Having problems with message search?
Randy,
June is just around the corner. Or should I say coroner? Ha ha. Anyway, I'm personally really glad to hear that you're riding regularly and want to hook back up with your fellow Disciples of Dirt. We want to hook back up with you, too. You've got a great sense of humor and in addition to your strong drive to become a great cyclist, I see excellent potential in you to become somebody who regularly brings beer for the group rides.
Anyway, by June we'll even nearly have dirt, as opposed to mud, to ride on.
You've already heard some opinions on pedals (personally I use eggbeaters & love 'em), so I'll mention a couple of night light observations. If I go incoherent on you, don't worry. I'm on my third beer for the evening and for the record I've already retyped this entire email seven times.
And I've retyped this email eight times.
And I've retyped... oops, nevermind.
Oh yeah, lights. The best advice I've heard is the same advice I offer (duh): buy a quality system once. If you buy a budget system (low watt, heavy, el cheapo), then later you'll just end up buying the expensive system that you wanted in the first place, so at that point you'll have purchased two systems. So just bite the bullet and get a good one the first time.
Want the best? There are systems called "HID" (High Intensity Discharge) that cost around $400. They look like a freight train cruising through the forest, only they're quieter than a train. They're relatively lightweight and put out the equivalent of about 40 watts, which is about 1/2 the power of a typical car's headlight. This is plenty for cycling purposes, whether on road or off. HIDs not only offer plenty of bright light, but long burn times as well. Four hours for an average battery. But an HID system is not absolutely necessary for night riding happiness -- far from it. Don, for instance, has a non-HID system made by a company called Jet that is awesome. Don, how about an e-review?
Personally I'd say that you need at least 15 watts of light to be satisfied riding with the DOD on a typical night ride. The more watts (light) you have, the faster you can go. As for batteries, lead acid batteries are heavy, big and cheap. Nickel Metal Hydride (NMiH) batteries are light, small and expensive. In between are Nickel Cadmium (NiCad) batteries. Lithium Ion (LIon) batteries are the latest thing, and some companies don't offer them yet because they feel certain safety issues need to be ironed out before these batteries can be considered for public use in bicycle lighting systems.
Personally, I like a really bright light on my helmet. That's enough for me. Some guys (and gals) prefer two systems, one lamp mounted on their helmet and one on their handlebar. The bar light does a better job of allowing you to see things like roots and rocks in the trail because the source of light is far enough from your eyeballs that you can see the trail irregularity's shadow. Helmet-mounted lights don't provide that shadow, so until you get used to using them you'll find yourself bouncing off rocks and stumps and stuff. A bar light (only) is okay but if you need to fix a flat or look through your Camelbak for a tool you'd better bring a separate flashlight along. Helmet lights let you look around corners, make bike repairs, etc. without carrying an extra light.
Make that nine retypes.
Just a minute, I have to get another beer...
Okay, here's my final answer: go see Brother Bert at Paul's Bicycle Way of Life (Oasis Plaza store) and tell him you're about to take up night riding with the Disciples of Dirt. After consoling you and questioning your sanity, he'll make some rock solid suggestions about which lights are best. Being a Disciple himself, Bert's way trustworthy, and Paul's prices are very fair. As long as you don't tell him Davey sent ya, you'll walk outta there with the best bang for your buck.
After that, come on out and take another shot at Heart Attack Hill. We've been waitin' for ya. =]
--Davey
----- Original Message -----From: RandySent: Thursday, February 05, 2004 1:33 PMSubject: [DisciplesOfDirt] Wed june 2 2004My legs are coming back and so are my lungs. At this time I estimate
that I will ride the full length of Whypass with out having a
coronary by June 2 2004. I have found a riding partner at work and
we ride during lunch everyday. I am now riding everyday except Sunday
(day of rest for the Legs). I would like some input on clipless
pedals and a Helmet light. Opinions and facts on both are wanted.
C ya soon
Randy
Community email addresses:
Post message: DisciplesOfDirt@onelist.com
Subscribe: DisciplesOfDirt-subscribe@onelist.com
Unsubscribe: DisciplesOfDirt-unsubscribe@onelist.com
List owner: DisciplesOfDirt-owner@onelist.com
Shortcut URL to this page:
http://www.onelist.com/community/DisciplesOfDirt
Offline 
Send Email