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Flashlight holder
If I mount a 4 D cell LED flashlight with 16 LEDs under the boom tube of my
Lightning Cycle Dynamics Thunderbolt recumbent using a Wald #40 flashlight handlbar mount and some hose clamps (www.bikepartsusa.com), will I be able to ride safely at night at about 10 mph? Will some spacers be required to point the flashlight at a point ahead of the front wheel, instead of horizontally? It will be about 20 inches off the pavement. At what point should I aim the light? Or, how large should the circle of light be? A lane width? That's 12 feet here in Virginia. This will be a frame mounted light with less oscillation with steering than a standard handlebar mount. I believe this will be better in every way, allowing the light to be pointed more closely at the ground, at a steeper angle than if it were handlebar mounted. I support the use of rechargeable alkaline batteries and the recharging of standard alkaline batteries and have recycled zinc powder from batteries for use as a reactant in electrochemical experiments. This can be done with little environmental impact if the wash water is absorbed into toweling, dried, and disposed to the trash in a plastic bag. Mercury free cells are available. Yours, Doug Goncz ( ftp://users.aol.com/DGoncz/incoming ) Student member SAE for one year. I love: Dona, Jeff, Kim, Mom, Neelix, Tasha, and Teri, alphabetically. I drive: A double-step Thunderbolt with 657% range. |
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#2
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Doug Goncz wrote:
If I mount a 4 D cell LED flashlight with 16 LEDs under the boom tube of my Lightning Cycle Dynamics Thunderbolt recumbent using a Wald #40 flashlight handlbar mount and some hose clamps (www.bikepartsusa.com), will I be able to ride safely at night at about 10 mph? Will some spacers be required to point the flashlight at a point ahead of the front wheel, instead of horizontally? It will be about 20 inches off the pavement. At what point should I aim the light? Or, how large should the circle of light be? A lane width? That's 12 feet here in Virginia. The narrower the spot, the brighter, and vice versa. So if you make your spot too wide, it won't be bright enough. Most bike lights seem to have a spot 2-4' wide, aimed about 15-30' ahead of the bike, depending on speed. You only need a path a few inches wide to be illuminated brightly. But those few inches are very important, so you can see what your wheels are about to pass over. The spillover light is usually enough to see to the sides. Personally, I use a small handlebar light aimed about 15' ahead, plus a helmet light aimed up to 30' ahead for higher speeds. If you have a focusable light like a Maglite, you can experiment to find what works for you. But 15' ahead and 2' wide is probably a good starting point. This will be a frame mounted light with less oscillation with steering than a standard handlebar mount. I believe this will be better in every way, allowing the light to be pointed more closely at the ground, at a steeper angle than if it were handlebar mounted. In fact, lower is better in some ways. Many lights are fork mounted for this reason. I support the use of rechargeable alkaline batteries and the recharging of standard alkaline batteries and have recycled zinc powder from batteries for use as a reactant in electrochemical experiments. This can be done with little environmental impact if the wash water is absorbed into toweling, dried, and disposed to the trash in a plastic bag. Mercury free cells are available. Perhaps, but rechargeables (nicad and NiMH) give much better performance for bike lights than alkalines. Rechargeables don't dim as they burn down, like alkalines do. And it doesn't take long for rechargeables to pay for themselves. Matt O. |
#3
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Doug Goncz wrote:
If I mount a 4 D cell LED flashlight with 16 LEDs under the boom tube of my Lightning Cycle Dynamics Thunderbolt recumbent using a Wald #40 flashlight handlbar mount and some hose clamps (www.bikepartsusa.com), will I be able to ride safely at night at about 10 mph? Will some spacers be required to point the flashlight at a point ahead of the front wheel, instead of horizontally? It will be about 20 inches off the pavement. At what point should I aim the light? Or, how large should the circle of light be? A lane width? That's 12 feet here in Virginia. The narrower the spot, the brighter, and vice versa. So if you make your spot too wide, it won't be bright enough. Most bike lights seem to have a spot 2-4' wide, aimed about 15-30' ahead of the bike, depending on speed. You only need a path a few inches wide to be illuminated brightly. But those few inches are very important, so you can see what your wheels are about to pass over. The spillover light is usually enough to see to the sides. Personally, I use a small handlebar light aimed about 15' ahead, plus a helmet light aimed up to 30' ahead for higher speeds. If you have a focusable light like a Maglite, you can experiment to find what works for you. But 15' ahead and 2' wide is probably a good starting point. This will be a frame mounted light with less oscillation with steering than a standard handlebar mount. I believe this will be better in every way, allowing the light to be pointed more closely at the ground, at a steeper angle than if it were handlebar mounted. In fact, lower is better in some ways. Many lights are fork mounted for this reason. I support the use of rechargeable alkaline batteries and the recharging of standard alkaline batteries and have recycled zinc powder from batteries for use as a reactant in electrochemical experiments. This can be done with little environmental impact if the wash water is absorbed into toweling, dried, and disposed to the trash in a plastic bag. Mercury free cells are available. Perhaps, but rechargeables (nicad and NiMH) give much better performance for bike lights than alkalines. Rechargeables don't dim as they burn down, like alkalines do. And it doesn't take long for rechargeables to pay for themselves. Matt O. |
