Both my spouse and I ride the SW path north of Midvale at night. I agree you need a reasonable light. Since it will be some time before the ambient lighting improvements discussed later in this tread are implemented, in the short term you need a better light. Besides, you can always use a better light on other routes.
May I suggest two possibilities? 1. Get a high quality two AA battery LED flashlight such as the Fenix L2D Q5 Premium (this is an older model still available from some vendors; you do not want the lower output CE model) or its successor, the Fenix LD20 (which does not add significant cycling relevant features). Run them at their "Turbo" setting; overheating is not an issue while biking. Get a mount such as the TwoFish LockBlock. Get at least four AA NiMH rechargeable batteries so you have a spare pair (alkaline AA's are not suited to the current this bright light draws). I suggest a low self-discharge NiMH such as the Sanyo Eneloops. This sacrifices a bit of battery capacity for a battery that stays nearly fully charged for months. We have three L2D Premium Q5's, one for each bicyclist in the house. This light has a tight enough beam for a helmet light but enough spill for handlebar mounting. I prefer it helmet mounted for the ability to see into turns and the convenience; no need to worry about theft if you just take your helmet with you. It is also a nice complement to choice #2 below. Fenix L2D Premium Q5: vendor1<http://www.fenixoutfitters.com/-strse-161/Fenix-L2D-Q5/Detail.bok> vendor2 <http://www.batteryjunction.com/fenix-l2d-q5.html> Fenix LD20 Premium Q5: vendor1<http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_69_71&products_id=362> vendor2 <http://www.batteryjunction.com/fenix-ld20.html> Flashlight mounts: TwoFish LockBlocks or Fenix 360<http://www.4sevens.com/index.php?cPath=92>(I suggest the LockBlocks for versatility of helmet or handlebar mounting) Batteries & Charger: Sanyo Eneloop with charger package at CostCo is about $22 or buy similar package with even better LaCrosse BC-900, BC-9009, or MAHA MH-C9000 chargers from Thomas Distributing<http://www.thomasdistributing.com/index.htm?gclid=CLOmyonKwJ0CFSXyDAoddWYvtQ> . CandlePower Forums review of the L2D Q5 Premium<http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=191220> CandlePower Forums is THE Internet flashlight forum; http://www.flashlightreviews.com/index.html is probably the runner-up. 2. Magicshine 900 Lightset from Geoman<http://www.geomangear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=4_41>(rather than DealExtreme). Complete system: light with mount, batteries, charger. Measured at about twice the lumens of the Fenix. He is selling them out as fast as he can get them. You WILL see and be seen. See for example: We thought your were a motorcycle<http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=585441> Has anyone tried the Magicshine 900<http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=576697&page=14>(presently a 14 page thread) Magicshine P-7 Headlight Measurement<http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=588853> I learned all the above over the last year or so from BikeForums *Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets* <http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php?f=259> subfourm. There are other possibilities, particularly in the flashlight route, but evidently you get may quality problems in the long term or, for high output, need to go to lights using individual 18650 LiIon batteries (I have, but not for everyone). The Magicshine comes with a prewired pack of four of these. On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 1:19 PM, India Rose Viola <[email protected]> wrote: > Because of a night class that I am taking out at UW Research Park, I have > recently been riding on the Southwest Path between Monroe and Glenway > between 6-10pm and find it startlingly dark. Dark enough that my > standard-issue headlight does not give me enough time to anticipate > obstacles or people in the path. It also makes me feel particularly > isolated and vulnerable on my bike (I am generally a confident night > cyclist). I know that the path is very close to many neighbors' back yards, > so any added lighting would need to be sensitive to that. As an urban bike > commuter I really enjoy having the option of riding on a city path at night > when I need (or want) to get from point A to point B. Is this something > that other people are also concerned about, or should I just invest in > brighter bike lights? > > I am comparing the lightedness of the Southwest Path to area streets and > also to the John Nolan Path and the segment of the Capital City Trail that > runs behind Atwood Ave along the railroad tracks which are on my > daily/nightly route. I feel much safer on these east-side paths because of > the amount of light provided at night. > > -India > > *********************** > India Viola > UW-Madison > Stretton Lab > 115 Zoology Research Bldg. > 1117 W. Johnson St. > Madison, WI 53706 > 608.262.3336 > *********************** > > "How can we learn from our mistakes if we don't first acknowledge them?" > -Anonymous > > "We exist in the bacterial world, not bacteria in ours" -Stuart Levy > _______________________________________________ > Bikies mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org > -- W. Madison
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