winter means shorter days, so more nite rides?
or do you compress your riding into the fewer daylight hours?
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Given where I live, to me it means more daytime rides as the weather gets milder and the sky clearer of haze fur the day, which means more exposure to the sunshine for some vitamin D and less air conditioning-induced allergies.
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Lights, lights, more lights. Also less wind and a bit less traffic. It's good, though hard to get used to at first.
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I`ve been using my lights a lot more. I continue to start my weekend rides at around 5 :30 AM, it doesn`t start getting light until almost 7:00 AM.
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More riding in the dark now after work. summer is nice I get home from work on my bike commute hop o the tandem and go for another ride dome home eat and go to bed. Now we have this.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...60ef2a3f6.jpeg |
LED strip lights... what a great idea! Just a couple of days ago I became aware that they come in USB powered versions! Campers use them for lighting at night.
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I love night riding and winter gives me a lot more opportunities to do it. With snow I find I rarely need to run my lights on anything but low (though low is 800 lumens). Definitely need a helmet light for riding trails in unlit areas.
I started a ride at 1/4 to 8 in the morning yesterday and it was still dark. I rode in the dark most of last week because the days were warm and I was trying to ride while the roads were frozen. |
Originally Posted by mdarnton
(Post 22722755)
Lights, lights, more lights. Also less wind and a bit less traffic. It's good, though hard to get used to at first.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f044b4a941.jpg wouldn't it be nice if their charge time was equal to their run time? it seems they take so much longer to charge, than they actually run for |
Originally Posted by rumrunn6
(Post 22724051)
batteries, batteries, more batteries ... hahaha
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f044b4a941.jpg wouldn't it be nice if their charge time was equal to their run time? it seems they take so much longer to charge, than they actually run for |
Originally Posted by sjanzeir
(Post 22724056)
That's why I still run AAA-powered lights and buy batteries in bulk.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...edb744d613.jpg they held up well & I kept a charger at work & at home so I was never w/o a charge |
Originally Posted by rumrunn6
(Post 22724136)
fwiw - when I was running AA lights (when I was commuting) I used rechargeables like these Panasonic eneloop
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...edb744d613.jpg they held up well & I kept a charger at work & at home so I was never w/o a charge |
Originally Posted by sjanzeir
(Post 22724148)
I'm aware of their existence and I can easily grab a set from the neighborhood store or off of Amazon.sa. The issue is that I'm just too forgetful (not to mention too lazy :D) to keep track of my device/battery charging duties. That, and the fact that our 14 cats (now 15, with our two-week house guest) seem to have an appetite for charger cables. Sometimes life's just easier the old-fashioned way. I ordered a box of 40 AAAs off of Amazon.sa for SAR40 (about $12) in June and I still haven't gone through even half of it yet.
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
(Post 22724136)
fwiw - when I was running AA lights (when I was commuting) I used rechargeables like these
I had a 1.5 hour commute to work, and it wasn't long into the fall that the batteries couldn't even make that trip. The light would shut down with 10 miles to go. I finally figured it out: The light was monitoring battery voltage, and NiMH battery voltage drops as the temperature drops. So for leaving home at 32F, the voltage was just above the threshold to shut off, but depleted below the threshold on the way to work. That also explained why when I charged them at work, it didn't take long, as they had plenty of juice left! |
Originally Posted by MNBikeCommuter
(Post 22724471)
Ahhh, ancient technology I can relate to! My first LED light was back in 2004. It was "smart" and monitored battery voltage and would shut the light off when the NiMH batteries had had it.
I had a 1.5 hour commute to work, and it wasn't long into the fall that the batteries couldn't even make that trip. The light would shut down with 10 miles to go. I finally figured it out: The light was monitoring battery voltage, and NiMH battery voltage drops as the temperature drops. So for leaving home at 32F, the voltage was just above the threshold to shut off, but depleted below the threshold on the way to work. That also explained why when I charged them at work, it didn't take long, as they had plenty of juice left! I eventually switched to an external battery. I then wrapped it in bubble wrap & stuffed it in an empty water bottle, covered it w/ 2 plastic sandwich bags & a rubber band. I probably could have done better, but I didn't have an issue with the battery dying on my rides, in cold weather. don't see the rubber band in this old photo but I recall it was quite water proof https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f670ee2689.jpg |
My Kasai dynamo hub works great. It is always there and it doesn't need recharging. If it needs replacing however, I'll probably get a SON.. A side dynamo like the Velogical, which runs on the rim, not the sidewall, looks like an interesting alternative to a hub dynamo, but I have no experience with it. For years I used a sidewall generator on my utility bike, but they are considerd obsolete, but I think B& M still makes one.
Another thing I do in the winter is to put reflective velcro strips from Soms Fab on various places on the bike frame. I also wear a diagonal reflective strap and ankle bands I also think that one of the most dangerous times to ride in the winter is a bright morning or late afternoon when the sun can blind a driver or another cyclist.. Cloudy days are much safer. "There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing." |
Originally Posted by rumrunn6
(Post 22724483)
what is your solution? (to batteries in the cold) I'm, still thinking about what happened w/ 1 battery last night
My first lights 30 years ago was a Vistalight 2-headlight system (10W halogens) and a 3lb 6V lead battery. It was under-powered for both lights at the same time so I had to use just one. And run time with a new battery was 1.5 hours and steadily declined, and worse in cold. LEDs with Li batteries are miraculous in comparison... |
Originally Posted by rumrunn6
(Post 22724238)
to thine own self be true
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it was 36 and snowing. rode but it was a pain the snow on my glasses making it harder to see. the snow on my chest was making me a bit cold plus that we were going slower and not working as hard.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c3e82fc2f.jpeg |
Where I live it's dark early in the morning and it's dark again around 1700hrs (5PM) so I use a battery powered light with an external battery and a cable long enough that I can keep the battery inside my jacket where the battery stays nice and warm and thus keeps a charge to run the light, longer.
Batteries not running a light for nearly as long in the cold is why I stay away from internal battery lights. Besides I can switch out an external battery a lot easier. Cheers |
Originally Posted by fooferdoggie
(Post 22729717)
it was 36 and snowing. rode but it was a pain the snow on my glasses making it harder to see. the snow on my chest was making me a bit cold plus that we were going slower and not working as hard.
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in anticipation for tonight's nite-ride, last night, I got the bike out of the basement & put it on the car. this morning was bit frosty! glad I finally got around to lubing the drivetrain
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...37917b2ad4.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...44cb4f3b6a.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d0e54ac906.jpg |
Originally Posted by rumrunn6
(Post 22729959)
in anticipation for tonight's nite-ride, last night, I got the bike out of the basement & put it on the car. this morning was bit frosty!
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Shorter days and colder weather means more garage laps for me.
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Sometimes going from a warm indoor environment to a cold outdoor environment can cause condensation inside things like brake or gear cables that can freeze them solid. Sometimes that will happen with a freewheel or freehub too.
Cheers |
tonight is the earliest sunset! from now on sunset, will get progressively later!
weatherman says the days are still getting shorter, until 12/21 |
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