The morning sunlight can make anything look good and shiny.
On my way back home along the riverside path, the morning sun was shining down, piercing through the slight chill in the air.
Here’s a few shots I took of the Dahon. I had been waiting for good, strong sunlight and I got it.
Yep, that’s me below. Not a shadow panda, but I’ll get around to one of those another day.
photo credit: richardmasoner
After two rides that ended up in total darkness it’s about time I took a look at lights.
Lights have become an accessory for bikes. Years ago it wasn’t like that.
When you buy a car or motorbike no-one says, “Would you like lights with that?” Somehow it has fallen out of fashion to have lights on bikes, when in fact they are very useful and a very important part of night-riding safety.
The reason there are no lights most likely comes down to fashion.
As bikes became more and more hi-tech and racers migrated from being great all-round athletes who would go huge distances without support so the bikes adapted to meet that purpose. People would inevitably want a bike like their favorite rider, so slowly the “cool” bikes were made without adequate clearance for fenders (or even slightly wider tires), without eyelets for racks and without lights as standard.
So the vast majority started to do without them and now they have become an add-on part, not considered as part of a standard bike.
Which is a bit of a pity.
It keeps people from riding at night because you have to get something else to make it safe. That then means more expense which most people don’t really need.
So if you want to ride at night anywhere outside the city, where that inescapable glow starts to disappear, then you better get some. Although the options are not huge, there is a lot of quality stuff around, for the best you’d have to do some searching though.
The answer seemed pretty obvious to me before: whatever they sell at the bike shop.
But this does not start to cover the vast range of lights for those who spend more than just a few hours riding their bikes at night each year.
My typical setup in the past has been (usually Cateye brand)…
A full charge will give quite a few bright hours on the front light and many more hours of “just enough”. The rear one will flash for a lot longer before needing replacement.
Beyond these I have had a dual-light with big rechargeable battery before which gave a decent amount of light for a pitch-black 5km tunnel ride before the tunnel was officially opened. Being of the older Halogen-bulb sort, the battery would not even last two hours with both lights on.
In Germany, every bike sold is required to have a dynamo (front hub that generates electricity) and front and rear lights. And that is by law. And enforced.
So that’s a good place to start.
Having to install these things on every bike for such a long time, a huge number of high-quality front hub dynamos are produced in Germany.
The first thing that came to mind was exploding lightbulbs. But thanks to much improved technology and electronics the better dynamos will not destroy any lights as they are limited by electrical circuits and the power produced is smoothed off too.
They’ve also become more efficient. Almost to the point where it would not be noticeable. I mean like less then 5 minutes lost through inefficiency for every ten hours of riding, and for the amount of light they can produce it beats carrying a big, fat, heavy battery for the whole trip. You’re also saving the environment by saving batteries and you get that tingly feeling of self-sufficiency.
Along with everything else, the lights have taken a few big steps in their efficiency and maximum output potential. The most notable difference is the introduction of LEDs. With up to 50,000 hours of use compared to a few hundred hours for halogen bulbs, there is a lot to like. They also use less power than halogens.
They also come in a huge range of shapes and sizes too most of my information comes from Peter White Cycles headlight page where he covers the spill of the lights and a lot of information for anyone looking to compare lights.
I am still to pour any big amount of money into lights. That was my intention, but I’ve been less drawn to investigating recently.
The main drawback has been the price. Most of these products are from smaller companies who specialize in these parts, which makes them expensive, or at least out of touch with the currency of Taiwan. For some items the price is only suitable for an enthusiast with money to spare.
So if you’re doing any night riding, make sure you’re kitted out with the right lights for your rig.
On Tuesday morning I went on the coldest ride I have ever done, at the point where I finally gave up and headed home I was actually feeling a bit scared. So how did I get into this mess?
Continuing with my efforts to make myself weather-proof I went to the motorbike store to buy a set of waterproof jacket plus pants. Not really suitable for warm weather as they hold the heat in too much I figured they would do well while the weather is cold and wet. If I need something different when it gets warmer, I’ll deal with that when it comes.
