Originally Posted by
ThermionicScott
I waffled about posting this in the Electronics/Lighting/Gadgets forum, but figured this forum might be more hip to what I have in mind. This would be in addition to my dyno taillight, to act as a back-up.
* PBP regulation says the taillight must be visible from at least 150 meters. I haven't done much testing of this, but it feels like a pretty low bar -- it's about the same distance as the inside of a 400 meter running track. Brighter would be fine, but not at the expense of:
* 24-32 hour running time
in solid mode. This is where most offerings I know of fall short -- rather than being dimmable, they use flashing modes to extend battery life. I rode through 4 nights in 2015, going to the 84-hour group would cut that down to 3 nights. Nights in France are about 10 hours long that time of year, and with better planning than last time, I'd sleep about two hours of each one. With a long enough runtime, I wouldn't have to fumble with batteries when I'm a zombie, a definite plus.
* Miminal weight. Without features like dimming, flashing or recharging, I'm thinking this kind of light shouldn't weigh much more than 2 AAAs, the LED, maybe a limiting resistor, the switch, and enough plastic to enclose it and attach it to the frame.
Does something like this exist? I'm a little concerned I may have to design and build it, since it's rather niche. Most people in the E/L/G forum (and probably everywhere else in the cycling world) seem to want retina-frying brightness and/or seizure-inducing flash modes.
I assume you are raising this topic with an eye to doing PBP.
I would consider the best lighting you can get, not the minimum requirement that would prevent your disqualification. If you believe that the additional weight/drag of a good lighting system stands between you and that medal, you should not try for PBP.
Let me suggest a generator system. They are bright, they are permanent, and they have on board energy storage that will keep the lights on for about 4 minutes, when stopped. I would avoid the integral hub generators and opt for a sidewall generator. The only penalty would be the generator's extra weight and drag only when the light is being used. I used a bottom bracket generator on both my PBP rides. They are no longer available, otherwise I would have suggested one. I also had battery lights front and back, in addition to the generator.
You are the best judge of your own body. I planned for 5 hours sleep per night. I did not want to fall asleep on the bike. Your two hours per night would be unrealistic for me.
If you believe that sleep deprivation would prevent you from changing batteries, what would you do in case of a flat? Your plan must be predicated on your having your wits about you for the full 1200+ km.
Just my two centimes worth.