No more lights! YES

dgk said:

Much as I like getting to use my pretty lights, it looks like the sun

....

Quoted message said:

Come on, Summer. Biking in T-Shirts and sandals. Warm rains. Surfing.
Things are looking up.

Light it up!

Where would one come by battery powered neon tubes? Auto parts store?
Are you talking about thems like the hot-roders hang under their
frames or around their license plates - dang! what a good idea, that's
just what I need. I'm already running a 12V deep cycle SLA for the
36W head lamp, I could hang one of those purple tubes under the main
boom and really put a big circle of light on the pavement.

dgk said:

Much as I like getting to use my pretty lights, it looks like the sun
has finally relegated them to the drawer for another year. It's just
about light when I'm leaving for work and stays light long after I get
home. Between the 10 (count em, 10) rechargeable AA batteries for the
neon tubes, the NiMH for the main headlight, the four rechargeable
AAAs for the front white LED, and the various AAAs for the rear
blinkies, I've just about had it with recharging and changing
batteries.

I find that having so many batteries can be rather a pain on a
frequently used bicycle. I prefer to install the wiring to run all the
lights off of a single battery or battery pack that can be recharged as
a unit (no dealing with individual cells), or use a dynamo powered
system when it's possible to ride safely with lower levels of illumination.

DennisTheBald said:

dgk said:

Much as I like getting to use my pretty lights, it looks like the sun

...

Quoted message said:

Come on, Summer. Biking in T-Shirts and sandals. Warm rains. Surfing.
Things are looking up.

Light it up!

Where would one come by battery powered neon tubes? Auto parts store?
Are you talking about thems like the hot-roders hang under their
frames or around their license plates - dang! what a good idea, that's
just what I need. I'm already running a 12V deep cycle SLA for the
36W head lamp, I could hang one of those purple tubes under the main
boom and really put a big circle of light on the pavement.

Search for "12 volt neon purple" on ebay.

dgk said:

Much as I like getting to use my pretty lights, it looks like the sun
has finally relegated them to the drawer for another year. It's just
about light when I'm leaving for work and stays light long after I get
home. Between the 10 (count em, 10) rechargeable AA batteries for the
neon tubes, the NiMH for the main headlight, the four rechargeable
AAAs for the front white LED, and the various AAAs for the rear
blinkies, I've just about had it with recharging and changing
batteries.

Plus, just installing them and removing them takes a fair amount of
time each am/pm, and there is some weight associated as well. I intend
to keep using the Hotronic toe warmers until it's about 40F though. My
toes are apparently very sensitive to cold.

Come on, Summer. Biking in T-Shirts and sandals. Warm rains. Surfing.
Things are looking up.

My Cateye Opticube headlight uses 4 AA batteries which need changing
about once a month during the winter; one set lasts all summer except
I put in fresh batteries for my annual long trip. I use a rear LED
light that uses 2 AAA batteries, replaced at about the same
frequency. I use the longest lasting batteries available, but not
rechargeables, with which I had very bad luck when I used them. They
just don't hold a charge well in a WI winter. For night riding, I
also wear a reflector vest with no lights. I don't use toe or
handwarmers other than gloves/mittens, heavy socks and boots etc.,
though the thickness varies with the temperature. I think you "harden
off" better if you wear the minimum safe amount of clothing. In very
cold weather, I wear a balaclava under my helmet.

DennisTheBald said:

dgk said:

Much as I like getting to use my pretty lights, it looks like the sun

...

Quoted message said:

Come on, Summer. Biking in T-Shirts and sandals. Warm rains. Surfing.
Things are looking up.

Light it up!

Where would one come by battery powered neon tubes? Auto parts store?
Are you talking about thems like the hot-roders hang under their
frames or around their license plates - dang! what a good idea, that's
just what I need. I'm already running a 12V deep cycle SLA for the
36W head lamp, I could hang one of those purple tubes under the main
boom and really put a big circle of light on the pavement.

That's the idea, yes:

instructables.comDIY Glow: Ground Effects Lights For Your Bike!Open ↗

I actually have mine mounted on the seat stays; I have more open room
there. I hold them on with velcro, and the batteries and wires are in
the rear pack. I bought them from www.vibelights.com. Really very
cheap, maybe $5 for the transformer and five or so for each light. I
use a standard 8 AA battery holder from Radio Shack but they seemed a
bit weak, so I added a two battery holder and that works fine.

