Very nice!

I really like those leather bags, too!

Bike looks awesoke uruk. I still am on my quest to get a commuter. I can order an Alley Way through a local dealer but putting that much money into something sight unseen is tough.

Very nice! Thanks for the pics! If it rides as well as it looks you must be a very happy commuter.

Totally agree! The only reason I went ahead with the purchase was because I could decline it, and swap it for store credit. The bike shop carried other bikes I'd have sprung for, which were slightly cheaper, which means I'd have to have bought overpriced accessories. Oh, and 10% off wasn't bad (yearly spring sale).

Yes!

Uruk,

Thank you for the update. The pics are great and the commentary is helpful in comparing to my experiences with the Trek Soho belt driven. As much as I've enjoyed the Soho, Its not been all roses with my bike and Ill be going in to give the hub a cleanout/ regrease in coordination with the LBS this week.

Hopefully the creaking issue will be solved with some adjusting by the ebb. Dont assume its the belt drive. It could be the hub (oil bath or regrease), the ebb, or even the seat. If ebb, there are some options you have if you check the internet including replacing it with a higher quality ebb.

Ururk, I hope you're still enjoying your bike. Just bought one myself after reading this thread. It is a great experience so far, but the fender rattle is bothering me a bit. Did you manage to fix that problem?

I really love the Alley Way... maybe next year I'll try and pick one up for myself, wallet is still crying a bit from the Globe Haul I bought

Yes... as my coworkers have said, it's like they built the bike exclusively for me . I just did my first bike to work (of the season) last week - it finally stopped pouring. We had a loooong winter, and a very wet spring, so I was very eager to get back. I've taken shorter jaunts on nicer days/weekends, but nothing over a mile till now.

As for the rattle... it may or may not be possible depending on your setup. Because of the short distance between my fender and the bike rack, I was able to push a rubber washer between the rack and fender - stopping the rattle. I also wrapped the fender in electrical tape where the chrome/aluminum bracket met the fender.

Glad to hear that the bike does not get boring after a while I plan to keep riding it to work when it is raining but we'll see how that goes in practice

Thanks for the fender tip. I don't have a bike rack yet but I am planning to add the Topeak rack + child seat combo soon, will try the rubber trick then.

Another question.. What headlight are you using? The dynamo powered options seem quite limited. The Shimano version has very bad reviews, I'll try Planet Bike light unless there are better options available around the same price.

Haven't yet decided. I've been trying to decide between a Supernova E3 and a Edelux. I got caught a few times last year near dusk, and don't want to repeat the experience. However... I don't want to blind any oncoming drivers, and since I can't see how these perform in person, I'm still looking around. Post here if you find something!

Those two look cool but are above my budget. I just bought Planet Bike Blaze generator version. Hopefully it is good. I'll post here my experience.

I know this thread is old (tho still active), but I've owned the Trek Soho [the 2010 model w/the Gates Carbon Belt and Roller Brakes] for a year now, and just bought the Raleigh Alley Way [a discounted left over 2010 model that noone wanted to buy but me for the last year -- hehe]. If anyone is still interested in a [what will no doubt become lengthy] detailed comparison, just lemme know. Else I won't subject everyone to it.

One thing I can say is while I thought the Soho was a great glider I found it's not nearly as easy to peddle in 7th & 8th as the Alley Way. Also, I don't recall the Nexus internal hub gears to have as much of a mind of it's own when new as the Alfine has. Hoping it just needs to be broken in but I'm a bit put off by how when I down shift one gear it doesn't do anything. Then when I upshift one it downshifts. ...hope that stops. Maybe I need to lubricate the cable?

Anyway, if anyone is interested in a detailed "compare & contrast", lemme know. If interested, also want to say, I only owned and rode the Alley Way for a couple of days, so I'll hold-off and put a few hundred more miles on it before giving my full assessment.

i would like to hear the comparison M8o

Sounds like it's out of adjustment. Follow the instructions in this video (I know the featured bike is unconventional, but it's still the best tutorial I've seen to date):


Plus, in the inevitable circumstance that you have to remove the rear wheel, this is a great instructional video:

Can you PM me with the full comparison? I tried to PM you to make this request, but I don't have enough posts to do that yet.

Mike