Notes
Dave Siskind showed the new lights on his three speed town bike. The headlight is a one watt LED from Cateye that is usefully bright, though not as bright as a halogen bulb. The trade-off is that the LED runs 30 hours on 4 AA batteries compared to only 2 hours for the halogen. The tail light is a slick unit with a two color flashing mode (red and bluish-white) and a globe that gives wide angle visibility. It is a Bike Globe Strobe and costs about $12 at Edina Bike. It takes 2 AA batteries. For more info check www.cmi-befirst.com on the Web.
Dave also mentioned a guy he recently met on the road who he will be hoping to bump into again. He has ridden coast to coast, and on another trip he rode to North Dakota on an antique 1895 Iverson with solid rubber tires!! Denis Diekhoff was quite taken with an electric assist chopper at Edina Bike with "stylish" looks and a semi-recumbent riding position. To each his own. It has the drive and batteries hidden inside a plastic fake V-twin motor and exhaust pipes. Carl says it is on clearance for about $225 plus tax, since it was never a big seller for the manufacturer. This price is about half what the Currie motor and battery pack would cost separately, so it is a good cannibalizing source for electric assist experimenters. Otherwise, Carl and Dave both thought it sucks as an actual bike to ride around on. It has bad handling and a very wide Q factor in order to allow the chain to pass alongside the humungous 4 inch rear tire, so you would be pedaling with your feet way out to the sides. |
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