I start each year with five or so tubes of different colors and manage
to break two or three each winter. It's a bit hokey I'll admit, but I
sure get noticed in the dark, and that's the name of the game for me.

I would think you could just power it from the SLA.

DennisTheBald said:

dgk said:

Much as I like getting to use my pretty lights, it looks like the sun

...

Quoted message said:

Come on, Summer. Biking in T-Shirts and sandals. Warm rains. Surfing.
Things are looking up.

Light it up!

Where would one come by battery powered neon tubes? Auto parts store?
Are you talking about thems like the hot-roders hang under their
frames or around their license plates - dang! what a good idea, that's
just what I need. I'm already running a 12V deep cycle SLA for the
36W head lamp, I could hang one of those purple tubes under the main
boom and really put a big circle of light on the pavement.

Here's a better link, the vibelight site is a bit unclear:

http://www.vibelights.com/bili.html

Ron Wallenfang said:

dgk said:

Much as I like getting to use my pretty lights, it looks like the sun
has finally relegated them to the drawer for another year. It's just
about light when I'm leaving for work and stays light long after I get
home. Between the 10 (count em, 10) rechargeable AA batteries for the
neon tubes, the NiMH for the main headlight, the four rechargeable
AAAs for the front white LED, and the various AAAs for the rear
blinkies, I've just about had it with recharging and changing
batteries.

Plus, just installing them and removing them takes a fair amount of
time each am/pm, and there is some weight associated as well. I intend
to keep using the Hotronic toe warmers until it's about 40F though. My
toes are apparently very sensitive to cold.

Come on, Summer. Biking in T-Shirts and sandals. Warm rains. Surfing.
Things are looking up.

My Cateye Opticube headlight uses 4 AA batteries which need changing
about once a month during the winter; one set lasts all summer except
I put in fresh batteries for my annual long trip. I use a rear LED
light that uses 2 AAA batteries, replaced at about the same
frequency. I use the longest lasting batteries available, but not
rechargeables, with which I had very bad luck when I used them. They
just don't hold a charge well in a WI winter. For night riding, I
also wear a reflector vest with no lights. I don't use toe or
handwarmers other than gloves/mittens, heavy socks and boots etc.,
though the thickness varies with the temperature. I think you "harden
off" better if you wear the minimum safe amount of clothing. In very
cold weather, I wear a balaclava under my helmet.

But an Opticube won't produce as much light as the 15 watt halogen
with the NiMH battery that I use. That isn't near top of the line but
it produces a lot more light than my backup, which is some Nashbar 1
LED job. Mostly I really don't need that much light since it's never
dark in NYC, but some parts of my commute are through a dark park and
I do need it then. Maybe I'll give the opticube a try though, it's on
sale at Nashbar for $20. Now if it came with free shipping...

The cool (ok, warm) thing about the Hotronic warmers is that I don't
need to think about what footware to use each day. They are attached
to an oversized pair of short boots and I just wear a biking sock with
a wool sock, turn the hotronic to between 1 and 3 (I've never needed
4) and my feet stay warm. I have a 15 mile each way commute, and my
toes just always got cold before. Now I don't even think about it.

I neglected to mention the two rechargeable D cells for my
battery-powered mittens. I only use those when it drops below 28F or
so. Otherwise I have a few choices of gloves and liners.

I've noticed that my fingers and toes just get cold and it makes the
ride unpleasant. It takes enough determination to get on a bike when
it's 20 degrees out and ride 15 miles to work, and I don't want to do
it with cold fingers and toes. The heated gloves and toes are my treat
to myself for biking in the winter.

Quoted message said:

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Glow:-Ground-Effects-Lights-For-Y...

Quoted message said:

I would think you could just power it from the SLA.

Yeah, everything comes off the one battery. And 12V lets me use auto
bulbs & stuff - you know the lights that motorists are already looking
for.

But I think, after looking at a few links, that I'm gonna go with the
LED strips rather than the tubes... Particularly in light of you
saying you break a couple each year. The CCFL and EL wire both look
like they need something to generate a wave. I think if I was really
slick I'd go with 6V and find a way to use LEDs in a bridge rectifier
- but I certainly aint' that slick

DennisTheBald said:

Quoted message said:

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Glow:-Ground-Effects-Lights-For-Y...

Quoted message said:

I would think you could just power it from the SLA.

Yeah, everything comes off the one battery. And 12V lets me use auto
bulbs & stuff - you know the lights that motorists are already looking
for.

