anyone got any suggestions for what type of lights to use for doing muni at
night? My mountain biking friend says lumicycle ones are nice http://www.lumicycle.co.uk), they’re very expensive, but they do seem nice. I
was thinking of a light attached to my helmet rather than to the uni itself as
that gets a bit bashed about. Also I could use it for commuting without having
to detach it.
Also has anyone fitted a cycle computer to a coker? My local cycle shop says
that they won’t work on wheels that big at all, cateye have a website that
advertises ones that say 300 cm wheel circumference, I think a coker is about
287cm or something like that, but I’d rather know of specific ones that work
before going in to argue with them.
Another vote for the NiteRider systems. I use a NiteRider Digital HeadTrip. The
helmet mounted light works well. In my opinion a helmet mounted light is the
only way to go for unicycling.
I use my light for both Coker rides and muni rides. The big trick to getting the
most out of the light is to get a wide angle bulb. Most lights come stock with a
spot bulb which works well for a bike but is not good for a uni. Switching to a
wide angle bulb makes a big difference especially for muni. When unicycling
you’re focused on what is close to your wheel so a wide angle bulb lets you see
more of the ground that you’re interested in.
Is NiteRider the best lighting system out there? I don’t know. They are one of
the more popular, are easy to purchase and can be found on sale. I like their
helmet mount and headband mount. They have also recently redone the Digital
HeadTrip II giving it a larger capacity battery, detachable cable and better
charger. Check out http://www.niterider.com
The head unit on the NiteRider is a little on the heavy side. It’s metal and
durable but that adds up to more weight. The extra weight sticking out on the
front of the helmet tends to cause the helmet to slide down towards your eyes as
you ride. A system that uses two smaller lights on the side of the helmet (like
the Lumicycle) might be better because then the extra weight would not tend pull
the front of the helmet down. I use a heavyish BMX helmet with my light rather
than a lighter MTB helmet because the heavier BMX helmet doesn’t slide towards
my eyes like the light MTB helmet.
john_childs
>From: “Joe Marshall” > >Hi, > >anyone got any suggestions for what type of lights to use for doing muni at >night? My mountain biking friend says lumicycle ones are nice >http://www.lumicycle.co.uk), they’re very expensive, but they do seem nice. I >was thinking of a light attached to my helmet rather than to the uni itself as >that gets a bit bashed about. Also I could use it for commuting without having >to detach it.
[snip] >cheers, > >Joe
>From: “Joe Marshall” > >People seem to be saying that the niterider lights, even in the new “fixed” >versions, don’t work very well and don’t seem to last, > >http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Lights/product_22205.shtml > >also, the place I found that sold them in the UK converted the prices from >dollars to pounds just by changing the symbol, so they’re pretty expensive >here. Apparently they don’t like rain either so not much use for commuting when >it’s too windy to hold an umbrella. > >Joe
I haven’t had any problems with my HeadTrip and it’s the “old” style with the
old battery, old 14 hour charger, and old digital chip. Mine has been 100%
reliable. But I don’t ride when it’s really cold and I’ve always been careful
about not overcharging.
It’s still a bummer that NiteRider doesn’t use a truly smart charger. A truly
smart charger would make the NiteRider lights more reliable (and more
expensive).
The Digital HeadTrip has been a good light for me and I’m mostly satisfied with
it. If I was shopping for a light again I would certainly consider other
lighting systems. Something with a lighter head and truly smart fast charger
would be a plus. I do like the digital feature that allows me to adjust the
light level. But it’s difficult to find a shop that carries a helmet mounted
lighting system other than NiteRider.
Light and Motion lights look promising (http://www.bikelights.com/) for those
willing to spend a little more. It would be interesting to see how well their
adjustable beam works.
> > anyone got any suggestions for what type of lights to use
I use “Niterider” mounted on top of my helmet.
> Also has anyone fitted a cycle computer to a coker?
