Bike Light Review

For 4 months out of the year I commute home in the dark. Not sunset, dusk, or twilight, I'm talking the dark of NIGHT, the witching hour, when good little boys/girls turn into pumpkins... OK, I'm out of lame darkness-related sayings. It's dark. On December 21st Seattle gets 8 hours and 25 minutes of daylight (sunrise to sunset). On the flip side we get nearly 16 hours of daylight on June 21. It is SOOO fun going for a bike ride at 8pm and coming back an hour later and the sun still hasn't gone down, but I digress. Back to the dark.

During the dark months of the year riding home in traffic is scary. Are you visible enough? Are the drivers paying attention? And if it is raining all bets are off. I wrote a lot about bike safety a while back and have strong opinions about what I think it takes to stay safe on the roads. Being visible is one of the most important things you do to improve your night time safety.

Which bike would you rather be? The one of the left or the one on the right?

What if you could be brigher than both without breaking the bank?

I started off my winter riding career with the basic Cateye front and rear lights (similar to the HL-EL135 and TL-TD150 respectively). It only took me a couple of night-time rides to figure out that these lights simply would not do.

There are 2 types of lights-

1. "Be Seen" Lights - cheaper lights that flash or strobe and are used primarily to increase your visibility. They are not very good if you actually want to see the road on a dark street. Cost: usually less than $20 each.
2. Headlights - These lights are bright enough to allow you to see the road/trail on a dark night with no other light sources around (i.e. street lights, the moon, or other vehicles). Cost: the cheaper ones start at $50 and go up from there.

By watching various clearance sales and websites (i.e. bonktown.com) I was able to pick up a very nice front headlight that goes up to 600 lumens-

Front light: Light & Motion ARC NiMH Bike Light (Discontinued)
Rear light: Planet Bike Superflash Stealth Rear

But I was unsatisfied with my overall visibility at night. One day I was shopping at REI and found a couple of products that would fit the bill: increase visibility at a low price point.

Wheel lights: CatEye SL-LD120 Orbit Spoke Light Kit

Frame light: BikeGlow Safety Light

Unboxing

The lights came with basic instructions for installation and battery insertion. No need for complicated tutorials here, these lights are pretty simple. 

Installation

Putting these lights on my bike was relatively simple. On the Bike Glow I attached the battery pack and wound the light cord around the bike frame, securing the end with the included zip tie and electrical tape.

The Orbit light was even easier: attach the center groove to a spoke and slide it toward the rim until the ajoining spokes secure the sides in place.

The final result, as seen in the dark-

Comparisons Videos

Now for the field test! To show just how these lights operate in the dark I, here are some videos...

The "before" shot - riding with just my front and rear lights.

 The "middle" shot - riding with just the new lights.

"After" - All lit up and nowhere to go (yet).

Summary

CatEye SL-LD120 Orbit Spoke Light Kit

Pros:

1. Great attachment to the spokes, very solid. We'll see how it wears over time.
2. Uses a very common battery.
3. Doesn't distract the rider's eye during use.

Cons:

1. Difficult to turn on/off without the right leverage.
2. Only available in 1 color (amber).

BikeGlow Safety Light

Pros:

1. Battery pack uses velcro strap and rubber to stay in place: very secure.
2. Zip ties and electrical tape included for installation.
3. Doesn't distract the rider's eye during use, even though it is visible (depends on how you install).
4. On/off button is easily accessible (I mounted the batter pack right below my seat on the top tube).

Cons:

1. Emits a very high frequency whine during operation which is only audible when not moving. When the light is in the flashing mode the whine goes on and off with the light.
2. Limited retail availability (REI only?)

Conclusion

These lights are cool and draw a LOT of attention. They greatly increase your visibility from the side where my other lights are primarily focused on the front and back. 

What about battery life? Not enough experience to guage this one. The Bike Glow runs on a 4 x AA batteries while the Orbit light uses a pair of CR2032 batteries. So far they have survived a couple weeks worth of night commuting with no issues or run-downs. 

The only downside that I can see is that they may attract TOO MUCH attention. They may cause people to gawk and increase other risk factors. Right now it's fun to tell people about them.

My kids saw it and immediately started calling my bike a light cycle and have named it "Flynn" after the main character of the movie Tron.

Light Cycle from Tron: Legacy

Ride Report - Bike To Work Day 2011

Commuter Station at NE 124th between Redmond/WoodinvilleLast Friday, May 20th, was Bike To Work Day (BTWD), a great excuse to get people to ride their bikes to work who usually don't have the time, energy, or motivation to otherwise do so. What does that mean for those of us who regularly commute via bike? More people to share the fun! The more people we can get biking the better.

