Noob: Various & Sundry Q's about Biking

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

Quoted message said:

When I was young and stupid, I used to wear all black w/
no reflectors and ride on the streets at night. Now I'm
slightly less stupid, so am wondering what kind of light I
can get that a) last for a while on flash mode, b) are
light and small, and c) easy to mount. Nashbar has these
LED ones w/ elastic mounts that look to fit the bill, but
I'm wondering just how visible these suckers are, and how
long the battery lasts? (I'm guessing they take those dime-
type batteries). Any other ideas for

lights?

Flashing LEDs will last forever on flash mode. Steady LEDs
will last a good while too. I recently got a Cateye 5-LED
white headlight and a 5-LED red taillight and have been
happy with them.

On the other bike I have a Nite Hawk system, with a big
battery that fits in a bottle cage. Those kind of lights
put out a LOT more light than LEDs but the battery adds a
lot of weight. The LED headlight weighs less, but while
cars can see me, it's very hard to see the road with the
LED headlight. If you're worried about hitting a giant
pothole and flying over your handlebars, you'll probably
need to go for a battery system (or only ride when there's
a full moon). The Nite Hawk battery is supposed to last
for four hours on low beam, two on high, and presumably
(doing the math) one hour and twenty minutes with both
lamps going at once. Going by those guidelines, I never
had it run out on me.

Both types of lights are very easy to mount.

Bop said:

Some questions about current bike stuff:

... I'm kinda shocked not to find any standard cleats, but
only those for the clipless kinds. Are they there and I
just need to get some glasses, or has the clipless
revolution taken over?

For sport and recreational riding, clipless has taken over.
Some of us still use clips and straps, but we're labeled "retro-
grouches."

Quoted message said:

I've nothing against clipless, just that I know nothing
about them (other than that they don't require a cage).
Should I stick with my present setup, or should I buy a
cheap clipless replacement?

...

Quoted message said:

I used to have a pair of touring shoes which have "ridges"
instead of cleats, and a steel shank embedded in the sole
to keep them stiff. ... I don't want to have to commute
with an extra pair of shoes, so I'm looking for something
like this. But on Nashbar and other bike sites, all they
have are road & MTB shoes, no touring stuff. Any tips on
where I can look?

For commuting, I use clips and straps on platform pedals,
and I ride in dress clothes and shoes.

For most other riding, I've got a pair of Lake shoes. They
look pretty similar to the Lake MX60 Mountain model at
Nashbar (LK-MX60M). They work fine, and they've got many
thousands of miles on them. I can't see making a certain
kind of shoe a requirement for riding my bike!

Quoted message said:

What kind of light I can get that a) last for a while on
flash mode, b) are light and small, and c) easy to mount.
Nashbar has these LED ones w/ elastic mounts that look to
fit the bill, but I'm wondering just how visible these
suckers are, and how long the battery lasts? (I'm
guessing they take those dime-type batteries). Any other
ideas for lights?

IMO, those tiny Cateye LD100 LEDs are not worth having. I'm
not a lumen freak, but I don't consider them to be bright
enough. Ditto the Photon Mini Lights. In my experience,
almost any full-sized LED blinky will do the job,
particularly if you also add reflectors to your bike.
Reflectors are likely a legal requirement anyway, and while
some disparage them, I find them to be very effective. But
I'd never rely on reflectors alone.

All states require active headlights, and even if not
required, some active taillight is a very good idea.

The choices in headlights are these, depending on your
riding conditions, your fear of traffic (if any) and your
night vision:

1. Self-contained units powered by flashlight batteries.
Almost all are pretty marginal in light output, and
battery costs can be large if you use them regularly. If
you night-ride only occasionally, and exclusively on well-
lit streets, these may be OK as a "be seen" light.

2. Rechargeable lights with a separate battery pack. These
are surprisingly expensive - most are over $100 - and
"feature" very crude optics, so most of the light output
is wasted (unless you're mountain biking at night - the
only time you need light shining up). Battery care must
be fairly diligent, and the batteries are expensive
(perhaps $50) when they've died of either too many
recharges, or overcharging.

3. Generator lights are pretty hard to find, and most
require some mechanical and electrical sense to install.
They vary widely in price ($15 to $250), quality and
drag on the bike. But a decent set, properly installed,
will last forever and always be ready to go, just like
your car's headlights. The low power (just three watts)
works for many people because the headlamp optics are
very efficient. But some people don't feel safe unless
they're pumping out 15 watts or more.

4. Home brew rechargeable systems. Since most rechargeable
lights use hardware-store track light bulbs, lots of
folks have spent $10 for one of those bulbs, $25 for a
battery, scrounged a charger, and cobbled together a
headlamp. A very few have put a higher-powered halogen
bulb into a generator headlamp, using the good optics to
get brighter light with longer battery life. Naturally,
you still need to tend the battery charging (unless you
get a very expensive "smart charger."😉

For me, after trying the other options, I decided generators
come closest to the optimum. Others disagree rather
militantly. As I said, I think it depends on your situation.

Quoted message said:

Does Nashbar have storefronts other than the one in OH?

Nashbar doesn't even have a store in Ohio any more, AFAIK.
Arni Nashbar sold the business to Performance. Now when you
phone Nashbar, your order is taken by kids in West Virginia.

