Lighting recommendations needed

Some friends have asked me, and I've agreed (despite the fact that I'm still looking for my inner goat) to join them on a cycling trip over Memorial Day weekend to Asheville, NC. We'll be covering part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Some of our descents will include unlighted tunnels and I'd like to get a decent lighting system so that I don't kill myself or anyone else. Any recommendations? Price isn't necessarily an issue, but given that I don't otherwise ride at night, I would prefer not to break the bank.

Thanks,

Kate

By the way, I read an article last night in Bicycling Magazine about a tour company called Black Bear Adventures. They offer, among other less grueling tours, an "epic" end-to-end tour of the Parkway. Five days that average 95 miles and 10,000 feet of climbing each day. If I had the legs and lungs, that would be very, very cool. I checked out the website and really liked their offerings. It didn't hurt that many of the men who frequent their tours are, in a word, hot! :D www.blackbearadventures.com

How long are these tunnels and are they open to cars? Are you more worried with being seen than you seeing?

A Cateye EL530 with a Cateye LD1000 tailight (because of the good side views) might be all you really need. Maybe have a few reflective arm bands if you're worried about being seen.

If you are thinking at all about night riding, I'd consider the Nite Rider MiNewt, single or double headlamp. Incredible amount of light for not much weight. If I didn't already have the EL530 for the odd times like you describe, I'd get the MiNewt. It is definitely more expensive but far more versatile.

I really like my Dinotte 5w - it's LED and uses AA batteries - so it's easy to just carry batteries and change them out. I really like not having the big water bottle battery and the versatility, the light is tiny and just straps onto your handlebars (or in my case my dir hanger). I also like the price, at ~$150, it's a relatively cheap light that you can see by.
They also have a new and improved, but expensive, light, so maybe the 5w will drop in price some.

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Originally Posted by SadieKate

How long are these tunnels and are they open to cars? Are you more worried with being seen than you seeing?

A Cateye EL530 with a Cateye LD1000 tailight (because of the good side views) might be all you really need. Maybe have a few reflective arm bands if you're worried about being seen.

If you are thinking at all about night riding, I'd consider the Nite Rider MiNewt, single or double headlamp. Incredible amount of light for not much weight. If I didn't already have the EL530 for the odd times like you describe, I'd get the MiNewt. It is definitely more expensive but far more versatile.

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SadieKate, the tunnels are open to cars (although no commercial traffic), so I'm worried about both. I'm trying to find out how long they generally are. I would note that I read on www.roadbikereview.com that you have to lights on your bike to ride on the Parkway. I'm trying to find that from some official source though. There's so much stuff out there on the Parkway; I'm having trouble wading through all of it.

By the way, any decision yet on your new bike?

Indysteel, don't have recommendation about lights but wanted to say that I also read that article in the magazine and wished I could do it :p

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Originally Posted by FreshNewbie

Indysteel, don't have recommendation about lights but wanted to say that I also read that article in the magazine and wished I could do it :p

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FreshNewbie, be sure to check out the website for the tour company. They have other offerings, many of which sound really great--and not as hard. And did I mention the the eye candy..... :p

Lookinga at it right now, everything looks so good :( makes me wanna ride but it s cold and windy in NY today Oyy veyyy

I did a 300K with about 4+ hours of night riding (i am pokey:o ) using dual Cateye EL-500(previous gen. of the EL-530) and two Cateye TD-L600s as taillights. I got some very postive comments about the amount of light I was putting out.

Ugh. I've been reading various posts on roadbikereview.com about HID lighting systems interfering with wireless computers. Granted, safety is WAY more important than keeping track of my mileage, but it's just got me more confused. As I was reading the posts about the more advanced lighting systems, I started daydreaming about doing some night riding, but given the other safety concerns involved, I'm not sure that ever would. At least not alone. It would be pretty cool (and peacefu) though. So, I'm having trouble deciding what I really need.....

I'll look at all of your suggestions and keep reading for now.

Here's a link with the tunnel distances: http://www.virtualblueridge.com/park...al/tunnels.asp

They are generally not on steep sections of the road, so I would not worry *so* much about seeing. You can go slowly since they're not that long. I would invest more in rear blinkey lights. One of the better Cateye LED lights should get you through fine!

Hopefully some of the Asheville gals will chime in - there are several on the boards....

Enjoy yourself - it's fun riding, but it will bust your rear end if you're not in good shape (ahem - been there, done that). The other consideration is that traffic on the parkway is really heavy on holiday weekends.

Carrie Anne

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Originally Posted by indysteel

Ugh. I've been reading various posts on roadbikereview.com about HID lighting systems interfering with wireless computers. Granted, safety is WAY more important than keeping track of my mileage, but it's just got me more confused. As I was reading the posts about the more advanced lighting systems, I started daydreaming about doing some night riding, but given the other safety concerns involved, I'm not sure that ever would. At least not alone. It would be pretty cool (and peacefu) though. So, I'm having trouble deciding what I really need.....

I'll look at all of your suggestions and keep reading for now.

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If you want to do more night riding (not the question I just answered:)), I would recommend the Planet Bike Alias as a starter. Performance usually has it for less than $100, and it's BRIGHT. NOT HID bright, but I've been mistaken for a car and never had trouble seeing. Of course, if you *really* want to get into night riding (I did), take a look at the Schmidt generator lights. I now have 2 Schmidts and one Shimano. Night riding can be addictive:)

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Originally Posted by indysteel

Ugh. I've been reading various posts on roadbikereview.com about HID lighting systems interfering with wireless computers.

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HID is great if you really need to SEE not just be seen. My Light and Motion ARC and my Sigma Sport wireless didn't like each other. The same light and my Polar s720i are just fine together. I have no explanation.

