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Bike Lights for Night Riding

cantunamunch

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Would you be able to share the FB group name(s) / listserves?

The one I specifically mentioned is https://www.facebook.com/groups/dcusedicyclemarketplace/

I am not going to list other public ones because the actually cheap ones are also stolen bike dumping grounds.

I am looking to get few more accessories for the bike.

Okies.


I like my "new" bike so far, like the drop bar and it is more nimble than cross bar.

Cool. :thumb:

Only thing I don't like, shock absorption is not as good as my old bike. Is it because of the aluminum frame?

NO. Here is a truth marketing will never tell you: At budget bike level shock absorption has absolutely nothing to do with bike frame material.



It can get very bouncy on Mt. Vernon trail. Can't justify the cost to get a carbon fiber frame for my use purpose, but I am open to it if there is a good deal out there.

Forget that. There are two things you can do right now to change the way your bike rides over tree rooted asphalt:

1) Change the way you ride - if the surface is rough, train your legs to take your body weight and hover over your saddle. I am not saying to stand over the pedals but to consciously use your leg power to diminish the weight on the saddle.

This lets your knees and ankles soak up a lot of bounce energy that would otherwise use your body weight as a hard pivot and bounce up into your hands. Also use a soft-but-firm, pulling-back grip on your bars. All this can become automatic in less than 200mi.

2) Hack your tire width and tire pressure. This is a long process but can completely change the feel of the bike. You are a lightweight rider and it will work better for you than for us heavies.

Wider tires at lower pressure absorb better - but not so low as to get pinch flats and not so low as to squirm in turns.

Yes I know this second thing is a bottomless rabbithole with highly individual criteria but it is far cheaper than buying new bikes and forks and wheels.
 
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fosphenytoin

fosphenytoin

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@cantunamunch : thanks for all the info. Appreciated it! I joined the FB group, it has some nice deals, will keep an eye out for accessories.
I was always told: steel frame provides the best shock absorption, but it is heavy. Hence comes in carbon fiber, but it is light, pricey though.
My previous bike is steel frame with carbon fork and I do feel it was less bouncy.

My current bike max tire pressure is 125, I have it set at 80-90. I think it is fine since I am a light weight? As for tire width, it is not the skinniest, closer to hybrid for gravel bike? (I don't know how find the tire width...)
 

cantunamunch

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@cantunamunch : thanks for all the info. Appreciated it! I joined the FB group, it has some nice deals, will keep an eye out for accessories.
I was always told: steel frame provides the best shock absorption, but it is heavy. Hence comes in carbon fiber, but it is light, pricey though.

All that makes a nice narrative but engineers are a little bit more competent than that. The distinctions you mention there are ONLY valid for frames that have been taken to their minimal weight limits. Anything that isn't optimised for pure performance will give any competent engineer room to design for comfort and cost and durability - and the moment that happens, material type distinction gets washed away.


My previous bike is steel frame with carbon fork and I do feel it was less bouncy.

Bike weight, bike frame size and geometry, steering factor all are more direct factors. Remember that nimbleness you like in the new bike? That also means it can get thrown about more easily. How stretched out you are is also a big factor.


My current bike max tire pressure is 125, I have it set at 80-90. I think it is fine since I am a light weight?

Not only is it fine, it's still high.

I weigh double what you do. I ride 90 in a 700x28 on smooth roads.

On junky roads, on my allroad bike (700x32), I'm just below 50psi with supple tires. With inserts and 700x35 I can go down below 40.

As for tire width, it is not the skinniest, closer to hybrid for gravel bike? (I don't know how find the tire width...)

Giant supplies that bike with 700x28 tires that are durable but not particularly supple (read: not supple at all). I've been assuming you still have that on there. They say it should be able to fit 700x35 so you should be able to fit up to cyclocross sizes no problem. The size is printed on the sidewall of the tire.
 
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chris_the_wrench

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@firebanex or anyone else.

My old mtb light systems had external batteries. During the winter I would wrap the external battery in a beer cozy with a disposable hand warmer and then tuck the whole contraption into a small frame bag that fit right behind the headtube. That allowed the batteries to last ALOT longer way for cold rides. Current light is an internal battery with usb charging, and Ive noticed the cold really effects battery life. Im thinking of using a small usb powerbank as an ‘external battery’ and doing my same beer cozy/hand warmer as before.

You found any other good solutions?
 

cantunamunch

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By any chance this Silca Nastro Cuscino tape?

By the only chance that counts :D

Any good?

Eh, it's good enough to buy again.

Supacaz, Wolf Tooth, Lizardskins all make cushier tapes than this but this is cushy enough. The softness is comparable to Shimano Pro but the Silca rebounds faster than the Shimano and resists dirt better.

Abrasion resistance and 'incident' resistance is better on the Silca than with either the Supacaz or the Lizardskins. Fully wetted (sweat or rain) grip is pretty good, better than Lizardskins or Shimano Pro. It's relatively easy to wrap, noticeably easier than Arundel or Lizardskins. For a cushy tape, the Silca is on the easy to wrap-side, especially on small bars with tight bends.

That's all I got, sorry. Strava sez that particular tape has ~600km on it, if matters.
 
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Tony Storaro

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By the only chance that counts :D



Eh, it's good enough.

