Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Long Distance Night Riding

<snipped> I think you will find the nobs are Shimano, and they are used for attaching stuff to handlebars. Try your LBS, although I gather Perth shops aren't as good as they used to be.
<snipped>

Rowan

Thanks for that. Further searching has come up with more info.

Firstly the site to which you refer seems to have the E6 lights mounted on a shimano Flight Deck computer mount which is then Mounted on the fork using the Nob.

I stumbled across another site relating an experience which can be found at http://www.postfinder.com/post/24854021.html and it seems that the Nobs are now known as Issimo Nobs and there is a version called the Nob XL which is designed for battery computers and lights (rather than just wireless computers) and now a Google search produces hits for the likes of Sheldon Brown and other Cycling establishments. So it seems that the previously mentioned establishment is not the only source thankfully. The one bit of useful info in the terse response I mentioned in my last post was that St Kilda Cycles are the Australian Distributor for Schmidt hubs but that didnt answer any of my other questions to him. St Kilda Cycles dont have any pricing info on their site for those who dont live in Melbourne.

I also recently joined Audax Australia and inside the front cover of the issue of Checkpoint that I was sent in the membership package there is an advertisement from Abbotsford Cycles (owned it seems by Peter Moore - think he may be an Adax member and randonneur from distant memories of some reading of a randonnee report from the not too distant past) which has some offers for Audax members for which the pricing seems good. I have yet to follow this up but my LBS is quite keen to get involved as well as a result of a discussion I had with them last week.

Sorry about the longwinded reply but the info might be helpful for someone

Jaison at St Kilda Cycles is pretty useful. My SON and original lights came through him. There is a postage cost, but it depends on the size of the item. Use the email on the website to contact him. Tell him I recommended SKC :) but I can't guarantee he will have the Nobs.

Peter Moore is a fixture in Audax Aus Victoria. He and his brothers organised the Great Southern 1200. The thing about Abbotsford Cycles is that they only deal in bike accessories and gear, and bike servicing -- no bike sales and no shoe sales. He can probably lay his hands on what you want, too.

One DIY alternative is to cut a section of electrical conduit to desired length, shaping one end to the outside profile of your forks, drilling four holes in pairs opposite each other and then using zipties to mount them over and above the electrical tape. The job can be done with a hacksaw, a half-round file and a drill. Some care is needed to get the profile that goes up against the fork right to prevent twisting. But it should take only a couple of hours to do at most. I did one for a Brooks saddle bag to stop it flopping fore and after. You need a diameter of conduit that will suit the clamps you desire to use.

Of you had steel forks with rack braze-ons, use the conduit, then a bar-end plug that has a centre screw on the outer opening. Screw the plug through the conduit into the braze-on. My former rider partner has this *very* simple and effective and stable arrangement on his latest, self-built bike.

I have photos of it at home. I will try and get them up on my webpage. I will even pull the electrical tape off and photo the circuit for you if you want that.

Paul,

Thanks. Now all I need is the URL to your web page. :)

Paul,

Thanks. Now all I need is the URL to your web page. :)


I will get pics up this weekend Maybe even put a schematic up there too. The webpage is http://www.lamanchadesign.com . click on Randonneuring and then equipment.

The dual Schmidt E6 off the dyno is the way to go. I only use the single beam during low light and misty. foggy rides as a "be seen" light, and while climbing.

I will be adding a small Cateye to the bars. Nice to point on the road or have available for other uses.

Did you mount those E6 lamps to a std mid-blade braze-on? If so did the E6 come with needed hardware to mount it up or did you get someone else?

Did you mount those E6 lamps to a std mid-blade braze-on?

Yes.


If so did the E6 come with needed hardware to mount it up or did you get someone else?

No. Had to pick up long bolts (dependent on fork thickness), some spacers, washers, nuts, etc. I'll snap a pic sometime.

