How about crummy products????

HARRY ASKED - Anyone else have a similar experience with this or any
other product that they wouldn't purchase again????

MIKE REPLIED - ...I tried the TireFlys on a motorcycle and had the
same sporadic results...on my suburban assault bicycle I have 3
reflectors per wheel...my own independent testing lab have proven that
this will get the attention of vehicle traffic approaching at right
angles...however the co-participants in the test cannot be drunk...

Best Regards - Mike Baldwin

In article <[email hidden]>,

(Michael Baldwin) said:

HARRY ASKED - Anyone else have a similar experience with this or any
other product that they wouldn't purchase again????

MIKE REPLIED - ...I tried the TireFlys on a motorcycle and had the
same sporadic results...on my suburban assault bicycle I have 3
reflectors per wheel...my own independent testing lab have proven that
this will get the attention of vehicle traffic approaching at right
angles...however the co-participants in the test cannot be drunk...

My own independent testing lab has shown that
good active lighting, both forward & rearward,
is enough. Sure, it's probably good to have
some sideways reflectivity, as well.

The main thing is to not barge into areas
where angels fear to tread, hoping you won't
get clobbered. Rely on your brain & your eyes,
not on your accoutrements.

Unless your accoutrements are better than
your brain.

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

On Sun, 23 Dec 2007 07:20:16 -0500, [email hidden] (Michael

Baldwin) said:

HARRY ASKED - Anyone else have a similar experience with this or any
other product that they wouldn't purchase again????

MIKE REPLIED - ...I tried the TireFlys on a motorcycle and had the
same sporadic results...on my suburban assault bicycle I have 3
reflectors per wheel...my own independent testing lab have proven that
this will get the attention of vehicle traffic approaching at right
angles...however the co-participants in the test cannot be drunk...

Best Regards - Mike Baldwin

With three reflectors on each wheel I can see where that would get a
decent result. I am trying a configuration that might allow me to
mount a standard small TREK flasher to the inside of the frame on my
trike next to the wheel. Allowing it to flash through the spokes and
still be seen by approaching traffic.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Harry (Lincoln said:

On Sun, 23 Dec 2007 07:20:16 -0500, [email hidden] (Michael

Baldwin) said:

HARRY ASKED - Anyone else have a similar experience with this or any
other product that they wouldn't purchase again????

MIKE REPLIED - ...I tried the TireFlys on a motorcycle and had the
same sporadic results...on my suburban assault bicycle I have 3
reflectors per wheel...my own independent testing lab have proven that
this will get the attention of vehicle traffic approaching at right
angles...however the co-participants in the test cannot be drunk...

Best Regards - Mike Baldwin

With three reflectors on each wheel I can see where that would get a
decent result. I am trying a configuration that might allow me to
mount a standard small TREK flasher to the inside of the frame on my
trike next to the wheel. Allowing it to flash through the spokes and
still be seen by approaching traffic.

The "Christmas tree" approach is overkill,
and totally unnecessary.

You want good active lighting, front & back,
for sure, for night riding. But you don't
need to get excessive about it.

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

On Sun, 23 Dec 2007 05:05:47 -0800, [email hidden] (Tom Keats)

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Harry (Lincoln said:

On Sun, 23 Dec 2007 07:20:16 -0500, [email hidden] (Michael

Baldwin) said:

HARRY ASKED - Anyone else have a similar experience with this or any
other product that they wouldn't purchase again????

MIKE REPLIED - ...I tried the TireFlys on a motorcycle and had the
same sporadic results...on my suburban assault bicycle I have 3
reflectors per wheel...my own independent testing lab have proven that
this will get the attention of vehicle traffic approaching at right
angles...however the co-participants in the test cannot be drunk...

Best Regards - Mike Baldwin

With three reflectors on each wheel I can see where that would get a
decent result. I am trying a configuration that might allow me to
mount a standard small TREK flasher to the inside of the frame on my
trike next to the wheel. Allowing it to flash through the spokes and
still be seen by approaching traffic.

The "Christmas tree" approach is overkill,
and totally unnecessary.

You want good active lighting, front & back,
for sure, for night riding. But you don't
need to get excessive about it.

cheers,
Tom

I currently use one headlight and tail light. Riding a trike at night
is, to say the least, an adventure. It's hard enough being seen
during the day. I don't want to end up looking like a U.F.O. but,
sometimes, it seems that would be the wise thing to do.

