Vulnerable/invulnerable

I am really enjoying the commute to work in the mornings and am beginning to appreciate the potential of night riding. In the past I have only commuted on a full size bike (non folder)where it gets dark on the way home, not when it is dark at the outset and murky for much of the journey. I have got a great light on the front that I can turn to constant. I have it directed slightly down so I can spot the potholes on the less well lit streets of Hackneyville. A couple of potholes I’ve spotted recently could swallow not just a Brompton wheel, but most of a full size road bike. Some of these (What’s larger than a pot... Bath) holes are in dark streets too.

The Brompton, whilst less stable and more affected by potholes, was less worrying to ride in the dark. I guess it felt more nimble and there was no cross bar in the event of a prang.
I do feel vulnerable with skinny wheels and derailleur’s front and back, and I do think they probably need adjusting again. Ideally I would have a Reynolds frame, with hub gears, hub dynamo, bullhorn or moustache bars, brooks saddle and tape and vittoria randonneur tyres (or similar).

Whilst looking at bikes to help a colleague out we came across this...



Cyclocross bikes are being touted as ideal commuters with a little off road capability... although this looks like an able commuter with more than a little of the “round-the-world” or off road capabilities. I really like hub gears, steel frames, drop bars... If only I still believed in Santa and unlimited space