisation that if you're doing a good distance when commuting rather than only a couple of miles, then you're going to be doing more cycling in all weather and of various kinds and as such there is no other way to incorporate riding into your life other than by having more than one bike and making the relevent customisations to make it best for the various uses you have lines up. As you become more experienced you inevitably realise the shortcomings of too much weight / wind resistance or posture on the bike, or speed etc....

Whatever you choose, just get into it with some regularity, enjoy your riding and don't be afraid to get a proper fitting at a bike shop and think about developing your machine as you develop your riding.

hayes1963

I managed to get an unused Bad Boy Ultra two years ago in eBay for close to half the shop price. The bike was a revelation to me having ridden old 531 tourers for most of my life. I had gotten a bit more into what we used to call fast tourers with 73deg angles (whatever that means in today's parlance) so I was used to the concept of a responsive frame that you could also do some distance on without hurting yourself.

What most impressed me about the Bad Boy was the dynamism of the frame - something about the way its setup with the shock and the stays makes it seem to leap over bumps. I could also climb and accelerate very well. I would have liked a Rhollhof version but I didn't have the cash and what you say about the bottom bracket gells with what I've heard other people say who have some experience. I was told that you just cant stop them creaking - if anyone knows if this issue has been fixed in the newer models I am keen enough on the idea to trade up. Why would I trade up on a 2 year old bike that is about as good as it gets (IMHO)?

1. While the large frame has a good deal of reach it could still be a bit larger for me. I'm 1.96m and though I have ridden nearly 20,000km on the bike long rides get uncomfortable.

2. No warranty on a second hand bike. I had a problem with the shock cartridge six months on and had to pay out of my own pocket. The rear rim also wasnt up to the job and I have since had it rebuilt with a different rim. I was told this might be a sunrims quality control thing so I'd be interested in other peoples experiences - especially big buggers over 100kilos.

3. Finally, the only real criticism I'd have of the basic design is that the clearances on the frame means you cant use anything bigger than 28mm tyres. Almost all of the time that is fine but if I had a tougher wheelset I'd consider swapping to 29r tyres for weekend rides in the mountains. At the moment I commute on Bontrager Racelites which work well in snow free Sydney and are very fast.

Anyway, that's my rave. I love the bike and totally recommend it to all though buy it new from a shop and keep it serviced.

bomberesque

I am in a similar position and regognise the problems you have been having geordiefella but would like to offer a different perspective.

I commute on a cotic Road Rat fitted with an Alfine, full guards and rack about 100mi per week. This is a swap from an old Cannondale F1000 that I used to do the same ride on. I've been at it for a year and a half now.

First the comfort. Although the F1000 had a front shoch (old Headshock) the carbon cross fork I have on the Rat matched with its steel frame is just so much nicer over the flemish cobbles which form a part of my route
Second; adjustment and maintenance. Trackends own. EBB be damned. It's a bodge I know, but can you fit a chain tensioner to the Bboy and forget the ebb? Chain tension aside, I do no maintenance on my bike ... well OK I oil the chain and adjust the gear cable once a month, swapping out the cable probably twice a year (it's a thing with teh j-tek shifter I have but nvm. My old deurallier-ed set up would be close to seized up with road grime after a month, the alfine just keeps going.
third; weight. It's undeniable that this bike is twice the weight of the carbon wonderboys I ride to work with. Some of the guys I work with cover >25000 km a year so I listen to them when they say it's about time on the bike and the effort level, not the miles you cover in that time.

but yes, I do yearn for more speed once in a while, especially when being flattened by a man-train of roadies on the side of the schelde. OTOH I have considered a nice audax-y kind of frame, a CX (seen the Salsa one? OMG) or a full on chase-me carbon race bike but in the end, none of these would be able to do all the things that the rat does with the same complete lack of attention on my part. It's a utility bike, a commuter and a tourer (sweden and Cuba in the last year) and I can't imagine parting with it. Igf I got a faster bike, it would be an extra bike, not a replacement and would be for those sunny spring days when you don't need guards and just want to hammer the sh1t out of teh route, but I'm on a strict bike diet and I want a new MTB this year so the Rat will reign on!

cawte

geordiefella - I've had a Bad Boy Rohloff for about a year now and although I've not done as many miles on it as you (I don't commute by bike and I tend to spend most of my time off road on a Yeti) I'd agree with you about the speed thing. Generally I'd say that the gearing is closer to that of a mountain bike than a road bike and timed over tarmac loops I do regularly I'm not much swifter than I was on my old hardtail on slicks. However, recently I replaced the 16T rear sprocket on the Rohloff hub for a 15T and now I get a little better gain ratio in all gears and probably make a little bit more use of the bottom gears as a result plus a bit more 'top end'.

