Light works

Ian Field wrote:


"Joerg" wrote in message
...
Ian Field wrote:


"Joerg" wrote in message
...
wrote:
not so.....night riders in the park are seen with midlevel systems
both on bike and helmet....good enough for 25 mph on pavement.


25mph on pavement ... yawn

What I meant is something that also holds up at 25mph on a
bone-rattling
trail. Like it does on cars. No super-expensive boutiques stuff,
regular
affordable gear, just like on cars or motorcycles.

I use such trails regularly also for commutes and pretty soon it'll be
dark when I get back. So right now I sometimes have three different
lighting systems front an back in order to be able to switch to the
next
after one fails.



http://goo.gl/IPoGVq


Those links don't work here, produce just a blank page.

You could have the about blank infection - some pages open with "blank
page" in the title bar.

Something to do with hijacking peoples browsers and getting a fee for
every re-directed search.


No, definitely not, then you'd land on a site you did not click on. But

IME; that's never happened - you just get a blank page titled: about blank.

I've no idea how its supposed to earn the perpetrator money, but it
grows its roots into the registry like a fungus!


I believe the way it works is this: A crook sets up a web site that then
registers with various vendors as an advertising front. If someone
clicks on a link on this crook site the crook gets paid per click. But
only if the infested computer actually shows that page in the browser. I
doubt they'd ever get paid for a displayed blank page since that would
not make any sense for the vendor.


The only way I've ever got rid of it is with a DOD wipe of the boot drive.


I've fixed a friend's computer that had that. Don't remember how, I
think I needed a rootkit extractor from Malwarebytes and IIRC it was a
beta test version. That computer would always go to web site you did not
click, and this means really go there. Because unless it does so the
perpetrators would not be paid.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 8/29/2014 12:20 PM, Joerg wrote: Lou Holtman wrote:


You have to realize that your commute route is far from usual.


Not in the Netherlands but in some parts of the world that is usual :-)

Even in your area it can be. I lived in your country for six years, in
Zuid Limburg. I rode over into Belgium a lot and over there we had lots
of remote and rugged mountainous paths that people used as shortcuts.
Many times I almost cussed my dynamo-driven lights because uphill they
produced so little light that I had to hop off the bike and walk it,
mostly to avoid doing an endo in a pothole that I didn't see.

On one tour, my wife, my daughter and I passed through the Paw Paw
tunnel on the C&O Canal Towpath Trail. This is on the border between
Maryland and West Virginia.


Interesting area.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paw_Paw_Tunnel


We had dynamo halogen lights, driven by bottom bracket or roller
generators. The tunnel is long and dark, and the pathway for bicycles
was narrow, rough and wet. The canal through the tunnel is filled with
water.

My daughter and I found that we had just enough light to see our path if
we kept our riding speed up above about maybe 8 mph. In fact, the path's
roughness made my speed rise and fall, so my light's brightness rose and
fell as I rode. My wife wasn't willing to do that, so she took out a
flashlight and walked the length of the tunnel.


Luckily you guys were wise enough to carry a flash light. In our neck of
the woods this would be a prime location for rattlesnakes or bears to
hang out. So far I've only met rattlesnakes on trails and I certainly
would not want to be caught with too little light and not seeing it in time.


But as I said, that was with equipment that would now be considered a
bit old fashioned. Modern LED headlights put out much more light at
very low speeds, and most have standlights that put out light even when
stopped. If we had modern lights, I doubt we'd have had a problem at all.

That's not to say they are perfect for all riding. But I think the slow
speed problem is often exaggerated.


If you'd go on some trails out here in the Wild West you'd probably
change your opinion about that. Hammering up a rocky incline in low gear
at 2-3mph you need all the light you can get. And it needs to stay lit,
else you have to hop off the bike and walk it with a flashlight in the
other hand.

Yesterday I came home on my road bike. Has a wimpy 100-200 lumens light
on there, must be replaced. It is so dim that I hit some metal object
.... "THWACK* ... chingalingaling. So I throttled down on the remaining
2mi until back home. Luckily I have Gatorskins in it which were left
unfazed by the debris I have hit.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

Ian Field wrote:


"Joerg" wrote in message
...
Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Thursday, August 28, 2014 12:58:45 PM UTC-4, Joerg wrote:
wrote:

http://www.autospeed.com/cms/A_112922/article.html




So when do bike accessory manufacturers finally wake up and build
something like this? Why do things take so long with bicycles?

