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#1
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Planet Bike Blaze Dynamo Report
An eBay vendor had the Planet Bike Blaze Dynamo for $29.90
http://www.ebay.com/itm/291311156705 so I got one as a secondary back-up for my Dahon Speed TR which has a Joule (Shutter Precision SV8 http://www.sp-dynamo.com/8-series-pic/SV-8-QR-00.pdf) dynamo on the 20" wheel. I installed it last night. Since it's next to a more powerful battery powered light it was easy to compare the output. While not as powerful as my battery powered light, it is quite respectable. It would definitely be sufficient for road use in familiar areas but not sufficient for unlit multi-use paths. Most importantly, it's one of the only commercially available dynamo lights that includes a flash mode for DRL use. It's also not as good as a simple MR16 3 Watt LED lamp operated directly from the dynamo, but to add flash mode to an MR16 is non-trivial. |
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#2
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Planet Bike Blaze Dynamo Report
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1 If you have the time to wait, you can get really nice lights from France for the same money: http://www.xxcycle.com/dynamo-front-...-muller,en.php - --- Lars Lehtonen -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1 iQEcBAEBAgAGBQJXdJTYAAoJEIE31HTrywTyGLcH/ibJlXd/bvX9rYj34Pp2HNRO NlhPQczbHy1JP5IgAArEUdJ7KR9k5eaUMk/IWZB8LOR1C28TW+bEhmXZnE+L8xNJ Na3nxm5eu7LLcnYgEHhK6MXnUY+CMbw5uoSDQJCKrFLP8Du/zF5SE64WcN6Myclr sjvquSLfImchmfwsDE1A5l2wOXyXjdeR0sXcoFn0TIRBnFWPfO mwuo11UQdQytnz K9UiujeXhOlyvHP+lEhhxkjIc7K2AiVfEIiUTAeoO/xZ5Nf4g6Aix3LWuGxqlh2c ZRWSz25ZKnWQC56Xmb1kXdU2p8yOGoLHEeQwKJpIObl3M5H9WO 0m+by20Rm7984= =g8Wx -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- |
#3
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Planet Bike Blaze Dynamo Report
sms wrote:
:An eBay vendor had the Planet Bike Blaze Dynamo for $29.90 :http://www.ebay.com/itm/291311156705 so I got one as a secondary :back-up for my Dahon Speed TR which has a Joule (Shutter Precision SV8 It's a crap light. It's got crap optics. Why do you refuse to test an actually decent light? Afraid of something, are you? -- sig 39 |
#4
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Planet Bike Blaze Dynamo Report
On 6/29/2016 8:41 PM, Lars Lehtonen wrote:
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 If you have the time to wait, you can get really nice lights from France for the same money: http://www.xxcycle.com/dynamo-front-...-muller,en.php Those lights have two issues: 1. The optics are not well suited for bicycling 2. They lack a flash mode The Planet Bike Blaze dynamo is not the best dynamo light I have, the MR16 lamp with a Cree MKR LED is better, and more efficient, but the Blaze dynamo is a nice complete package and one of the only dynamo lights with full functionality. |
#5
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Planet Bike Blaze Dynamo Report
On Thursday, June 30, 2016 at 2:28:59 PM UTC-4, sms wrote:
On 6/29/2016 8:41 PM, Lars Lehtonen wrote: -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 If you have the time to wait, you can get really nice lights from France for the same money: http://www.xxcycle.com/dynamo-front-...-muller,en.php Those lights have two issues: 1. The optics are not well suited for bicycling 2. They lack a flash mode The Planet Bike Blaze dynamo is not the best dynamo light I have, the MR16 lamp with a Cree MKR LED is better, and more efficient, but the Blaze dynamo is a nice complete package and one of the only dynamo lights with full functionality. Whan are you going to get it through your extraordinarily thick skull that a flashing mode is NOT a necessity on a bicycle light? Sheesh! Cheers |
#6
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Planet Bike Blaze Dynamo Report
On Thu, 30 Jun 2016 14:15:53 -0700 (PDT), Sir Ridesalot
wrote: On Thursday, June 30, 2016 at 2:28:59 PM UTC-4, sms wrote: On 6/29/2016 8:41 PM, Lars Lehtonen wrote: -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 If you have the time to wait, you can get really nice lights from France for the same money: http://www.xxcycle.com/dynamo-front-...-muller,en.php Those lights have two issues: 1. The optics are not well suited for bicycling 2. They lack a flash mode The Planet Bike Blaze dynamo is not the best dynamo light I have, the MR16 lamp with a Cree MKR LED is better, and more efficient, but the Blaze dynamo is a nice complete package and one of the only dynamo lights with full functionality. Whan are you going to get it through your extraordinarily thick skull that a flashing mode is NOT a necessity on a bicycle light? Sheesh! Cheers Whatever are you saying? Why, everyone knows that a flashing light protects the cyclist. All over the world you see people riding about with flashing lights on their bicycles. Even in darkest Africa and on remote desert islands, flash, flash, flash. -- cheers, John B. |