Rohloff do a 13T sprocket as well which should in theory improve considerably on the standard 16T but I think there may be issues with using it on a standard size frame (I may be wrong but I think the 13T is meant for fold up bikes).

The sprocket will cost you and £25 but beware - you'll need to buy a Rohloff socket for your sprocket!

vorsprung

bomberesque wrote:

I am in a similar position and regognise the problems you have b
I commute on a cotic Road Rat fitted with an Alfine, full guards and rack about 100mi per week. This is a swap from an old Cannondale F1000 that I used to do the same ride on. I've been at it for a year and a half now.

Same here, road rat + alfine + full guards + large saddle bag
Do about 150 miles a week but only been on this bike 3 months

I do have two lother ighter bikes. I have a Ti bike for "events" and a cheaper racing bike for summer commuting when the weather is good

I don't see that the weight of a hub geared commuter bike is that big a deal. Mine is so loaded up with spare tools, clothes and shopping in the winter that if it was a couple of kilos lighter it wouldn't really notice

jonny_trousers

geordiefella wrote:

Best i can come up with in terms of new commuter evolution:
1. Ride any old bike for a few days per week and see the problems you encounter
2. Realise that for every day use you'll need something with mudguards to stay comfortable at the end of the ride, and for the ride home again.
3. Get a winter road bike (and think about not using that on snow / ice unless you got clearance for 35mm tyre clearance for schwalbe winter studded tyres)
4. Get a cross bike. You'll have clearance and will be faster and more versatile for paths and rougher use / magic for fitness
5. Hybrid choice. I seriously believe that if you really are committed to riding every day or most days then a hybrid is only going to suit you for slower / easy paced riding or urban riding mostly. Out on the roads between towns and / or cities, a road bike is inevitable eventually, as you choose to flow through the traffic at pace. If you buy a hybrid, buy a good one that you can keep for poor weather or local riding with the aim of somewhere down the line buying a road bike as you break out of your non cyclist shell and start feeling the rhythms of becoming a roadie and not just a bike commuter.
6. Come to the inevitable realisation that if you're doing a good distance when commuting rather than only a couple of miles, then you're going to be doing more cycling in all weather and of various kinds and as such there is no other way to incorporate riding into your life other than by having more than one bike and making the relevent customisations to make it best for the various uses you have lines up. As you become more experienced you inevitably realise the shortcomings of too much weight / wind resistance or posture on the bike, or speed etc....

Whatever you choose, just get into it with some regularity, enjoy your riding and don't be afraid to get a proper fitting at a bike shop and think about developing your machine as you develop your riding.

This should be added to the beginners sticky thread. I can identify with it completely and I've only been back to riding regularly for about six weeks now. The hybrid-come-commuter thingy I bought was pretty cheap really so I have no regrets and I am sure I will be able to sell it on easily enough. My problem is that I am desperate to move things on, but I don't know in what direction: single speed, road bike, CX bike, quality urban bike, steel, carbon, bam-flippin-boo?!? I have been bitten by the bug severely enough that I don't mind spending a few quid, but the question is on what? I guess I'll get there in the end and I must just force myself to be patient :?

Mithras

The Badboy is my dream bike for work, With the lefty fork. Not only is it a bombproof bike, but decked out in Police Livery it would get a lot of attention from the kids.....

Now if anybody knows a any Cannondale reps who want to do a bit of PR ?

chrishumes

geordiefella - good writeup and mimics what I do. my commute is 12 mile each way, from westerhope to hebburn. ive a ridgeback flight 04 with alfine on the rear hub. cracking bike, fit for purpose of road/track along the tyne etc. fast enough for me at the mo until i get fitter.

the only disadvantage is rear wheel punctures! thought i wouldnt get one with the armadillo tyres or whatever they are, but got one luckily only minutes from work! a bugger to change. ive since put the slime innertubes in to see if that helps. touch wood, hopefully no more punctures!

bikehedflav

you said you need speed..
the Rohloff speedhub is designed for out and out racing..
you mention you already put a 15 tooth sprocket on the rear hub.
If you want intoxicating raw unadulterated brutal rocket speed then swap out the front crank for a 52 tooth single crank.
steel 52 tooth single cranks are quite inexpensive.they weigh in around 17 quid plus the cost of a new chain.
I am not sure if you have 26 inch or 28 inch wheels so I have included the info for both below.
with a 52 tooth front crank in top gear with 26 inch wheels you will have 10,47m per rotation of the pedal.
alternatively with a 52 tooth front crank in top gear if you have 28 inch wheels you will have 11,08m per rotation of the pedal.
then you are on par with a road bike for pure speed..
that should sort your need for speed..
mind you the gearing is still low enough in 1st gear to get up hills.
I want one of these bikes meself.but unfortunately the hefty price tag means I will be saving the pennies for quite some considerable time..