There are bike snobs out there (sorry, I refuse to link to them) who think that Bike To Work Day is the worst day of the year. Some of those even boycott the day completely. I relish it! OK, maybe not, but I am no where near the attitude I refer to. If you want to read the vile put out there about the N00bs who dare to get in their precious way, then please go and do a search yourself. Go ahead, my blog will be waiting for you when you get back from cleaning the vomit off your keyboard.

My favorite BTWD in 2008 was the best. I was in fabulous shape (compared to years previous). I pulled up to a stoplight at the back of a pack of about 20 cyclists waiting to go up a big hill (corner of E. Lake Sammamish Pkwy and Leary Way in Redmond). As the light turned green the guys in the front (obviously not regular riders) were having trouble getting started which caused the group to stop, accordion style. I pulled out to the left of the group and was able to pass the entire group. As I climbed the hill I was able to look back using my rear-view mirror to see the incredible carnage playing out behind me: people falling over because they stopped mid-stroke and couldn't unclip, pushing their bikes (out of shape), while the regular commuters weaved around them trying not to become a victim themselves. Overall there were no serious injuries but lots of colorful metaphors.

This year I decided to do something new: a long route starting early in the morning that would take me by 2 of the BTWD commute stations (i.e. SWAG stops). I even invited some friends from work to join in the fun.

• Start time: 7:20 am
• Estimated distance: 19.24 miles
• Estimated climbing: 1033 feet
• Estimated time: 90 minutes
• SWAG stops to hit: 2

Of course things don't always go as planned...

• Actual start time: 7:35 am (missed meeting my friends)
• Actual distance: 28.87 miles
• Actual climbing: 1520 feet
• Elapsed time: 2:01:55
• Swag stops hit: 3

      Commute Station on the Sammamish River TrailThe weather was FABULOUS (sunny, highs in the 60s) with very little wind. I kept to my route for the most part but diverted north on the Sammamish River Trail a bit to hit a third SWAG stop in Woodinville. The bad news was that they were closing up shop. The good news was that they told me to take as much food as I wanted because they didn't want to transport it. SWEET! I loaded up on samples of nuts, dried fruit bars, Cliff Bars, and assorted other snacks (this proved useful later). The other commute stations along the way at 60 Acres and the 520 trail were also very thin so I didn't stay long at either place.

The final destination of the morning was a BTWD breakfast hosted by my employer but when I arrived I found that they had literally just run out of food. No! What was to be the highlight of my day turned out to be a bit of a downer. As I was sulking, looking at the empty tables, a good friend, Steve, arrived as well to find the bad news. That's when I remembered by bag full of snacks! The two of us sat down, exchanged ride stories, and chowed down on all the snacks I picked up earlier. The morning had been saved.

Overall the day was a success: I got in my long-ride for the week, hit the commute stations, ate some pretty good food, and socialized with some friends. When I got back to the office I took inventory of the SWAG take for the day, including the snacks that weren't eaten earlier...

BTWD SWAG collection

My ride home was supposed to be an easy 8-mile ride that I have done hundreds of times before but it was not to be. Only 3.5 miles into the ride I popped a spoke nipple and ended up taking the bus home...

Popped rear spoke, drive side spoke nippleMy saving grace, KC Metro route 269

To end the day I took the family down to the Marymoor Park Velodrome in Redmond for some bike racing action. My kids eat this stuff up, especially the Kiernan race with the scooter...

Setting up for the Cat-4 Chariot heat

Next year I think I'll start something new: "Bike to anywhere but work day," thinking that I will take the day off to just bike anywhere that suits my fancy.

Bike Commuting: How?

This post is the second in a series on bike commuting and covers some of the "how" related to bike commuting. Other posts include Why?,  When?, Safety, and Weather Issues.

Commuter Bikes

If I had a nickel for every time someone asked me "What kind of bike should I buy?" I would be a rich man.