I’ve gone through a lot of computers on my Coker. Cateyes and Schwinns that
worked good but eventually the plastic mount broke. A couple of cheaper ones
that the face actually fell off. I guess I drop my unis. a lot. I always checked
first to make sure they would set up to 300 cm. Only a couple I checked would
not go that high. Now I have a “Sigma Sport” unit that is mounted by O-rings
wrapped around the post and the fork. Hopefully it will last a long time.
Already it has lasted longer than any of the others. It’s supposed to set up to
400 cm. -Mark
Lights: I use a single bulb smart light giving 10watts. It is great but heavy,
it fits under my bar end (what my brake lever is attached to) and gives loads of
light. I have done a LOT of night riding and the concensis about lights is that
you should have both head and bike… your hear moves with your eyes but it is
not the direction you are travelling. There are several lights now that use
Ni-MH batteries, these are a lot better than the lead acid ones, lighter and
longer life and more robust when it comes to controlling the battery. There have
been several people asking about lights recently so I will be looking at
stocking some appropriate ones for uncycles.
Computer: most work with cokers, I use a german one (I can not remember the name
of it - or find it!) but I have tried loads and most work with Cokers, if they
do not set then to KM and divide by the calulation 1.62.
Roger
The UK's Unicycle Source <a href="http://www.unicycle.uk.com/">http://www.unicycle.uk.com/</a>
> Hi, > > anyone got any suggestions for what type of lights to use for doing muni
at > night? My mountain biking friend says lumicycle ones are nice > http://www.lumicycle.co.uk), they’re very expensive, but they do seem nice. I > was thinking of a light attached to my helmet rather than to the
uni > itself as that gets a bit bashed about. Also I could use it for commuting > without having to detach it. > > Also has anyone fitted a cycle computer to a coker? My local cycle shop
says > that they won’t work on wheels that big at all, cateye have a website that > advertises ones that say 300 cm wheel circumference, I think a coker is about > 287cm or something like that, but I’d rather know of specific ones that work > before going in to argue with them. > > cheers, > > Joe >
Here’s a question for the newsgroup: is this a useful product for this
community? It’s highly visible at night, but not during daylight hours. The best
application appears to be night rides or night-time parades. It flashes on/off
automatically every second. Available in red/blue/yellow/green/purple, it
attaches to spokes and features a manual on/off switch and runs on a tiny 3v
battery. Retail cost is around $20. We’ve ordered a batch. We want to gauge
interest to make sure we’ve ordered enough.
> Hi, > > anyone got any suggestions for what type of lights to use for doing muni
at > night? My mountain biking friend says lumicycle ones are nice > http://www.lumicycle.co.uk), they’re very expensive, but they do seem nice. I > was thinking of a light attached to my helmet rather than to the
uni > itself as that gets a bit bashed about. Also I could use it for commuting > without having to detach it. > > Also has anyone fitted a cycle computer to a coker? My local cycle shop
says > that they won’t work on wheels that big at all, cateye have a website that > advertises ones that say 300 cm wheel circumference, I think a coker is about > 287cm or something like that, but I’d rather know of specific ones that work > before going in to argue with them. > > cheers, > > Joe > >
also, the place I found that sold them in the UK converted the prices from
dollars to pounds just by changing the symbol, so they’re pretty expensive here.
Apparently they don’t like rain either so not much use for commuting when it’s
too windy to hold an umbrella.
