Next Full Moon

Sunday, May 3rd Full Flower Moon

24 April 2014

tilting at old ghosts

Via a recent exchange of emails:

Hevi: "...we are still talking about the 5 hour night ride"

Yours: "what is being said about the 5 hour night ride?"

Hevi: "5 hour night rides are uncommon...Oh you know, things like: 'Are they making 20mm axle dynamos* yet, cause I know a whole bunch of Rye whiskey drinking jackasses that would want one?' "



Which I suppose is all true.

I understand the night riding "season" is winding to a close for many. More hours of mandated daylight at the end of your shift and all. And, trails (heck, even roads) are much easier to follow in the harsh light of day, sure. But. People, people the coming dark does not mean you have to run home to the safety of the electric screen.

That is where a dynamo powered light is your special friend. They are not just a dorky commuter accessory, they are your ticket to the nighttime. (That's assuming the moon is less than 3/4 full, by the way. When the moon is full, a light is...bull, I guess) You can just keep on getting rad as long as you can keep on. Your little battery powered lights don't cut it.

And if you do find yourself several beers deep in the woods with only a battery powered light, turning it off whenever you can will save you some juice.

For what it is worth, using several different Shimano dynohubs, I've had real fine use of the Supernova E3 Triple, riding hard- both on and off road. The stand light, though it may help Europeans at stoplights, is something of a drag for me because it makes it harder to hide in the shadows, but I can live with it.

Spring isn't all daytime.

*maybe not 20mm...

2 comments:

blackcatbicycles said...

with such talk of extended adventures, i worry as well of adequate battery life. will this "generator hub", with its mechanical mysteries, let me keep my e-devices charged to stay abreast of the latest happenings on my favored social media sites? what good is having adventures obscured by e-darkness? i say to you, no good.

i also wonder if this "generator hub" has an app that matches the screen light of one's personal e-devices as to optimize one's darkened adventure and avoid a constant and annoying pupil dilation as one stays as wired to the cloud/borg as possible on said adventures.


reverend dick said...

...what would it take for you to leave your life for a year and just ride your bike?