Lights Out?

[vermonster]

I'm having a problem with my headlight and I'm wondering if anyone has had similar problems or might know what's going on with it? I have the Cateye EL320 on my commuter (a Kermit the Frog green Jamis Nova). The light is fine when I start out, but by the time I get to work (it's only 7.5 miles) the light is dead. I don't use the light for the ride home cuz it's not dark yet (it's dark for the ride to work), but the light is fine at the end of the day when I test it. I replaced the batteries and that's not helping. Maybe it's the cold? It's kinda cold for the ride in the morning (31 degrees this morning).

[VeloVT]

I'm assuming they are regular (non-rechargeable) batteries??? I have a few Cateye lights (EL410 & EL530 headlights, plus LD1100 tail-light) and I've definitely used them in temps below 30 (probably down to 10-15?) with no problem.

Two thoughts:
1) Try a different brand battery
2) I have heard of lights and computers interfering with one another (usually I think its the lights that put the computers on the fritz though). I have used Cateye lights & computers in close proximity with no trouble though.

Sorry, this is probably not that helpful .

Oh -- have you checked the contacts for corrosion? Made sure the bulb is tight???

[vermonster]

they are regular batteries. the light is fairly new (which is part of the reason I find the malfunction so annoying). I didn't think of checking the bulb to make sure it's not loose---I'll do that. the pot holes on my commute could swallow my car; so, one of my thoughts was that something is just getting rattled loose. I guess the up-side is that it'll soon be light by the time I leave in the morning and I won't need the headlight at all.

[VeloVT]

I live in Burlington (downtown, basically), and the roads are AWFUL this year. Worse than they've been before I think, in terms of potholes. I've also noticed that there is much more gravel/sand on the roads right now than I can remember at the same time last year -- I've almost lost it around a few familiar corners on my commute over the past two weeks because of the gravel. It's so frustrating because now that the weather's nice I'm DYING to take my new road bike out but the roads are so yucky still, I can't bring myself to do it (the bike has never yet been ridden outside ).

[vermonster]

ahhh...a new road bike; sweet. what did you get? I haven't taken my road bike outside yet either (I have a Specialized Ruby Expert and I luh-huv it). the roads are ridiculous this year and there's all kinds of debris and sand everywhere. part of my commute to work has a "bike lane" but it's full of crap so I'm soooo not riding in it even on the commuter. I was thinking about taking my road bike out for a ride this weekend b/c it's supposed to be nice and the commuter is all dorked out with a rack and lights and...well...it's great for the ride to work, but I really want to get out on my Ruby for a ride.

[VeloVT]

It's a scott contessa cr1 pro:




I'm DYING to take it out.

Seriously, the road debris is much worse than usual. My commuter is a Bianchi Axis, and as I was riding this morning I was noticing how much GLASS there was on the side of the road for several miles up Pearl St, and though I did my best to avoid it, I kept thinking that if I'd been riding road tires instead of cyclocross tires I would surely have flatted.

[vermonster]

very niiiiice----looks fast (and looks like it wants to jump right off that trainer). I saw a street cleaner/sweeper on Kennedy Drive on my ride to work this morning; so, maybe the debris is leaving soon. I've used my road bike to commute a couple of times, but only when I'm doing longer out of the way commutes (out Spear, over Barstow and coming out to Williston via South Brownell). I may take my road bike up to The Islands for a ride this weekend. I went for a ride there on my cyclocross a couple weeks ago to scope out the debris situation and it was much cleaner than I expected (and I love those crazy wide shoulders on Route 2).