Joe
“John Childs” <john_childs@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:F92ZP0n4c5VeLysdFFS00008bc0@hotmail.com… > Another vote for the NiteRider systems. I use a NiteRider Digital
HeadTrip. > The helmet mounted light works well. In my opinion a helmet mounted
light > is the only way to go for unicycling. > > I use my light for both Coker rides and muni rides. The big trick to getting > the most out of the light is to get a wide angle bulb. Most
lights > come stock with a spot bulb which works well for a bike but is not good
for > a uni. Switching to a wide angle bulb makes a big difference especially
for > muni. When unicycling you’re focused on what is close to your wheel so a wide > angle bulb lets you see more of the ground that you’re interested in. > > Is NiteRider the best lighting system out there? I don’t know. They are one of > the more popular, are easy to purchase and can be found on sale. I like their > helmet mount and headband mount. They have also recently
redone > the Digital HeadTrip II giving it a larger capacity battery, detachable cable > and better charger. Check out http://www.niterider.com > > The head unit on the NiteRider is a little on the heavy side. It’s metal and > durable but that adds up to more weight. The extra weight sticking
out > on the front of the helmet tends to cause the helmet to slide down towards > your eyes as you ride. A system that uses two smaller lights on the side
of > the helmet (like the Lumicycle) might be better because then the extra weight > would not tend pull the front of the helmet down. I use a heavyish BMX helmet > with my light rather than a lighter MTB helmet because the heavier BMX helmet > doesn’t slide towards my eyes like the light MTB
helmet. > > john_childs > > >From: “Joe Marshall” > > > >Hi, > > > >anyone got any suggestions for what type of lights to use for doing muni
at > >night? My mountain biking friend says lumicycle ones are nice > >http://www.lumicycle.co.uk), they’re very expensive, but they do seem nice. I > >was thinking of a light attached to my helmet rather than to the uni itself > >as that gets a bit bashed about. Also I could use it for commuting without > >having to detach it. > [snip] > >cheers, > > > >Joe > > _________________________________________________________________ > Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
Ditto. Niterider on the helmet - battery in the Camelbak - 6/9/12 watts is all I
usually use, although it’s fun to blast out 32 watts on the technical sections.
My Coker cyclometer is just a cheapo Avocet model 25, $29.99 here in the US. It
goes up to 3000mm and I have it calibrated at 2776mm. I haven’t used a Sigma
Sport but they are much more robust than the normal cheap ones.
Have fun,
Nathan
“mark stephens” <markastephens_2000@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:20010201192814.71630.qmail@web10402.mail.yahoo.com… > > > > > anyone got any suggestions for what type of lights to use > > I use “Niterider” mounted on top of my helmet. > > > Also has anyone fitted a cycle computer to a coker? > > I’ve gone through a lot of computers on my Coker. Cateyes and Schwinns that > worked good but eventually the plastic mount broke. A couple of cheaper ones > that the face actually fell off. I guess I drop my unis. a lot. I always > checked first to make sure they would set up to 300 cm. Only a couple I > checked would not go that high. Now I have a “Sigma Sport” unit that is > mounted by O-rings wrapped around the post and the fork. Hopefully it will > last a long time. Already it has lasted longer than any of the others. It’s > supposed to set up to 400 cm. -Mark > > __________________________________________________ > Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail - only $35 a year! > http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/
Flood beams are MUCH more effective than spots off-road or on - you get so much
information from peripheral vision when unicycling.
My experience of Niterider lights is that they are the best put together lights
I’ve seen but still suffer from reliability problems in UK winters.
Try Lumicycle lights in the UK they have the best value high-performance (and
light weight) systems - they only sell direct by mail order. They can do custom
systems and have a variety of bulbs. http://www.lumicycle.co.uk/ If I hadn’t
already built my own system before I found them I would have bought theirs (for
about the same price!).
SMART do cheapie versions but require a bit of ingenuity to fit to helmets or
unicycles.
Leo White (Cheltenham, UK)
I just “fixed” a digital Niterider for a friend in a bike shop it had gone dead
for the second time, and was out of warranty. After replacing a burned-out SMT
chip on the miniature circuit board - it still didn’t work so I got rid of the
circuit board and replaced it with 2 sealed switches.
