Lights for Bikes – Volunteers Needed!

[zanna_leigh]

Hey bike commuters! On November 7th we’ll be camping out at the Custis & Mt Vernon trails (Lynn St and Lee Highway intersection) handing out our BikeArlington frog lights.

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We’re looking for 3 volunteers that would be able to help us out between 4:30pm and 6:30pm. Let us know if you can join us!

If you can’t help out, it would still be great to see you if you want to stop by and pick up some extra lights for safety! We’ll also have reflective pant straps – so we can push them on any joggers who come our way to reduce the number of ninjas on the trails

Topic

[americancyclo]

@Tim Kelley 9786 wrote:

We aren’t working with any running stores, but we are working with local bike shops, outdoor stores and hardware stores to provide discounts on lights.

It would be wonderful to see a coordinated push for visibility on the part of ALL trail users advocates in the entire area. I hear a lot of talk about the dangers of ninjas on the trails, and it would be nice if running retailers and advocates were spreading the message instead of the cyclists always having to shoulder the sole responsibility to see and be seen.

[americancyclo]

Looking forward to stopping by to say hello this evening. I’ll stay as long as I can, but I might be in a time crunch. Look for the big purple bike.

[donkeybike]

These kind of lights illuminate the rider, not the road, right?
I’ve got flashers, but I am trying to decide if I should shell out for a more powerful light for the few extra weeks of riding I’d get before it gets too cold for me anyway. (yes, wuss).

[zanna_leigh]

@donkeybike 10311 wrote:

These kind of lights illuminate the rider, not the road, right?
I’ve got flashers, but I am trying to decide if I should shell out for a more powerful light for the few extra weeks of riding I’d get before it gets too cold for me anyway. (yes, wuss).

Yes, these are “be-seen” lights so they aren’t ideal for lighting up the road…but fear not! We’ll be handing out flyers with discounts for bike lights from 4 local shops! So definitely stop by if you can!!

[americancyclo]

@donkeybike 10311 wrote:

I am trying to decide if I should shell out for a more powerful light

There are a lot of suggestions about lighting here, and a lot of personal experience with different brands.

http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?905-Bike-Lights&highlight=lights
http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?1169-Be-Seen&highlight=lights

[donkeybike]

thanks!

[mrkenny83]

Yay! I love my blinky lights!

[Dirt]

Treat to work with y’all tonight. Does my heart good to see so many people enthusiastic about stuff like this. I love you all! Thanks Bike Arlington for making it happen!

Pete

[KLizotte]

Major kudos to the Bike Arlington folks and volunteers for a spectacular idea and event. I love my new blinkies. I feel like a moving Christmas tree now . It was fun watching all the lights and blinkies on the way home along the MVT.

I found a cool way to use my new lights:

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Take me to your leader!

[Dirt]

Usually when my helmet starts talking to me, it is a sign that the helmet is ready to be retired…. Creating a new life form in my helmets is an activity that I’m familiar with oh to well.

Great evening y’all. I did shoot a little video last night. Definitely pushing the bounds of what would be called “art”.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pedrogringo/6324896530/in/photostream

[PotomacCyclist]

I couldn’t make it until close to 6:30. I may have arrived a little after that, so no one was there. Maybe I’ll venture over to the W&OD table when you all set that up.

By the way, the reason I couldn’t make it is my side trip out to Bethesda… to pick up a pair of Bar Mitts! I took the Metro because a round-trip to Bethesda from Arlington is quite a hike on bike, especially when I’m avoiding longer rides this month. (Only shorter rides for me until January, when I start to crank it up again.)

[PotomacCyclist]

@Dirt 10346 wrote:

Usually when my helmet starts talking to me, it is a sign that the helmet is ready to be retired…. Creating a new life form in my helmets is an activity that I’m familiar with oh to well.

Great evening y’all. I did shoot a little video last night. Definitely pushing the bounds of what would be called “art”.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pedrogringo/6324896530/in/photostream

Be careful there. You could get arrested for impersonating a police officer. You do have to admit that the red and blue lights have that Hunter/TJ Hooker/Steve McGarrett look going on.

[rcannon100]

Yeah the trail last night was like a holiday display.

[vvill]

It seemed like a lot of fun. I couldn’t stick around but I did pick up my swag. Nice little lights, and the CR2032 batteries shouldn’t be too hard to replace when they’ve done their time. It’s always great to see a little congregation of commuters as well, and when they’re all lit up it’s even better.

I did have one odd incident on the Custis on the way home though. A gentleman on a racing bike coming downhill with no lights or reflectors, dark clothing and dark complexion decided he couldn’t wait to pass a walker in front, but had to pass on the wrong side of the trail, right where one of those new yellow-painted posts has been put up, while I was riding by. I only swerved to the right at the last second because I never imagined someone would be that impatient. I would’ve shouted something at him but was so taken aback that he even did that, he was gone before I processed what happened.

[Rootchopper]

As a Rosslyn to Mount Vernon commuter I can only say that you can’t give away enough reflective material and lights. After I picked up my Bike Arlington reflective leg band last night I made my way home along the trail. I was fortunate not to hit 3 pedestrians in ninja mode.

Thanks for doing this. One bit of constructive criticism. you all set up at the corner of Lynn and Lee. That was great for maximizing the number of people you could interact with, but there was very little room for people to get out of the street and onto the trail. Can you please move the tables back away from the corner in the future? Thanks.

[Author]

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