TOM SAYS - The "Christmas tree" approach is overkill, and totally
unnecessary.

MIKE RESPONDS - ...I'm in rural Mid-Michigan.... where the posted speed
limit of 55mph is viewed as a "suggestion" and every adult using a kids
toy for transportation after dark or at any other time, is considered to
be just another DUI loser...I'll go for overkill for the benefit of my
"to be widow"...maybe she'll win a big settlement and open up a
Hot-n-Ready "pizza shingle" place 🙂

Best Regards - Mike Baldwin

In article <[email hidden]>,

Harry (Lincoln said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

With three reflectors on each wheel I can see where that would get a
decent result. I am trying a configuration that might allow me to
mount a standard small TREK flasher to the inside of the frame on my
trike next to the wheel. Allowing it to flash through the spokes and
still be seen by approaching traffic.

The "Christmas tree" approach is overkill,
and totally unnecessary.

You want good active lighting, front & back,
for sure, for night riding. But you don't
need to get excessive about it.

cheers,
Tom

I currently use one headlight and tail light. Riding a trike at night
is, to say the least, an adventure. It's hard enough being seen
during the day. I don't want to end up looking like a U.F.O. but,
sometimes, it seems that would be the wise thing to do.

If you want /active/ sideward lighting on your bike,
that's certainly your prerogative, and I respect it.

But for practical purposes, I maintain tactically applied
passive sideward reflectives to supplement your active
front & rear lighting should do the trick while being
much less failure-prone than stuff that needs a power
source. Those reflectives can include peel-off sticky
tape shapes, as well as built-in to cycling apparel.
You won't look like a UFO or a Christmas tree -- you'll
just look like a [bi|tri]cycling traffic participant.

I wonder if it might be useful for you to use two taillights,
to indicate the width of your trike?

I'll confess to sometimes being tempted to weave Glo-Stix
around my spokes, just fer laffs. Maybe fashion mandalas
out of them.

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

In article <[email hidden]>,

(Michael Baldwin) said:

TOM SAYS - The "Christmas tree" approach is overkill, and totally
unnecessary.

MIKE RESPONDS - ...I'm in rural Mid-Michigan.... where the posted speed
limit of 55mph is viewed as a "suggestion" and every adult using a kids
toy for transportation after dark or at any other time, is considered to
be just another DUI loser...I'll go for overkill for the benefit of my
"to be widow"...

I opine that all bicycle lighting is good, but some
is better.

I have no confidence in TireFlys (TireFlies?) being
a potential lifesaver or collision-avoider.

The trick with bicycle lighting is not how much
light or how many lights you throw at the problem,
but how tactically you apply the lights. If you
had a rig on your bike that fires salvos of roman
candles to port & starboard, you could still get
clobbered by a motor-stunned bonehead.

Even well-applied lighting is just a supplement to
our own smarts and heads-uppedness.

Quoted message said:

maybe she'll win a big settlement and open up a
Hot-n-Ready "pizza shingle" place 🙂

Please don't go faking your own death. I get into
enough trouble from being a bad influence already :-)

cheers, & don't forget that li'l bit of tarragon in the sauce,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

On Sun, 23 Dec 2007 19:15:08 -0800, [email hidden] (Tom Keats)

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Harry (Lincoln said:

Quoted message said:

> With three reflectors on each wheel I can see where that would get a
> decent result. I am trying a configuration that might allow me to
> mount a standard small TREK flasher to the inside of the frame on my
> trike next to the wheel. Allowing it to flash through the spokes and
> still be seen by approaching traffic.

The "Christmas tree" approach is overkill,
and totally unnecessary.

You want good active lighting, front & back,
for sure, for night riding. But you don't
need to get excessive about it.

cheers,
Tom

I currently use one headlight and tail light. Riding a trike at night
is, to say the least, an adventure. It's hard enough being seen
during the day. I don't want to end up looking like a U.F.O. but,
sometimes, it seems that would be the wise thing to do.

If you want /active/ sideward lighting on your bike,
that's certainly your prerogative, and I respect it.

