SIgn of the Seasons
 

My bikeride home last night was sufficiently cold that my eyes
watered.

Forgot they did that when it was cold :) It's been a nice
6 months since it happened last.

Scott

In article ,
Scott writes:

My bikeride home last night was sufficiently cold that my eyes
watered.

Forgot they did that when it was cold :) It's been a nice
6 months since it happened last.

Maybe you were shedding a tear for the passing of summer :-)

But, yeah, I've been experiencing that, too.
And more runny nose.

With the onset again of foggy mornings & evenings, I just
bought a Planet Bike Beamer 3 LED headlight to supplement
my traditional Union generator light setup. I was using
a Cateye HL-500 (C cell) for that, but that thing's had
problems with contacts -- the light flickering and dimming
unless I give the top of the unit the occasional little
rabbit punch. I've done all kinds of chemical and mechanical
things to the battery contacts; I now think the problem lies
in the /switch/ contacts.

Since the Beamer takes 2 AA cells, and I have other uses at
home for more AA cells, I should now look into rechargables.

Those 3 LEDs are, somewhat to my surprise, bright enough to
dazzle if you look right into them. Planet Bike purports
"up to 100 hours run time". I guess that's on the unit's
flashing rather than steady mode, and I'd expect the light
to dim as the battery drains. The strobe-like flashing mode
is rather irritating.

Anyhow, it'll be interesting to see how it performs in fog.
Of course I don't rely entirely on lights in the fog. I'll
pick routes with the widest streets with the least traffic,
and use extra caution at intersections, etc. Watch out for
those drivers who forget to turn /their/ lights on. I really
prefer not to ride in fog at all, but ... gotta get to work,
and home again.


cheers,
Tom

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"Tom Keats" wrote in message
...

Anyhow, it'll be interesting to see how it performs in fog.
Of course I don't rely entirely on lights in the fog. I'll
pick routes with the widest streets with the least traffic,
and use extra caution at intersections, etc. Watch out for
those drivers who forget to turn /their/ lights on.

Fog, man, we're dealing with it too. I have been wearing my brightest and
most reflective clothing, too, hoping for maximum visibility. Sometimes the
fog barely burns off in time for the ride home.

But they say it's going to turn to rain, so we won't have to cope with it
much longer.


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But they say it's going to turn to rain, so we won't have to cope with it
much longer.


This is the time of year when the high desert is spectacular! The
mornings are in the 50's and it hits ~90 in mid afternoon. So, you
just need to decide what you like best and time your ride
appropriately.
We should get some rain come late December.

gds wrote:
But they say it's going to turn to rain, so we won't have to cope with it
much longer.



This is the time of year when the high desert is spectacular! The
mornings are in the 50's and it hits ~90 in mid afternoon. So, you
just need to decide what you like best and time your ride
appropriately.
We should get some rain come late December.

Oddly, here in upstate NY we're getting a lot less rain since the
weather started cooling down than we did during the summer. Lots more
ride-able days for those of us averse to riding in a cold rain (how do
you folks in the Pacific northwest handle that???).

I need more cold weather riding stuff now. I had a nice ride today and
as long as I kept moving I was fine, but when I stopped to chat with
folks from the local homeschooling group, I nearly froze. *shiver*

-km

Wed, 06 Oct 2004 20:55:53 GMT,
, the black rose
wrote:

Lots more
ride-able days for those of us averse to riding in a cold rain (how do
you folks in the Pacific northwest handle that???).

We grow moss.
--
zk

In article ,
the black rose writes:

Oddly, here in upstate NY we're getting a lot less rain since the
weather started cooling down than we did during the summer. Lots more
ride-able days for those of us averse to riding in a cold rain (how do
^^^^^^
you folks in the Pacific northwest handle that???).
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

When it rains during the late fall/winter/early spring months,
it actually gets warmer when it rains. It gets coldest
during those crystal clear, big-sky days (and nights).

I need more cold weather riding stuff now. I had a nice ride today and
as long as I kept moving I was fine, but when I stopped to chat with
folks from the local homeschooling group, I nearly froze. *shiver*

I wish I could send you a big, steaming bowl of my homemade
clam chowder; that'll warm the cockles o' yer heart. Along
with a side of bannock. (If you don't mind rich dairy products
like heavy cream, and butter.)

BTW: the chowder would be made in a /clean/ stainless steel stock pot.


cheers,
Tom

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Above address is just a spam midden.
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Tom Keats Wrote:


snip
I was using a Cateye HL-500 (C cell) for that, but that thing's had
problems with contacts -- the light flickering and dimming
unless I give the top of the unit the occasional little
rabbit punch. I've done all kinds of chemical and mechanical
things to the battery contacts; I now think the problem lies
in the /switch/ contacts.



I've just been there. Pop the plastic switch actuator out by pressing
the retaining tabs on the inside. This gives you access to the
contacts. Use some iso-propyl to clean the white lubricant that's
worked into the contacts away. Re-assemble and see in the dark.
Steve


--
CommuterSteve

In article ,
CommuterSteve writes:

I've just been there. Pop the plastic switch actuator out by pressing
the retaining tabs on the inside. This gives you access to the
contacts. Use some iso-propyl to clean the white lubricant that's
worked into the contacts away. Re-assemble and see in the dark.
Steve

Thanks for the tip, I'll give it a try.

In the meantime, I've discovered the easily removable
QuickCam mounting bracket on the Planet Bike Beamer
fits on my fork blade, out of the way of my rain cape.
Beauty, eh?


cheers,
Tom

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-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

Zoot Katz wrote:
Wed, 06 Oct 2004 20:55:53 GMT,
, the black rose
wrote:


Lots more
ride-able days for those of us averse to riding in a cold rain (how do
you folks in the Pacific northwest handle that???).


We grow moss.

LOL

-km