The short answer is: whatever bike that you will ride the most. Does that sound odd? The most expensive bike in the world is the one you never ride. I'll write up a longer article around bikes later on but here are the basics:

1. Fit: this is first-A-#1 important. If your bike doesn't fit then you will be miserable and might even develop muscular, skeletal, or posture related issues.  And you probably won't ride it very often. A good bike shop will start with fit (probably charging you for it) and move on to bike models from there.
2. Bike type: Off-road, touring, road racing, TT/Tri bike... the list goes on. If you are training for triathlons then you have to ask yourself: do you want a tri bike that you can use for commuting or a commuter bike that can be used for triathlons? I went somewhere in the middle: a carbon road bike that doubles as a good-weather commuter with clip-on aero bars for tri racing.
3. Find a good LBS (local bike shop). A good LBS will find the best bike that fits your body and for the type of riding you will doing. After the sale be sure to patronize them for accessories, clothing, and maintenance since their margins on bike sales are razor thin. When you need them in a pinch that relationship can help you get expidited maintenance/repairs and the only thing it will cost you is a dozen doughnuts extra.
4. Test Ride: Narrow down your selection to 2-3 bikes and then take them out for a ride. And I'm not talking about a 5-10 minute trip around the block. Get out on a trail or road and spend a good hour-plus in the saddle. Do you like the way it handles? Does it shift smoothly? Do you like the saddle? (most places will switch out saddles)
5. Ride it early and often. Most shops will work with you to fine-tune your setup in the first month or so, even switching out components or saddles with minimal cost (unless you upgrade). They are less likely to do this if you let the bike sit for 6 months before you decide you need a 135mm saddle instead of a 125mm.

One last word on shoes: if you are new to riding get yourself a good pair of bike shoes. Cleat type is subjective but most any will work in the long run. Your pedal power will increase tremendously, especially on hills. Don't believe me? Borrow a pair from a friend or try a test ride at your LBS and you will be convinced. On my first climb up Sahalee Way (a local street hill near my house) I cut over 3 minutes off my time (1 mile, 10% average grade). And the next day I couldn't stand up from the muscle soreness. Don't make that mistake and ease into climbing big hills.

Commute Gear

Where do I start? The basics for your basic "fair weather rider" can be pretty slim -

1. Jersey
2. Shorts
3. Socks
4. Shoes
5. Gloves (light, fingerless variety)
6. Helmet
7. Bike
8. Bike Computer
9. Repair Kit (pump, spare tube)
10. Flashy lights (be-seen lights)

Seems pretty spartan, right? That's the point. In the warm months (late Spring through early Fall) I don't carry much more than that. I do sometimes have a small backpack for my computer which I sometimes have to bring home.

In the colder/wetter months the list gets MUCH longer, changing to long-sleeve jerseys, long cycling pants, rain jacket, the list goes on (for the full list, check the gear page). The point with my clothes is not necessarily to stay dry but to stay warm even though you may get very wet. I have been so wet that I was literally pouring water out of my shoes at the end of the ride but was toasty warm.

Why the bike computer? I use my Garmin as a training aid and because I'm a statistics nerd who is anal about numbers. I use the course feature every day and race against my best times for a given route to see if I can get a faster time. The training this provides allows me to skip a trip to the gym several times a week.

If you are on a budget it makes sense to start out as a fairweather commuter and then venture out into the cold and wet when you have gathered enough gear to make it comfortable. It only takes a couple of cold commutes to figure out where your tolerances lie.

Issue #1: Time

The first big hurdle I had to overcome was time. It takes time to commute by bike, typically more than by car. When I first began bicycle commuting my typical commute by car was 40 minutes "in" and 45-60 minutes to get home (round trip of 85-105 minutes). The ride in via bike was just under an hour of riding. Add in all the other time factors and the 1-way trip can be even longer-

1. 5 minutes: gather gear for your bike and fill water bottle
2. 5 minutes: pre-flight check on your bike (brakes, tire pressure, chain lubrication status, etc)
3. 55 minutes: actual ride time (varies from 50-60 minutes)
4. 10 minutes: shower/change (a MUST in my case, but YMMV)

Total time: 75 minutes. Compare that to my 40 minute car commute and the time starts to add up quickly. My drive and ride times have gone down recently (20-25 by car and 35 by bike) but that means the comparison of bike to car is now 25 vs. 55 minutes (more than double the time). Making this choice means making some time sacrifices in other aspects of your personal/work schedule. In bad weather months the car commute time goes up to 40-60 minutes while the bike times remain about the same.

What about other forms of commuting? Is a bus worth the time? In my case the answer is "maybe". If I time it right I can be to work in just under an hour by bus, which includes walking time (bus stop is 1/3 of a mile away from my house) and time on the bus (bus stop is a few hundred yards from my office). It is an option on days where I don't wish to ride but still much longer than by car.

