Starduster
Forum Replies Created
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This has to go somewhere…
Don’t know how “official” this is, the W&OD Trail at the Sparrow Pond repair project…is open again. Outfall chute filled over, freshly paved (love that new asphalt smell), and back in service.
These geese are early adopters.
Henry and I met with Arlington County Board Vice-Chair Takis Karantonis last week. The political process is started. We have allies. Allow us time to work some magic.
An advisory- The signs that came & went last year at the bridge remain a sore point with NVRPA. It’s their trail-we *must* have their consent. Though unrelated, the “Jay Fisette Memorial Trail” paint further down the trail could not have helped our cause. Anything further would be counter productive.
Remember you are loved.
I was *about* to concur concerns about uploading photos. Typed all this and then looked up to the toolbar. The result is below. I will cut the software folks slack for releasing the platform while it was still being configured. Also, photos that were part of our postings in the old format are no longer viewable.
The best news ? I can finally easily view and *actually use* the forum on a cell phone. The old platform was a clunky old thing, decades old, from back when we had CRT monitors and Flying Toasters screen savers.
Welcome to present time.
@mstone 226529 wrote:
Yes, as a driver the number one thing that tells me there’s a bike ahead are yellow pedal reflections moving up and down. I try really hard to see cyclists, but too many presumably have no idea how invisible they are. Small blinkies or low-wattage taillights are basically useless, they get lost in all the other ambient lights. Combine that with a fashion-forward drive to remove all the “ugly reflectors” and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. (Reflectors will generally be brighter than a small light because they’re powered by the car’s own high-wattage headlights rather than what can get squeezed out of a AAA or coin cell.) Have both a taillight and a rear reflector. Good lights aren’t cheap, but still cheaper than a visit to the hospital. “Testing” lights by looking at your bike in the dark is very different than what’s seen by a driver on the road. Clothing color basically doesn’t matter, neither white nor black can be seen relative to something reflective.
I will second the importance of pedal reflectors. I know they are “not cool” and “unfashionable” to some, and it is very difficult to find that feature on high end platform or clipless pedals. Yet that reciprocating motion (from behind) could be a lifesaver. Also, at the low end, they are usually the last reflector to “fall off” on an old run down bike.
I had run white reflective tape on these pedals for years, but thought I should update them to yellow. School bus yellow reflective tape found at Grainger (https://www.grainger.com/product/ORALITE-Reflective-Tape-School-Buses-45TT09). Not as bright as a reflex reflector, but close enough.
At least two manufacturers have gone a step farther and make urban pedals with bright motion sensitive lights. One of our local riders is running a set and loves them.
@Judd 226505 wrote:
The bad patch of trail bumps on the north end of Gravelly Point were removed on Saturday by Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail.
Check out the work at https://youtu.be/RNmQVDHWjVQ?si=73xYS4ZKDcK_1Pq4
I recognize that song!!!
#Vezzaford, welcome back! If I may offer my own input, based on 10 years as a bike commuter (The Bicycle Exchange, VA), all the Monuments at Night rides I led for Papillon Cycles, and a self taught “Universite du CIBIÉ” education…
I have always considered a bicycle “incomplete” unless it is set up for night work. It is confining to be limited to daylight hours. With great lights, night riding can be an *absolute blast*. But it can get very scary very quickly if your lights fail you. Being seen is important, but *being able to see* is more so. Quality lighting is now available regardless of the format you choose- rechargeable battery, permanent dynohub installation, or E-bike.
For *off-road* trail riding, there is already plenty of product out there. Perfect, provided you don’t point your driving lights at oncoming cyclists (que the “Cover your lights!!!” rant). If you are illuminating someone’s face, you are blinding them. Simple. But most of us are riding on the street or the W&OD, with oncoming traffic. I run European spec *layered beam* headlights from Busch+Muller on everything but my vintage Peugeot (which carries period correct “glowing filament” lighting. I have the other bikes for serious night work). These lights have a sharp cutoff, for maximum forward range *without* blinding oncoming traffic. *Just like* a good automotive low beam headlight- the headlights we all grew up with. Many of them designed to meet European road approvals. The best known are the German road traffic standards- StVZO. If you ride a recent E-bike, you likely already have a headlight like this installed as original equipment. That’s a *good* thing. Even better, we’re now seeing switchable low beam/high beam lamps for the trail. Just like a motorcycle…
First 2 pics are a B+M CYO Premium, showing the sharp cutoff, and a wide even spread of light with forward range. The 3rd, a more recent B+M IQ-X, which my Trek 412 currently runs. I should mention that *both* USB-rechargable and permanent dynohub lights offer the same output levels now. E-bike standards & requirements have evolved to now allow even more lumens & lux plus a high beam function. Regardless, just like your headlights on the car, you should properly aim those lights for best results, keeping the top of the beam’s hot spot at or below 0 degrees horizontal. These lights are no longer the exclusive province of the Europeans- Busch+Muller, SON/Schmidt, or Supernova. Check out product from Trek (their Kindbeam lamps) or Outbound Lighting.
On my wife’s Breezer, battery powered Euro-spec taillights from B+M and Spanninga. Both steady lights, and despite their diminutive size, each is motor-vehicle-taillight bright, as they should be. Most new E-bikes are equipped this way.
On flashing lights…Be honest, they are a *defensive* lighting measure needed to make sure a distracted/inattentive motorist sees you. Hopefully. Such is our reality on the streets. It should not be, but it is. But *not* needed on the bike trail, where you are the biggest meanest whatever on the trail. If you run bright flashers on the road after dark, I recommend pairing them with a steady light. I found it is difficult for a driver to accurately judge closing distance to a blinking light. I, as a driver, once had a close call with a cyclist that way.
Hope I haven’t thrown too much at you. But I also want you to be safe out there.
2nd photo (I cannot include multiple images at this time):