Until now all the lights I've tried and seen are between "barely bright
enough" and utter junk.

Some of us use hub dynamos and good quality LED headlights. My
utility bike
has a Shimano hub dynamo and a Busch & Muller headlight. It gives me
plenty of light. It does a great job of illuminating the road, with a
nice even beam, and I can see it illuminating stop signs nearly a
quarter
mile away.

The setup isn't cheap. I paid about $65 for the hub, and the
headlight was
a $100 Christmas gift. (I built up the wheel myself.) But I don't
expect
to have to replace the setup for the next ten years. To me, it's worth
the expense. Certainly, it would be cheaper if it were standard
equipment
on every bike; but we have to face the facts, that most people in
westernized countries use bikes as daytime toys. They wouldn't want to
spend the money for a headlight they'd seldom or never use.

While this is a road bike, last week I used it after dark to inspect
some
work we'd recently done in our local forest preserve. I don't know
whether
it would work on a wooded off-road trail at 25 mph, but it allowed me to
do fine on the single track trails I was riding at much lower speed.


Europeans use hub dynamos a lot. It would be possible but difficult on
my mountain bike because it has a serious disc brake up front. I'd be ok
with a central Li-Ion battery if some company made a better holder than
those flimsy Velcro thingies.

Get a really big one and clamp it in the drink holder with a jubilee clip.


My MTB has a frame where the center is too filled with suspension stuff
and it doesn not have a bottle holder. So, reluctantly, I had to mount
one on the handlebar. But I need my 28oz bottle in there.

Since the bicycle industry obviously can't figure this out I'll just
have to wait for some quiet time in my business (or until I can
semi-retire) and then do the required metal work myself. Like usual :-(

Then there is the cabling. All the battery packs I've seen have only one
connector for a front light. They always forget the back light. So ...
another kludge or hack much be done. And on an MTB which is operated
through the winter seasons it has to be water-proof.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 8/28/2014 11:18 PM, Ralph Barone wrote:
Joerg wrote:
wrote:
http://www.autospeed.com/cms/A_112922/article.html


So when do bike accessory manufacturers finally wake up and build
something like this? Why do things take so long with bicycles?

Until now all the lights I've tried and seen are between "barely bright
enough" and utter junk.


B&M Luxos U is looking pretty good so far, although I haven't taken it
out
for a night ride yet and I'm still wrestling with mounting.

I'm just curious - what's your issue with mounting?


Only older bikes still have this central fork bolt. At least in the MTB
world that is a thing of the past, plus you need ssomething more sturdy
that this thin holder.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

On Thursday, August 28, 2014 6:52:29 PM UTC-7, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 8/28/2014 9:06 PM, jbeattie wrote:





I would think the bigger issue(s) on a mountain bike would be (1) electric

wire fatigue with suspension forks, (2) axle and internal failures on

big hit

bikes, (3) no stand light, and (4) less options for a bright light

(SuperNova

is about it apart from some of the Chinese products).



I really wonder how much beating the internals can take -- maybe it's a lot.

I don't do a lot of trail riding at night, but my choice would be a

light that

works when the bike is stopped and that I can use to see my wounds.



I guess one can always hypothesize unsolvable problems.



1) Wire fatigue is eminently controllable through fairly simple design.

After all, off-road motorcycles do have wires. 2) Front axles

break... really, how often? 3) Tons of modern LED headlights feature

standlights. 4) How much light do we really need anyway?



As I've said before, if the "more is always necessary" rationale for

headlights were applied to other bicycle equipment, we'd all be on

motorcycle spokes and tires. Bicycle design is about efficiency and

elegance, except for most headlights. Then it switches to sledgehammer

mentality.

What is elegant about a permanently mounted headlamp that requires a special hub, wiring and minimum speed -- on a mountain bike?