But for practical purposes, I maintain tactically applied
passive sideward reflectives to supplement your active
front & rear lighting should do the trick while being
much less failure-prone than stuff that needs a power
source. Those reflectives can include peel-off sticky
tape shapes, as well as built-in to cycling apparel.
You won't look like a UFO or a Christmas tree -- you'll
just look like a [bi|tri]cycling traffic participant.

I wonder if it might be useful for you to use two taillights,
to indicate the width of your trike?

I'll confess to sometimes being tempted to weave Glo-Stix
around my spokes, just fer laffs. Maybe fashion mandalas
out of them.

cheers,
Tom

That's a good idea about putting lights to indicate how wide the bike
is. The only problem with that is....it's a "tadpole" and steers with
the two front wheels. There is almost no way to mount lights
indicating how wide I actually am. I have tried mounting them to the
fender. But that places them so low that they are hard to see and get
extremely dirty rather quickly. Expecially this time of year with all
the snow and ice.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Harry (Lincoln said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I currently use one headlight and tail light. Riding a trike at night
is, to say the least, an adventure. It's hard enough being seen
during the day. I don't want to end up looking like a U.F.O. but,
sometimes, it seems that would be the wise thing to do.

If you want /active/ sideward lighting on your bike,
that's certainly your prerogative, and I respect it.

But for practical purposes, I maintain tactically applied
passive sideward reflectives to supplement your active
front & rear lighting should do the trick while being
much less failure-prone than stuff that needs a power
source. Those reflectives can include peel-off sticky
tape shapes, as well as built-in to cycling apparel.
You won't look like a UFO or a Christmas tree -- you'll
just look like a [bi|tri]cycling traffic participant.

I wonder if it might be useful for you to use two taillights,
to indicate the width of your trike?

I'll confess to sometimes being tempted to weave Glo-Stix
around my spokes, just fer laffs. Maybe fashion mandalas
out of them.

Quoted message said:

That's a good idea about putting lights to indicate how wide the bike
is. The only problem with that is....it's a "tadpole" and steers with
the two front wheels. There is almost no way to mount lights
indicating how wide I actually am.

Sher there is. Stick fenders on the front wheels, and
mount lights on the fenders.

I have tried mounting them to the

Quoted message said:

fender. But that places them so low that they are hard to see and get
extremely dirty rather quickly. Expecially this time of year with all
the snow and ice.

Oh, you already have fenders.

Okay.

Have you considered mounting the lights on the uppermost
parts of your fenders, so they're nice 'n high?

' tell yez what -- knee-high or slightly above
is high enuff. Same as with so many cars.

There are many ways to mount bike lights, without
resorting to the cheesy mounting hardware that
comes with 'em.

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

Why not mount a lightweight flexible crossbar to your seat and put a
red blinker on each side like about 3-4 foot pole of fiberglass or
aluminum or?

cmcanulty said:

Why not mount a lightweight flexible crossbar to your seat and put a
red blinker on each side like about 3-4 foot pole of fiberglass or
aluminum or?

1" OD PVC conduit, which is about $1.50 per 8' piece locally. You may
have to shim your light brackets with a bit of old inner tube.

On Mon, 24 Dec 2007 03:48:34 -0800, [email hidden] (Tom Keats)

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Harry (Lincoln said:

Quoted message said:

> I currently use one headlight and tail light. Riding a trike at night
> is, to say the least, an adventure. It's hard enough being seen
> during the day. I don't want to end up looking like a U.F.O. but,
> sometimes, it seems that would be the wise thing to do.

If you want /active/ sideward lighting on your bike,
that's certainly your prerogative, and I respect it.

But for practical purposes, I maintain tactically applied
passive sideward reflectives to supplement your active
front & rear lighting should do the trick while being
much less failure-prone than stuff that needs a power
source. Those reflectives can include peel-off sticky
tape shapes, as well as built-in to cycling apparel.
You won't look like a UFO or a Christmas tree -- you'll
just look like a [bi|tri]cycling traffic participant.

I wonder if it might be useful for you to use two taillights,
to indicate the width of your trike?

I'll confess to sometimes being tempted to weave Glo-Stix
around my spokes, just fer laffs. Maybe fashion mandalas
out of them.

