gbrandt

Hey folks, it finally arrived. Beautiful bike. Had one quick ride and it's as fast and comfortable as I imagined it would be.

A couple of things worth mentioning:

1. Apparantly a bunch shipped from the factory with the wrong headlight. The correct one is on the way my LBS tells me (the one that shipped doesn't light at all) so no night riding for a while yet.

2. The new model has a completely enclosed chain. I already wrote Breezer that the chain guard is not the best engineered 4 pieces of plastic I've ever encountered. Chief problem aside from a bad fit, is the right crank rubs against the plastic creating noise and drag. I asked them for advice on a fix. The two that come immediately to mind, bending back one of the 2 main brackets that hold the guard in place or filing down the offending section of plastic, seem a shame on brand new $1200 commuter.

Not sure anyone else out there has one of these yet since they just arrived in country. But if so, any other ideas on a fix for #2 would be welcome.

As an fyi, the lbs said assembling the chain guard took as long as assembling the rest of the bike.Yikes - can't wait to change that back tire!

Otherwise, like I said - beautiful, fast, nimble and versatile machine. Looking forward to putting some miles on it.

-gb

roughrider504

With older full chainguards, the rear cover is removeable to take off the wheel. Not sure about yours though. You should beable to adjust it to help your rubbing issue.

gbrandt

Well you certainly can take it apart in pieces. I'll ned to experiment a little in the garage. As for adjustments...all the screw holes are circular so in is in and that's it. No wiggle room. Maybe Breezer will get back to me...

As well thought out as the rest of the bike is, I must be missing something simple with the chainguard (as did the LBS).

-g

KnoxBreezer

For your crank rubbing problem, the best bet is to bend back one or both of the two brackets that hold the chain guard in place around the crank. I had this problem after replacing the stock bottom bracket, as it moved the crank a little closer to center. Bending these supports back a little to pull the chain guard in a little fixed the problem.

Hope you have a blast on your new Breezer. I enjoy the heck out of mine!

gbrandt

That was my gut instinct and I'll do that today. BTW, why did you replace the bottom bracket? Just curious. Also, what do you think of the new stock Schwalbe tires?

-gb

donnamb 

gb, the 2006 Breezers seem to have a bottom bracket issue. I think KnoxBreezer had one of the worst cases. Mine was fixed quickly by my LBS, so I did not need a replacement. The search function is working again. Do a search on Breezer, "bottom bracket", and you'll get to read the tale...

If you've emailed Breezer about the chainguard, chances are you will get a decent reply. They're incredibly responsive. Please post the reply, as I know it will be helpful to other 2007 Breezer owners.

thdave

*back from travel and vacation*

Sounds like the bike shop had a lot of trouble with the chain guard and likely installed it incorrectly.

I hope that gets ironed out. Anyhow--tell us, please, what are the changes to the 2007 bikes? Is it simply the chain guard and tires?

Thanks!

gbrandt

Aside from chainguard & tires, nearest I can tell from the specs is that the lights are now LED's vs. bulb (I'll confirm when my replacement comes in). No more suspension fork option. And...I think that's it. I only ever had a glimpse of a 2006 so I really have no personal comparison and their site doesn't seem to have been updated yet for 07 specs. After I bend back the chainguard bracket in about an hour, I go for me first real ride.

-gb

KnoxBreezer

For some reason my bottom bracket was pretty junked. Granted I ride the Breezer in the rain more than any other bike, but it appears as though some other 06 Breezer owners had similar issues. Breezer had some sort of spacers on the bottom bracket that my LBS removed with the new BB install. This accounted for the small inward shift of the cranks.

JeffS

Guys, is it hard to get a Breezer? Do you usually have to special order it or something?

I was planning to buy an Uptown or Villager for my wife this season and didn't know if I needed to try to do it now, if it could wait, or what the situation was.

KnoxBreezer

I think I waited just over two months for mine back in spring of 06, but I ride an XL frame and apparently they are a bit harder to find. My understanding is the 07 Breezers just came in and are shipping, so it might not be a bad idea to contact your nearest dealers and see what their wait time is like. I would put an order in sooner than later...

gbrandt

The first (only?) shipment arrived at Breezer about two weeks ago from Asia. The closest LBS to me with a relationship with them ordered me one and it arrived about a week later. My uptown shipped with the wrong light (apparantly a common early issue) so make sure you mention that so they send you the correct one.

-gb

clancy98

if the guard is plactic, could you ovalize the mounting holes for adjustment?

gbrandt

I could. However, I spent $1200 on a finished bike, not a kit. Something philosophically bothers me about that route (not that its not a good suggestion, thanks). I ended up bending the bracket back a bit. We'll see how it does.
thanks,

-gb

golftdi

Tell us about those new tires! I've got a Villager and am thinking of upgrading the tires

Todzilla

JeffS,

I bought my Villager from Clean Machine in Carrboro. I also think REI can order them for you.

-Todzilla
Hillsborough, NC

thdave

Just curious gb, how's it going on your new wheels?