#7
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Planet Bike Blaze Dynamo Report
On 6/30/2016 5:30 PM, John B. wrote:
On Thu, 30 Jun 2016 14:15:53 -0700 (PDT), Sir Ridesalot wrote: On Thursday, June 30, 2016 at 2:28:59 PM UTC-4, sms wrote: On 6/29/2016 8:41 PM, Lars Lehtonen wrote: -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 If you have the time to wait, you can get really nice lights from France for the same money: http://www.xxcycle.com/dynamo-front-...-muller,en.php Those lights have two issues: 1. The optics are not well suited for bicycling 2. They lack a flash mode The Planet Bike Blaze dynamo is not the best dynamo light I have, the MR16 lamp with a Cree MKR LED is better, and more efficient, but the Blaze dynamo is a nice complete package and one of the only dynamo lights with full functionality. Whan are you going to get it through your extraordinarily thick skull that a flashing mode is NOT a necessity on a bicycle light? Sheesh! Cheers Whatever are you saying? Why, everyone knows that a flashing light protects the cyclist. All over the world you see people riding about with flashing lights on their bicycles. Even in darkest Africa and on remote desert islands, flash, flash, flash. Daytime flash mode is not legally required so in that sense it is not a "necessity." But given that nearly every battery powered light sold has a flash mode, it would be exceedingly foolish to not use that capability during the day, given the evidence of how much more conspicuous it makes cyclists. |
#8
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Planet Bike Blaze Dynamo Report
On Thu, 30 Jun 2016 18:19:15 -0700, sms
wrote: On 6/30/2016 5:30 PM, John B. wrote: On Thu, 30 Jun 2016 14:15:53 -0700 (PDT), Sir Ridesalot wrote: On Thursday, June 30, 2016 at 2:28:59 PM UTC-4, sms wrote: On 6/29/2016 8:41 PM, Lars Lehtonen wrote: -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 If you have the time to wait, you can get really nice lights from France for the same money: http://www.xxcycle.com/dynamo-front-...-muller,en.php Those lights have two issues: 1. The optics are not well suited for bicycling 2. They lack a flash mode The Planet Bike Blaze dynamo is not the best dynamo light I have, the MR16 lamp with a Cree MKR LED is better, and more efficient, but the Blaze dynamo is a nice complete package and one of the only dynamo lights with full functionality. Whan are you going to get it through your extraordinarily thick skull that a flashing mode is NOT a necessity on a bicycle light? Sheesh! Cheers Whatever are you saying? Why, everyone knows that a flashing light protects the cyclist. All over the world you see people riding about with flashing lights on their bicycles. Even in darkest Africa and on remote desert islands, flash, flash, flash. Daytime flash mode is not legally required so in that sense it is not a "necessity." But given that nearly every battery powered light sold has a flash mode, it would be exceedingly foolish to not use that capability during the day, given the evidence of how much more conspicuous it makes cyclists. First you tell us about the multitudes all over the word that are using these flashing lights and when I looked I couldn't find any. Now you tell us about proof that they are a safety feature and even have evidence to prove it. I suggest they you furnish some conclusive studies. (before you do, I'd like to comment that I have found several studies of flashing lights on bicycles and they all say the same thing. That the evidence is "inconclusive") -- cheers, John B. |
#9
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Planet Bike Blaze Dynamo Report
On Thursday, June 30, 2016 at 6:19:16 PM UTC-7, sms wrote:
On 6/30/2016 5:30 PM, John B. wrote: On Thu, 30 Jun 2016 14:15:53 -0700 (PDT), Sir Ridesalot wrote: On Thursday, June 30, 2016 at 2:28:59 PM UTC-4, sms wrote: On 6/29/2016 8:41 PM, Lars Lehtonen wrote: -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 If you have the time to wait, you can get really nice lights from France for the same money: http://www.xxcycle.com/dynamo-front-...