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From: Roger Merriman <roger@sarlet.com>
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Re: For those who believe in electricity
Date: 11 Apr 2025 19:39:04 GMT
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Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> On 4/11/2025 12:44 PM, Roger Merriman wrote:
>> AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:
>>> On 4/11/2025 4:15 AM, Roger Merriman wrote:
>>>> 
>>> I have had light failures.  Mine run incandescent globes not
>>> LEDs. Those fail at about 8~10 years.  Those bikes have been
>>> 1/2 year daily rides, that is, a winter bike and a summer bike.
>> 
>> Which rather proves my point really both you and Frank are outliers in this
>> regard! With incandescent being rather rarer than Dynamos, I don’t recall
>> seeing any for a very long time!
>> 
>> AA/AAA lights aren’t that common being supplemented by USB or coin battery
>> powered lights, though do see them still.
> 
> I probably still own some AA powered halogen headlights, mostly because 
> I seldom throw away anything remotely useful. Yes, it's a personal 
> fault. But for actual riding, I switched to LEDs many years ago.
> 
> I've used generator powered lights since about 1977, experimenting back 
> then to improve light output (when others were charging lead acid 
> batteries to power MR spotlight bulbs) even though good quality stock 
> units were fine for my uses. But when high output LED dynamo headlights 
> came on the market, I bought them and considered the problem solved.
> 
> Since then, the LEDs have gotten brighter, but I've seen no reason to 
> chase every incremental improvement. The headlights I use light up 
> street signs 1/4 mile away, so they must be visible to motorists half a 
> mile away. They give me plenty of illumination of the roadway, and light 
> it better than the headlights of my friends. That's good enough for me.

My lights haven’t particularly got brighter In fact the old Strada is about
half the power of the light it replaced on the commute, but it’s much
better designed, it has a low power flat traffic friendly beam, or one can
switch it via the remote to the high power which adds in the spot as well
which as well as just more light is a well higher beam shape, which is
useful, and unlike lights of its era doesn’t need to cycle though flash or
off modes to switch modes.

Ie it’s a lot more liveable with, and has an easy traffic light plus run
time timer so easy to know as and when one should charge it.
> 
> Similarly, the fact one can buy a 16 pound bicycle doesn't mean everyone 
> with 18 pound bicycles must trade up. Not even those with 26 pound 
> bicycles. What matter is whether one's equipment meets their needs, not 
> whether it's the latest, greatest technology.
> 
> 
Not aware that anyone is in this thread is!

I am vaguely toying with idea some of the lights that can auto dip, for the
old school roadie, as the remote doesn’t easily fit near one’s hands on
that bike, but it’s light even early now so unlikely to be honest.

Roger Merriman