Quoted message said:

That's a good idea about putting lights to indicate how wide the bike
is. The only problem with that is....it's a "tadpole" and steers with
the two front wheels. There is almost no way to mount lights
indicating how wide I actually am.

Sher there is. Stick fenders on the front wheels, and
mount lights on the fenders.

I have tried mounting them to the

Quoted message said:

fender. But that places them so low that they are hard to see and get
extremely dirty rather quickly. Expecially this time of year with all
the snow and ice.

Oh, you already have fenders.

Okay.

Have you considered mounting the lights on the uppermost
parts of your fenders, so they're nice 'n high?

' tell yez what -- knee-high or slightly above
is high enuff. Same as with so many cars.

There are many ways to mount bike lights, without
resorting to the cheesy mounting hardware that
comes with 'em.

cheers,
Tom

ALL great ideas!!!!! Gives me something to tinker with on those cold
Nebraska nights!!!!!

"Harry (Lincoln, Nebraska)" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'll prpbably get some flack for this one. But......I purchased some
of those "tireflys" http://www.tireflys.com/

I bought them as I was looking for some sort of light that would make
it easier for cars to see me from the side at night. After connecting
them to the valve stem, I realized that they seemed to need a hard
curb hit to operate. I went to the web site to find information on
them.There are adjustments listede for them. I did follow those
directions and....these lights, which started with three colors, began
to flash only one. And that was sporadic at best.

I did email the company twice in three weeks. As of this writing I
have heard nothing in regards to any suggestions as to what to do to
make adjustments.

I would definitely not suggest this product to anyone else as it seems
to be too much of a pain in the butt to try and get to work correctly.

Anyone else have a similar experience with this or any other product
that they wouldn't purchase again????

I suggest your question is too general. Crummy cycling products are the
norm, not the exception. Those of us who are serious cyclists need to be
constantly on guard, against buying some [censored] which was nEvEr intended for
us.

Regarding lights, IMO the best by far is DiNotte
http://www.dinottelighting.com/ . They have great lights for serious
cyclists, and they stand behind their products, well beyond the warranty
period. You won't get the 'heard nothing' response from these guys. But
beware: USA products cost more than stuff made in China, for very good
reasons. The products tend to be more reliable, and after-purchase support
costs a company $, which is reflected in the purchase price of the product.

OK, I am through ranting.

Here is a pic showing the headlight, but you can't really see how bright it
is, in this pic:

http://www.neiu.edu/~jbollyn/bike/snow1.jpg

Here is an old pic which shows the taillight:

http://www.neiu.edu/~jbollyn/bike/dinotte-tail-light.jpg

Harry - people have told me offline - We need to see more trike pics!

J.

Jay said:

"Harry (Lincoln, Nebraska)" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'll prpbably get some flack for this one. But......I purchased some
of those "tireflys" http://www.tireflys.com/

I bought them as I was looking for some sort of light that would make
it easier for cars to see me from the side at night. After connecting
them to the valve stem, I realized that they seemed to need a hard
curb hit to operate. I went to the web site to find information on
them.There are adjustments listede for them. I did follow those
directions and....these lights, which started with three colors, began
to flash only one. And that was sporadic at best.

I did email the company twice in three weeks. As of this writing I
have heard nothing in regards to any suggestions as to what to do to
make adjustments.

I would definitely not suggest this product to anyone else as it seems
to be too much of a pain in the butt to try and get to work correctly.

Anyone else have a similar experience with this or any other product
that they wouldn't purchase again????

I suggest your question is too general. Crummy cycling products are the
norm, not the exception. Those of us who are serious cyclists need to be
constantly on guard, against buying some [censored] which was nEvEr intended for
us.

Regarding lights, IMO the best by far is DiNotte
http://www.dinottelighting.com/ . They have great lights for serious
cyclists, and they stand behind their products, well beyond the warranty
period. You won't get the 'heard nothing' response from these guys. But
beware: USA products cost more than stuff made in China, for very good
reasons. The products tend to be more reliable, and after-purchase support
costs a company $, which is reflected in the purchase price of the product.

OK, I am through ranting.