-muller,en.php Those lights have two issues: 1. The optics are not well suited for bicycling 2. They lack a flash mode The Planet Bike Blaze dynamo is not the best dynamo light I have, the MR16 lamp with a Cree MKR LED is better, and more efficient, but the Blaze dynamo is a nice complete package and one of the only dynamo lights with full functionality. Whan are you going to get it through your extraordinarily thick skull that a flashing mode is NOT a necessity on a bicycle light? Sheesh! Cheers Whatever are you saying? Why, everyone knows that a flashing light protects the cyclist. All over the world you see people riding about with flashing lights on their bicycles. Even in darkest Africa and on remote desert islands, flash, flash, flash. Daytime flash mode is not legally required so in that sense it is not a "necessity." But given that nearly every battery powered light sold has a flash mode, it would be exceedingly foolish to not use that capability during the day, given the evidence of how much more conspicuous it makes cyclists. Daytime flash mode is not necessarily legal at all. Flashing white front lights on vehicles are generally illegal in Washington -- which is ten miles from downtown Portland and a place I intend to ride this weekend. They're also illegal under Oregon law, notwithstanding Bob Mionske's opinion to the contrary. See ORS 816.350 "Except as otherwise allowed under this section, all flashing lights are prohibited on all motor vehicles on any street or highway except for turn signals, hazard lights and headlight flashing systems described in ORS 816.050 (Headlights)." Bob says that cyclists are exempt from the lighting requirements for cars, which is true. But he misses the prohibitions -- which do not have an exception for bikes. Flashers are prohibited on "motor vehicles" -- which seems like a slam dunk because bikes aren't motor vehicles, but the VC applies to bikes in the same way as any other vehicle. ORS 814.400(1). So, at least in Oregon and Washington, flashing front bike lights are probably illegal. Do the cops care . . . apparently not. Data point on DRLs -- I almost got head-on'd by a car this evening EVEN THOUGH I HAD A FRONT FLASHER ON. I was riding on hard shadows through the hills on the way home tonight, so I put on my front flasher. On my way home in pretty bright light on flatter roads, some ass-wipe chick in the opposite lane pulled right into my lane to go around a turning car. I was lane center in the opposite lane and had to dive to the curb. So much for my magical flasher. That's the closest call I've had in quite a while. Frank and Steve get me killed -- riding lane center with a flasher. I would have been better off as a gutter bunny. -- Jay Beattie. |
#10
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Planet Bike Blaze Dynamo Report
On 6/30/2016 9:05 PM, jbeattie wrote:
snip So Jay, here's the question for you, since you are the Oregon lawyer: Does Oregon 815.280 (3) which states: "(3) Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to prohibit the use of additional parts and accessories on any bicycle consistent with this section," fall under 814.200 (1)(b) "Application of vehicle laws to bicycles" which states (1) Every person riding a bicycle upon a public way is subject to the provisions applicable to and has the same rights and duties as the driver of any other vehicle concerning operating on highways, vehicle equipment and abandoned vehicles, except: (a) Those provisions which by their very nature can have no application. (b) When otherwise specifically provided under the vehicle code. I suspect that 815.280 (3) was added to the code to allow for rear flashers on bicycles, probably sometime around the time of the Belt Beacon, or early LED flashers, in the 1970's or 1980's (the revisions to Oregon laws are not available that far back online). In a lot of states (and countries) the vehicle code was modified to not prohibit bicycles from having flashing lights, but at the time there were only rear incandescent or LED flashers and they didn't think about the possibility of front flashers. I guess a court would have to decide this. Can you create a completely different set of laws for bicycle lighting, and also allow for additional parts and accessories, and then insist that bicycles must follow some of the laws regarding lighting but not others? Yes, to some extent, i.e. flashing blue lights. The Belt Beacon used an amber lens because, at the time, it was not illegal to have a flashing amber warning light on slow-moving vehicles, at least that's what the creator's said. Of course no police officer in the U.S. would ever cite a cyclist for having a flashing light, front or rear, so there would never be such a case that ever got to court (except for extremes like http://tesladownunder.com/LEDBIKE1stLightonBike.jpg). Most police departments don't train their officers on the distinctions between motor vehicles and bicycles when it comes to the law. The bottom line is that if you have a front light with a daytime flash mode, it would be foolish not to use it during the day, and virtually every battery powered front LED headlight sold (in the U.S.) has a daytime flash mode. The legality of such a light may be murky; they are not explicitly prohibited or explicitly permitted, but if every law were perfectly clear then there would be less need for lawyers. |
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