#4
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Doug Goncz writes:
If I mount a 4 D cell LED flashlight with 16 LEDs under the boom tube of my Lightning Cycle Dynamics Thunderbolt recumbent using a Wald #40 flashlight handlbar mount and some hose clamps (www.bikepartsusa.com), will I be able to ride safely at night at about 10 mph? Oh now I get it. You are a recumbent type where the scientific process is in a parallel universe. Jobst Brandt |
#5
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Doug Goncz writes:
If I mount a 4 D cell LED flashlight with 16 LEDs under the boom tube of my Lightning Cycle Dynamics Thunderbolt recumbent using a Wald #40 flashlight handlbar mount and some hose clamps (www.bikepartsusa.com), will I be able to ride safely at night at about 10 mph? Oh now I get it. You are a recumbent type where the scientific process is in a parallel universe. Jobst Brandt |
#6
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Jobst Brandt wrote:
Doug Goncz writes: If I mount a 4 D cell LED flashlight with 16 LEDs under the boom tube of my Lightning Cycle Dynamics Thunderbolt recumbent using a Wald #40 flashlight handlbar mount and some hose clamps (www.bikepartsusa.com), will I be able to ride safely at night at about 10 mph? Oh now I get it. You are a recumbent type where the scientific process is in a parallel universe. Could it be that Mr. Brandt has had the misfortune to encounter more than his (statistically probable) share of obnoxious recumbent "evangelists", as implied by past comments of his? Some of us (present company included) never talk about our bicycles in real life to upright riders unless the upright rider expresses interest first. Conversely, it has been my experience that it is impossible to ride a recumbent without receiving numerous unsolicited derogatory comments -- Tom Sherman |
#7
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Jobst Brandt wrote:
Doug Goncz writes: If I mount a 4 D cell LED flashlight with 16 LEDs under the boom tube of my Lightning Cycle Dynamics Thunderbolt recumbent using a Wald #40 flashlight handlbar mount and some hose clamps (www.bikepartsusa.com), will I be able to ride safely at night at about 10 mph? Oh now I get it. You are a recumbent type where the scientific process is in a parallel universe. Could it be that Mr. Brandt has had the misfortune to encounter more than his (statistically probable) share of obnoxious recumbent "evangelists", as implied by past comments of his? Some of us (present company included) never talk about our bicycles in real life to upright riders unless the upright rider expresses interest first. Conversely, it has been my experience that it is impossible to ride a recumbent without receiving numerous unsolicited derogatory comments -- Tom Sherman |
#8
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Doug Goncz wrote:
... I support the use of rechargeable alkaline batteries and the recharging of standard alkaline batteries and have recycled zinc powder from batteries for use as a reactant in electrochemical experiments. This can be done with little environmental impact if the wash water is absorbed into toweling, dried, and disposed to the trash in a plastic bag. Mercury free cells are available. As someone who built plenty of prototype rechargeable alkaline zinc-manganese batteries, I can say there are significant differences in internal construction that greatly reduce the likelihood of the internal shorting that often occurs when attempting to recharge regular alkaline batteries. The electrolyte used in alkaline batteries is a mixture of potassium hydroxide and zinc oxide, and is relatively harmless when sufficiently diluted. Zinc is bad for fish, so it should not be discharged into waterways without treatment. The last mercury containing alkaline batteries were phased out of the US market almost 10 years ago. Current alkaline batteries only contain the trace amounts of mercury found in industrial purity zinc. Note that wet powered zinc can spontaneously combust upon drying. -- Tom Sherman |
#9
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Doug Goncz wrote:
... I support the use of rechargeable alkaline batteries and the recharging of standard alkaline batteries and have recycled zinc powder from batteries for use as a reactant in electrochemical experiments. This can be done with little environmental impact if the wash water is absorbed into toweling, dried, and disposed to the trash in a plastic bag. Mercury free cells are available. As someone who built plenty of prototype rechargeable alkaline zinc-manganese batteries, I can say there are significant differences in internal construction that greatly reduce the likelihood of the internal shorting that often occurs when attempting to recharge regular alkaline batteries. The electrolyte used in alkaline batteries is a mixture of potassium hydroxide and zinc oxide, and is relatively harmless when sufficiently diluted. Zinc is bad for fish, so it should not be discharged into waterways without treatment. The last mercury containing alkaline batteries were phased out of the US market almost 10 years ago. Current alkaline batteries only contain the trace amounts of mercury found in industrial purity zinc. Note that wet powered zinc can spontaneously combust upon drying. -- Tom Sherman |
#10
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the two light approach is a positive step forward.
mounting one low on a fork, one high gives the killer pothole visual definition for a microsecond avoidance. and on course, you are what you eat! |
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