Joe Marshall <joe_marshall@bigfoot.com> wrote in message news:981120699.347526@ananke.eclipse.net.uk… > People seem to be saying that the niterider lights, even in the new
“fixed” > versions, don’t work very well and don’t seem to last, > > http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Lights/product_22205.shtml > > also, the place I found that sold them in the UK converted the prices from > dollars to pounds just by changing the symbol, so they’re pretty expensive > here. Apparently they don’t like rain either so not much use for commuting > when it’s too windy to hold an umbrella. > > Joe > > “John Childs” <john_childs@hotmail.com> wrote in message > news:F92ZP0n4c5VeLysdFFS00008bc0@hotmail.com… > > Another vote for the NiteRider systems. I use a NiteRider Digital > HeadTrip. > > The helmet mounted light works well. In my opinion a helmet mounted > light > > is the only way to go for unicycling. > > > > I use my light for both Coker rides and muni rides. The big trick to getting > > the most out of the light is to get a wide angle bulb. Most > lights > > come stock with a spot bulb which works well for a bike but is not good > for > > a uni. Switching to a wide angle bulb makes a big difference especially > for > > muni. When unicycling you’re focused on what is close to your wheel so
a > > wide angle bulb lets you see more of the ground that you’re interested
in. > > > > Is NiteRider the best lighting system out there? I don’t know. They
are > > one of the more popular, are easy to purchase and can be found on sale.
I > > like their helmet mount and headband mount. They have also recently > redone > > the Digital HeadTrip II giving it a larger capacity battery, detachable > > cable and better charger. Check out http://www.niterider.com > > > > The head unit on the NiteRider is a little on the heavy side. It’s
metal > > and durable but that adds up to more weight. The extra weight sticking > out > > on the front of the helmet tends to cause the helmet to slide down
towards > > your eyes as you ride. A system that uses two smaller lights on the
side > of > > the helmet (like the Lumicycle) might be better because then the extra > > weight would not tend pull the front of the helmet down. I use a
heavyish > > BMX helmet with my light rather than a lighter MTB helmet because the > > heavier BMX helmet doesn’t slide towards my eyes like the light MTB > helmet. > > > > john_childs > > > > >From: “Joe Marshall” > > > > > >Hi, > > > > > >anyone got any suggestions for what type of lights to use for doing
muni > at > > >night? My mountain biking friend says lumicycle ones are nice > > >http://www.lumicycle.co.uk), they’re very expensive, but they do seem nice. > > >I was thinking of a light attached to my helmet rather than to the uni > > >itself as that gets a bit bashed about. Also I could use it for commuting > > >without having to detach it. > > [snip] > > >cheers, > > > > > >Joe > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > > Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com > > >
Chris Reeder wrote: > > Hey, are there wrist-mounted cycle computers? I can just picture myself trying > to look under the seat while I’m riding to check my cruising speed.
There are some out there, but I’ve heard that the cordless cycle computers don’t
have much range and have some problems communicating. Anyways, here is a link to
a model by Cateye: http://www.cateye.com/pc_0107msc-3dx.htm
I’ve got a Specialized “Team” wireless computer which works pretty well. It is a
bit limited in that it has to be within 24" (off the top of my head so don’t
take this as gospel) of the magnet but, as long as I keep it in my pocket,
that’s just okay on my 26". I had tried mounting it under the seat but,
strangely enough, it didn’t get any signal at all. It has settings for 2 wheel
sizes and can accommodate a Coker wheel - I’ve never tried it on the Coker mind.
Cheers, Neil
“Chris Reeder” <reed8990@uidaho.edu> wrote in message news:3A7A366C.EEBC6271@uidaho.edu… > Hey, are there wrist-mounted cycle computers? I can just picture myself trying > to look under the seat while I’m riding to check my cruising speed. > > Chris
I have a cateye under the seat. It’s not heard to look at it when riding if
mounted in the right place. (Just do it carefully, watch for bumps!) But this
isn’t really necessary since it keeps track of mileage, top speed, average speed
etc. I just reset the top speed before a trip. When done, I check it out. 19.9
miles per hour is my best!
Joe
In article <3A7A366C.EEBC6271@uidaho.edu>,
Chris Reeder <reed8990@uidaho.edu> wrote:
> Hey, are there wrist-mounted cycle computers? I can just picture
myself > trying to look under the seat while I’m riding to check my cruising speed. > > Chris >