The Bicycling thread

Info on bicycle lights (safety)

I ride early in the morning, just before good daylight, and although there are more animals than other vehicles I would like suggestions on front & rear lights for my bicycle. I have a little Trek commuter bike. I have NO CLUE about this, and wanted to ask those who really ride. Also, for no more than I ride, I don't want to spend a lot of money. Do I need flashing, LED, etc.? Thanks, Gail

Welcome Bruce!

I had the same 'revelation' with golf. After playing (a lot) over a 10 year period, I had one really bad day and decided to change my focus. Here is something I wrote for my triathlon club in 2004 as I was preparing for my first Ironman:

"One day during the summer of 2000, I was driving home from my weekly golf league match (and a couple of beers afterward) and got depressed thinking about how fat I had become (really just 'soft') and how crappy a golfer I was. I never liked golf anyway so I decided that evening that I was going to get in shape, quit golf, and become an 'athlete'. The next morning I got up early and went for a bike ride. When I came home that evening, I went for a run. I kept at it and ran a few 5k-s and rode two centuries that fall."

Then a vehicle came out that seemed perfect for triathletes. The ELEMENT! The seats were water resistant, which was great for post swim (or sweaty exercise). Ours got a lot of bicycle transport use. It was also the kayak carrier, had many motorcycles transported in it (had to remove a few parts of the bikes), tons of patio tiles, a full bathroom demolish. We picked up a new washing machine and the Home Depot guys helping us load the box told us there was no way that was going to fit. I had full confidence - and they were amazed when we got it in. We finally let it go after 13 years. They use a lot of salt here in the winter and stuff was rotting away. The inside of the car looked practically new and the paint was still good. I was having to replace a lot of brakes, brake lines, power steering lines, etc. After replacing a rusted oil pan, I decided I didn't want to work on that car any more. But it is missed.

I am sad that I don't have many pictures of that vehicle loaded up. It was before I had a smart phone so I didn't take many pictures then. Here was the first picture I took in 2006 with a new digital camera.

Lee said:

I went to State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry 60 miles east of Watertown. That area got a ton of snow and it was even colder than New Hampshire.
We usually needed snowshoes when we had outside classes. Surveying classes required a lot of digging to set up a instrument.
I liked all the snow

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Lee, was that Wanakena? If so, I thought it was a ranger school. Is that your profession? Did you go to the Syracuse campus at all?

I love the Adirondacks. I've spent my whole life exploring that park. I've hiked it, biked it, canoed it, kayaked it, motorcycled, fished, skied, snowshoed, snowmobiled, swam, skated, etc. It is the place on this earth that feels like 'home' to me. Especially when it is cool and rainy. I love all national parks but the the Adirondacks (a state park) is MY park. I won't move there because I don't want to contribute to the destruction.

shortythorne said:

I ride early in the morning, just before good daylight, and although there are more animals than other vehicles I would like suggestions on front & rear lights for my bicycle. I have a little Trek commuter bike. I have NO CLUE about this, and wanted to ask those who really ride. Also, for no more than I ride, I don't want to spend a lot of money. Do I need flashing, LED, etc.? Thanks, Gail

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Gail,

I always ride with a blinking red rear light. If I'm going to be riding even close to dusk, I will use a white front light. I have had many over the years and they have all worked OK. I will say that I prefer the USB rechargeable ones for commuting. The regular battery ones are for occasional use - and I used to keep a set at work just in case.

If you look around you can get OK deals but I will suggest: DON'T get the real cheap ones from ebay or Amazon. The batteries don't last long and they tend to break. The last set(s) we got are the NiteRider brand and I like them. Battery has held up well for two solid years of use (about 4000 miles outside so far). I think ours are the Lumina 850 (front) and Solas 150 (rear). About $75 for each set but they are worth it. I have had people comment that they can really see us with the blinking rear. The front is a little more bulky and gets in my way so I don't run it all the time. It does provide enough light that you can see where you are going but you have to slow down. The AAA powered front light that I have doesn't provide enough light to ride but it is conspicuous. I would use that one only if there were street lights where I was riding. It is much cheaper.

