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johnridleyYay, I hit 1000 miles for the year this morning! I probably hit it before then technically, but I don't count short trips noodling around the neighborhood, since I don't get any real strength or aerobic training that way; hitting 15 MPH for 3 minutes doesn't do much for you.
I finally went clipless this week. I picked up some Shimano SPD pedals & cleats on eBay, and bought some MO-21 mountain shoes (since I sometimes run errands, and it's hard to walk in road shoes). They don't feel that much different than toe clips, other than they're probably a little safer (I can get out of SPDs faster than I can get out of toe clips) and I think over time my legs will develop a little differently as I learn to spin properly.
The awesome HID light that I posted about a while ago burned out last week after only a few days of use. I did some investigation and found that the recommended (by BatterySpace, not the manufacturer) 14.4V NiMH battery, under load, puts out between 15.7 and 14.85 for over an hour when fully charged; the HID lists 14.8v as the maximum allowed voltage. 1.2 volts per cell is a nominal average; in reality NiMH puts out more than that for a good part of the discharge cycle.
I wrote to BatterySpace, but since the lamp only has a 30 day warranty, and I didn't even take it out of the box for 6 weeks, they brushed me off. I wrote the manufacturer with my voltage/time measurements, sort of asking for them to step in to the argument, and they just emailed me this morning. They want the lamp for a post-mortem. I think they'll probably fix it for me. I may have to pay for a new ballast but that's better than a whole new light. I also want them to tell me why it failed. If it really died of overvoltage, then I'll take a cell out of the pack, making it a 13.2V pack, get a replacement lamp and be happy.
It's funny how that 20W halogen that seemed like a searchlight last year seems so wimpy after a few days with an HID light. Hmm, TrailTech is coming out with a 30W HID soon; equivalent light output to a 100 watt halogen spot...
Odometer: 3350
I finally went clipless this week. I picked up some Shimano SPD pedals & cleats on eBay, and bought some MO-21 mountain shoes (since I sometimes run errands, and it's hard to walk in road shoes). They don't feel that much different than toe clips, other than they're probably a little safer (I can get out of SPDs faster than I can get out of toe clips) and I think over time my legs will develop a little differently as I learn to spin properly.
The awesome HID light that I posted about a while ago burned out last week after only a few days of use. I did some investigation and found that the recommended (by BatterySpace, not the manufacturer) 14.4V NiMH battery, under load, puts out between 15.7 and 14.85 for over an hour when fully charged; the HID lists 14.8v as the maximum allowed voltage. 1.2 volts per cell is a nominal average; in reality NiMH puts out more than that for a good part of the discharge cycle.
I wrote to BatterySpace, but since the lamp only has a 30 day warranty, and I didn't even take it out of the box for 6 weeks, they brushed me off. I wrote the manufacturer with my voltage/time measurements, sort of asking for them to step in to the argument, and they just emailed me this morning. They want the lamp for a post-mortem. I think they'll probably fix it for me. I may have to pay for a new ballast but that's better than a whole new light. I also want them to tell me why it failed. If it really died of overvoltage, then I'll take a cell out of the pack, making it a 13.2V pack, get a replacement lamp and be happy.
It's funny how that 20W halogen that seemed like a searchlight last year seems so wimpy after a few days with an HID light. Hmm, TrailTech is coming out with a 30W HID soon; equivalent light output to a 100 watt halogen spot...
Odometer: 3350
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Spotlight of death
Date: 2005-10-12 03:00 pm (UTC)And in other news, Southern Michigan is reporting a curiously localized heat island effect only on dark winter mornings. Localized trails of steaming roads have been reported, and some people are afraid to leave their houses after reporting a strange intensely bright light pass by.
The local GT community reportedly had no comment.
Re: Spotlight of death
Date: 2005-10-12 03:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-12 05:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-12 05:35 pm (UTC)Clipless has been pretty smooth for me, but I think it's because I've been using toe clips for over a year. Clipping in was a little tricky at first, I had to fumble with the pedal for 10 seconds or so the first time. Today I just stepped in. Clipping out has not been an issue; they're easier to get out of than toe clips. I'm going to turn up the pedal tension a touch today.
I haven't had to clip out in an emergency situation yet, but I can't remember the last time I did so with toe clips either. I'm a pretty cautious rider, so I don't really have emergency situations.
Clipless is good if you decide to start working on your spin technique, to build your leg muscles differently. I'm still not spinning naturally and probably won't for months. But if I'm hitting a hill and I concentrate on spinning instead of the "just pedaling" I had been doing, I can gett up the hill much faster, and without killing my quads (because a lot more muscles are helping when spinning). I do notice an O2 shortage at the top; those extra muscles need to be fed too. This is good; once I'm spinning properly I should get my total power output up quite a bit, and get a better aerobic workout.
Depending on how things go, I've got this old steel frame in the garage that would make a nice fixed gear conversion...