Raindrops keep falling on my head

This bloody rain is gonna short out my rear tail light again, I bet
Oh well, I have about 14kms and 45mins to find out.

I hope my spare tail lights will be working as I gotta ride home again
tonite at about 0400 along that long dark lonely road (yes, that very
same). Nothing more "exciting" than finding out at 0400 that one's rear
light is rooted and one needs to get home to a hot shower and a warm bed.

On Wed, 26 May 2010 16:42:25 +1000, Geoff Lock wrote:

I hope my spare tail lights will be working as I gotta ride home again
tonite at about 0400 along that long dark lonely road (yes, that very
same). Nothing more "exciting" than finding out at 0400 that one's rear
light is rooted and one needs to get home to a hot shower and a warm bed.

Get some el cheapos (http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.26812 ,
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13339 ) and leave them on your
bike and/or helmet. That way when the good one dies or has flat batteries
you've still got something. You've also got something when your ride goes
a little longer than planned.

--
Dave Hughes -
"Until we understand quantum gravity, we're not going to be
running Linux on a black hole" - Seth Lloyd

In aus.bicycle on Wed, 26 May 2010 16:42:25 +1000
Geoff Lock glock@home wrote:
This bloody rain is gonna short out my rear tail light again, I bet
Oh well, I have about 14kms and 45mins to find out.

I hope my spare tail lights will be working as I gotta ride home again
tonite at about 0400 along that long dark lonely road (yes, that very
same). Nothing more "exciting" than finding out at 0400 that one's rear
light is rooted and one needs to get home to a hot shower and a warm bed.

You need a dynamo you do!

And the rear standlight to go with it... (modern dynamo lights have
capacitors so stay lit when you aren't moving)

I bought the taillight to go with my hub dynamo when I realised my
tail light had just enough battery to flash happily for the amount of
time it took to test it before riding off....

I got the rear light from Greenspeed.com.au and the possumkiller IQ
Fly front light from St Kilda Cyclery, both via internet order.

I use a SON hub but I'm sure Cheeky transport can sell you a cheaper
Shimano, or the other two can sell you a bottle dynamo.

never worry about charging a light again!

Zebee
- who notes the lights are German engineering so know all about cold
wet miserable conditions.

Geoff Lock glock@home wrote:

Nothing more "exciting" than finding out at 0400 that one's rear light
is rooted and one needs to get home to a hot shower and a warm bed.

I suppose you walk home when that happens

On 26/05/2010 5:11 PM, Dave Hughes wrote:
On Wed, 26 May 2010 16:42:25 +1000, Geoff Lock wrote:

I hope my spare tail lights will be working as I gotta ride home again
tonite at about 0400 along that long dark lonely road (yes, that very
same). Nothing more "exciting" than finding out at 0400 that one's rear
light is rooted and one needs to get home to a hot shower and a warm bed.

Get some el cheapos (http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.26812 ,
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13339 ) and leave them on your
bike and/or helmet. That way when the good one dies or has flat batteries
you've still got something. You've also got something when your ride goes
a little longer than planned.


Yupe, I have a spare which I can hang off my bag although I should
perhaps leave it out permenantly as I cannot always tell when my main
rear light gives up. I usually check my rearlight every so often by
glancing downwards and backwards from my crouched riding position.

On 26/05/2010 5:34 PM, Dr. Sir John Howard, AC, WSCMoF wrote:
Geoff Lock wrote:
This bloody rain is gonna short out my rear tail light again, I bet
Oh well, I have about 14kms and 45mins to find out.

But you're not complaining, ...

I hope my spare tail lights will be working as I gotta ride home again
tonite at about 0400 along that long dark lonely road (yes, that very
same). Nothing more "exciting" than finding out at 0400 that one's rear
light is rooted and one needs to get home to a hot shower and a warm bed.

Ride as close to be kerb as possible. Got any reflective clothes?


I NEVER ride close to the kerb for reasons pointed out in previous
posts. I always do have my safety vest unless I plan to ride only on the
footpath or go pretend I am Danny McAskill around the park/reserve

On 26/05/2010 5:42 PM, Zebee Johnstone wrote:
In aus.bicycle on Wed, 26 May 2010 16:42:25 +1000
Geoff Lockglock@home wrote:
This bloody rain is gonna short out my rear tail light again, I bet
Oh well, I have about 14kms and 45mins to find out.

