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.
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.
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.
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.
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?"
--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060
http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558