But I think, after looking at a few links, that I'm gonna go with the
LED strips rather than the tubes... Particularly in light of you
saying you break a couple each year. The CCFL and EL wire both look
like they need something to generate a wave. I think if I was really
slick I'd go with 6V and find a way to use LEDs in a bridge rectifier
- but I certainly aint' that slick

I don't know if the strips are as bright as the tubes, but they sure
are more flexible. Kids ask me about them all the time. I can't
understand why the LBSs don't carry that stuff.

dgk said:

I intend
to keep using the Hotronic toe warmers until it's about 40F though. My
toes are apparently very sensitive to cold.

I just looked these things up. What really impressed me are the plugs on
the charger:

http://www.hotronic.com/products/fw/part_rch_m4m3.html

My Nikon camera chargers come with 6' cords. You get the appropriate stock
cord for your country. I don't mind traveling with a converter plug, but 6'
is such a waste of space and weight in my luggage. So I've cut the cord
back to 1'. But their solution is so much better!

Don <www.donwiss.com> (e-mail link at home page bottom).

On Wed, 26 Mar 2008 20:34:56 -0400, Don Wiss <donwiss@no_spam.com>

Quoted message said:

dgk said:

I intend
to keep using the Hotronic toe warmers until it's about 40F though. My
toes are apparently very sensitive to cold.

I just looked these things up. What really impressed me are the plugs on
the charger:

http://www.hotronic.com/products/fw/part_rch_m4m3.html

My Nikon camera chargers come with 6' cords. You get the appropriate stock
cord for your country. I don't mind traveling with a converter plug, but 6'
is such a waste of space and weight in my luggage. So I've cut the cord
back to 1'. But their solution is so much better!

Don <www.donwiss.com> (e-mail link at home page bottom).

And I know what they mean by quick charger. These are designed for all
day skiing and really take some charge. When I use them for just 3
hours on a fairly low setting, they are not fully recharged after
eight hours. I could see the use of a stronger charger but I rarely
bike three days in a row in winter so I really don't need it. By 24
hours they are fully charged.

"dgk" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

I do need it then. Maybe I'll give the opticube a try though, it's on
sale at Nashbar for $20. Now if it came with free shipping...

Free shipping at nashbar today....

dgk said:

But an Opticube won't produce as much light as the 15 watt halogen
with the NiMH battery that I use. That isn't near top of the line but
it produces a lot more light than my backup, which is some Nashbar 1
LED job. Mostly I really don't need that much light since it's never
dark in NYC, but some parts of my commute are through a dark park and
I do need it then. Maybe I'll give the opticube a try though, it's on
sale at Nashbar for $20. Now if it came with free shipping...

A better option is one of the 2AA or 2C 3W Cree or Luxeon flashlights,
along with a flashlight holder bracket.

The low cost opticube has several drawbacks. It isn't bright enough, it
uses AAA batteries, and the mount isn't great.

Wal-Mart has a 3W Luxeon 2AA flashlight from Energizer for about $25.
Combine it with a TwoFish block or other flashlight holder. Lowe's has
the 3W Cree LED flashlight that runs on two C cells for $30.

See "http://nordicgroup.us/s78/flashlights.html".

SMS said:

dgk said:

But an  Opticube won't produce as much light as the 15 watt halogen
with the NiMH battery that I use. That isn't near top of the line but
it produces a lot more light than my backup, which is some Nashbar 1
LED job. Mostly I really don't need that much light since it's never
dark in NYC, but some parts of my commute are through a dark park and
I do need it then. Maybe I'll give the opticube a try though, it's on
sale at Nashbar for $20. Now if it came with free shipping...

A better option is one of the 2AA or 2C 3W Cree or Luxeon flashlights,
along with a flashlight holder bracket.

The low cost opticube has several drawbacks. It isn't bright enough, it
uses AAA batteries, and the mount isn't great.

Wal-Mart has a 3W Luxeon 2AA flashlight from Energizer for about $25.
Combine it with a TwoFish block or other flashlight holder. Lowe's has
the 3W Cree LED flashlight that runs on two C cells for $30.

See "http://nordicgroup.us/s78/flashlights.html".

My octicubes use 4 AA batteries. They are better for being seen than
seeing, but I use them almost exclusively on familiar roads, though
one night on my trip last summer I didn't reach a motel until 9:30 p.m
and did the last half dozen miles after dark on unfamiliar roads near
Canton SD.