Truly, if you're thinking about spending some $$ for a light look at the MiNewt. The weight is about the same as a Cateye EL530, puts out incredible amounts of light, but nowhere near the cost of most HID.

If you're considering riding offroad after dark, you need a light that can be helmet-mounted, so take this into consideration if you're looking to spend $$. Again, the MiNewt is the lightest headlamp out there.

I found shopping for lights a huge headache. The manufacturers all use different ways to state watts and LEDS and blah-blah-blah. They expect you to compare apples to oranges.

For tail lights these are great!

http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=17576

I have a Light and Motion Vega that I'm very happy with. It's got about a four hour run time on the lowest setting, two hours on the highest. It's not very heavy. It did interfere with my computer until I mounted them as far from each other as possible. Then I broke the computer speed sensor. :eek: It does not interfere with my Polar.

V.

If you want something simple that would be really useful the rest of the trip, get a head-lamp that you can just put on your head. I carry one in case I'm out lightless (from SteepandCheap) and it works great. I like being able to point where I want to see, and I can have it on low-wattage or bright.

I have two lights that I'm really pleased with, though I should say that doing two Cateyes is also excellent (one of our riders does that). I generally used just one and was happy with it ... not this model exactly but close
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It would probably be fine for tunnels as long as you realize you might be going from light into **dark** and the eyeballs have to adjust. Of course, being seen from behind is critical, too.

My Gazelle came with a rim-mounted Busch&M&#252;ller generator light - amazing German engineering. http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/schmidt-headlights.asp has info on the latest models. I love that I don't even have to think about batteries and the lens design that gives me a bright beam out to the front *and* light bounced off to the sides, too. I don't love that when it is rainy and especially snowy, I guess since the rims are wet, there isn't enough friction and I have to have the headlamp backup. If you're not riding in the rain, that doesn't matter.

I just got my Xtracycle rigged up with a new wheel with a hub-generator, and a Busch&Muller light that is even niftier (and works in yukky weather) and brighter. I don't know how much it cost yet 'cause I haven't paid for it yet . I don't have to worry about batteries, and it also has a "stand light" feature so it still glows even when I stop. You can buy them with a Sensor feature so that, supposedly, if you go into a tunnel they go on... welp, I think I can handle a switch! (Except that right now it's in the shop because the switch doesn't work so it is on all the time which is why I haven't paid for it yet.) I don't even notice the difference in riding effort, tho' I got the chain lubed at teh same time I got it installed :)
I feel like I could ride this bike any time, any where (enough that I'm thining to sell my car to my brother in May and take my sweet time replacing it). Between the Free Radical from Xtracycle that means I can carry anything (tho' I haven't done the key lime pie yet) to the fenders and lights, it is allpurpose. (For our little town night riding, I've found I need more than head and tail lights... a few strings of 4 AA powered Christmas lights do great.
The other light I have is a Planet Earth 15-watt Insight bike with NiMH battery. It's big and very very very bright but it is heavy and I gotta take it off the bike and plug it into the wall.

Here's a cool page that *shows* different brightness of the planet bike lights... I think there are some other guys who have done this with other brands. http://www.planetbike.com/page/learn/lightfinder

Well you guys have given me lots to think about. Carrie Anne, thanks for the specifics on the tunnels and for the reminder about heavy holiday traffic. Since we'll be riding from the southern end of the Parkway, we'll encounter a number of tunnels, but it's good to know that they're not long. As for the traffic, I think we'll just have to deal with it. Thankfully, not all of our riding will be on the Parkway.

All this has made me rethink my feelings about night riding. It's not something that I've given much thought to, but I now will. After doing some reading on various sites, I'm getting a better feel for what's available and at what price. There are a few L&M systems that I like; it just depends on whether I want to make a more significant investment or just stick to what will do the job on my trip. They each seem to have their pros and cons. I'm going to talk to some of my friends to see if they have any interest in riding at night with me. There's a route out in the boonies that I take all the time that I think would be relatively safe and peaceful, but it's not something I'd do alone. The thought of cruising along under the stars has a lot of appeal.

A few more specific questions though: Can someone explain the pros and cons of halogen lights. I like L&M's Solo Logic model in that it has an adjustable focus, can be helmet mounted and won't interfere with my Sigma Wireless computer, but I'm not sure about how Halogen light stacks up against HID and LED. My understanding is that the bright white light of HID/LED is better, at least if riding at night in suburban and urban areas. What if, however, you'd mostly be riding at night in the country? Is it still better to spring for HID? Also, I've heard some reviews on HID lights that they're so bright that drivers often flash their brights at you. Is this a good or bad thing? I want to be seen but I don't want to blind anyone.

Wow, and I thought researching my custom wheels was exhausting! :o

Everyone have a great weekend. Thanks for the advice...



Kate

I just picked up the NiteRider MiNewt. I completely love the size of the battery. I have a 90mm stem, and the battery fits on just fine. These are small enough to have one on your handlebar and one as a helmet mount.

http://niterider.com/prod_minewt.shtml

Off Topic Response:

I highly recommend a visit to the Grove Park Inn. Even if you don't stay there, the lobby is really cool


http://www.groveparkinn.com/Leisure/

So, I took the plunge and bought the L&M ARC HID light. It's overkill for the tunnels--my original reason for getting a light. Having done a lot of reading and thinking about night riding, however, I decided to outfit myself with something that would allow me to do it properly (I also bought a mack daddy Cat Eye taillight). It could end up being a really expensive experiment or the best money I've spent on my bike.

Ironically, I went for a ride on Monday that despite being theoretically in the daylight, it was really hard to see. I would have benefitted from some lights even in those conditions.

Thanks for all the great advice.

Kate