Here in Tucson, it is fairly common for folks to get a generic mini maglight from the ace hardware or a sporting good store. these come with a few to many LED bulbs for the cost of 5-15 $ generally the more you spend the better quality the light. Then pick yourself up a couple of hose clamps and put one around the light and loop the second through the first and around the handle bar or stem. this creates a good adjustable, theft resistant bracket as good or better than that plastic crap on the market. This has been a great solution for many people. you get about 10-15 hours out of most of the lights and the cost is a relatively low 10-20 dollars for and aluminum body led light as opposed to a plastic one for the same price. Bike lights that are supposedly built for "bike riding" are probably one of the most frustrating things about the industry, i personally think they are all crap or overkill.
----- Originale ----- From: "1304bikes" 1304bikes@gmail.com To: "The Think Tank" thethinktank@bikecollectives.org Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] Piles of freewheels? Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2008 08:31:41 -0500
Christopher, While the points you raise are valid and very good advice, I'm afraid it doesn' help our shop out very much. We deal with a lot of homeless and working class poeple who can not or would rather not spend $30 on a bike light. Likewise, our organization doesn't have the funds to provide every EAB paticipant with a full set of lights, even though we want to.
That being said, I'm still open to hearing what other shops have come up with for inexpensive solutions to the light issue. I still feel that any light is better than no light.
-Doug 1304bikes, Raleigh
There is a physical problem with lights that are not powerful. As we humans get older our cornea become harder and do not open and close as quickly as in our youth. This leaves us blind to all but the brightest lights after we are hit in the face by car headlamps. I witnessed a cyclist disappear when he was backlit by car headlamps. He had a few $15 to $20 front flashers, a reflective vest, and reflective tape on the bike. Once he was back lit by a car all those inexpensive low wattage lamps were worthless to his safety
If you do not invest in a bright light you will disappear when back lit and in other situations. The lesson I learned is simple if you are to be traffic at night time you need to act like traffic. If you can get the Cat Eye 520 at cost, it is about $30 and well worth it. 1200 candle power is close to the brightness of a car head lamp, 300 hour burn time with 4 AA batteries. When in traffic, act like traffic. If they are well lit, you should be equally lit to be seen. A flash light is not enough.
I am not saying do not have fun with cheap lights too. I look like an alien space craft with all the cheap lights around my bike. I also have a serious head and tail light. I do make a spectacle of myself out on the road at night. Have fun and think about safety.
Christopher Wallace
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-- 1304bikes 2419 Mayview Rd. Raleigh, NC 1304bikes.org
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