Review update – Monkii V Wedge, Luxos IQ2

A few updates to some reviews!

Monkii V Wedge

This is the neat tool roll that clips on to any bottle cage mounts you happen to have going spare by means of a stud and socket mechanism. I’d reviewed it here, concluding that it worked really neatly with the exception of occasionally falling off the bike.

Miles (of CycleMiles, the adventure cycling shop I’d originally bought the Wedge from) was sufficiently surprised to hear of this failure that he sent me a brand new Wedge, unprompted and without charge. Definite plus points for customer service there.

I’ve been using the replacement for the last month and it hasn’t detached once, so I can say with reasonable confidence that you should be alright; I was just unlucky. The stitching on my first was very slightly off, resulting in the neoprene slots not gripping the plastic wings as tightly as they should.

I’d probably still keep a velcro strap around the whole thing (which doesn’t affect clipping the Wedge on and off the bike, if you do it right), but you probably don’t need to.

This is the best way to thread a securing strap, if you so wished. Make sure it tucks underneath the socket connection bit.
This is the best way to thread a securing strap (the ‘Vital ID’ bit), if you so wished. Make sure it tucks underneath the socket connection part of the Monkii.

Moving on…

Luxos IQ2 dynamo headlight

A much less positive update to the version I talked about here, B&M have clearly caved in to concerns over the water-tightness of their flagship headlight.

Instead of attaching via a plug and socket arrangement for the remote switch/USB charger, the latest IQ2s now have a permanent connection with a (short) fixed-length wire. This is grand if you only use the IQ2 on a conventional bike, but on recumbents or cargo bikes you now can’t stick an extension cable between the lamp and switch. So you can’t have the switch on your handlebars.

This is looking towards the side of the ned unit, headlight beam heading towards the front. Photo by Laid Back Bikes, click for licensing
This is looking towards the side of the ned unit, headlight beam heading towards the front. Photo by Laid Back Bikes, click for licensing

Given the main beam is only a tiny fraction brighter than dipped and your USB charging cable would still bridge the gap between a gadget on your bars and the sock between your knees it’s not a huge loss, but it does make it a bit untidy.

Given it was watertight anyway if you made sure it was set up correctly, this seems a significant backwards step.

Ortlieb Office Bag

This barely counts as an update, but I’m indulging myself (original review here).

If you’re the type of person who takes their lunch with them to work, and that lunch frequently takes the form of last night’s leftovers, I can now confirm that the 0.8L pyrex rectangular dish fits perfectly in the bottom of the Office Bag.

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