A few days ago I upgraded my headlight situation, nearly tripling my lumen output. This thing is the size of a toaster oven. In fact you can feel the heat it gives off at max output. It’s fucking bright. I always chuckled at cooling fins in bike light descriptions. But this thing actually needs them. You can check the specs here
It took me three attempts to shim out the crossbar on that whacky handlebar with an old innertube to get the clamp clamping on just the right circumference. In situ resource utilization-o-rama.
This new light brings to mind the first headlight I ever had, a clunky CatEye with two big fat C batteries. It was about as bright as a tired votive candle flickering in an old mustard jar, choking on its own vomit trying to stay alight.
My girlfriend at the time (1991) talked me into getting a headlight. She also convinced me to buy a helmet. In her undergrad at Oregon before moving to Seattle, she saved up plenty of stories of Eugene cops ticketing cyclists riding with no lights at night.
Which brings to mind a night in 1996 when I was issued a citation by a bored Seattle cop because I was riding the 7 blocks from my apartment to the Elysian with no lights on my shitty singlespeeded Cannondale. He made me sit on the curb near Bobby Morris playfield, as he ran my ID and made a big show of it all. He asked me if it was really my bike or if I stole it. "Seattle’s Finest" finest horseshit shit show.
I’ve been through many many variations of the bike light theme. All kinds of shitty blinky lights designed for visibility. Lots of batteries and a little conspicuity, but not really helping me see the road. With my old-man eyesight, this new torch helps me see some things. But still, I do not operate under the assumption that anyone can see me.
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