Here is a pic showing the headlight, but you can't really see how bright it
is, in this pic:

http://www.neiu.edu/~jbollyn/bike/snow1.jpg

Here is an old pic which shows the taillight:

http://www.neiu.edu/~jbollyn/bike/dinotte-tail-light.jpg

Harry - people have told me offline - We need to see more trike pics!

J.

Those look GREAT. Think I am going to see is my shop can get them on
special order.

More Trike pics????? I've got 'em. Can post them if
interested........

"Harry (Lincoln, Nebraska)" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Jay said:

"Harry (Lincoln, Nebraska)" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'll prpbably get some flack for this one. But......I purchased some
of those "tireflys" http://www.tireflys.com/

I bought them as I was looking for some sort of light that would make
it easier for cars to see me from the side at night. After connecting
them to the valve stem, I realized that they seemed to need a hard
curb hit to operate. I went to the web site to find information on
them.There are adjustments listede for them. I did follow those
directions and....these lights, which started with three colors, began
to flash only one. And that was sporadic at best.

I did email the company twice in three weeks. As of this writing I
have heard nothing in regards to any suggestions as to what to do to
make adjustments.

I would definitely not suggest this product to anyone else as it seems
to be too much of a pain in the butt to try and get to work correctly.

Anyone else have a similar experience with this or any other product
that they wouldn't purchase again????

I suggest your question is too general. Crummy cycling products are the
norm, not the exception. Those of us who are serious cyclists need to be
constantly on guard, against buying some [censored] which was nEvEr intended for
us.

Regarding lights, IMO the best by far is DiNotte
http://www.dinottelighting.com/ . They have great lights for serious
cyclists, and they stand behind their products, well beyond the warranty
period. You won't get the 'heard nothing' response from these guys. But
beware: USA products cost more than stuff made in China, for very good
reasons. The products tend to be more reliable, and after-purchase support
costs a company $, which is reflected in the purchase price of the
product.

OK, I am through ranting.

Here is a pic showing the headlight, but you can't really see how bright
it
is, in this pic:

http://www.neiu.edu/~jbollyn/bike/snow1.jpg

Here is an old pic which shows the taillight:

http://www.neiu.edu/~jbollyn/bike/dinotte-tail-light.jpg

Harry - people have told me offline - We need to see more trike pics!

J.

Those look GREAT. Think I am going to see is my shop can get them on
special order.

More Trike pics????? I've got 'em. Can post them if
interested........

I think, if you order DIRECT from DiNotte, it is better for DiNotte. I
bought a sale DiNotte headlight from Nashbar, and it turned out to be a old
model on their shelf. Li-ion batteries have a short shelf life. I suggest
rechargeable Ni-Mh batteries, which are available in grocery / drug / camera
stores.

All these high tech items have the same problem - how to maximize battery
run time. For those of us who support this great country, there is only one
solution - buy from USA companies like DiNotte.

....otherwise, the terrorists have won...

....OK, now I am just being silly...

J.

Jay Bollyn said:

...
Harry - people have told me offline - We need to see more trike pics!

Only a weird person would ride a recumbent trike. I mean, look at this:
<http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2330/1939609411_31ff74a07c.jpg?v=0>!

Oh wait, that is my trike.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
POST FREE OR DIE!

Jay Bollyn said:

I think, if you order DIRECT from DiNotte, it is better for DiNotte. I
bought a sale DiNotte headlight from Nashbar, and it turned out to be a old
model on their shelf. Li-ion batteries have a short shelf life. I suggest
rechargeable Ni-Mh batteries, which are available in grocery / drug / camera
stores.

All these high tech items have the same problem - how to maximize battery
run time. For those of us who support this great country, there is only one
solution - buy from USA companies like DiNotte.

I am still waiting for a real life Shipstone to come along. Maybe there
is promise in compact fuel cells.

Quoted message said:

...otherwise, the terrorists have won...

One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter/statesman/CEO.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
POST FREE OR DIE!

"Tom Sherman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Jay Bollyn said:

...
Harry - people have told me offline - We need to see more trike pics!

Only a weird person would ride a recumbent trike. I mean, look at this:
<http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2330/1939609411_31ff74a07c.jpg?v=0>!

Oh wait, that is my trike.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
POST FREE OR DIE!

Trikes rule!

I think Harry is the only trike-winter-rider in NE!

....and...he knows how to use a digital camera!

J.