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I'm in Copenhagen...

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I'm in Copenhagen...

Old 07-15-19, 12:11 PM
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I'm in Copenhagen...

.... and of course there is a VERY different bike culture here than there is back home in Canada. For one thing, bike riders are very much respected her and bikes take precedence over all other traffic, whether on 4 or 8 wheels, or on two feet.

There a familiar bike brands, of course, including a LOT of Raleighs and MBK bikes, as well as a couple of dozen decent bike brands I have never heard of.

What is universally present are safety lights unlike any I have seen in Canada: they have little red rear and white front flickering lights (see picture below) that attach to the front and rear axles and are triggered by what looks like 1, 2, or 3 magnets attached to the spokes. Not sure what powers it. Either there is no battery required... or the battery is built in and rechargeable. The flicker is induced by the magnet passing close to the light.

Nifty but I asked a bike shop about getting some; they are not cheap.
549 DKK, 400 DKK and 300 DKK for the three different types thy had in stock. (thats about $110, $80, and $60 Canadian.

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Old 07-15-19, 02:18 PM
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The reelight requires no batteries. They used to teach how this works in science class. The newest version creates a solid light. reelight websight
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Old 07-15-19, 03:09 PM
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I guess OP never heard of Faraday and the EM effect. It's the principle by which generators work... pass a magnet by a wire and it causes current to flow... Look it up.

But better... cool to be in Copenhagen and enjoying the cycling... which some believe could only happen there... you know, flat, different culture, they hate cars... etc.
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Old 07-15-19, 03:41 PM
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Please tell me that you’ve enjoyed the many free jazzfest concerts in the parks, and Fringefest.

-mr. bill
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Old 07-15-19, 04:00 PM
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But better... cool to be in Copenhagen and enjoying the cycling... which some believe could only happen there... you know, flat, different culture, they hate cars... etc.
I don't believe they hate motor vehicles but instead love humans more than motor vehicles. They really believe all lives matter.

There newest version of the reelight runs off of eddy currents and the headlight puts out a steady 60 lumen beam and flashes for up to two minutes at a stop. The generator is placed close but not touching at the side of the rim.
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Old 07-15-19, 04:36 PM
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Originally Posted by mr_bill
Please tell me that you’ve enjoyed the many free jazzfest concerts in the parks, and Fringefest.

-mr. bill
And the food! And the art. And the sunsets that take forever.

-mr. bill
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Old 07-15-19, 07:07 PM
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Originally Posted by Rick
I don't believe they hate motor vehicles but instead love humans more than motor vehicles. They really believe all lives matter.

There newest version of the reelight runs off of eddy currents and the headlight puts out a steady 60 lumen beam and flashes for up to two minutes at a stop. The generator is placed close but not touching at the side of the rim.
And the definition of an "eddy current?"
a localized electric current induced in a conductor by a varying magnetic field
Again, thank Mr Faraday. The magnet on the wheel, sweeping by a coil of wire IS the generator.

There is probably a large capacitor and regulator that allows the light to stay on after the wheel stops spinning. The light is likely low current LED; the flashing reduces the duty cycle, as well as attracts attention.

No magic... basic physics and engineering. Used to be high school stuff... where you would build a little motor... which works on the same principles.

Meanwhile, back in Copenhagen... the hate cars quip was a joke... hence the winky face.
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Old 07-15-19, 08:39 PM
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I gotta ask. How many cyclists run through red lights and stop signs?
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Old 07-15-19, 10:50 PM
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Meanwhile, back in Copenhagen... the hate cars quip was a joke... hence the winky face.
No offense intended, I have always been interested in how they have prioritized the public safety. After World war two they were doing just like us with prioritizing the motorized vehicles over public safety. In the early 1970s there was a public outcry over the death rate of children. They turned it back the other way and prioritized public safety again.

Again, thank Mr Faraday. The magnet on the wheel, sweeping by a coil of wire IS the generator.
There most current model does not use the magnet attached to the wheel. Nova
It is obviously not magic. Faraday invented it but it has taken along time to have a marketable product available. I own a flashing unit made by someone in England from over 20 years ago. reelight has been around for a while also.
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Old 07-16-19, 02:54 AM
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Originally Posted by Rick
No offense intended, I have always been interested in how they have prioritized the public safety. After World war two they were doing just like us with prioritizing the motorized vehicles over public safety. In the early 1970s there was a public outcry over the death rate of children. They turned it back the other way and prioritized public safety again.



There most current model does not use the magnet attached to the wheel. Nova
It is obviously not magic. Faraday invented it but it has taken along time to have a marketable product available. I own a flashing unit made by someone in England from over 20 years ago. reelight has been around for a while also.
Funny you should say "it has been a long time to have a marketable product available..." What Faraday discovered was used by Westinghouse, Tesla, Edison and others to create the electrical grid modern man depends upon.

Reelight is possible due to refinements in manufacturing and modern electronics. The early models required a mounted magnet... the latest model has the magnet, and the coils of wire, in the same housing, and the motion of the rim provides the movement of magnetic fields (eddy currents) required. The Faraday effect is about generation of electricity in a wire by moving a magnet nearby, this moving EM field is the key. The effect goes the other way too... a moving electrical current creates a magnetic field... this is how transfomers work, and motors. Faraday discovered the basic effect... folks like Maxwell refined it. The history is quite long.

