Road Cycling Essentials

[rogan]

This summer I was doing repeats of Highgate West Hill, certainly not fun! Those hills are so steep even though they are short

i'd heard the pains of people doing it then just went out with the plan to an a 90 minute ride around while it was sunny, didnt even take a water bottle with me

accidently came upon highgate west after about 40 minutes and just went home after i needed water so bad

 

[platypus]

Why would you subject your bikes to being left outside all the time? That's just sick!

I know. Talk about jilting ones lover.

 

[One More Solo]

This summer I was doing repeats of Highgate West Hill, certainly not fun! Those hills are so steep even though they are short

10 repeats of that or Swains Lane is worse than anything in the Alps, that's for sure.

 

[[Damien]]

i haven't used my bottom ring yet :/

That's what she said

(couldn't resist)

 

[PermaChanged]

i haven't used my bottom ring yet :/ i barely use the middle one!

And that's why you should have a double/compact and not a triple

 

[Jonny69]

Why would you subject your bikes to being left outside all the time? That's just sick!

I lost my garage when I moved and instead I've got a selection of brick out-houses. None of them are quite big enough for everything, so my tools are all stacked in one, bikes lined up in another and car stuff piled up in the third one. I've got my two commuters out the weather now, but I need to buy a shed really.

 

[Saundie]

I lost my garage when I moved and instead I've got a selection of brick out-houses. None of them are quite big enough for everything, so my tools are all stacked in one, bikes lined up in another and car stuff piled up in the third one. I've got my two commuters out the weather now, but I need to buy a shed really.

Well, I had no idea you'd moved! Where are you now?

I'd also like to say that, on a personal note, it's nice to see that I am not the only one with two commuter bikes

 

[grudas]

And that's why you should have a double/compact and not a triple

well its there if i need it but double/compact would have been fine too it came with my triban 3 so w/e can't complain for an extra i suppose

 

[DIABLO]

Having recently changed jobs, I'm now in a position to be able to cycle to work. The journey is only 3 miles, but my journey home will be after sunset and as such I want to get a decent set of lights. Most of my routes are on cycle paths but there is some road travel.

Ideally I want a set that are decent with good light output but not overpriced for the daily 15 mins journey time.

Any suggestions?

Can't beat this for the money, the front is super bright. Almost comparable to a single car light on high beam on the brightest setting i would say.


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181007055416?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

And if you perfere a wide angle of light instead of a spot light buy this replacement lens. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261119985356?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

With wide angle lens http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=23074602&postcount=14604
Without wide angle lens http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=23046973&postcount=14394

In my opinion the wide angle lens makes a world of difference .
Battery lasts for a decent amount of time too, mine ran for 2h40m's the other day using a mixture of low and high beam and the battery wasn't flat at the end so i have no trouble believing the sellers 3h on high beam claim.

 

[Bigsy]

The above magicshine clone lights are very good, I'm a bit of a flashaholic and use one with the wide angle lens.

Just watch out for the battery packs, they're no where near waterproof, I've wrapped mine in loads of electical tape and feel it would stand up to the heavy showers now.

 

[Edinho]

As above great light got 3 for £20 each.


But.... they do need modifying slightly.

1) The mount is pathetic. Got some cam mount from dealxtreme for £3 each but need a bit of simple surgery to attach the light to the mount. But once it's done it's easy to put on and off the bike.

2) The battery mounts are pathetic and the battery if it sees a drop of moisture will die. I have placed mine in several poly bags and put them in a water bottle - again easy to put on and off the bike.

3) You really need the wide angle lens. I mount 2 lights one with the wide angle and one spot does really well.

Really a cracking light and cheap enough so that when you crash you wont be crying over a £300 light bill.

 

[PermaChanged]

Could you get some pictures of your Cree mounted with the cam mount please Edinho? Sounds interesting.

 

[grudas]

so what exactly is the point of lights like that if you're commuting on well lit road? i personally laugh at people who have really bright lights and commute in central london! i would only use one to light up my path if i was riding through parks/etc but in my commute all i would want is something that is easy to see from a distance

not having a go at any of you just kinda stating that its pointless in my eyes when you commute in well lit roads i know a lot of you commute in country lanes and so on and that is exactly where a light like this should be used.

 

[PermaChanged]

I was fine with a cheaper light, until I got faster, when you're hitting 30mph when the winds in the right direction you need something similar to a car light!

 

[DIABLO]

Could you get some pictures of your Cree mounted with the cam mount please Edinho? Sounds interesting.

Would be interested in some links to what you bought and some pics as well man.

 

[Bennie-Mac]

Just curious if anyone has bought one of the cheap maintenance stands off eBay and whether they are any good? Some of the prices of ones from established shops are silly money. Ta

 

[MikeHunt79]

1) The mount is pathetic. Got some cam mount from dealxtreme for £3 each but need a bit of simple surgery to attach the light to the mount. But once it's done it's easy to put on and off the bike.

I had to modify my mount also as my handlebars were too fat in the middle.

Using a 50mm M6 bolt instead of the shorter supplied M5 bolt seems to work but it's a bit of a bodge, so I'd be interesting in seeing how your mount worked. Do you have the item number of the DX item you ordered as that place seems to have an endless amount of handlebar mounts.

2) The battery mounts are pathetic and the battery if it sees a drop of moisture will die. I have placed mine in several poly bags and put them in a water bottle - again easy to put on and off the bike.

The soldering on the battery tabs is pretty poor also, I accidentally dropped the battery onto a wood floor, and the tab came off.

I've now replaced the whole battery setup and connector with a Deans connector, and I've put some Sony 18650's down my steerer tube along with a lot of bathroom sealant. While it's not pretty, it works and has survived a fair few rainy commutes.

3) You really need the wide angle lens. I mount 2 lights one with the wide angle and one spot does really well.

I'll have to try the wide angle lens a go, see how it compared to the stock setup.

 

[burtie]

I Bought some planet x 52mm carbon clinchers yesterday while I had the spare cash and some Speedplay pedals, tyres, saddle bag and some new bar tape.

Cycling seems to be costing me more then my PC used to.

 

[ci_newman]

Can't beat this for the money, the front is super bright. Almost comparable to a single car light on high beam on the brightest setting i would say.


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181007055416?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

And if you perfere a wide angle of light instead of a spot light buy this replacement lens. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261119985356?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

With wide angle lens http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=23074602&postcount=14604
Without wide angle lens http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=23046973&postcount=14394

In my opinion the wide angle lens makes a world of difference .
Battery lasts for a decent amount of time too, mine ran for 2h40m's the other day using a mixture of low and high beam and the battery wasn't flat at the end so i have no trouble believing the sellers 3h on high beam claim.

Thanks for this.

What is the difference between the items listed in the ebay link and from somewhere like this?

http://www.candb-seen.co.uk/bikehead-lights/cabs-02-series---cree-xml.html

 

[DIABLO]

Thanks for this.

What is the difference between the items listed in the ebay link and from somewhere like this?

http://www.candb-seen.co.uk/bikehead-lights/cabs-02-series---cree-xml.html

looks near enough to be same appart from different style of metal casing on the Lamp itself. Because of that I can't guantee that wide angle lens i linked will fit.