bicycle lights
May. 4th, 2007 10:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ewtHm.
Having seen them in the shop I think I like these lights; good side visibility, and so on. But they're a little beyond my means right now, so this afternoon it was off to Decathlon for something more affordable.
I took 50 minutes to get from home to Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, via the Thames Path... I got off my bicycle and walked several times when the path borrowed busy roads where I'm not allowed to cycle on the pavement but didn't feel safe in the traffic, and I wasn't making any special effort to hurry, and there was a bit of a headwind. I figure it would have taken me 90 minutes if I had walked the whole way, although I'm sure there was a time when I would have been able to do it much, much faster. I didn't really have any trouble with arm tension or pain, which is good.
I have lights - ordinary ones, and some tiny LED ones that take evil non-rechargeable CR2032 batteries to carry for emergency backup, and bungee netting. And gloves, because they were cheap and my palms were getting sore from gripping the handlebars.
Looked at panniers and so on, but all the hangy-down panniers looked like they'd just get in the way of the pedals, and there wasn't a huge selection at Decathlon, and even if those things weren't a problem I'm not exactly made of money at the moment and I've spent enough on bikestuff today.
I'm now thinking "rigid box of some sort plus bungee netting" as a way of using the rack. If the rigid box happened to be clear plastic, I could put my (sadly non-waterproof) battery-powered EL light in it for added geeky brightness... and line it with some sort of bag to stop things rattling around too much or being seen as a temptation, although I'll take it with me if I leave the bike locked up somewhere. I could glue non-slip grippy stuff onto the bottom to help it not slide around. Something that will take A4 things easily would be best. But in the meantime, I have the bungee netting, and that plus a cloth shopping bag (with plastic stashed inside in case of rain) should serve my needs nicely.
I also looked at those under-seat pouch things, but the vel-cro on them was not long enough to go around the plastic seat-mounting attachment thing on the Strida, and I'm damned if I'm going to pay money for something and then have to modify it when I have all the materials to make one from scratch right here. Perhaps I shall crochet one. It isn't urgent.
Took the train from Canada Water to Canary Wharf, then walked home from Canary Wharf - it was getting a bit too dark to ride, and there were lots of cars, and I was tired and didn't want to get squished by doing something stupid. I learned that taking the Strida on public transport is really not very hard at all - easier than taking my horn, in fact, because I don't have to lift it as much. I also learned that walking that much is still a bad idea, and I probably need to put my orthotics in my trainers if I'm not going to have hurty feet.
I did not buy metallic pink handlerbar streamers, because they didn't have any, and because even if they had I would have felt Teh Guilt about buying them. Instead I shall make some out of plastic bags from Superdrug and sparkly rexlace. I mean, handlebar streamers are basically hairfalls but not as long or thick.
I rode my bicycle.
:)))))
Having seen them in the shop I think I like these lights; good side visibility, and so on. But they're a little beyond my means right now, so this afternoon it was off to Decathlon for something more affordable.
I took 50 minutes to get from home to Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, via the Thames Path... I got off my bicycle and walked several times when the path borrowed busy roads where I'm not allowed to cycle on the pavement but didn't feel safe in the traffic, and I wasn't making any special effort to hurry, and there was a bit of a headwind. I figure it would have taken me 90 minutes if I had walked the whole way, although I'm sure there was a time when I would have been able to do it much, much faster. I didn't really have any trouble with arm tension or pain, which is good.
I have lights - ordinary ones, and some tiny LED ones that take evil non-rechargeable CR2032 batteries to carry for emergency backup, and bungee netting. And gloves, because they were cheap and my palms were getting sore from gripping the handlebars.
Looked at panniers and so on, but all the hangy-down panniers looked like they'd just get in the way of the pedals, and there wasn't a huge selection at Decathlon, and even if those things weren't a problem I'm not exactly made of money at the moment and I've spent enough on bikestuff today.
I'm now thinking "rigid box of some sort plus bungee netting" as a way of using the rack. If the rigid box happened to be clear plastic, I could put my (sadly non-waterproof) battery-powered EL light in it for added geeky brightness... and line it with some sort of bag to stop things rattling around too much or being seen as a temptation, although I'll take it with me if I leave the bike locked up somewhere. I could glue non-slip grippy stuff onto the bottom to help it not slide around. Something that will take A4 things easily would be best. But in the meantime, I have the bungee netting, and that plus a cloth shopping bag (with plastic stashed inside in case of rain) should serve my needs nicely.
I also looked at those under-seat pouch things, but the vel-cro on them was not long enough to go around the plastic seat-mounting attachment thing on the Strida, and I'm damned if I'm going to pay money for something and then have to modify it when I have all the materials to make one from scratch right here. Perhaps I shall crochet one. It isn't urgent.
Took the train from Canada Water to Canary Wharf, then walked home from Canary Wharf - it was getting a bit too dark to ride, and there were lots of cars, and I was tired and didn't want to get squished by doing something stupid. I learned that taking the Strida on public transport is really not very hard at all - easier than taking my horn, in fact, because I don't have to lift it as much. I also learned that walking that much is still a bad idea, and I probably need to put my orthotics in my trainers if I'm not going to have hurty feet.
I did not buy metallic pink handlerbar streamers, because they didn't have any, and because even if they had I would have felt Teh Guilt about buying them. Instead I shall make some out of plastic bags from Superdrug and sparkly rexlace. I mean, handlebar streamers are basically hairfalls but not as long or thick.
I rode my bicycle.
:)))))
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-05-04 10:00 pm (UTC)(Might also sign up here as well too)
//Pi-Rat
no subject
Date: 2007-05-04 10:56 pm (UTC)Lights?
Date: 2007-05-05 06:18 am (UTC)Re: Lights?
Date: 2007-05-05 06:33 am (UTC)Also, most of the time I'm not going to be on rides so long that I need to carry a spare set of batteries; the dinky little 1-LED things will do nicely for backup, and they are quite light.
Re: Lights?
Date: 2007-05-09 08:55 pm (UTC)I bought a Swiss high efficiency bottle type dynamo, & am thinking of trying this resting on the back of the drive belt. I'm looking for something to act as a mounting clip at the moment.
If I get anywhere I'll post back.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-05 07:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-05 10:21 am (UTC)I used to use them in NL to strap cardboard boxes full of groceries onto my bike with no disasters :)
no subject
Date: 2007-05-05 10:21 am (UTC)no subject
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