I got a Radbot 1000 in the end (single 1W LED) and I found a heavily discounted Fibre Flare for on my bag. I got the Radbot from Evans, so if I'm not happy with the mount it's easy enough to return.
Ok, don't buy a Radbot. Light output is good but the unit is crap. It has no seals and the push-button is on the back, so it's just going to fill up with water. On-off function is annoying because the action of pressing on-off also scrolls it onto the next flash function, so the light will never switch back on to the function you were last using and you'll always have to scroll through all of them to get back to it.
Other points neither negative or positive: it is quite big because of the reflector, it is sturdy, held together with a screw in a proper metal threaded insert.
http://road.cc/content/news/133598-want-ride-faster-hunker-down-hoods
Interesting read^
I tend to cycle more with my forearms as flat as possible and with my fingers round the tops and front of the hoods, adopting more of a TT sort of position and feel like I can go faster.
The article actually states that your aero can be better doing that then going to the drops and ducking your head.
Ok, I've read most of the academic paper and I think we need to pay particular attention to the front-on and side-on photos of the rider - particularly the bike fit. That's a pretty short bike for that rider. I think it's having a significant affect on those results.
See how when he is on the drops his back is nowhere near horizontal or flat. It should be. See how when he has forearms horizontal he is much closer to that position? This is because of the added reach he has to the hoods. The shortness of that bike is forcing him into a crouch and sitting high at the front, which I don't think is correct. TdF riders don't ride bikes that short. I don't think you'd see any pro rider riding a bike with a fit like that.
TdF descenders get their forearms horizontal on the drops and manage to get their backs much more horizontal and level - much more aerodynamic. Yes they do it on the hoods as well, but they are much lower at the front when using the drops for it.
Now the head position. We already know that a high head position or dropped head position affects the overall aero. It's what pointy hats are for. But pointy hats only work optimally if you don't move your head from that position and have a significant effect on drag if you deviate your head up or down. If you watch any of the big TTs you'll see that even pro riders can't do this, which is why many of them are now using that Kask helmet which doesn't have the long pointy tail in it. It's not as aerodynamic when held in the optimum position, but we know that almost no rider is able to hold his/her head there and just having a small peak is a better compromise than trying to go 100%.
I think my point is you can't just go on what's in some research. I see some cyclists out on a Sunday who are on the hoods and look like they're riding down the road carrying a tray of teas in front of them - they would never get in an aero position on or off the hoods. You really need to see yourself in profile and adjust your position to suit. And ride a longer bike so you can actually get your back down near level, don't rely on the hoods for that on a bike that is actually too short foe you.
