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Q: How much wattage do I need?
A: This depends on what you want to do with the light. If you just want to be seen in an urban well lighted street,
2 watts is fine. If you want to ride on the road and actually see the road, you must have a minimum of 6 watts.
I prefer 10 watts for a good low beam. If you are
going off road you will most likely need every watt you can get your hands on and a dual beam is a must. For off road
conditions, visibility is the higest priority. Always take a dual beam light off road, because if one bulb dies, you are
going to have to hike it out in the dark.
Q: Dual Bulb or Single
Bulb?
A: I tend to stay with a dual bulb for off road and a single bulb for the road. A single 10 watt unit on the road
is good enough to see where you are going. Road rides tend to be longer than trail rides and the high beam run time is
usually less than 1 hour. For off road a dual beam is a must. I tend to run a single bulb on the way up hills and both
bulbs on the way down to get the view. Technical sections of the track may need both bulbs. I tend to run two bulbs most
of the time off road. Make sure you are running both bulbs on fast sections. If one of the bulbs breaks a filament on bump
you can still see to land the bike. Anybody that has had a single bulb light die on a fast downhill run will happily pay
the price for a dual bulb after his collar bone heals.
Q: What kind of batteries should I get?
A: Typically NiCads are what most good companies are
offering. A few still offer lead acid. Lead acid cells have a
limitation in that if you fully discharge them they are dead
and will not take a charge. The attractive feature of a lead
acid cell is the cost and power output. A lead acid cell for
the same type of performance as a NiCad can cost half as
much. NiCads suffer a similar problem in that they can flip
polarity if discharged too far. The NiCad is a much more
robust power source and can withstand more deep discharging
without permanent damage than a lead acid cell. Remember that
NiCad batteries do not last forever; you will need to replace
them in a few years. A good NiCad will last about 400 cycles
(full charge to full discharge). Most batteries start seeing
some degradation in about 150 to 200 cycles. By the time 400
cycles are reached, a 2 hour battery will last about 10
minutes. Just as a rule of thumb I use my light 1 hour every
work day from October to March so it gets 120 days of use. I
can ride two days on a single charge which is 60 cycles a
season. In about 4 years, I am looking for a new battery.
Between 200 and 300 cycles is what I normally use as a guide
for the useful life of a battery. This can be seriously
shortened if you over charge the battery or deeply discharge
it.
Q: What about Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries?
A: Nickel Metal Hydride batteries are the way to go in portable devices. A battery to battery comparison will have a
current Nickel Metal putting out twice the power of a NiCad for the same size and weight. Nickel Metal batteries are not
toxic and can be tossed in the trash and have more recharge cycles before they lose capacity. In the last few months the
Japanese have come out with a new version of the Nickel Metal Hydride battery that is nearly twice the power of the old
batteries. Notebook computers will get the first ones, but the technology will trickle down quickly. I look for Nickel
Metal batteries to replace NiCad and the much more costly Lithium Ion. Lithium Ion used to be the most power for size,
but the new Nickel Metal batteries have passed that mark by 10% for half the price. The drawback to Nickel Metal
batteries are they cost twice as much as a NiCad (but twice the power) and have a long recharge time. Your NiCad pack
that charges in 6 hours could take 10 to 12 hours. I have little doubt that lights in the next few years will all have
this technology available if not as a primary choice, as an option for long run times.
Q: Water Bottle or
Pouch mount?
A: Water bottle mount is the only way to go unless you are extra careful when mounting a bag or pouch to the bike frame.
Over time, it can take off the paint or scratch it. Keep your frame clean and cover the tube with a soft cloth before hanging a bag
battery on it. The pouch batteries can also bang into the frame on the off road rides. I suggest mounting the pouch on a rear rack
or putting it in a seat bag.
Look for a light with a coiled cord that doesn't flop around or need tie downs. Coiled cords also allow you to mount the
bottle in more places than the standard straight wire most companies use. I like to mount the bottle battery on the back
rack for long tours so I have two drinking water bottles within easy reach.
Q: Quick release or not?
A: Yes. The easier the better. I like the NiteRider
one hand quick release because it is simple to use. The more
expensive units with high/low switches slow down the removal
time and complicate the mounting. If you don't mind the extra
time you can look at the different models and make your own
decision. My personal favorites are the NiteRider Evolution and
Digital Evolution. They are easy to use, pop off the bike and
carry with you. Some of these lights cost more than most
bikes. Leaving the light on the bike is not a good idea.
Q: Spot beam or wide beam?
A: It is not a big deal, and most high end companies
have a good pattern. NiteRider's wider beam is nice for a low
beam pattern. A low beam with a wider pattern is better than
a spot light. NiteRider has a little too much spot light to
the beam to be ideal. It is best to have a spot light on high
beam and wider beam on low beam for dual beam lights.
Q: Why are the
batteries so expensive?
A: A good high capacity bank of NiCad batteries will
cost nearly $100 even at a discounted price. The
manufacturers are not ripping you off. A high capacity D cell
battery is $8 each and 1.2 volts. So to get a 12 volt water
bottle you need 10 of them. You just blew $80 and another $20
for packaging and labor is not unreasonable. Yes you can make
a 12 volt NiCad water bottle battery from Radio Shack sub-C
cells with solder tabs very easily, but it will have about 45
minutes run time and cost about $40. You have to spend the
big bucks to get high capacity batteries if you want the 2 or
2.5 hour run time.
Q: What about a fuel gauge?
A: These are good if you cannot remember how much charge your battery has left, which is not something that you
can do easily. The reason is because the battery does not have a linear discharge voltage. To calculate discharge
progress, must map the discharge voltage curve first. A fuel gauge takes care of the math so you can ride.
Q: Smart Chargers?
A: I like NiteRider's high end light chargers. It is nice to know if the battery is charging. The upper end of the
NiteRider line offers a light to show the batter is charging so you don't have to wonder if you are connected. They also
offer a smart charger that will not cook the battery. NiCad batteries heat up when charged. A smart charger knows when
they are fully charged. Instead of trying to keep charging the batteries and shorten their life with excess heat, the
smart charger will back off on the current when charging is complete.
Q: What about a tail light?
A:I use the NiteRider 19 LED tail light. It is super bright, easy to see even during the day and uses very little battery power.
I mount it on the seatpost and take it off when summer rolls around.
Questions and answers are courtesy of Tim Laflin,
the official Tech Rep on the
Campagnolo Only!
web site.
Click on his underlined address to email Tim at:
tlaflin@aol.com
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