Serious lights

[Paul Kelly]

The group of guys I cycle with on Sunday Morning (52 weeks a year plus
Boxing day: Rain or shine -No excuses!) and Summer Wednesdays are
considering keeping the Evening cycle up through the winter.

Track is mainly gravel track through wood and parkland - completely unlit.
Unlit cycling time is around 1 hour.

Any advice on serious lights to make this possible?

pk

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[Velvet]

doobrie wrote:

> In article >, spam.trap100
> @btinternet.com says...
>
>>The group of guys I cycle with on Sunday Morning (52 weeks a year plus
>>Boxing day: Rain or shine -No excuses!) and Summer Wednesdays are
>>considering keeping the Evening cycle up through the winter.
>>Track is mainly gravel track through wood and parkland - completely unlit.
>>Unlit cycling time is around 1 hour.
>>Any advice on serious lights to make this possible?
>>pk
>
>
> id also be interested in this but from a 'be seen' point of view as most
> of my commute route will be lit but as a fairly main A road i want to be
> very visible morning noon or night - 15 mile each way and when we get
> the dark nights / mornings .... i work 9-6pm so i'll prob be out the
> door approx 6:45am and heading home just after 6pm
>
> front/rear lights - which are best for purpose?
> hi vis jacket, is yellow the best colour??
> do they do hi vis socks (wearing shorts until it gets really cold)
> hi vis lid or rear hi vis stickers on back of lid?
>
> anything im missing or being over the top?

There's hi vis stickers I've seen (scotchlite stuff) and also I have a
pair of high-vis one side, scotchlite the other, ankle bands. LBS for
both. Red jackets disappear at night, I'd go with yellow.

Velvet

[maxwellg]

"Paul Kelly" > wrote in
:

> The group of guys I cycle with on Sunday Morning (52 weeks a year plus
> Boxing day: Rain or shine -No excuses!) and Summer Wednesdays are
> considering keeping the Evening cycle up through the winter.
>
> Track is mainly gravel track through wood and parkland - completely
> unlit. Unlit cycling time is around 1 hour.
>
> Any advice on serious lights to make this possible?
>
> pk
>

You could try these:

Cateye ABS 20 Rechargeable Light System, currently £69.99 at wiggle (save
30% if you believe the hype)

might be able to get away with 1 battery for your 1hr ride. The problem is
you want to actually see not just be seen. I've never tried these lights,
but I've seen a couple of sets about and they certainly seem bright enough.

max.

[Tony W]

"Paul Kelly" > wrote in message
...
>
> Track is mainly gravel track through wood and parkland - completely unlit.
> Unlit cycling time is around 1 hour.
>
> Any advice on serious lights to make this possible?


Limicycle are the dogs danglers. Cateye etc are cheaper but OK. Smart are
cheap and pretty good. Being a tight fisted git I use Smarts.

The difference is in the battery technology -- less dosh = more weight and
less light time.

T

[Tony W]

"Tony W" > wrote in message
...

> Limicycle are the dogs danglers.

Or even Lumicycle

[elyob]

"Tony W" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Tony W" > wrote in message
> ...
>
> > Limicycle are the dogs danglers.
>
> Or even Lumicycle
>
>

Yup, got a set, they are fantastic. I'm worried they'll make them illegal.
:)

[Tony W]

"elyob" > wrote in message
...

>
> Yup, got a set, they are fantastic. I'm worried they'll make them illegal.

They are already contrary to British Standards in that they put out too much
light.

Still, you can see, be seen and insist the ******* dips his lights : )

[Just zis Guy, you know?]

"doobrie" > wrote in message
. ..

> id also be interested in this but from a 'be seen' point of view as most
> of my commute route will be lit but as a fairly main A road i want to be
> very visible morning noon or night - 15 mile each way and when we get
> the dark nights / mornings .... i work 9-6pm so i'll prob be out the
> door approx 6:45am and heading home just after 6pm
> front/rear lights - which are best for purpose?

For a commuting bike you can't do better than a Bisy dynamo headlight with
3W halogen lamp (the SON E6 is similar, slightly more robust body,
significantly more expensive, easier to source - SJS cycles stock them).
For best results connecto to a SON hub dynamo, but the Shimano Nexus is
Pretty Damned Good as well. I believe both will carry a two-light 12V set
if you want.

I use a Busch & Muller 4D Toplight rear light plus at least one Cateye
TL-AU100 on flash; I also use a RealLite http://www.reallite.com - check
that warranty!

I have a backup front lamp which is a white LED, Cateye EL100, which is a
get-you-home if the dynamo set packs up.

I have used rechargeable lights for commuting, I didn't get on with them.
Some people do. I prefer the dynamo approach: forget recharging, forget
battery life, forget removing the lights when you park. I have had days
when, without advance notice, I've ended up leaving the office at 10:30pm on
a July evening. I am completely comfortable with the small weight penalty
of carrying a dynamo lighting set wherever I go because it means I always
have lights on the bike.

> hi vis jacket, is yellow the best colour??

Any colour you like, as long as it's got some Scotchlite on it. The
Technicolour Tyre Comapny advertises in CTC mag and elsewhere, they will
sell you Scotchlite cloth you can sew on cuffs, the backs of gloves, stick
on your saddlebag, whatever.

> do they do hi vis socks (wearing shorts until it gets really cold)
> hi vis lid or rear hi vis stickers on back of lid?

See above.

Over the top? Almost certainly. You'll look a complete spanner - see
http://www.chapmancentral.com/Web/public.nsf/Documents/Bike_Optima_Stinger
for evidence. I like reflective tape, me :-)

--
Guy
===

WARNING: may contain traces of irony. Contents may settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.com

[Just zis Guy, you know?]

"elyob" > wrote in message
...

> > Or even Lumicycle

> Yup, got a set, they are fantastic. I'm worried they'll make them illegal.

I'm hoping they'll make them legal...

http://www.chapmancentral.com/Web/public.nsf/Documents/rvlr

--
Guy
===

WARNING: may contain traces of irony. Contents may settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.com

[Tony Raven]

"doobrie" > wrote in message
. ..
>
> id also be interested in this but from a 'be seen' point of view as most
> of my commute route will be lit but as a fairly main A road i want to be
> very visible morning noon or night - 15 mile each way and when we get
> the dark nights / mornings .... i work 9-6pm so i'll prob be out the
> door approx 6:45am and heading home just after 6pm
>
> front/rear lights - which are best for purpose?
> hi vis jacket, is yellow the best colour??
> do they do hi vis socks (wearing shorts until it gets really cold)
> hi vis lid or rear hi vis stickers on back of lid?
>
> anything im missing or being over the top?

For being seen the cheapest Cateye LED white light is best for the front -
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/v2_product_detail.asp?ProdID=5300002059
Very visible and the batteries last a long long time. Not much use for
seeing by though.

Tony


"We haven't failed. We now know a thousand things that won't work, so we are
much closer to finding what will."
Thomas Edison

[elyob]

"elyob" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Alex Graham" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Tony W wrote:
> > > Being a tight fisted git I use Smarts.
> >
> > Being a tight fisted git as well I made my own :)
> >
> > http://alexpg.ath.cx:3353/lights/index.php
> >

Couldn't read this page though ..
http://alexpg.ath.cx:3353/lights/charger.php :(