BTW, I looked up the patent for Reelight... just so you could read it, if you so desire... magnets and coils of wire, are the key. (Thank you Mr Faraday) Movement of a conducting part... the rim, is what makes it possible... that, and capacitors, and very efficient LEDs.

It IS a quite clever design.

https://patents.google.com/patent/EP2703264A1/en

So ends the science part.

Back to Copenhagen... indeed, it was the social push to reduce deaths, and forego the automobile from being the "thing" (think "monster") that overtakes the cities. It took political will to do this. We shan't go further with that discussion, lest this be pushed to a political forum.

The will of the people... for something better... nicer. That's all it takes. That we know as "advocacy."

Last edited by genec; 07-16-19 at 06:38 AM. Reason: Added Tesla, as the battles between Edison and Tesla are fascinating.
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Old 07-18-19, 06:03 AM
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Originally Posted by genec
I guess OP never heard of Faraday and the EM effect. It's the principle by which generators work... pass a magnet by a wire and it causes current to flow... Look it up.

But better... cool to be in Copenhagen and enjoying the cycling... which some believe could only happen there... you know, flat, different culture, they hate cars... etc.
I spent 5 days in Copenhagen after two weeks in Stockholm and a week in Helsinore / Helsingborg. Excellent biking weather for all of it.

Completely different feel to the cycling in CPH. And lots of unusual bikes.

Bink
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Old 07-18-19, 06:08 AM
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Sunsets last forever ?

I went to Stockholm in the middle of June. The sun went sort of down in Stockholm .... and dipped behind the horizon at about 11:30 at night and then roared right back up with a vengeance a little after 3 AM !!!

I slept with a pillow beneath and on top of my head.

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Old 07-18-19, 06:24 AM
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Actually, we were in Copenhagen for the jazz festival. And we caught a lot of music. Some of it was outdoors on the city bridges. And one morning (EARLY) when we staggered out to grab groceries, there was a troupe of musicians just walking around and playing.

A week in Copenhagen left me deeply impressed. Much more so than I expected. Bass viol and clarinets in the park.

I live too near Toronto, considered (possibly only by the people who live there) to be Canada's "world-class" city.
It is the birthplace of Drake. Maybe they should put that on the signs.
Copenhagen is what a world-class city can and should be. A bit dirtier than Stockholm, a LOT cleaner than London, more expensive than any nation's capital (except Oslo and possibly Tokyo), and believe it, a better city to bike in than Amsterdam.

Just a word of warning: if you ever go to CPH and get spooked by the prices in restaurants, bear in mind that beer might be $12 per glass, but ordinary warm tap water right out of the faucet is also on the menu... and only $3.00 per glass.

Binky.
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Old 07-18-19, 06:54 AM
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Originally Posted by Daniel4
I gotta ask. How many cyclists run through red lights and stop signs?

Actually, very few. That sort of behaviour is frowned upon. It would be like driving a car through a stop sign or red light.
The bikes have their own dedicated lanes and pedestrians avoid them and they are usually separated by a curb from motorized traffic.

Helmets ?? VERY few. Except for the spandex crowd (that has colour-co-ordinated helmets and riding gear), most riders do not have helmets.
Babies, children, boxes, bags, luggage, yes.
Helmets.... not so much.

During a month in Sweden & Denmark I saw ZERO bike accidents and just one scooter accident - a yob riding too fast right off a cruise liner in Stockholm hit a curb and bounced in the most amusing way.
No injury except to his pride.

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Old 07-18-19, 06:54 AM
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Originally Posted by Binky
Sunsets last forever ?

I went to Stockholm in the middle of June. The sun went sort of down in Stockholm .... and dipped behind the horizon at about 11:30 at night and then roared right back up with a vengeance a little after 3 AM !!!

I slept with a pillow beneath and on top of my head.

Bink
Seattle has a similar effect... long slow sunsets. Oulu Finland, at certain times of year, it just goes twilight.

Whereas in Hawaii, the sunsets come fast. Interesting contrast. I was in Sydney Australia for a short bit, and the sun seemed really different there.

Amazing, considering it's the same glowing ball.
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Old 07-19-19, 04:27 PM
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Originally Posted by Daniel4
I gotta ask. How many cyclists run through red lights and stop signs?
You already know the answer. What does it prove? That American cyclists are lawless reprobates? You knew that too.
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Old 07-19-19, 11:07 PM
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Originally Posted by Binky
Actually, very few. That sort of behaviour is frowned upon. It would be like driving a car through a stop sign or red light.
The bikes have their own dedicated lanes and pedestrians avoid them and they are usually separated by a curb from motorized traffic.

Helmets ?? VERY few. Except for the spandex crowd (that has colour-co-ordinated helmets and riding gear), most riders do not have helmets.
Babies, children, boxes, bags, luggage, yes.
Helmets.... not so much.

During a month in Sweden & Denmark I saw ZERO bike accidents and just one scooter accident - a yob riding too fast right off a cruise liner in Stockholm hit a curb and bounced in the most amusing way.
No injury except to his pride.

Bink.
Thanks
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