[GRRiders] GRR tech-inspection

[rhawks at lmi.net]

I'm using two of the Cat Eye TL-LD600 lights mounted vertically
on my seat stays. Right now, they are at ~89 degrees. Only ever
so slightly off of 90 degrees. I've thought
that using bigger clamps, or putting less of the padding 
on the underside and more on the upperside of the clamp will allow
the mount hole to be far enough from the stay to get my light
at 90 degrees exactly. I'm going to use a couple other tail lights
elsewhere on the bike as well. One on the strap on the back of my
Pendle, another stay mounted tail light and maybe one of those
little Cateyes with the elastic straps that mount in lots of 
places. These things weigh so little and most of them can stay 
mounted on the bike all the time so wont' take up space inside
the saddle bag.

The darkest ride I ever took was the night time portion of the Fall
Death Valley ride between Furnace Creek and Stovepipe Wells
and back. That is dark! There was one rider that had a whole bunch 
of lights and reminded one of a Christmas tree. Then there were the
nut cases without head lights and dinky little tail lights trying
to ride next to the riders with all the best lights. Lucky for them
there was no traffic (and no park rangers out to ticket their sorry
butts!).

rob hawks

Quoting Bill Bryant <bill_bryant at prodigy.net>:

> Hi Dave--
> I wonder if there is anyway to get those seat stay-mounted lamps a little
> closer to 90 degrees? Maybe a little filing of the mount to increase the
> angle? Or going to the hardware store to see if there is some creative way
> to modify or adapt some new mounting method? FWIW, on the narrow Vistalites
> that are often mounted on seatstays, I found that mounting them upside down
> allowed greater angle than the regular position.
> 
> I think I covered the aspect of light angle in my note to Eric Simmons and
> the GRR List this morning, but again, I don't think one should think about
> the cars or other riders when they are relatively near you, but farther
> back, when they first see you. The 90 degree mounting seems best for giving
> them a few more seconds to figure out what that strange object is up ahead.
> Once they are closer (and more in the 80-degree range as you describe),
> they'll have picked you up in their headlamps and your reflective stuff will
> glow too.
> 
> All the best,
> Bill
> 
> 
> 
> 
> > Bill,
> > 
> > A question about the rear lights being vertical, or perpendicular to
> > the ground. I use three lights, two on my seatstays and one on my
> > seatpack. The ones on the stays are not exactly 90 degrees, probably
> > more like 80 degrees, and it is not really practical to get these
> > perfectly vertical. Is there any range of acceptability, or will you
> > only accept 90 degrees to the ground. I have always thought that since
> > the lights are below the line of sight of a car, and considerably below
> > the line if sight of SUV and trucks, that a slight angle up was
> > beneficial, but I am willing to admit that I have never tested this
> > hypothesis.
> > 
> > Dave Pyle
> > 
> > 
> > On Jul 6, 2005, at 2:13 PM, Bill Bryant wrote:
> > 
> >> Hello GRR riders--
> >> In a couple of weeks we'll all be gathering in Davis for the Gold Rush
> >> Randonnee-- it should be a terrific adventure for all. Moreover, we
> >> want
> >> everyone to be as safe as can be, especially when cycling at night.
> >> So, here
> >> are some tips to remember before you arrive at the GRR.
> >> 
> >> I hope no one is flustered before the start at tech inspection. Four
> >> years
> >> ago a few unprepared riders were, and then had to scurry around at the
> >> last
> >> minute when they should have been relaxing before the start. (BTW, all
> >> these
> >> points are in your rider packet.) Riders will need a special sticker
> >> from
> >> tech inspection in order to proceed to registration to pick up their
> >> route
> >> card, so please come prepared.
> >> 
> >> As main tech inspector I will be failing bikes whose rear taillights
> >> are not
> >> perpendicular to the ground. That is, for best rider safety rear
> >> lights need
> >> to be aimed directly back at the motorists' vision, not up at
> >> low-flying
> >> airplanes, okay? This alignment will be taken seriously; the sooner the