You may be interested in bicyclinglife.combicyclinglife.comOpen ↗

--
-------------+ Frank Krygowski [To reply, omit what's
between "at" and "cc"]

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In article <[email hidden]>, Bop

Quoted message said:

OK, not really a noob. I used to ride heavily some 10+
years before, mostly commuting stuff. Not really much of a
specs guy, but I did know all my gearings and such. Had two
accidents under my belt, one minor and one not so minor.
Anyway, just looked at my 15+ yr old bike in storage this
weekend, and on an impulse decided to clean off the cobwebs
and take it out for a spin. It was nice. But it was hard,
too. Some questions about current bike stuff:

My beater is a Team Fuji road bike, with pretty much old
tech: friction shifters, clips & straps, etc. These are fine--
I'm used to them and they still work great. But when I get
on the Nashbar site to look for some shoes & cleats
replacements, I'm kinda shocked not to find any standard
cleats, but only those for the clipless kinds. Are they
there and I just need to get some glasses, or has the
clipless revolution taken over?

_ IMHO, clipless pedals are the one new change to bikes vs
15-20 years ago that's really a drastic improvement. The
only place to buy old cleats anymore is Ebay and I don't
know where you'd get any shoes you could put them on.

Quoted message said:

I've nothing against clipless, just that I know nothing
about them (other than that they don't require a cage).
Should I stick with my present setup, or should I buy a
cheap clipless replacement? I see common clipless types
like SPD and SPDR and whatever else. Can someone give me a
quick rundown on their differences, or point me to a FAQ
somewhere?

_ The market has settled out into two basic styles for
attaching cleats SPD and Look. Look is for smooth soled road
shoes and SPD started with mountain bikes and is now used
for both. The cleats vary great according to exactly which
pedal you buy, but at least the bolts for attaching them
have roughly standardardized.

_ Here's a FAQ that you might find useful

draco.acs.uci.eduFAQOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

I used to have a pair of touring shoes which have "ridges"
instead of cleats, and a steel shank embedded in the sole
to keep them stiff. These obviously don't work as well as
cleated ones, which I also have a pair, but they allow me
to walk around. I don't want to have to commute with an
extra pair of shoes, so I'm looking for something like
this. But on Nashbar and other bike sites, all they have
are road & MTB shoes, no touring stuff. Any tips on where I
can look?

_ Shimano makes shoes like this, try looking for Shimano
MO-38 on google. Most cheaper SPD mountain shoes are at
least flexible enough for short walks. You can even get
SPD sandals. On mountain bike shoes the lugs on the sole
extend far enough that you can walk without the cleat
touching the ground.

_ Booker C. Bense

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Mon, 12 Apr 2004 19:13:23 +0000 (UTC),
<[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

The only place to buy old cleats anymore is Ebay and I
don't know where you'd get any shoes you could put them on.

I found a NOS pair at OCB!, my LBS They've holes for
mounting on SPD compatible shoes. HTH
--
zk

Bop said:

My beater is a Team Fuji road bike, with pretty much old
tech: friction shifters, clips & straps, etc. These are fine--
I'm used to them and they still work great. But when I get
on the Nashbar site to look for some shoes & cleats
replacements, I'm kinda shocked not to find any standard
cleats, but only those for the clipless kinds. Are they
there and I just need to get some glasses, or has the
clipless revolution taken over?

Clipless has indeed taken over.

The cheap Nashbar Special SPDs are pleasant and easy.
Comfortable shoes with treads that recess the cleats
make walking and riding both very pleasant. I like my
SPD sandals.

Quoted message said:

than that they don't require a cage). Should I stick with
my present setup, or should I buy a cheap clipless
replacement? I see common clipless

You could just use modern bike shoes with clips and straps
but no cleats; or, regular shoes, for that matter. The
cheap pedals I mentioned above are often on sale for
$20/pair with cleats.

Quoted message said:

types like SPD and SPDR and whatever else. Can someone give
me a quick rundown on their differences, or point me to a
FAQ somewhere?

SPD is actually two standards: bolt pattern for attaching
the cleat, and cleat-pedal compatibility. SPD pedals can use
eachothers' cleats, but many pedals exist with SPD-bolt-pattern-
cleats that won't work in standard SPD pedals. The pedals I
mention above are compatible with standard SPD.

SPD-R and SPD-SL are not at all like SPD; they're "road"
clipless standards. There's also Look, Speedplay, Time and
other brands and standards of all sorts for "road" and
"mountain".

The "road" and "mountain" designations are mostly
pointless. It all comes down to personal opinions, but to
make hasty generalizations, "Mountain" clipless pedal
systems tend to be best for general riding, while "road"
systems offer advantages for people whose preferred cleat
position or shoe doesn't offer sufficient support, and for
highly competitive racing.

Quoted message said:

I used to have a pair of touring shoes which have "ridges"
instead of cleats, and a steel shank embedded in the sole
to keep them stiff. These obviously don't work as well as
cleated ones, which I also have a pair, but they allow me
to walk around. I don't want to have to commute with an
extra pair of shoes, so I'm looking for something like
this. But on Nashbar and other bike sites, all they have
are road & MTB shoes, no touring stuff. Any tips on where I
can look?

Look for MTB shoes that are acceptably styled. Or, if you're
allowed to wear sandals to work, Shimano and Lake both offer
SPD sandals.

The Lake SPD sandals have the same outsole/undersole as the
Shimanos, but a different footbed and upper. They've got a
ridge in front to protect your toes (probably not helpful
off-road).
--
Rick "Verbose" Onanian