Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Anyone ride at night?

I've been looking at lighting.And i'm curious,how much do you feel the drag from a Schmidt Dynohub or a Shimano for that matter?The only frame of reference i have is those little bottle generators from the '60s and I understand things have changed a bit. :D

I've been looking at lighting.And i'm curious,how much do you feel the drag from a Schmidt Dynohub or a Shimano for that matter?The only frame of reference i have is those little bottle generators from the '60s and I understand things have changed a bit. :D

I have a Shimano Alfine and I don't really notice the drag at all...the only reason I know it is there is because they say it has some drag. I hear the Schmidt has even less.

Hey, if you want to spend that kind of money when you can spend 50-70 bucks on a P7, charger, batteries, and mount...go for it...but don't use those prices as an excuse why you can't have plenty of light for riding at night. ;)

FYI, LEDs don't get hot, but the circuitry that drives them can.

Uh, what are you referring to? A guy mentioned the Magicshine, an 85 buck item... I posted some threads about that light. If you had gone to any of them, it would have been clear.

Oh, now I see... another person spoke about overpriced and I was confirmed one CAN spend 400-700 bucks... agreeing with him! I should have made that clearer.

Did some poking around yesterday, here's the most interesting stuff I came across:

http://nobmob.com/node/9475

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?p=2960073

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=526474

Thermal paste looks like the one necessary mod, replacing the wiring seems a tad overboard. In one of the threads, the AYUP CREE image kinda looks similar to my e-cheapo LED lights.

BTW, they all say it's an LED, not an overdriven halogen. BUT, halogens do get hot while LEDs don't...

Sorry, but the "way expensive/overpriced" will seems to apply. When I went looking at lights, I found whole websites devoted to lights that started at 400 and ran up to 700.

That is the same light that was mentioned earlier. If you go over to the Lighting and Gadgets forum there is an eleven page thread (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=576697) about that P7 bike light. The manufacturer has (apparently) addressed the heat issue and it's not really necessary to open the thing up to add Arctic Silver type thermal paste.

This thing really does throw a fair amount of light for under a hundred bucks.

Uh, what are you referring to? A guy mentioned the Magicshine, an 85 buck item... I posted some threads about that light. If you had gone to any of them, it would have been clear.

Oh, now I see... another person spoke about overpriced and I was confirmed one CAN spend 400-700 bucks... agreeing with him! I should have made that clearer.

Yep, I can be pretty thick sometimes, I thought you were disputing my statement that the days when you HAD to spend a lot of money on good lights were over. ;)

Hey, if you want to spend that kind of money when you can spend 50-70 bucks on a P7, charger, batteries, and mount...go for it...but don't use those prices as an excuse why you can't have plenty of light for riding at night. ;)

FYI, LEDs don't get hot, but the circuitry that drives them can.

Weird... on Schmidt's website it states that the LED itself is sitting on a block of Aluminum to dissipate the heat the LED generates. The cooler the LED, the longer the life span.

Thomas

Yep, I can be pretty thick sometimes, I thought you were disputing my statement that the days when you HAD to spend a lot of money on good lights were over. ;)

Indeed over, totally agree. I actually made a crack elsewhere at how agast I was at the $400-700 when I had a 50 buck halogen on my motorcycle that threw more than enough light so that I could cruise along at 70+. Not that I was a wild eyed thrill seeker, I was kitted for touring and generally very careful... in a few hiundred thousand miles, I only laid my R/90 down once and THAT was only because it was night and there was about 1/2" coating of crude on the road.

Weird... on Schmidt's website it states that the LED itself is sitting on a block of Aluminum to dissipate the heat the LED generates. The cooler the LED, the longer the life span.

Thomas

Are you sure they are not using LED as a term for an entire assembly, rather than just an LED?
I'm pretty sure these higher powered LEDS have to generate some heat as compared to the wimpy things that make your stereo level bars light up (oh crap, I am dating myself), tho, they are just diodes, right? I was only responding to a statement that LEDs didn't generate heat...not making the claim myself.

Most likely the LED itself, since it's the piece that draws 400mA compared to the wimpy LED's in stereo systems that draw 20-30mA.

The circuitry behind it to drive the LED only needs to protect against over voltage and convert AC to DC.

I've been looking at lighting.And i'm curious,how much do you feel the drag from a Schmidt Dynohub or a Shimano for that matter?The only frame of reference i have is those little bottle generators from the '60s and I understand things have changed a bit. :D

I use a SON28 and leave it on all the time. I never notice it any resistance while riding. Only when I slow-turn the wheel by hand during cleanings.

