Azor-Henry Workcycles Secret Service, almost unpacked and ready to ride
If you have any questions or want any other impressions or component specifications, just comment below or send me an email, I’ll do what I can.
Azor / Henry Workcycles Secret Service bicycle, ordered from the Dutch Bicycle Company of Seattle.
RESULTS:
Style: 5/5
Ride Comfort: 5/5
Initial Impressions of Build Quality: 5/5
Accessories: 3/5
Safety: 5/5
Overall 4.75/5
Other Notes:
Rating of the UPS delivery driver who serves my office building: -10/5
Rating of the UPS workers at the Supply Chain Solutions office at the Austin Airport: 5/5 !
Packing quality of the bicycle itself: 4.5/5
Items marred: handlebars have minor scuffs
Items broken in shipping: none, although the bell needed some work before it would function
Items broken from poor quality: Luggage strap (see below for more on that)
Biggest surprise so far: Excellent ride quality and hill climbing ability, much quicker bicycle than I thought it would be. On my commute home, which is almost all uphill, I had no problems at all!
Biggest disappointment so far: Elastic luggage strap already broke(!), metal hooks for luggage strap on frame are a poor-quality afterthought
My Azor Secret Service bicycle from Dutch Bicycle Company of Seattle arrived yesterday, and here are my first impressions from looking at all the components closely, swapping a few minor parts here and there, and about 13 miles of riding since last night, including my commute to and from work.
Delivery:
Getting the Azor Secret Service was somewhat of an adventure, thanks to the UPS driver who serves my building. All day Monday, I waited around, afraid to leave the building, because I didn’t want to miss the delivery, and because I didn’t want our UPS driver to have to bring the bike upstairs to my office suite. Well interestingly enough, the driver must not have wanted to mess with the bicycle either, because he didn’t even bother to try to deliver it! The bike hung around in his truck the entire day, and even though he was on our floor picking up packages from another suite, didn’t even say anything to us. I ended up having to make arrangements with the UPS offices at the Austin airport to pick up the bicycle late last night. Fortunately, the UPS service at the airport office was FAR better – they even helped me get the bike out of the packing crate. Whew!
Packing:
The Azor Secret Service was well packed, which should be expected considering that the shipping alone cost more than any bike sold at Wal-Mart. It took three of us about ten minutes of work with a hammer and crowbar to get the bike out of its wooden crate shell. Once out, it was easy to pick up and put on our bicycle rack. I had borrowed Elliott’s Subaru Forester just in case there was a possibility of putting the bike, crate and all, inside, but really that just wasn’t an option. The crate is big! Very tall!
Assembly:
Attaching the pedals - make sure you put the correct pedal on the correct side
Assembly was easy- screw on the pedals (make sure you attach the correct pedal to the correct side of the bicycle, look at the end of the pedal to make sure), loosen the hex nut on the handlebar assembly, lift and adjust accordingly, and tighten back down. A second hex nut on the bottom of the handlebars allows for adjustment of the handlebar angle. No problems here at all, kudos to the Dutch Bicycle Company and their packing firm.
Build Quality and Components/Accessories:
A first glance around the Azor Secret Service, along with my first rides, has given me the impression that frame construction is fantastic, components are good, and overall the build quality is as advertised. I think the bicycle itself will last many years. The only problems so far are with accessories. The bicycle bell did not work when first tried, and had to be taken apart and put back together to make it work. Not difficult, but annoying. A bigger problem is that this morning, the elastic luggage strap broke completely, and then when I removed the strap to replace it with a BOR YEUH model, I noticed that the metal attachments on the bicycle that the luggage strap
Cheap, flimsy metal attachments for the luggage strap - a real bummer
attaches to are A) not part of the frame construction itself, and look like a fairly poor quality afterthought, B) had glue(!) in them of some kind from the old strap, and C) have a fairly custom-looking hole, so it was a bit of a pain to make my other luggage strap’s hooks fit in. Of anything on the bicycle, it looks like that luggage strap assembly is the worst quality, and probably should be re-thought.
Style:
I’m impressed. The Azor Secret Service frame has very nice lugs, the chaincase is quite solid-looking, and the overall appearance is quite stylish. I had the standard black tires replaced with cream tires for a small fee, just because, no reason really… I like them, though.
First ride and Lighting:
Since it was almost dark, our first rides took advantage of the lighting and Shimano dynamo hub. I was quite impressed at the lack of drag when the lights are activated, I hardly noticed at all, especially compared to a bottle dynamo. The rear light has a standlight feature and stayed lit for several minutes after the bike had stopped moving, much longer than I had imagined it would. The rear light is very bright, but I am supplementing it soon with a second light in place of the rear reflector.
We're over weight limit... and I mean the bike, not just me...sssh!
We tried several things we probably shouldn’t have, but hey, why not? Elliott tried to ride on the back, which was an adventure! Didn’t work too well actually, not because of the rack, but because that’s a lot of weight on the back of the bicycle… his son did have a ride, though, which seemed to work pretty well… not that we will be trying that very often.
Elliott gives his son a ride
We both took turns riding the bike around a bit, and then once my wife and I went home, I took the Azor out for a spin around the neighborhood.