That said .... I have now been outfitted with a Schmidt hub lighting system which I used on the BMB and on the UMCA 24-hour. It seems to work quite well, although I have seen some systems which run two lights and that seems to be better (brighter) so I may consider something like that too. I did discover that when riding in the rain, the road sucks up the light so it is very hard to see. In that situation, I dug out my Cateye EL500 and shone it right in front of the wheel. That helped. So the combination of hub and battery lights might be the ideal way to go.
Sounds as if we are running nearly identical lighting systems. I run the same hub and use the E6 lamp. I have the dual lighting setup which is fairly bright. I also use the Cateye EL500 on the front as a standlight. Because the system can run indefinitely I always use mine when the sun begins to sink or even on cloudy days as a daytime running light. The increase in pedaling effort is almost non-existent. And the E6 lamp bulbs are easily replaced even with mittens on.

Lighting setup shown here... (http://www.beezodogsplace.com/Pages/PhotoGallery/SchmidtGeneratorE6Lamps/index.html)

I've added a Petzl e+Lite (http://en.petzl.com/petzl/LampesProduits?Produit=607) to my setup.
Not sure where I'm going to settle on mounting it - its a bit tricky to turn on and off with winter gloves on.

http://en.petzl.com/images/Produits/Produit_Image_607.jpg

On the helmet the red LED is bright enough for reading my computer and (theoretically) my cues.
I may clip it to the bars to illuminate the cockpit.

The 3 white LEDS have a low / hi setting. These are plenty bright to fumble getting the digicam on the tripod and I imagine would be great for repairs. 35 hour runtime on high should get you through a 1200k.

So far (1 cold night ride) it works great. Looking forward to testing it some more.

I've added a Petzl e+Lite (http://en.petzl.com/petzl/LampesProduits?Produit=607) to my setup.
Not sure where I'm going to settle on mounting it - its a bit tricky to turn on and off with winter gloves on.

http://en.petzl.com/images/Produits/Produit_Image_607.jpg

On the helmet the red LED is bright enough for reading my computer and (theoretically) my cues.
I may clip it to the bars to illuminate the cockpit.

The 3 white LEDS have a low / hi setting. These are plenty bright to fumble getting the digicam on the tripod and I imagine would be great for repairs. 35 runtime on high should get you through a 1200k.

So far (1 cold night ride) it works great. Looking forward to testing it some more.

Whats the purpose of that little lamp? Why not just get a brighter light that can attach to your helmet and use it to see your "cockpit"? Plus if it's bright enough you could use to see signs etc just by pointing your head at what you want to see, or flash it in drivers eyes to get their attention.

Whats the purpose of that little lamp? Why not just get a brighter light that can attach to your helmet and use it to see your "cockpit"? Plus if it's bright enough you could use to see signs etc just by pointing your head at what you want to see, or flash it in drivers eyes to get their attention.

Sort of a long ramble of an answer:

I use a dyno system and I try to limit my battery usage.
For fast descents and tricky navigating I switch on my DanoLite headlamp, which is very bright (but it has a 2.5 hour burn time).

Having a light mounted on your helmet in the correct position while on the hoods to throw light on the road and street signs, and to be able to see around corners means I need to really look down to see my cues or cockpit. (like drop my head 90 degrees, and I lose sight of the road) When I do this with a standard white headlamp I will often lose my night vision - cues are typically on white paper in a plastic case - and the reflection and the glare nearly blinded me the first time I tried to read on a dark country road.

Using a bright headlight in a group really wreaks havoc with the night vision of riders around you - even if you are in front - and if you happen to forget and look right at someone while chatting - you've probably blinded them. If you are riding behind you end up creating bobbing and moving shadows that take away the front riders ability to judge the road surface. Heads bobbing back and forth and shadows moving about drive me nuts - so I've been questing for something small and effective.

The e+Lite throws enough red light (which is better for night vision - ask a hunter / military person / astronomer) on the cue and computer to do its job. If I need light for a repair the white LEDS are plenty bright - and I think they may even be bright enough for sign reading - which means another one attached to my helmet could replace the Dano.

Its liteweight!
I've been questing for something that does the job - and doesn't weigh down my neck after 24-90 hours on the bike. The burn time for the e+lite on high power should be plenty to get through a 1200k - and have enough juice left over to load the car and find the pillow.

I've played with typical backpacking / outdoorsy headlamps - I've found most have a weight / size / mounting penalty. The DanoLite even falls into this category - the light is liteweight on the head - but the 4 AA's pull on the jersey pocket.