Supacaz, Wolf Tooth, Lizardskins all make cushier tapes than this but this is cushy enough. The softness is comparable to Shimano Pro but the Silca rebounds faster than the Shimano and resists dirt better.

Abrasion resistance and 'incident' resistance is better on the Silca than with either the Supacaz or the Lizardskins. Fully wetted (sweat or rain) grip is pretty good, better than Lizardskins or Shimano Pro. It's relatively easy to wrap, noticeably easier than Arundel or Lizardskins. For a cushy tape, the Silca is on the easy to wrap-side, especially on small bars with tight bends.

That's all I got, sorry. Strava sez that particular tape has ~600km on it, if matters.

Thank you. Got one for my new gravel build as I liked the colour very much-got the one with celeste stuff and wondered if I made the right choice. On the road bike I use that Bontrager velvet tape which is very nice to touch but doesn’t take dirt very well. Not particularly durable too so perhaps I will move to Silca there too.
 

cantunamunch

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I think I used that Bontrager velvety stuff ~2 tapes ago on the Lemond, not sure atm.

I remember a lot of rips and surface tears between the forward bend and the hoods, that's when I first started wrapping that section with tennis overgrip tape. Not really a fan of that tape or that hack anymore either.
 

firebanex

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@firebanex or anyone else.

My old mtb light systems had external batteries. During the winter I would wrap the external battery in a beer cozy with a disposable hand warmer and then tuck the whole contraption into a small frame bag that fit right behind the headtube. That allowed the batteries to last ALOT longer way for cold rides. Current light is an internal battery with usb charging, and Ive noticed the cold really effects battery life. Im thinking of using a small usb powerbank as an ‘external battery’ and doing my same beer cozy/hand warmer as before.

You found any other good solutions?
In a way I have found other solutions but it is more to do with how I came to use the lights that I do. Prior to using all of the different Outbound Lighting lights, I actually had really good luck with Light&Motions offerings in the cold. They had pretty bad beam patterns but the batteries, reliability, and burn time was great. Others riders locally use the various offerings from Lupine and stash the external battery in a frame bag, again I think the beam patterns are pretty bad compared to OL's but everything else is pretty great.

Not all batteries are created equal. Some brands of cells are more cold resistant than others.. and for a lot of normal bike lights, the cells inside them are not always very good. I've got a Bontrager Ion 800 as a loaner in my collection that is horrible when it's below 20*f and it won't even turn on at 0*. On a good quality battery you can expect to lose about 20% max capacity at 14*f and then another 20% when you go below 0*f. So as we have all noticed, even hiding the battery pack in a frame bag will keep it just enough warmer to noticeably increase burn time of the light. With that in mind, I am a huge fan of Outbound Lightings offerings. All of their lights are designed with heat management in mind with cooling fins or cooling vents on the lights to get heat away from the LED and batteries. So for mine, I've simply taped off the cooling vents with electrical tape and am going to make a small fleece lined cover/sock for mine this season. It has made a noticeable improvement in overall burn time, just keeping those batteries a little warmer makes a difference.

The other primary suggestion is to not use the high setting on the light. Try to find a light where the medium setting is about 70% of the high and that the medium is sufficient for what you need it to do. Typically this will result in about double to the burn time for only 30% less lumens.. which your eyes will not see as 30% less. for instance, doubling of the lumen output will only equal about a 50% increase in perceived light and not a doubling of perceived light output. Take a look at the burn time chart near the bottom of the page for the OL Trail EVO to better see what I mean. https://www.outboundlighting.com/products/trail-evo-bike-light High on the EVO is about 2200 lumens for 1.7 hours and medium is about 1500 lumens for 4.3 hours. This is my main bar light for the winter and even at -30f it'll last a solid 3+ hours on medium before the 20 minute get home mode turns on.

Sort of a disclaimer, I've paid retail for all of the Outbound lights I own but I do converse with the co-owner/engineer Tom quite a bit more than I suspect most of their customers do. I've found some stuff that pops up only in my absurdly cold riding conditions that 99.8% of the other users out there will never run into. They've actually gone and fixed most of it too, which is even more awesome for a company to follow through with.
 

cantunamunch

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Not all batteries are created equal. Some brands of cells are more cold resistant than others.. and for a lot of normal bike lights, the cells inside them are not always very good. I've got a Bontrager Ion 800 as a loaner in my collection that is horrible when it's below 20*f and it won't even turn on at 0*.

Harh. I've lost an 800 and two 200s to switch issues at 25-40F; never even got to 10F to try.
 

chris_the_wrench

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With that in mind, I am a huge fan of Outbound Lightings offerings. All of their lights are designed with heat management in mind with cooling fins or cooling vents on the lights to get heat away from the LED and batteries. So for mine, I've simply taped off the cooling vents with electrical tape and am going to make a small fleece lined cover/sock for mine this season. It has made a noticeable improvement in overall burn time, just keeping those batteries a little warmer makes a difference.

I almost pulled the trigger on the outbound front and rear set the other night, maybe soon. You ever run the outbound helmet light on something like a headband strap for hiking or skiing? Cumbersome?
 

firebanex

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GoPro mounts on my ski helmet! The Hangover works very well for patrolling. I have a regular rechargeable Black Diamond Revolt for strap headlamp use when I don'thave a helmet on.

The Trail EVO is one of those lights that you forget about the fact that it's dark out cause you can see everything in front of you. It's a great feeling to have no stress about being able to see.
 

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