I think throwing on a 350 gram battery/light that outputs 1700 lumen maximum and 5 hours at 425 lumens is pretty elegant. Peel it off and ride in the day. No lugging around a hub dynamo, light and associated wiring. BTW, those are the weight/light stats on my sale-table L&M Seca ($90 -- killer deal).. The battery pack sits on my stem -- or on the laundry room counter for the last three to four months. My current headlight is a practically microscopic, flea-watt LED blinky that I use when it is dreary or I stay at work too late.

And since mountain biking is more of an event and not a commute (for most people), the likelihood of leaving without a charged battery is low. If I intended to ride trails all night, I would reconsider. And I agree that hub dynamos make sense on dedicated commuters, although I have not gone that route, although I consider it every year on that day I forget to charge my battery.

-- Jay Beattie.

On 8/29/2014 1:37 PM, jbeattie wrote:

I think throwing on a 350 gram battery/light that outputs 1700 lumen maximum
and 5 hours at 425 lumens is pretty elegant. Peel it off and ride in the
day.
No lugging around a hub dynamo, light and associated wiring. BTW, those are
the weight/light stats on my sale-table L&M Seca ($90 -- killer deal).
The battery pack sits on my stem -- or on the laundry room counter for the
last three to four months. My current headlight is a practically
microscopic,
flea-watt LED blinky that I use when it is dreary or I stay at work too
late.

And since mountain biking is more of an event and not a commute (for most people),
the likelihood of leaving without a charged battery is low. If I
intended to ride
trails all night, I would reconsider. And I agree that hub dynamos make
sense on
dedicated commuters, although I have not gone that route, although I
consider
it every year on that day I forget to charge my battery.

There's no doubt that battery technology and headlamp technology have
improved greatly. So has dynamo technology, of course.

And I suppose for almost all people doing challenging off-road trails
(i.e. not people choosing to ride mountain bikes on the road or on
smooth paths), batteries are still best.

But in the dozens of nighttime club rides I've led, I've never had a
ride where someone's battery light didn't fail. And while it's true
that most true mountain bike rides are events rather than commutes, the
"Oh, I thought it was charged" failures would still have a bad result,
just as in the rides I've led. I've seen quite a few of those types of
failures.

Disclosu I haven't led one of those rides for several years. But
I've got one coming up next month. Maybe this will be the first one
without a headlight failure.


--
- Frank Krygowski

"Joerg" wrote in message
...
Ian Field wrote:


"Joerg" wrote in message
...
Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Thursday, August 28, 2014 12:58:45 PM UTC-4, Joerg wrote:
wrote:

http://www.autospeed.com/cms/A_112922/article.html




So when do bike accessory manufacturers finally wake up and build
something like this? Why do things take so long with bicycles?

Until now all the lights I've tried and seen are between "barely
bright
enough" and utter junk.

Some of us use hub dynamos and good quality LED headlights. My
utility bike
has a Shimano hub dynamo and a Busch & Muller headlight. It gives me
plenty of light. It does a great job of illuminating the road, with a
nice even beam, and I can see it illuminating stop signs nearly a
quarter
mile away.

The setup isn't cheap. I paid about $65 for the hub, and the
headlight was
a $100 Christmas gift. (I built up the wheel myself.) But I don't
expect
to have to replace the setup for the next ten years. To me, it's worth
the expense. Certainly, it would be cheaper if it were standard
equipment
on every bike; but we have to face the facts, that most people in
westernized countries use bikes as daytime toys. They wouldn't want to
spend the money for a headlight they'd seldom or never use.

While this is a road bike, last week I used it after dark to inspect
some
work we'd recently done in our local forest preserve. I don't know
whether
it would work on a wooded off-road trail at 25 mph, but it allowed me
to
do fine on the single track trails I was riding at much lower speed.


Europeans use hub dynamos a lot. It would be possible but difficult on
my mountain bike because it has a serious disc brake up front. I'd be ok
with a central Li-Ion battery if some company made a better holder than
those flimsy Velcro thingies.

Get a really big one and clamp it in the drink holder with a jubilee
clip.


My MTB has a frame where the center is too filled with suspension stuff
and it doesn not have a bottle holder. So, reluctantly, I had to mount
one on the handlebar. But I need my 28oz bottle in there.

