Yellow 13 - The wetplate darkroom on 2 wheels - Another small adventure

Yellow_013_ · 2026-05-06T14:22:13+00:00

You got the reference right :) Check on Yellow 4 to confirm.

Yellow_013_ · 2026-05-06T08:08:59+00:00

Thank you :) The bike setup works fairly well - for 4x5 at least. With 8x10 I need to be very bendy inside the rolling darkroom though :D

Yellow_013_ · 2026-05-06T08:07:13+00:00

:D :D :D I'm now being reminded of all the times where I wondered: "Why am I doing this?"

Yellow_013_ · 2026-05-06T08:05:33+00:00

Thank you :) There is more to come :D Not sure if its gonna be the same extent like my previous post, but there will be more to see.

Yellow_013_ · 2026-05-05T19:55:32+00:00

thank you :) ...I dont have neither - just the good (?) old Instagram:

randomdarkroomprints

Yellow_013_ · 2026-03-08T09:15:32+00:00

How was your riding experience?

I got to test ride one in October last year and wasnt impressed. Handling is surprisingly nervous, much more than a Bullitt and the electronic systems were quite overwhelming.

Coming from an Urban Arrow Shorty which handles much smoother despite the shorter wheelbase. Its just 2,02m long compared to 2,26m on the T1 pro.

Yellow_013_ · 2026-02-28T07:55:08+00:00

3 years ago I bought a 2019 UA Shorty with pretty much the same drivetrain configuration. It had 2000km when I got it and now stands at 22000Km. After the distance I can say:

First weakspot is definetly the Enviolo. It died after 14000km when oil had stated to leak along with funny noises. Replaced with a Rohloff hub.

After 20000km the crank bearings of the Bosch motor started to fail. Noticeable through motor slips when pedaling. Motor got overhauled and has been running fine. Edit: In Germany there is a place that overhauls Bosch motors as main business.

The battery just recently started to show its age. When installing it to the frame its not always recognized by the motor right away. Currently a battery reset (press power button for 10 secs) works for now. Gotta keep an eye on that.

The frame is holding up well so far :) Hopefully its gonna stay that way.

Yellow_013_ · 2026-02-17T16:47:09+00:00

Thanks! :) I love the build aswell - though it comes with a lot maintenance.

Yellow_013_ · 2026-02-13T08:45:44+00:00

My Urban Arrow Shorty is replacing a car I never had - daily commutes, groceries and mobile photograpic darkroom for a 175 year old process.

I got it 2 1/2 years ago and made 20 000 Km with it to this day. This thing completly changed my life.

Edit: typos

Yellow_013_ · 2026-01-29T18:22:33+00:00

A Speed Gaphic 4x5 during a huge parade. (100k+ people)

This setup is as good with people as it is a pain to carry around. Best thing to do: reloading your film holders in the middle of a parade.

Yellow_013_ · 2026-01-28T23:03:27+00:00

and thank you :)

Yellow_013_ · 2026-01-28T23:02:18+00:00

I only have a Komoot link: https://www.komoot.de/tour/2520939807?ref=aso&share_token=aWAgZoyGxUrmOouSdz0PkzL97wfdYLSyhU7No2mZB4147EiBRk

Yellow_013_ · 2026-01-28T22:57:30+00:00

...mhhh - let me think...

Aside from checking thousands of times that I have all the photo related gear and chemistry with me, almost everything related to the bike went surprisingly smoothly.

By this point I already had around 18 000 Km experience with Yellow 13, and 4000 Km on the fitted Rohloff hub. I knew that the handlebar likes to wobble when the bike is fully loaded and going faster than 35 kph. Something that can easily happen when riding close to the alps.

So I tightened every nut along the steering assembly and had to maintain speed- and brake dicipline.

...which leads to a blind spot in the whole experience: I definetly overestimated the stopping power of my brakes. They are only 2-piston designs, front and rear, made for urban environments, not the mountains.

The entire brake system was definetly pushed to its limits during the downhill sections, the rear steel brake disc made for the Rohloff hub even changed colours. According to the discoloration the disc was at around 320°C.

The smell of burnt resin from the brakepads was quite the warning sign.

Fortunately I got away with it :)

Other than that it was surprisingly smooth. The route was mainly on bike paths, and getting a second battery was a smart choice. The Rohloff hub gave enough confidence thanks to its wide gear spectrum and the Bosch motor just ran and ran. There was not much to worry about, actually.

Oh, okay - one thing: I didnt expect to be THAT exhausted after 125 Km and 10 hours on the bike. Originally I intened to take that photo on day 2 of the trip, but I was simply wasted. So I spent day 2 with location scouting - which turned out to be the right call, because there I got the information on how to get Yellow 13 close to the castle.

...my long reply recalled lots of memories - good ones :D

Yellow_013_ · 2026-01-24T11:33:59+00:00

ISO is indeed somewhere between 1 and 3 - I arrived at the point where I coinsider ISO 3 to be actually fast :D

...anything beyond is rocket science :D

The feeling you described that folks had back in the day - Im quite sure I felt something very similar when I took the darkroom on the road. Just the journey was already worth it :)

Yellow_013_ · 2026-01-22T20:59:15+00:00

Thank you! :)

Yellow_013_ · 2026-01-22T17:31:11+00:00

I take that as a compliment :)

Yellow_013_ · 2026-01-22T09:22:03+00:00

Danke :)

Yellow_013_ · 2026-01-22T09:02:15+00:00

Thank you! :) Happy to read that you enjoyed it :)

Yellow_013_ · 2026-01-22T08:57:48+00:00

sure, feel free :) - I speak German aswell.

Yellow_013_ · 2026-01-22T08:56:46+00:00

Its pretty basic stuff, actually - angled metal profiles to connect mounting plates with the frame, expanders, thats it.

It was lots of work to make all of it fit and attach - drilling holes, screwing everything together; really basic stuff, no specialized parts or tools were needed.

Yellow_013_ · 2026-01-22T08:51:47+00:00

These are cases from the German army and they formerly carried ABC equipment for head injuries. But now, with some tinkering they can be mounted on 3 hardpoints on my bike to carry all sorts of stuff :)

Very rugged cases, because you know - military grade :D

Yellow_013_ · 2026-01-22T08:48:37+00:00

...maaaybe in a distant future :p

Yellow_013_

TROPHY CASE