> >> motorists can see rider far ahead, the safer riders will be. Lamps that
> >> shine into the sky--even a little--are not as visible as those that are
> >> properly mounted. (Attaching a little LED rear light to a Camelbak or
> >> helmet
> >> is a good thing to do, but one still needs two rear lamps attached to
> >> the
> >> bicycle, per regulations.)
> >> 
> >> Also, it is very foolish to start the GRR without new batteries in all
> >> your
> >> lights. Did you replace your rear lamp batteries after your 600k
> >> brevet?
> >> 
> >> (During the ride, keep your rear lights running on "steady" mode; if
> >> you
> >> change to flashing, that indicates to the course officials you need
> >> help of
> >> some sort. During the day raising an arm skyward will get their
> >> attention.)
> >> 
> >> Randonneuring rules require that each rider have two ankle bands and a
> >> vest/sash/Sam Browne belt that puts reflective material on the front,
> >> back
> >> and sides of the rider's torso. (This assumes a regular bicycle is
> >> used;
> >> Recumbent riders can adapt their reflective materials in a different
> >> fashion
> >> to achieve this goal-- but the expectation is the same either way.)
> >> 
> >> Many rider will use a Camelbak-- a good thing considering the summer
> >> temperatures. HOWEVER, please be sure your vest/sash/Sam Browne is
> >> clearly
> >> visible from behind when wearing the Camelbak, and not hiked up making
> >> you
> >> less visible from behind. Some experienced randonneurs attach a safety
> >> triangle from the bottom of their Camelbak and these show up well from
> >> behind.
> >> 
> >> Smart riders will consider the reflective gear items just a minimum
> >> expectation; they will put additional reflective stickers on rims,
> >> cranks,
> >> the bike frame, helmet, etc. Please note that Illuminite reflective
> >> clothing, while recommended, does not take the place of the required 2
> >> ankle
> >> bands and vest/sash/Sam Browne belt.
> >> 
> >> For front lights, redundancy is paramount. For the GRR you are
> >> required to
> >> have at least two headlamps that are powered independently of the
> >> other. You
> >> should have three replacement bulbs for each type of lamp. If you are
> >> running LED front lamps, we'll assume the second lamp is your "spare
> >> bulbs";
> >> same goes for rear LED lamps.
> >> 
> >> Be sure your lamp brackets are sound; lighting failures don't always
> >> come
> >> from the lamp itself. I will be grabbing lamps and giving them a good
> >> shake,
> >> so be sure they are mounted securely. (Bumpy Cranmore Rd about two
> >> hours
> >> into the ride will be the real test.)
> >> 
> >> If you are running headlamps powered only by batteries, you will be
> >> asked to
> >> show spare batteries at tech inspection too. Also remember that GRR
> >> course
> >> monitors will be stopping any rider late in the event who should have
> >> replaced lamp batteries along the way. For headlamps, growing dim is
> >> usually
> >> not a surprise since the rider cannot see well at night, but remember
> >> that
> >> some rear lamps won't go the entire distance on the same set of
> >> batteries
> >> too. Please come prepared with on-board spares or use your drop bags
> >> intelligently. In any event, failure to comply with lighting
> >> regulations
> >> throughout the entire event--not just at tech inspection, or during
> >> the long
> >> first night--can result in a DQ. Law enforcement will be out on the
> >> route
> >> and we don't want the event imperiled by foolish riders who should have
> >> replaced their batteries sooner.
> >> 
> >> I hope that helps; if you have questions, please consult the ride
> >> rules but
> >> feel free to write back if I can provide more information too.
> >> 
> >> I'm looking forward to seeing everyone between 9 AM and 3 PM on
> >> Tuesday,
> >> July 19th. Please come to tech inspection wearing your helmet,
> >> reflective
> >> vest and ankle bands, and be ready to run all your lights.
> >> 
> >> Bonne Route!
> >> 
> >> Bill Bryant
> >> The GRR-ouchy Tech Inspector
> >> 
> >> 
> >> 
> >> 
> >> 
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> GoldRushRiders mailing list
> >> GoldRushRiders at dbclist.org
> >> http://dbclist.org/mailman/listinfo/goldrushriders
> >> 
> > 
> 
> 
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