Sometimes busses can be incredibly slow, as illustrated by this video by a NYC commuter where he beat a bus in a 1 mile race on a Manhattan street on a big wheel. Yes, a child's play toy can be faster than riding a bus in a metro area with high street congestion. Imagine what you can do if you bike, run/jog, rollerblade, etc.

Issue #2: Weather

The day I'm writing this section (18 Apr 2011) it snowed on me. Then in the afternoon of the same day it was sunny with only a few clouds. Unless you are in the desert in the middle of summer or Monsoon season in southeast Asia your weather can be an unpredictable nightmare. Do you dress warm? Do you bring a rain jacket? Should you be prepared and suffer the extra weight of all that ballast?

Here are my main rules for weather:

1. Temp below freezing or ice/snow on the ground = I don't ride. I can drive my car in the ice/snow but riding on 2 wheels without studded snow tires is a recipe for disaster. My preference for remaining injury free overides my necessity to ride every day.
2. I made the investment in rain/cold weather gear so, by jove, I'm going to use it. Rain won't stop me but hail/snow will force me to pull over and wait it out. Have you ever had hail hit you in the face at 40 MPH? It doesn't feel good.
3. If there is even a hint of rain in the forecast I bring along my rain gear, or at least my rain jacket.

Issue #3: Fitness (Getting Started)

This issue depends completely on your locality, commute distance, and topography (more on topography below). If you are a couch potato, like I used to be, getting on a bike and riding even 5 to 10 miles can be a challenge. When I first bought my road bike, after a 10+ year hiatus from cycling, I rode it around the block. I learned 2 things immediately-

1. Pinch flats can be easily prevented with proper tire inflation. }B^)
2. I was incredibly out of shape, even though I had recently lost 60+ pounds via diet and exercise.

It may take several months of dedicated riding to get your fitness level up to the point where you are comfortable commuting on a daily basis. At any rate, go to your doctor and get a physical exam before starting a bike commute regimen, just as you should before starting ANY exercise program.

Issue #4: Breakdowns

I HATE flat tires. I have very little tolerance for them, so much so that I spent extra money on some Schwalbe Marathon  and Durano tires for my commute bikes that are nearly bullet proof. I also ride with Slime Tubes (self-healing tubes). This allows me to ride on all types of surfaces that may not exactly be "debris free" and do it without the fear of getting a flat. 

So what do you do if find yourself with a mechanical issue that can't be fixed with the supplies you have on hand (which, for me, is most anything other than a flat tire or broken chain link)? You must have a backup plan. That plan can include having a taxi company in your cell phone address book (make sure you ask them to send a mini-van or car with large trunk for your bike), have your spouse or significant other on-call, and/or ride along a bus route where you can catch the bus and get a ride home.

I have done all 3. It never hurts to be extra prepared.

Issue #5: Emergencies

How do you get home quickly/immediately if there is a some type of emergency involving your family, the weather, or your health? Once again this is where you need to make additional plans ahead of time. The taxi, spouse/significant other, and bus are options. Some employers also provide a "ride home" in such emergencies if it happens while you are at work and will transport you home at no cost to you. YMMV.

Issue #6: Topography

I live in the Seattle, WA area and man, do we have hills! My typical commute is 8 miles and 650 feet of climbing, each way. Yes, my commute is "up hill both ways". I'm sure some day my kids will laugh at that joke. On my way home I immediately drop 300 feet of elevation in the first mile, ride across a valley, then climb up 400 feet and end it with a couple of rollers. My ride into work is the opposite.

Hills can be a big challenge. If you don't have a shower facility at your work this may be a show-stopper. Some of us (ahem, like me) really work up a sweat that would make me rather "anti-social" without at least a quick shower before returning to work.

Your fitness level may dictate if this is even an option. It was several months before I was able to climb the hills around here without stopping to catch my breath. Now it's not even a consideration. The only time I have stopped on a hill since then was due to mechanical or weather issues.

Issue #7: Illness

As I wrote recently, illness can be a huge issue for commuting/training. The summer months are the easiest because the sickness level at our house goes through the roof once school starts.

So what do you do if you get sick? Well, that depends on what exactly is making you sick. Common cold? Bacterial infection in your nose, sinuses, and/or throat? You might be able to ride. Ear congestion? Dizzy, vomiting, or flu symptoms? Hang up your helmet and stay home. Your best bet is to talk to your doctor. Sorry, there is no easy answer on this one.

Well that about does it. Next time we cover more safety strategies.