Now, with my waterproof gear in hand I feel like the king of the world, ready to tackle any kind of weather head on. Nothing can stop me.
So in the early morning I put on my short-sleeved cycling shirt, arm warmers, short cycling pants, the waterproof stuff and my shoes and socks.
I figured that my new fenders would keep so much water off my shoes that they would not get wet.
Of course if there is no more spray from the road, everything will remain dry.
Well, not quite.
The fenders help to keep the grit and grime from the road off yourself and the bike. And they do this amazingly well. Even at the end of the ride when I washed the bike off there was almost no grit on anything. The best part was that although the chain was wet, it was not dirty, which is a definite plus for longevity.
Anyhow, my shoes were not waterproof and with just the rain on them, they were soaked within an hour. But I’m used to that so no big deal.
So off to Danshui. The ride was pleasant enough, just the usual slog through the city.
Follow the No. 2 then after a bit of an uphill, right onto the 101. Even at this time of the night there were a few cars around on this road that seems like it should be quiet. It’s probably worth noting that this is likely because many people live around the Danshui area, where property is cheaper and there is access to the end of the subway system.
Some gentle climbing and finally the right turn onto the 101A.
I had estimated that this section of road would be pretty well maintained and in good shape for taking a ride all the way to the top.
And it turned out that I was almost right. With no cars and a well maintained road surface the climb was proceeding at a decent pace, although I couldn’t tell how fast I was going, just a decent pace for a long and easy-paced ride.
Slowly but surely the lights starting becoming further and further apart. The faint glow of the next one around the corner being the only sign of anything ahead. Until there were no more. Absolutely none. Except for the odd one lighting the entrance to a house where the occupants had long ago gone to sleep with a fluffy, cozy pillow and duvet to keep them snug.
So as I’m slogging up the climb and the lights have gone out I’m following the faint glow of my light, which I only then realize I forgot to change the batteries.
But remember, I was prepared, and feeling like superman, so I pressed on.
Until my light was almost gone. Nothing, nada, the moon through the clouds giving more light than the tiny glow of the three LEDs.
But the dim light by itself might not have dissuaded me from continuing, except that the temperature had dropped. A lot.
My toes were going numb, although they could still move, they were very cold.
My fingers were freezing.
Even my body inside the waterproof jacket was getting cold.
After passing under the archway on the way up I was hit by a strong wind that just shattered all my hope of getting over the top and gave me a deep sense of worry for my own safety.
So I turned around.
On the way down it was so cold and my light was so dim I couldn’t maintain more than 10km/h at the absolute max, probably less than 5km/h actually.
I had to seek refuge. Too cold and too slow to continue I decided I needed somewhere to wait for sunrise and make a quick decent down the mountain.
So when I next caught a glimpse of a light on the way down I took my chance, with everything on my body losing heat I decided that this would be my refuge.
I climbed the three short sets of white steps to the entrance, parked my bike under the cover then proceeded to keep myself warm.
I removed my shoes and socks because they were colder in there than when they weren’t. Later on I found some gumboots around the back that I borrowed to try keep my feet warm.
I pulled my arms into the jacket and slipped my hands under my armpits. I pulled the jacket as far up my head as it would go, sat down on the ground with my back against the wall. And waited.
For three hours.
I napped four times during those three hours. Trying to keep as warm as possible, but shivering most of the time.
Just me and the continuous groan of the recording of monks chanting the “amitofo” song. And the view of the area of lit road by the bottom of the stairs. And the buddha looking staring at me from the back.
Finally, the light through the mist signaled my departure and I put on my cold socks and shoes and headed down the mountain as quick as I could.
I took two breaks to breath warm air onto my fingers which were getting frozen enough to hurt. But once back to the 101 it was just quite cold and wet.
At the end of it all I thought I was well prepared, but I wasn’t.
I didn’t have enough warm clothes. I didn’t have enough waterproof stuff, namely good gloves and waterproof shoe covers.
And I don’t have a good enough light. Which is where my focus is going to fall next.