If you're worried about resistance, you can get the SON20r which is designed for teeny 'bent front wheels. Putting it on a 700c wheel means you'll have to go faster to bring it up to full power, but I've seen many randos do this for a couple reasons:
1) The 20r is lighter than the 28.
2) The 20r has less resistance than the 28.

The 20R delivers full light at ~7mph with my 700c wheels and Schmidt Edelux. Great setup.

I just scored a Sigma Pava for my new Mach 2 and it is pretty gosh darned bright for such a small unit, especially considering the whole thing is rechargeable-- you don't even have to remove the batteries.

That said, I really hate riding in the dark upstate. The lights along the road go on and off seemingly at will, I can't enjoy the scenery, and quite frankly, the coyotes scare the crap out of me with their raucous cries. Not to mention the Hoot owls: What a misnomer, they are anything but a hoot. <Shudder>

On the other hand, there are days in Summer when it is just too hot to ride during the day. If there is a full moon I'll go out on my bike and watch the horses graze in the silvery light.

I get off at 5 and have to drive 30 minutes to my track but im usually finishing around 8:30 or so. And i do this 3 times a week so i do alot of night riding. I personally love it, the air is cool, there are less people on the trail, and less visually to distract you. As long as you have good lights you'll be ok. Actually getting ready for a 30 mile ride tonight.

Most likely the LED itself, since it's the piece that draws 400mA compared to the wimpy LED's in stereo systems that draw 20-30mA.

The circuitry behind it to drive the LED only needs to protect against over voltage and convert AC to DC.

do speakers get hot because they draw amperage...or do the drivers? ;)
Converting from AC to DC and delivering 400ma is where a lot of the heat is coming from, IMO.
But my electronic theory is decades old, so don't hold me to this...just thinnin out loud. ;)

Night riding on a MUP is fun IMO. I have almost no other traffic to share the route with. I follow the center stripe and have lights that outline every detail of the surface. It's very quiet and if under a full moon, very beautiful.

I do get a floating experience that I enjoy. The bike becomes a magic carpet with only the lighted section of the road visible.

Michael

do speakers get hot because they draw amperage...or do the drivers? ;)
Converting from AC to DC and delivering 400ma is where a lot of the heat is coming from, IMO.
But my electronic theory is decades old, so don't hold me to this...just thinnin out loud. ;)

Well... the bridge rectifier drops 0.7V with a Si diode and .3V with a Ge diode.
.7V x 400mA = 280mW Not too much heat loss
The LED does 6V x 400mA = 2.4W I guess in that case it depends now much is turned into light and how much into heat. *scratch head*

Well... the bridge rectifier drops 0.7V with a Si diode and .3V with a Ge diode.
.7V x 400mA = 280mW Not too much heat loss
The LED does 6V x 400mA = 2.4W I guess in that case it depends now much is turned into light and how much into heat. *scratch head*

how about the voltage regulator transistor/chip that regulates the converted output from the rectifier? I doubt they use a simple zener to regulate a 400ma + fudge load.

how about the voltage regulator transistor/chip that regulates the converted output from the rectifier? I doubt they use a simple zener to regulate a 400ma + fudge load.

That is correct. But a voltage regulator normally doesn't get fed more than maybe .5V over it's output voltage. So .5V x 0.4A = 250mW Easy to cool as well.
I believe the dynamo is supposed to provide pretty close to 6V, maybe a tad higher during a .5A load. Which it does with a front and taillight.

Schmidt does recommend to run a taillight of .6W to reach the 3W load, otherwise the company says the life of the LED is reduced. So maybe there isn't even a voltage regulator built in, but just a simple current limiter.

I have a Cygolite Rover II LED that spits out 220 Lumens and is great for trails and on the road

do speakers get hot because they draw amperage...or do the drivers? ;)
Converting from AC to DC and delivering 400ma is where a lot of the heat is coming from, IMO.
But my electronic theory is decades old, so don't hold me to this...just thinnin out loud. ;)

Don't think physics has changed all that much, so I think what you know holds up...cheap converters sure do heat up more than expensive ones and I think size may also play a factor. Didn't you say it wasn't the LED but the circuitry that heated up? I noticed in those threads I posted, some modded the wires to ones with better insulation...

Besides, the very act of riding can be chilling... in MANY ways.