Got out on the road bike today for the second time this year. Almost no cell service on this shore means no drivers texting. Yay.

You liked my view Mtn biking, this is what I see when I'm out on the road bike.

The long view on the way home, the town in the distance is home.


A little closer a little different view


Closer again with beaches to look at


Nice windy roads that go in and out of the little bays and communities.

Nice to get out, you can see why I love living here.

That is awesome. I would be out on my bike all the time. Oh, wait, I am...

kurtr11s said:

Lee, was that Wanakena? If so, I thought it was a ranger school. Is that your profession? Did you go to the Syracuse campus at all?

I love the Adirondacks. I've spent my whole life exploring that park. I've hiked it, biked it, canoed it, kayaked it, motorcycled, fished, skied, snowshoed, snowmobiled, swam, skated, etc. It is the place on this earth that feels like 'home' to me. Especially when it is cool and rainy. I love all national parks but the the Adirondacks (a state park) is MY park. I won't move there because I don't want to contribute to the destruction.

Click to expand...

Yes Wanakena, I really like that area.
The courses were forestry, surveying and drafting.
I had planned on going to work as a Forest Technician with the Forest Service but found a job right away as a Civil Engineering Technician with the US Department of Agriculture.
I liked the work and stayed with them for 40 years.
I did not go to Syracuse after the Ranger School because the 4 year degree would probably get me a office job and I wanted to work outside.
Another reason was, two years of college was all I could afford

1975


2015

Lee, that is fantastic. Thanks for the photos. I love the Cranberry Lake area. I went to Clarkson and Michelle went to Potsdam. That is probably 1.5 hrs north of there. Potsdam had a camp on Star Lake and Michelle spent some time there - she has good memories. We have also motorcycle camped at the state campground on Cranberry. Many years ago, unfortunately.

To tie this into cycling: we've done the Tupper Lake Tinman (half ironman) a number of times and the bike course goes from Tupper Lake to Cranberry Lake and back on rt 3. I think it gets close to the road to Wanakena.

Here is a picture of me on that road in 2005 during the race:

skibum69 said:

The long view on the way home, the town in the distance is home.

.

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I like downhill views

kurtr11s said:

Lee, that is fantastic. Thanks for the photos. I love the Cranberry Lake area. I went to Clarkson and Michelle went to Potsdam. That is probably 1.5 hrs north of there. Potsdam had a camp on Star Lake and Michelle spent some time there - she has good memories. We have also motorcycle camped at the state campground on Cranberry. Many years ago, unfortunately.

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Small world. Potsdam is 50 miles north of Wanakena and Star Lake is 7 miles west.
The Ranger School was on a arm of Cranberry Lake.

Honda Element: Sometimes they get it right, and don't know it ....

I guess New Hamphire doesn't have as much salt on the roads in New York, and Vermont for that matter. I have very little corrosion underneath, and my mechanic told me mine is the cleanest he's seen. I haven't hauled a lot with it: 500 sq feet of oak floor from Lumber Liquidators which had the wheels bowed but was ok, and the transmission survivied.

I'm at 235K, and the picture was only taken about a year ago. I had the valves adjust a few years which made a big difference,, radiator, and alternator last summer and am glad it didn't happen on my trip to Virginia. It still runs great.

And yes, you can amaze the audience at what you can put in these, washer and dryer fit with no problem, that is with the seats removed. If it does die, I plan to get another one, so watch the Craigslist ads in Florida, there's some really nice ones down there. Fly down and drive it home.

My mechanic has already done a chassis swap. There was a couple in town that had a flower business and wedding photographers on weekends. They ran up 400K on their Element when the transmission went, but didn't want to part with it because of the added equipment like racks, blue tooth stero, custom seats etc .. My mechanic found an Element in a junk yard that had rolled down a hill, but otherwise had kept its shape though badly rumpled. So he and his crew came in on a weekend and hoisted the body off, and rolled the chassis under after gettinf all cables and wiring sorted. They were quite happy.