}B^)

2010 Mileage Report

Back in 2006 I took a statistics class at a local junior college as part of my transfer program to finally finish  my college degree. I needed to find a statistically interesting set of stats to study for my final class report. It took a while to decide but I remembered something weird. My wife learned a habit from her father: when you fill up with gas, always write down the information in a note pad for future reference. She records gas fill-ups, oil changes, brake and tire replacements, any service done on the car, etc. The information looks like this...

Car Mileage Recond 

It is a simple spreadsheet in a spiral notebook. The data fields are date, mileage, fuel cost, gallons purchased, and dollars spent. You will also notice the notation of an air filter replacement and tranmission fluid flush/fill.

Using this data I came up with a range of interesting statistics:

1. Miles per gallon
2. Average miles driven per day/month/year
3. Dollars spent per day on fuel
4. Miles/time between oil changes

Since I always buy gas from the same place (when possible) the data also show the historical price per gallon in a fairly accurate way (regular unleaded). One of these days I'll post on my blog the results of the study I did regarding the relationship between gas prices, my driving habits, and my fuel buying habits.

Since putting all this data into Excel is a bit arduous I do it about once a year. This time around I found it had been 3 years since my last update to my ever-growing spreadsheet. I did buy the car new 14 years ago! (1998 Subaru Legacy L wagon)

What did I find out this year?

1. Average miles driven per day: declined 3 years running to 19.71. This is the lowest level since 2003 (18.84) and a significant drop over 2007 (27.33).
2. Total miles per year: same decline as #1, following the same trend. The high in 2007 was 9974 while the low in 2010 was 7195.
3. Gallons purchased followed the same pattern as miles driven but the changes in dollars spent was amplified by the volitility of fuel prices. 2008 was a lower mileage year than 2007 but a spike in gas prices in 2008 raised total fuel purchased to $1416, a $91 increase over 2007, and $387 higher than 2010 ($1029).

Bike mileage -

• 2007-08: 1475, avg. 737 per year (missed about 300 miles before I purchased my first odometer)
• 2009: 1727 = 784 (old odometer) + 943 (garmin.com, includes 450 miles for 2009 Cycle Oregon)
• 2010: 950 miles

Conclusions:

1. I'm a major nerd. Anyone who knows me will confirm that fact.
2. Buying my bike in 2007 dramatically reduced the miles I drive per year. 2003 was the year after our twins were born so we didn't go very far that year (not much other than commuting, plus vacation and 1 month infant care leave, all spent at home).
3. As my bike commute miles stack up the miles driven in my car continue to decline.
4. Gas prices are fairly volitale but still below the high of a couple years ago ($4.35 on June 26, 2008)
5. My crash in August 2010 really put a dent in my annual biking mileage but not my car mileage.

The rest of this year should be even better than '09 as long as I stay injury free. I signed up for Cycle Oregon again this year, which should add another 500 miles, and I'm already above 200 miles for 2011 YTD. Maybe I can reach 2000 miles for the year?

Sorry Kris, I got nothin' on you...

Daily Mile Blog entry about Kris R, a guy I know from work.

It's cold in January

After a week of 50+ degree days it was pretty darn cold this morning. As I walked out the door the temp outside was 36.4F. I have enough gear to keep me warm but the brisk air can be quite a shock when you are bombing down Sahalee Way at 40+ MPH (1 mile downhill at 10-12% grade).

On the way back home it was about the same temp since the sun had just gone down. The first thing I do on the return commute is drop 300 feet of elevation in the first mile. That can be bone-chillingly cold.

I complain about the cold but it doesn't take long before I have worked my heart rate up into the 130-140 range and I'm toasty warm.

Remember that hill I bombed down in the morning? I get to climb back up it each night on the way home. Tonight I popped a spoke in my rear wheel about 50 yards up that 1 mile grade. After stopping to check for additional damage I rode home a slower and with more rolling resistance than I would have liked (rim was rubbing the brakes). Popping spokes is a frequent problem for me due to my weight (250+). It's typically a failure in the spoke nipple. I think it's time I replaced all the spoke nipples in my rear wheel with brass (strongest you can get). Durability is my goal, not decreased bike weight.

The increased effort added more than 5 minutes to my commute and really drained me of energy. Yet another bump in the road but not enough to stop the train.

I think my cadence sensor is going south. On my long ride last Saturday and today's ride in and back home had issues with the cadence sensor not picking up the speed of the wheel, although cadence seemed to be registering. Replacing the battery didn't help so it seems I may have to replace the sensor. I'll try out my other commuter bike tomorrow which also has a cadence sensor to see if the issue persists.

Happy winter biking!