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CSIT RTW Bulletin #27: Jul 2003

http://cs.anu.edu.au/csitRTW/bulletins/RTW.27.Jul03.html
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Feature: On the brighter side of lights

While my $50 2.5W Halogens have worked OK for many a year now, there have been times when I could have done with something better, particularly on the bike paths (consider the ANU-Weston path at night): One of the advantages of having a RTW group such as ours is to see (demonstrated in the dark) what solutions others have found. These include, in order of increasing price:
  1. a 5 LED (CatEye) light. Slightly more expensive, but the beam is still weaker and narrower than the 2.5W Halogens. But partially mitigating this is that the beam is very uniform; and they are more robust with a far longer the running time (>5 hours on rechargeable AAs). Maybe one day LED technology will get there...
    Not really what I was after (the shop assistant said so but dammit I ignored this advice). But I found that with a helmet mount such a light can be made far more effective, particularly if used combination with the Halogens on the bars. Although not designed for this purpose, a sticky pad plus some strips of electricians tape was enough to mount it securely (feels a bit funny during the day though).
  2. Vistalite Nightsticks. Quite popular is the 5W with a NiCad battery, all easily detachable. This has a very bright but narrow central beam, fine for road riding.
    With 10W globes and above, it gets more expensive, requiring an upgrade to a NiMh battery as well. The standard 10W was still a little narrow on its own, but they used to make an adjustable beam light which could be made wide enough.
  3. Nite Rover, which have a 6.5W wide light and a 6/10W spote light. The battery is slightly heavier than the Nightsticks, but with the 10W spote, the beam has the reach and width that I wanted.
That takes us to a budget of nearly $200. You can of course get more power if you are prepared pay for it :). Many thanks to Steve, John, Bill and Richard for demonstrating (even lending) their lights.

Re: Avoiding Punctures

Another angle on previously discussed strategies on this topic is NoTubes: air is pumped directly into the outer tubes (glued to the rims), which also contain a hefty sealant. As well as being potentially very robust, it permits you to use lower type pressures (useful for mountain bike riding). The June issue of Underground gives some experiences on using these.

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