Honda set the age at 25 for market aim, but did not advertise or push it hard, being afraid of taking market share away from CRV. I admit it was strange the first I sat in, felt like I'd be driving a "four post bed."

In fairness to golf, if you have a few friends who just like to go out and have a good time, and can laugh it up without getting too serious, then you have found a good thing. As Clarence, Angel Second Class said in "Wonderful Life," "No man will ever be poor, so long as he has friends."

kurtr11s said:

Welcome Bruce!

I had the same 'revelation' with golf. After playing (a lot) over a 10 year period, I had one really bad day and decided to change my focus. Here is something I wrote for my triathlon club in 2004 as I was preparing for my first Ironman:

"One day during the summer of 2000, I was driving home from my weekly golf league match (and a couple of beers afterward) and got depressed thinking about how fat I had become (really just 'soft') and how crappy a golfer I was. I never liked golf anyway so I decided that evening that I was going to get in shape, quit golf, and become an 'athlete'. The next morning I got up early and went for a bike ride. When I came home that evening, I went for a run. I kept at it and ran a few 5k-s and rode two centuries that fall."

Then a vehicle came out that seemed perfect for triathletes. The ELEMENT! The seats were water resistant, which was great for post swim (or sweaty exercise). Ours got a lot of bicycle transport use. It was also the kayak carrier, had many motorcycles transported in it (had to remove a few parts of the bikes), tons of patio tiles, a full bathroom demolish. We picked up a new washing machine and the Home Depot guys helping us load the box told us there was no way that was going to fit. I had full confidence - and they were amazed when we got it in. We finally let it go after 13 years. They use a lot of salt here in the winter and stuff was rotting away. The inside of the car looked practically new and the paint was still good. I was having to replace a lot of brakes, brake lines, power steering lines, etc. After replacing a rusted oil pan, I decided I didn't want to work on that car any more. But it is missed.

I am sad that I don't have many pictures of that vehicle loaded up. It was before I had a smart phone so I didn't take many pictures then. Here was the first picture I took in 2006 with a new digital camera.

View attachment 79268

Click to expand...

Hooks and tie offs ....

Right,

I've stuffed a lot of bikes in the Element, and loading with the side doors open is actually easier than lifting them up to the rear gate ... what do you think?

And they supply floor level tie off loops in the rear corners and mid rear side doors as well as the ceiling hand grips normally used by passengers.

Sigh. All roads lead to Rome, hopefully the moderator will understand that it will have to pass from Elements to bicycles to motorcycles . . .

Lee said:

Welcome to the site.
The nice thing about a Element is it's tall enough to put bicycles in the back standing up instead of laying them down.

Click to expand...

I loaded many bikes in my Elements over the years, full DownHill rigs fit in fine, we even shuttled runs with 4 people and 4 bikes. I used to keep 3 or 4 bikes in it at all times. Personally I always found it easier loading from the back. I've also stuffed 5 different full size motorcycles in the back plus a 10' surfboard will fit in it. I really want another one but ask myself if I'm asking for trouble buying a 10 year old machine?

There was talk of a rerelease for 2019 but I guess it didn't happen.

Oh yeah, those are some good Element pictures, skibum!

Passenger seating is also awesome for sightseeing tours BUT getting people in and out with the suicide doors in tight parking lots was frustrating. 'OK, let me open my door, then you open yours, then you get out and I'll close my door so you can get by, then I'll get out and close all the doors'. What?

The other 'bad' thing about the Element was it's height. I couldn't get a sea kayak or canoe on the roof by myself. We had to carry a step stool so Michelle could get high enough to get the boats on and off.

Now we own two VW sportswagons. One is the alltrack model. The rack situation is better, the gas mileage is better, the handling is better/more fun, but the cargo capacity is nothing compared to the Element. I can put two bikes in the back but I have to lay them down and take the wheels off. I'm back to using a roof rack for short distances.

I deliberately did not go with a roof rack, no kayaks so no issue there but it was easy putting surfboards on the roof. The last couple of posts got me looking at used Elements again, there were a couple of '08's with pretty low mileage for more $$ than I have right now. Damn do I want another one!


