On Fri, 24 Mar 2017 08:35:18 -0700, Jeff Liebermann
wrote:

On Fri, 24 Mar 2017 13:57:48 +0700, John B.
wrote:

On Thu, 23 Mar 2017 19:35:07 -0700, Jeff Liebermann
wrote:
I'm just trying to deduce or guess why there are no CF bicycle lights.
I can get most everything else in CF but not lights. If the industry
can produce CF water bottle cages, helmets, and bicycle pumps, why not
lights?

I suspect it is that thing called "demand". Practically every bike I
see has a bottle cage on it and far less often do I see a light.

That's because removable bicycle headlights are too easy to steal. So,
the owner removes them before parking his bicycle. During the
daytime, my headlight lives in my overflowing bicycle junk bag. The
only time the general public is allowed to view my bicycle headlight
is under cover of darkness. Of course, I rarely ride at night, giving
the impression that I don't own a bicycle headlight. Given my
speculation that a majority of the bicycling world follows a similar
operating paradigm, the general impression would be that few riders
own a bicycle headlight.

On the other hand, bicycle lights don't seem to be a necessity at all,
at least not here. I often see people riding after dark, or perhaps
more accurately before dawn, with no lights. Of course, these aren't
those with the skin tight panties and the colorful jerseys, it is the
ones with the hum-drum clothing who are going about their daily
shopping chores. They also seem to ride on the "wrong side of the
road", so they can see oncoming traffic I suppose, and usually not too
far from the curb, undoubtedly so that the can hop off and run in an
emergency.


However, I do agree that there is little demand for CF (carbon fiber)
bicycle headlights. This is because few people buy CF bicycles just
to win races. I suspect that the vast majority of CF bicycles are
sold as a financial status symbol for the owner. Riding around town
on a $4,000 and up machine is certain to gain the attention of other
envious riders aspiring to own such an expensive machine. The problem
is that one cannot show off such a machine at night, when nobody can
see it. It must be shown during daylight hours when a bicycle
headlight is not needed, thus explaining the lack of demand for CF
headlights.

Assuming a manufactory would accept my market analysis, the
appropriate headlight would an "emergency" light, that would only make
its appearance if the owner is caught after dark and without an
audience. Wires would be aesthetically disgusting and detract from
the spectacle. Therefore battery power would be acceptable. Light
output should be on the dim side, so as not to blind anyone that might
be impressed by the rolling status symbol. Temporarily clamping the
light to aero handlebars might be awkward, but still possible. Of
course, the price should be in line with the rest of the bicycle and
seriously overpriced.

I suspect that a manufacturer might be inclined to accept your market
analysis if you were to guarantee any losses that he might incur from
following them :-)



But I suspect that with a intensive SAFEYTY! program it might be
possible to change that.

The problem with CF bicycles is that they tend to lack the structural
integrity and safety margins needed to be genuinely safe. Judging by
the numerous photos of CF stress and fatigue failures found online,
riding near impending failure is considered normal. I've often
suspected that this is to maximize the damage from a crash, thus
inspiring a lucrative CF repair and frame replacement market. If
riders were genuinely interested in safety, they would not consider a
CF machine. I would guess(tm) that the prime motivations for
purchasing a CF bicycle are high cost, sex appeal, looks fast even
while standing still, very low mass, and speed potential. If I
extended this list to include trivia, safety would be somewhere near
the bottom.

There is no problem at all in building what would be essentially a
bullet proof CF bicycle. After all, the latest Boeing transport has
large sections of composite materials and I doubt that the insurers
would accept the same excuses that the bicycleing fraternity accepts.



Calcium Carbide is also quite useful as a fishing tool. A screw top
bottle or can, a bit of calcium carbide and a rock. Put the rock and
the carbide in the bottle/can, add the cap, after punching a tiny nail
hole in it, and drop in the lake. After a few minutes fish will start
to float by. Belly up.

I didn't know that was possible. If I ride my bicycle with an
attached carbide lantern into a lake or river, will that also kill the
fish? Kinda sounds like something that deserves a warning label on
the lantern.

Nope, you need the bottle/can with the tiny hole in the lid and the
rock ballast for it to work properly.

My guess that if carbide lights were marketed today, in the U.S. they
would have to be a yard high to include all the warnings. Good Lord!
These things can explode; blow up!.... "are you some sort of
terrorist?"

When I went to the phone company and cancelled my account the nice
young lady there asked me if I minded telling her why I wanted to
cancel my account and I related my little story. She smiled and
replied, "Yes, some people do notice"

I had a similar experience with my Verizon cell phone bill. I had 3
of my friends on a "family plan" from Verizon. It saved them quite a
bit of money on their cell phone bill, as long as the total number of
minutes per month was under some maximum. Over the years, prepaid
rapidly became cheaper, while monthly plans increased in cost. I
finally noticed when I compared bills with a lady friend and
discovered that I was seriously overpaying.

Currently I am looking for a small talk only phone. I can buy a brand
new phone for about $20 but I really want one of the tiny phones like
Nokia used to sell. Remember when phones used to be advertised as
small and petite?

Well, if you want small and cute, try a Samsung Juke (SCH-u470) or
https://www.google.com/search?q=samsung+juke&tbm=isch
I wasn't terribly impressed with the range, battery life,
construction, survivability, picture quality, and overall design, but
they are small and cool looking. In public, it looks like you're
talking into the palm of your upraised hand which attracts onlookers
wondering "where's the phone?"

Nope! None of that Korean made stuff. Nokia has promised to resurrect
the 3310 and I will either wait for that or alternately buy a
"classic", i.e. "old", Nokia.

I will never forget the first person I ever saw talking on a hand
phone using a "hands-free" (as they are referred to here). It was
early in the morning and he was standing on the corner of Orchard
Road, in Singapore, waving his arms and talking in a loud voice. I
thought he was some sort of religious fanatic and hurried by without
looking directly at him :-)
--
Cheers,

John B.