Seat angle:
When it arrived my Azor Secret Service’s Brooks B67 saddle was at a fairly sharp upward angle. I had read on a few forums that an upward angle worked well and reinforced the upright riding position on these bikes, and I found it fairly comfortable. I endured quite a bit of peer pressure about the seat angle from Elliott, his wife, and my wife, though, and so when I swapped the seat out for our long-term test Brooks B67 instead, I adjusted the angle down to about level. Big mistake! On my commute this morning I found myself sliding towards the front of the bicycle the entire way, and comfort was greatly diminished. So much for listening to my friends…ha. I’ll be fixing that this afternoon.
Summary:
looks good so far! More as the break-in process continues.
Components list: I am including this because it’s not listed anywhere else on the Internet that I can find, so it may be useful for some.
- Rear Hub: Shimano Nexus 8-Speed Internal Hub, SG-8R20
- Front Hub: Shimano generator front hub. model DH2R30-E
- Brakes: Dual roller brakes, Shimano
- Lighting: SMART brand dynamo headlight and tail light, the tail light has a standlight. I believe they are the models listed on this page (the dynamo-powered headlight with switch, and the rear fender light with standlight)
- Lock: AXA Defender rear wheel lock
- Tires: Schwalbe Delta Cruiser, 700×35C
- Kickstand: Hebie Bi-pod double kickstand
Related posts:
on Aug 27th, 2008 at 9:01 am
Hello Marcus. I am glad you are delighted with the Bike. That UPS Man deserves a good Kicking, a very bad mark for the Company. The least he could do was tell you he had the Bike and let you carry the Thing upstairs yourself instead of taking it back to the Depot at the Aerport. I had the same Problem with the Saddle at first with me slipping forward on it.It was adjusted with the Nose slightly Tilted downwards and I had to adjust it upwards a bit. It is annoying to find the Handlebars slightly Scuffed and the Elastic Cord on the Carrier broke.The Saddle was very firm for a long time on mine until it got Comfortable. It went from a Dark Red Burgundy to a Black Dark Colour Red over the Months. The Metal Attachment for the Elastic Cord looks different to mine which has round shape. What about the Handlebars hitting off your Legs did you have to Heighten them much. I am Feet 6 .1 Inch and my Knee Hit off the Handlebar at the Top Stroke of my Knees, and I had to Adjust it as High as Practicable but it is grand now. My Tyres is Schwalbe Marathons 700+ 1.75 with Kevelar Belt. Good Luck. Dublin Ireland.3.07 pm G.M.T.
on Aug 29th, 2008 at 8:50 am
Too cool! We are actually looking at 2 of the exact same model. My wife and I leave from Amsterdam in a couple of weeks and my Dutch buddy is making the arrangements for us to get the bikes when we arrive. We will then tour around the Netherlands as 2 Dutch people.
Very well-written review (I may link back to it).
L
on Aug 29th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Jack & Les — thanks for your comments! I really appreciate the feedback.
Jack — I’m only 5′8″ or so (or maybe a bit under that) so I don’t have a problem with the handlebar height. I do have the handlebars up quite a ways though, so much that they look funny, actually. Also, sorry to hear about your dog, I just read about that on your blog yesterday. I had a german shepherd myself for 16 years who we had to put to sleep a couple of years ago, was quite sad to see her health degrade over the years, so your postings really resonated with me.
Les — I linked to your blog, looks good! When you ride those Azors, are you going to be bringing them back from Holland if you like them? If so, try and document the process (and maybe the cost), I’m sure people are interested.
on Aug 29th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Hello Marcus.
It is the style of Bike,they naturally have high Handlebars. I had to decide how high I could go without it looking weird.The Bike I got cost €1,000 Euro and €200 to get it sent from Amsterdam to Dublin. It was delivered by a Logistics Freight Company from England Picassa and two other Companies from Amsterdam CTS Group European Dis.Nieuw Vennep Nederland. through England. They missed me on the Delivery Day and had to Deliver the Next Day,I was just going out when they called. I assembled mine in the front Garden as it was easiest. Thanks for your comments about the Dog,it was inevitable and sooner or later I would have to decide as His Strength began to fail him. His weight did not Help him either he got very overweight and I was trying to get him to loose some.If and when I get another Dog it will be a small one and I will get one of those Basket Things for the Front so I can carry it around Amsterdam Style. Good Luck Dublin Ireland 5.07 pm G.M.T.
on Sep 25th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Brooks saddle, upward angle?
Oh, well–it’s your prostate.
on Oct 31st, 2008 at 10:13 pm
FYI, I’ve found the same issue with my brooks saddle on an upright riding bike… on my road bike it’s great nearly level, but on my upright / commuter bike it definitely needs an upright angle. It’s such a firm seat with very specific fit characteristics the angle makes a huge difference.
on Oct 31st, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Oh, and despite what user “BAW” says if you’re brooks is properly angled it will not pose any threat to your prostate. I’ve put mine on my cyclo / touring bike and regularly put 100+ miles on it in a day. Even a couple 140, a 160, and a 200 mile day this year. It’s amazing that I feel as comfortable at the end of the day as the beginning.. there is absolutely no issue of numbness… though on very hot summer days I do think it’s lacking a little in the ventilation area which could lead to saddle sores.
on Oct 31st, 2008 at 10:23 pm
BTW, very impressed with how well spec’d your bike is. Tremendous attention to detail. It amazes me how it can be so very high end… and yet has such an extremely conservative look and style. Typical american bikes are a celebration of tech first, performance second and style a distant 3rd if at all. Perhaps it’s a characteristic of dutch bikes to put function first, style a close second and technology last. The technology is impressive, it’s just very understated in it’s use. I like it. A lot.