Since the bicycle industry obviously can't figure this out I'll just
have to wait for some quiet time in my business (or until I can
semi-retire) and then do the required metal work myself. Like usual :-(

Then there is the cabling. All the battery packs I've seen have only one
connector for a front light. They always forget the back light. So ...
another kludge or hack much be done. And on an MTB which is operated
through the winter seasons it has to be water-proof.

Its surprising just how much a PITA mounting a battery on a bike actually
is!

You also have the complication of secure fitting or very easily detachable.

Of course easy detach is the way to go with nickel batteries - they don't
like extreme cold.

Ian Field wrote:


"Joerg" wrote in message
...
Ian Field wrote:


"Joerg" wrote in message
...
Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Thursday, August 28, 2014 12:58:45 PM UTC-4, Joerg wrote:
wrote:

http://www.autospeed.com/cms/A_112922/article.html




So when do bike accessory manufacturers finally wake up and build
something like this? Why do things take so long with bicycles?

Until now all the lights I've tried and seen are between "barely
bright
enough" and utter junk.

Some of us use hub dynamos and good quality LED headlights. My
utility bike
has a Shimano hub dynamo and a Busch & Muller headlight. It gives me
plenty of light. It does a great job of illuminating the road, with a
nice even beam, and I can see it illuminating stop signs nearly a
quarter
mile away.

The setup isn't cheap. I paid about $65 for the hub, and the
headlight was
a $100 Christmas gift. (I built up the wheel myself.) But I don't
expect
to have to replace the setup for the next ten years. To me, it's
worth
the expense. Certainly, it would be cheaper if it were standard
equipment
on every bike; but we have to face the facts, that most people in
westernized countries use bikes as daytime toys. They wouldn't
want to
spend the money for a headlight they'd seldom or never use.

While this is a road bike, last week I used it after dark to inspect
some
work we'd recently done in our local forest preserve. I don't know
whether
it would work on a wooded off-road trail at 25 mph, but it allowed
me to
do fine on the single track trails I was riding at much lower speed.


Europeans use hub dynamos a lot. It would be possible but difficult on
my mountain bike because it has a serious disc brake up front. I'd
be ok
with a central Li-Ion battery if some company made a better holder than
those flimsy Velcro thingies.

Get a really big one and clamp it in the drink holder with a jubilee
clip.


My MTB has a frame where the center is too filled with suspension stuff
and it doesn not have a bottle holder. So, reluctantly, I had to mount
one on the handlebar. But I need my 28oz bottle in there.

Since the bicycle industry obviously can't figure this out I'll just
have to wait for some quiet time in my business (or until I can
semi-retire) and then do the required metal work myself. Like usual :-(

Then there is the cabling. All the battery packs I've seen have only one
connector for a front light. They always forget the back light. So ...
another kludge or hack much be done. And on an MTB which is operated
through the winter seasons it has to be water-proof.

Its surprising just how much a PITA mounting a battery on a bike
actually is!


It's a simple bracket if done right. My Magnus light has that although
it's just ABS. However, the swivel joint they currently sell is IMHO
junk but upon request they'll send along a non-swivel mount that is very
sturdy. Not like this cheap rubber-band nonsense that other
manufacturers call a "mount".


You also have the complication of secure fitting or very easily detachable.


All very solvable. If the mechanical engineers in those companies really
can't figure it out they could copy the quick release holders for seat
posts. Cheap, ubiquitous and can secure massive loads.


Of course easy detach is the way to go with nickel batteries - they
don't like extreme cold.


That's old technology. For automotive use you cannot possibly carry the
massive battery modules of EVs and hybrids into work just because it's
cold outside. So their batteries are made to withstand the elements. I
expect the same on a bicycle.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

AMAZING

each new visit to an old search question brings an AVALANCHE of material as here

https://www.google.com/#q=EFFECT+OF+...BICYCLE+WHEELS

On 8/29/2014 6:35 PM, wrote:
AMAZING

each new visit to an old search question brings an AVALANCHE of material as here

https://www.google.com/#q=EFFECT+OF+...BICYCLE+WHEELS

Gene, all of us already know about Google.

--
- Frank Krygowski