Bike Bag Light

My newest project

Been working on a safety light project for the last few weeks. I for one believe in bikes having lights and the more lights and the brighter the lights the better. One of the things I added to the programming was the ability to switch between different modes. Most of the modes are just for getting attention, like white and red blinking but I also added a pulsing rainbow and a cylon eye mode.

I can also easily change the program to add or change the animations The whole thing is powered by a usb battery charger. I picked up two of these chargers, a 5000 mah one and 10000 mah one. Once I get the chance to go out riding at night I will be able to see how long each of these batteries will work for.

Once I get the whole thing debugged and running I will post all the files and diagrams so anyone can build one. I will even post the parts list so that you can order all the parts and build one. Eventually I would like to replace the switch with a bluetooth link that I can control from my phone.

Edit - I started a github for all the files you need to build this for yourself

https://github.com/TerryBruce/Bikebag

Please let me know what you think

A new project

A new project of something that I am working on. I am going to add these to my helmet once I get these programmed i am hoping to have several different animations.

Review - Planetbike Superflash Turbo

Awhile back whilst riding to work I managed to lose my rear flasher that I had clipped onto my backpack. The light must of slipped off the strap it was clipped to because when I got to work my backpack was lightless. As it was my plan to do some serious night riding I was concerned. So after work I stopped at my favorite local bike shop - Thick Bikes and was determined to get a cheap blinker and be on my way. I wasn't going to spend a lot of money to have the light end up in pieces on the street after sliding of the strap like the last one.

That's not what happened.

After tooling into the shop (Indoor bike parking!) and talking to Chris (the owner) for a little while. I looked at the different blinky lights. I noticed that one of the lights was so bright it could only be described as offensively bright. At 34$ this was more than I wanted to spend  considering what happened to the last one.

This is where having a local bike shop really pays off. I told Chris what happened to my last one, I showed him where I had it attached to my backpack and he showed me how to keep that from happening. Try doing that with an online store.

The light I bought is the Planet Bike Superflash Turbo. The light retailed at thick bikes for $33.99 + tax (which is also the price on the planetbike website at the time of this writing) and comes with a battery and several different options for mounting. Here are the specs from the website

• One Watt Power LED plus 2 red LEDs for visibility up to 1 mile
• New attention-grabbing Turbo flash pattern
• Turbo flash mode is highly visible, even in daylight
• Ultra compact vertical design is weatherproof, lightweight and durable
• Includes bike mounts and clip mount for multiple mounting options
• Soft-touch power switch accesses flashing or steady mode for up to 100 hours of run time on two AAA batteries
• weighs 75 grams with batteries

The website also claims this to be the best taillight in the world.  I don't know about best in the world but it is the best one I have used to date. (did I mention offensively bright) The price was a little more than I expected it is worth every penny. I noticed that I could see the light from the blinky bouncing off the walls of buildings as I rode down the street, and when you are on a bike at night you need everything you can get to be more visible. So if you're looking for a new rear blinky or even if you aren't check out the superflash turbo. I think you will be surprised at how bright this little light is.

Now for how Chris secured the light to my backpack. one word. ziptie.

After clipping the light to the strap he ziptied the clip closed around the body of the light. You might also notice that ziptie lays between the lower LED lights so it doesn't block the light from either of them.

Genius!

I have had several of my friends ask me why I prefer to have the rear blinky on my back instead of on the bike. Actually I would prefer to have lights on both the bike and my backpack but at the rate I manage to break them I usually only have one blinky. That being said, if I only have one light I would prefer it on my backpack for several reasons.  First reason, if the light is on my backpack it is higher up and, hopefully, more visible. Second reason, being the multi modal person that I am i find myself walking to bus stop in the dark, on morning that I don't take my bike. When walking in the dark the 3/8 mile to the bus stop I feel more visible with that blinky letting drivers know I'm there on the side of the road. Third and final reason, I just feel better knowing when I lock my bike up that the lights and cyclometer go with me. so not having the light attached to the bike is just one less thing I have to take off the bike when I lock it up.

I hope you will give this blinky a gander and if you are in Pittsburgh I hope you will give Thick Bikes a visit.

A little bit of work

Did a little bit of maintainence work on BOB yesterday. I cleaned up the frame and took off the christmas lights I had on the frame. I like the idea of riding around with the lights on. I enjoyed the people noticing the lights and waving. I also liked the idea of the added visibility. Still the tape I had used to secure the lights was beginning to fall apart.  I also cleaned things up and lubed the chain. I have tried several different lubes for the chain and for me I have decided that I like Rock-n-Roll Gold the "King of Lubes". I only know that this lube makes my chain quieter than anything else I have used. I plan on writing a review of this lube in the near futuer. i.e. it has made it to the list of articles that need to be written.

I also added a new cyclometer. The Sigma BC1609 with a reader that allows me to connect it to my computer. I did not realize this when I started to install the cyclometer but it also came with a cadence reader. For those of you who do not know, a cadence reader is a sensor that tells me just how slowly I'm pedalling. I am hoping to see how well this works on the icycle bicycle ride on the first of the year. I understand that there is a good chance of snow and cold. Usually I'm not to excited about riding around in the cold and the snow but it has been a few weeks since I have had a good ride. Besides it is time to pull a Number nine. This will give me a good chance to try out my new tires, gloves, and cyclometer.

All in all a ride that I am looking forward to. now I just have to break out the winter gear.

Infini Wukong Light - Review

Last night I stopped at Thick Bikes on the Southside (My Local Bike Shop). My goal was to say hi and get some air in my tires (they felt a little soft) and as I was talking with them I saw them unpacking a bunch of these little lights. When I saw that they had one in orange I knew it was destiny. What I found out after buying one was that it was also a heck of a handy light, but first the details.

Wukong light made by Infini
Model - I-203R
Cost - 12.99

Size - 100×64×14 mm
Weight - 9.5gm (without batteries)
Run Time - 120 hours constant 240 hours flashing
Battery - CR2032 X 2

The body is made of a pliable silicon that allows to easily mount the light just about anywhere, and just as easily remove it. The lights are very bright and come in white (front) and red (rear). While this light falls into the "Be Seen" camp it was bright enough that I would feel ok using it as my only headlight in a pinch. After I mounted it on my handlebars I realized that what it was perfect for. I had my main headlight on constant and the little Wukong set on flashing.  I have never liked setting my only front light to flashing but having one set on constant and one set on flashing worked well for me.

Later in the evening when I was faced with a 3 mile ride from the bus stop to my house in the rain on a dark road. I pointed the Wukong down directly in front of my tire and put it on constant as well. this allowed me to see what right in front of me as well as what was coming up.

Overall I am very impressed with little light. What I had picked up because I wanted a new orange trinket on my bike has turned into something I keep on my bike.

Bike Zone

I have been lucky enough to live in a city that is actually serious about bike lanes and sharrows. All that being said I have had far too many run-ins with cars, motorcycles and trucks while riding after dark. Even with my lights, reflectors, and fiks stickers. So having something like this that will project onto the street a meter out letting car-holes know you are there.

The Bike zone also acts like turn signals. This is something that I think every bike should own, however since I can't find pricing and it involves two laser projectors, I can only imagine what the price is going to be.

Edit - I was informed that I forgot to put up the link to Yanko Designs. The group that came up with this rather cool idea so I added it. Sorry about that.