Talk is new release for a 2021 model, maybe I'll just need to buy a new car?

shortythorne said:

I ride early in the morning, just before good daylight, and although there are more animals than other vehicles I would like suggestions on front & rear lights for my bicycle. I have a little Trek commuter bike. I have NO CLUE about this, and wanted to ask those who really ride. Also, for no more than I ride, I don't want to spend a lot of money. Do I need flashing, LED, etc.? Thanks, Gail

Click to expand...

For the back light we have a flashing Bontrager Flare R. Bontrager is a Trek brand.
For a couple years I had a flashing Blackburn headlight mainly for day time riding.
Last year I wanted better headlights for night riding for our Mackinac Island trip. Most of the island does not have any light.
It was really confusing trying to decide what to buy. I rarely ride at night so I wanted to spend less than $100 for the headlight.
I bought two Light and Motion Urban lights and I think it was 900 lumens.
Here's what it looked like at half power.


One thing I didn't like was when meeting another rider it was not easy to dim the light and get back to the setting I had.
A few more problems
It would burn my fingers if I touched the front of the light.
Sometimes it would turn on while charging and I was afraid it might scorch whatever it sat on if I was not baby setting it.
For daytime it has a pulse mode and to me this does not stand out as well as a flicker effect.

I bought them online from Trek Bicycle Super Store and they agreed to take them back. https://www.trekbicyclesuperstore.com/
The guy I talked to said they had a lot of returns on the light we had and would probably stop carrying it.
The Urban we had was a older light so maybe the other Light and Motion lights are ok?

When doing more research NiteRider that Kurt mentioned was one of the lights I considered.
I ended up with a Cycolite Dash 460. This is less light at 460 lumens but I use it more for daytime riding and when we were on the island 450 lumens was enough light for me.
https://cygolite.com/product/dash-460-usb/
I like that this one flickers in daytime mode.

One thing I would like in a headlight is a option for low beam and high beam without going through all the settings.

I would definitely consider getting another Element. If I could tow a small trailer with it, that would be perfect. Kayaks on top, bikes inside, 250 dual sports on the trailer.

Bruce, I think I was the jerk that took golf too seriously.

Honda marketing strategies ....

It did lack towing capacity .. my second hitch was a 2" .. but the Eiment was only rated for 1500 pounds I believe .. you want a solid real axle for any real weight ..

The back seats were an awkward in and out, even with providing a stool for passengers ....

I NEVER carried a canoe or kyack on the roof, it was a job hoisting it up there even for two people, and I always was afraid of breaking the moon roof glass, which was another marketing feature to imagine yourself gazing at the moon, while you slept in the folded down seats, which I tried once never again !

But there you go, it is what it is ....

kurtr11s said:

Oh yeah, those are some good Element pictures, skibum!

Passenger seating is also awesome for sightseeing tours BUT getting people in and out with the suicide doors in tight parking lots was frustrating. 'OK, let me open my door, then you open yours, then you get out and I'll close my door so you can get by, then I'll get out and close all the doors'. What?

The other 'bad' thing about the Element was it's height. I couldn't get a sea kayak or canoe on the roof by myself. We had to carry a step stool so Michelle could get high enough to get the boats on and off.

Now we own two VW sportswagons. One is the alltrack model. The rack situation is better, the gas mileage is better, the handling is better/more fun, but the cargo capacity is nothing compared to the Element. I can put two bikes in the back but I have to lay them down and take the wheels off. I'm back to using a roof rack for short distances.

View attachment 79277

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I did a wooden surfboard building course with a guy who was a car interior designer. He said the big wigs from Japan came over to California and talked to surfers about what they wanted in a vehicle. The big rear moon roof was designed for people to change in and out of their wetsuits and still be covered from the waist down. Makes sense to be but I've never bothered.

I think Honda is re-releasing the Element for 2021... https://hondacarmodels.com/2021-honda-element/ Even Scotty Kilmer mentioned it...