I hope my spare tail lights will be working as I gotta ride home again
tonite at about 0400 along that long dark lonely road (yes, that very
same). Nothing more "exciting" than finding out at 0400 that one's rear
light is rooted and one needs to get home to a hot shower and a warm bed.

You need a dynamo you do!

I had thought about this previously but I was thinking of the drag(?)
that dynamos create on my riding. This was of cos in the early days of
my riding and I had about forgotten dynamos until you brought them up again.

And the rear standlight to go with it... (modern dynamo lights have
capacitors so stay lit when you aren't moving)

The capacitors are something new I didn't know.

Also, the lights are probably a lot brighter with a dynamo.

I bought the taillight to go with my hub dynamo when I realised my
tail light had just enough battery to flash happily for the amount of
time it took to test it before riding off....

That happened to me once but fortunately it happened on an overcast day
so there was plenty of light around - phew!. I have been paranoid about
it happening on a dark night ever since which explains why I check my
rear light regularly when riding a night.

I got the rear light from Greenspeed.com.au and the possumkiller IQ
Fly front light from St Kilda Cyclery, both via internet order.

I use a SON hub but I'm sure Cheeky transport can sell you a cheaper
Shimano, or the other two can sell you a bottle dynamo.

I'll check out hub dynamos as I think I have come across bottle dynamos
before and are probably not suitable for skinny tyres.

On 27/05/2010 11:01 AM, Peter wrote:
Geoff Lockglock@home wrote:

Nothing more "exciting" than finding out at 0400 that one's rear light
is rooted and one needs to get home to a hot shower and a warm bed.

I suppose you walk home when that happens

Nah, bugger that - a 14km walk in the dark? I'd ride on the footpath,
the road shoulder, median strip, etc

In aus.bicycle on Thu, 27 May 2010 15:07:24 +1000
Geoff Lock glock@home wrote:
On 26/05/2010 5:42 PM, Zebee Johnstone wrote:

I had thought about this previously but I was thinking of the drag(?)
that dynamos create on my riding. This was of cos in the early days of
my riding and I had about forgotten dynamos until you brought them up again.

The bottles are noticeable I think but not as much as days of yore,
the hubs hardly are.

The SON is famous for being just about undetectable. But it is Geman
and therefore horribly expensive.

on the other hand... it's been reliable and Just Working since I
bought it.


And the rear standlight to go with it... (modern dynamo lights have
capacitors so stay lit when you aren't moving)

The capacitors are something new I didn't know.

yeah, relatively new. Goot for lighting your way into the garage
when you put the bike away!

Stay lit for 3-4 min.

The other cute thing on the IQ Fly front is the auto sensor. it turns
itself on when the ambient light drops. And off when it's bright. So
I never think about lights, the bike does it for me!

(the rear light is connected to the front.)


Also, the lights are probably a lot brighter with a dynamo.

Things like the Ayup are really bright but then the IQ Fly is the same
brightness as my mate's Ayup and I am not toting a bloody great
battery!


I got the rear light from Greenspeed.com.au and the possumkiller IQ
Fly front light from St Kilda Cyclery, both via internet order.

I use a SON hub but I'm sure Cheeky transport can sell you a cheaper
Shimano, or the other two can sell you a bottle dynamo.

I'll check out hub dynamos as I think I have come across bottle dynamos
before and are probably not suitable for skinny tyres.

The SON will have you crossing your legs and holding your wallet, but
I thnk the Shimano's not too bad. Don't forget you have to have it
built into a wheel.

Zebee

In article , Geoff Lock glock@home wrote:

This bloody rain is gonna short out my rear tail light again, I bet
Oh well, I have about 14kms and 45mins to find out.

I hope my spare tail lights will be working as I gotta ride home again
tonite at about 0400 along that long dark lonely road (yes, that very
same). Nothing more "exciting" than finding out at 0400 that one's rear
light is rooted and one needs to get home to a hot shower and a warm bed.

A small ziplock bag (or any other reasonable quality transparent
plastic) over the light and held on with a rubber band (usually the red
post office ones that I pick up) solves that problem.

Just make sure it is affixed so that the opening does not face up to
collect the rain but instead is angled down(ish). Rear tail lights seem
to get drowned with water off the wheel more than from precipitation.

rgds,
20cents