Taillight died on my ride home last night...
01-23-15, 12:26 PM
#76
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In fact riding without BOTH reflectors AND lights (where I live, they "must be visible for a distance of 500 feet") is illegal.
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01-23-15, 12:28 PM
#77
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01-23-15, 01:15 PM
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Not all changes in the bike industry are aimed at making better products; but that's a separate discussion. There's no denying that dynamos, batteries, and lights have all got significantly better; and I use new versions of all of them. But they're not better in every way; modern ones are lighter and more powerful, but the Sturmey Archer GH6 hubs put out an adequate voltage and seem to last pretty much for ever.Obviously you have a different commute from mine, one I can't quite imagine, and there's nothing wrong with that. I've been gradually tweaking my idea of the ideal commuter bike over the years, as life becomes gradually more complicated and my attention span gets shorter, and I've found what works for me. What works for me involves dynamo lights.
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01-23-15, 01:46 PM
#80
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I've got three rear lights, planet bike superflash turbo, a knog boomer, and a cheap planet bike blinkie - all set to flash. As I was biking through downtown Minneapolis a couple weeks ago in the dark (5:30 AM), a car pulled up beside me. I thought "uh-oh, some crazy driver". He rolled his window down and yelled "great lights - I can really see you!". So I guess I DID get buzzed because of my blinkies!
01-23-15, 02:10 PM
#81
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Some lithium powered lights are a lot lighter and have higher output and longer runtime, BUT I really like the convenience of using rechargable AAs. They get used in everything around the house, camera flash, kids toys etc etc. I also have a AA charger at work, so it it pretty convenient to charge them everyday. And easy to carry spare batteries.
01-23-15, 02:37 PM
#82
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I imagine some folks might not have a dedicated commuter workhorse. Might be commuting on a bike that is also tasked with some other job.
My question (just a curiosity); is are there in-line batteries for dynamo lights? Where I'm at, rural, lots of inattentive drivers as night who aren't necessarily distracted but seriously caught up in 'highway hypnosis'. They are used to being alone on the road. I'd be concerned about sitting at stop signs without any light. But such a setup would be cool if it still had a rechargeable battery. I understand Dynamo's probably couldn't charge that battery, but it could be recharged at home and used in such a way to just 'augment' the lights; keeping them consistently bright and working when stopped. Then when rolling, the Dynamo takes over, etc. Does such a setup exist?
More curiosity than anything. Even in that situation, if the battery failed; you'd still have lights as long as you were moving.
My question (just a curiosity); is are there in-line batteries for dynamo lights? Where I'm at, rural, lots of inattentive drivers as night who aren't necessarily distracted but seriously caught up in 'highway hypnosis'. They are used to being alone on the road. I'd be concerned about sitting at stop signs without any light. But such a setup would be cool if it still had a rechargeable battery. I understand Dynamo's probably couldn't charge that battery, but it could be recharged at home and used in such a way to just 'augment' the lights; keeping them consistently bright and working when stopped. Then when rolling, the Dynamo takes over, etc. Does such a setup exist?
More curiosity than anything. Even in that situation, if the battery failed; you'd still have lights as long as you were moving.
01-23-15, 04:25 PM
#83
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And yet...somehow...the thousands of ninjas in my city all make it home safely year after year. I personally enjoy riding ninja because it promotes a different awareness of my surroundings -- somewhat furtive and somewhat zen.
Last edited by spare_wheel; 01-23-15 at 06:50 PM.
01-27-15, 08:07 PM
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I use a Jetbeam PA40 which uses 4AA batteries. Get about an hour and a half @468 lumens. Plus it is a really nice flashlight too. Better runtime and brightness than my Urban Light and Motion 400, which costs twice as much. The Nitecore EA4 also looks like a nice AA flashlight.
01-27-15, 10:26 PM
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01-28-15, 12:03 AM
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I apologize if this has been mentioned, but the OP reported his backup light also having dead batteries. Here are suggestions for a way to ensure your "emergency spare" light is there for you when you need it.
1- no rechargeable batteries for a spare. Rechargeables have a short shelf life, and can't be relied on after sitting around a while. Use alkalines which stay charged for years.
2- put the batteries into your spare in a way that they can't discharge, if the light is accidentally switched on. Reverse one of a pair, or put a small piece between a battery and the terminal, or use a small strip of plastic between the batteries, and lead to the outside like the way many lights are shipped new.
Your spare light is your lifeline in an emergency. The above steps will make sure it's there when you need it.
1- no rechargeable batteries for a spare. Rechargeables have a short shelf life, and can't be relied on after sitting around a while. Use alkalines which stay charged for years.
2- put the batteries into your spare in a way that they can't discharge, if the light is accidentally switched on. Reverse one of a pair, or put a small piece between a battery and the terminal, or use a small strip of plastic between the batteries, and lead to the outside like the way many lights are shipped new.
Your spare light is your lifeline in an emergency. The above steps will make sure it's there when you need it.
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01-28-15, 12:25 AM
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Big fan of redundancy but using completely different systems. I use a Planet Bike or similar flasher on all my bikes plus a NiteRider steady taillight on my commuters. I also wear a cycling vest with Planet Bike flashers on the forward corner of each hip (to be very visible to oncoming left turning and right hand side street drivers). I've been told that vest and lights are very visible from behind.
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01-28-15, 01:24 AM
#88
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Beside carrying more than 1 rear lights, I also have the spoke lights as constant backup. They are always on the wheels but I almost never used them for over a year and hardly remembered they were there. But one day I left work later than expected, in late afternoon. I regretted not carrying light. Only when I was only 10 minutes from home when it's dusk I remembered my spoke lights, so I turned them on. Obviously the batteries had drained after more than a year not in use, so they were dim, but still better than none.
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