Avanti Inc 2

As of the end of 2013 I'd spent about a year, on and off, looking for a commuter bike that doesn’t have the drawbacks of Derailleur gears, namely picking up dirt and grime plus frequent maintenance and adjustment. I eventually settled for an Avanti Inc 2.

Initially I was a bit worried that 8 gears would be not be enough but after trying several similar bikes I became convinced that a bike with an Alfine 8 speed hub gears would be fine for me. The lowest gear is low enough to cope with the short steep hills on my commute. The highest is adequate for level surfaces, thought it maybe not quite enough if you like to pedal fast down hill.

The gear change seems to prefer the rider to relax pressure on the pedals momentarily when changing gear. You can feel resistance to moving the gear change lever when pressing hard on the pedals, particularly when changing up. Of course one of the best things about the hub gears is being able to change gears whilst not pedaling at all and particularly when you are stationary. It’s also possible to change through several gears very quickly, this can be particularly useful when changing down.

By the way, check the adjustment of the gears after delivery. Mine, as delivered, needed adjusting as when I first rode as it was jumping out of gear and I was experiencing non-commanded gear changes, just like a Derailleur that needs adjustment. Fortunately adjusting the gears its very easy and doesn’t require any special tools. Put the gear lever in 4th and adjust the cable until the green marks, visible in the window on the gear box, line up.

I thought the lack of suspension on the front fork might make for a less comfortable ride but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Also the handle bars are noticeably wider than on other bikes but again, for me anyway, it seems to be OK. The saddle is also comfortable enough for my 45 minute commute.

The Inc 2 is labeled as a commuter bike. Now, in my book a commuter bike should, among other things, have full length mudguards, a rack and a stand. As far as I can tell Avanti doesn’t have any of these accessories for their Inc bikes. At the time of writing there is no section for accessories on their website.

There’s only one set of lugs on the rear of the frame for a rack and mudguard so they both use the same mounting lug. This isn’t too much of a drawback but the bike it replaces had 2 sets making it easier to fit mudguards and a rack. I was hoping to pinch the mudguards off the my old bike but this wasn’t possible as I had trimmed the stays on the front guard and they were not long enough to fit the Avanti which has the lugs further forward and just under the brake assembly.

After a bit of research I settled on Zefal 50mm mudguards on the grounds that they were adjustable. 

The front mudguard wasn’t too difficult to attach but it needs a very long bolt to secure it to the fork. I used an M6 x 60mm which is available from Super Cheap Auto. I also had to adjust the stays so that they attached to the mudguard at the very bottom as the lugs on the fork are very close to and just below the brake actuator and there’s only just enough clearance between the brake and the lug for the mudguard stay. 

Figure 1. Only just enough clearance for mudguard stays

The rear proved to a bit more of a problem. I bought 50 mm guards so that there would be plenty of clearance between mudguards and the tyres (width of 37mm according to Avanti) but found the frame is not wide to accommodate the rear mudguard at the bottom of the frame near the pedals. I had to trim about 5mm bit off each side of the mudguard to make it narrow enough to get it to fit. 

Figure 2. Trimmed Mudguard

The rack was no problem. I’m sure the frame on my bike is a different more conventional shape than the one as shown in the illustration on the Avanti website. This is good as between the time I ordered the bike and took delivery I was a bit worried that it wouldn’t take a standard rack.

Initially I bought a center mounted kick stand but that turned out not to be suitable. The bike would topple over when I had a load on the rack as the foot needed to be further away from the bike. Those kickstands that attach to both frame members (the horizontal and slanting ones) near the rear wouldn’t fit either because because of the rear disc brake assembly. I eventually managed to find a kickstand on eBay that attached to the horizontal frame member only.

The fitted bell not very loud unless you strike it the right way.

Finally, the supplied manual is for a generic Derailleur bike. Something more relevant to the bike I actually bought would have been good. The Inc models have been out for well over a year  now, time enough to write a manual I would have thought.

Pros:

• The Inc 2 is a fair bit cheaper than equivalent bikes with similar specs i.e. a carbon belt and an 8 speed Alfine hub gear.
• The bike is also easier to clean as the frame is less obstructed by the gearing mechanisms of a more conventional bike and the belt only needs to be wiped now and then.

Cons:

• Fitting accessories. There may be better, easier to fit options, than the ones I chose. Two sets of lugs at the rear would have been good as well as better positioned lugs at the front. Though I acknowledge that disc brakes may limit the position of accessory lugs.

Overall, I’ve had the bike for a month now and I’m very satisfied, despite the hassle of fitting some accessories.

Update, June 2015.
I've had the bike for about 17 months now. Whilst I am still satisfied I am very dissapointed with the  the brakes, as supplied. They have a very short life, for commuting use anyway. I'm lucky to 5 months of use out of them, the last set only lasted 4 months . Additionally, the design of the front brake is such that when the pads have worn right down the brake mechanism rubs the cable eventually cutting through it!