[SDCBC] [sdrando] Re: Brevet lighting

[Robert Leone]

Dear Jim:


Jim Yanoschik wrote:
> Thanks for all the great information.  It seems like this group has a lot of
> experience and knowledge.  The great thing is that you guys (meant globally
> as guys and gals) are willing to share and help.  When I have ridden at
> night I have chosen to ride with my rear lights in the steady mode.  The
> blinking mode even though is probably more visible, but it might cause
> "target fixation" and the driver of the car steers into you rather than
> avoiding you.  

Hello -- one more note on lights. The RUSA rules also require the lights 
be "fixed," or mounted on hard points, brackets, clamped, etc. Both 
Planet Bike and Cateye have a wide array of rear light mounting brackets 
available for secondary purchase if the standard seatpost/seatstay 
brackets usually included in the package with the rear lights won't do 
the job. I don't know about Cateye, but Planet Bike sells them direct 
and doesn't charge for US shipping. Simply clipping the rear blinkie to 
the rear of you or your bike luggage doesn't meet their standards. They 
have those standards for a reason -- I myself have lost my rear lights 
due to bounce-off when they'd been clipped on. So if anyone finds a 
PlanetBike Blinky-3 on Miramar Road, it's mine, I say! MINE.

I'd also probably win an award for the worst rear light field expedient 
-- a 2xAA cell Mimni MagLite with the NiteIze LED aftermarket bulb and 
an orange traffic direction cone clipped with the pocket clip to my rear 
rack trunk. Then strapped on with a velcro watch strap. This was while 
commuting, not while on a brevet. I gave up on this system after about a 
month.



> 
> I cannot make the May 10 event but I will try to make some of the late
> summer events.  Would it be fair to say that the PBP is something that a
> randonneur hopes to do?  I found the SDR website and find the whole thing
> PBP event very interesting.  The great thing is that I have some time to
> figure out if I am capable/motivated to attempt (no make  that  complete).
> 
> Jim Yanoschik
> 
SNIP

The May 10th ride probably would not involve any in the dark riding 
unless you're riding to the start quite early because you'd want 
breakfast at Perry's Cafe before charging off north (I like the Spinach 
Fritatta but the homefries taste of tropical oils). My first official 
long ride of any description was the January 2007 200 km, I've yet to 
ride a commercial or charity Century. Please keep in mind there are 
probably at least as many goals in riding brevets as there are riders of 
brevets -- I'm touring/commuting oriented, so I ride brevets as a) a 
fitness check b) a chance to compare my riding skills with other 
cyclists, including other cyclists from other disciplines and areas of 
interest (multi-spord, road racing, endurance road racing, fixed gear, 
recumbents, etc) c) a chance to ride some parts of San Diego where I 
normally don't ride d) informal "gearhead" talk. See, four differnt 
reasons and I'm just one rider.
	I'll be sending you in a separate e-mail an article I'd written for the 
"Chaingaurd" (the newsletter of the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition) 
about rear light mounting.

Robert Leone