Extracted from the RANDON mailing list - for more information on the
RANDON, ULTRA, TOURING and BIKECURRENT mailing lists try this link
Or visit Velonet direct.
Vincent Taeger asks about running a VL-430 light on AA batteries.
True, the juice gets sucked right out of these suckers when powering
a 10 watt bulb, but they are good for about an hour's worth of light.
The casing can be unscrewed, just like their 2-watt "little siblings",
and you can mount 4 AA's inside. I carry one in a pannier with me on
my commutes just in case my VL-430 rechargeable cell starts dying
in mid-commute. And that vistalite battery is actually powering a
NiteRider 15watt spotlight. Talk about lighting mods...
Rest assured, that this setup does work - I use Duracell or Energizers.
Since the 300k for PPTC starts at 5am, and first light is about 45
minutes later, this is just about the ideal setup for the start of
that ride - an hour after the start, I stop, toss the batteries in
the trash, throw the headlight into my pannier and continue on my
way.
BTW, I really REALLY like the 15watt spots MUCH better than the old
VL-430 "snorkels". The beam is tight and focussed and I can see the
road in front of me much better, which is what *I* am interested
in seeing at 3am! I figure that a car coming at me is going to
be able to see some of the light that this thing throws out also.
These lights appear to be the same as the Vistalite VL-540(?) which retails
for about $150. I got mine by purchasing a NiteRider Cyclops Sport,
which has a 5 x 'D' Cell casing that fits in a water bottle holder.
Both the NiteRider and the Vistalite battery output "male" plug
ends are identical jacks - the battery holders work interchangeably
(if anyone from either company is listening, PLEASE keep them this
way!!!)
For last year's brevets, I ran a single Duracell 6v lantern
battery with some speaker wire and compatable plugs, which I picked
up at Radio Shack for about $1.50. WOrked fairly well - I used alligator
clips in the pannier to hook to the battery and these came off a few
times on the larger bumps. I think this year I'll use the NiteRider
casing and just carry extra "D" cells.
SteveC
I hate to appear preachy, but I wouldn't be comfortable pursuing this
rather environmentally unfavorable strategy. Of course, flying across
the country to do BMB isn't enviro-friendly anyway, but I'd rather
stick with rechargables nevertheless.
Dan Connelly
LIGHTS
Stephen Ciccarelli suggested using 4 AA batteries with the VL430. Perhaps
Stephen can correct me but I don't think you can run the VL430 on AA
batteries. The VL400 uses 4 AA batteries, a 2W 3V bulb and the same housing,
but a different reflector from, the VL420/430. The VL420/430 use 6W/10W 6V
bulbs. Drawing more than 1A from AA cells may melt the cells, and you will
not get 6V from 4AA cells at this high current.
I agree with Dave Jordan's reply. Good lights are a must.
Some riders appear to have preternatural night vision and use a single 1/4 W
light. I can barely see these, let alone see by them. I use a setup
similar to Dave, a VL430 with 6W/10W lights and a 2W specialized handle bar
mounted light as a backup and flashlight. I will describe the use home brew
batteries I use with the with the VistaLight below.
For the qualifying brevets I carried the 10W and 6W lights. Most of the
time I used the 6W to conserve battery life. For PBP I left the 10W at home
to conserve battery life, weight and handle bar space. At PBP the 6W was OK
but I had to keep the speed below 20mph on descents. You can get a 6W bulb
for the VistaLight from Loose Screw to use in one of the 430 series lights.
Whether 6W is bright enough for me depends on the terrain weather and road
conditions.
At PBP most of my night riding was either in a pack or with several others.
Those of us with 6W, or better, lights would pick up a tail of riders with
2W lights. These guys would occasionally pass, realize they could not see,
and drop back behind us. Our night time speed was slow enough that drafting
was not a big deal, so those with bright lights were happy trading off as
the lead pair. I do not consider it safe to draft closely at night, but if
you are consider using your 2W low beam. Drafting using a bright light
creates nasty shadows directly in front of the lead rider. It is best if
two bright lights are ridden side by side or in echelon, the pair of lights
fill in the shadows better than two lights on one bike would.
BMB is a lot smaller than PBP so you cannot count on joining a group. If I
were entering I would be willing to adjust my night speed by several mph (up
or down) in order to ride with someone. If BMB leaves at 10PM it should be
possible to ride with someone for the first night, even if your plans for
the ride are quite different.
I used a pair of LED tail lamps. Redundancy is a good thing. (In US I have
one steady and one flashing, In France flashing lamps are forbidden so both
were steady).
BATTERIES
I used two home brew battery packs. One holds 5 'D' Cells. I use this for
commuting, the brevets and the first night of PBP. A set of 5 4AH nicads
run the 6W light for about 4 hours. I used two sets of nicads for the first
night and dropped them with a friend (consider mailing them home if you have
no support) at dawn. I like this setup because I can used alkaline 'D'
cells, available at any 7-11 if I have battery trouble.
Two of my friends use alkaline 'D' cells as their primary set, I tried this
on the 600K and did not like it. Nicads keep the light bright for 4 hours
then dim drastically. Alkalines start out bright but fad steadily, after
2.5 hours I thought the light was too dim for [my] comfort.
The Night Rider makes a similar 5-Cell pack that will plug into the
VistaLights. You can also get a 5W light for the Night Rider that is similar
to the 6W VistaLight bulb.
My second battery pack uses two 3V Lithium 'D' cells. I bought these from REI.
These batteries are incredible. They kept the 6W bulb bright for over 8
hours :-) (And are still going, I keep them on the commuter for backup), are
incredibly light :-) and cost $15 a piece :-(. I used these the 2nd and 3rd
night of PBP. If I do PBP again I will spend $90 on three sets and use them
exclusively, less hassle than buying alkalines enroute or finding support
vehicle.
2. Lights are critical.
I love brevets - the idea of being out there at all hours of the day and
night and actually going somewhere - but I also believe that they are THE
MOST DANGEROUS kind of riding that we typically do. We have lots of people
riding, generally alone or in small numbers, on roads where drivers are
not expecting to find anyone, let alone a 15 mph bike, in the middle of the
night. We're not riding around a loop (like you might do in a 24 hour
race) so drivers aren't likely to run across more than one or two groups
and so aren't at all likely to be prepared.
With this in mind, lights and reflective material are a must. You need good
taillights - I strongly recommend both a blinking taillight and a solid beam
tailight - and a strong headlight. Headlights are important in the country
side, but you actually need the stronger lights more in the towns and cities,
where ambient light can make a weak light disappear into the background.
When I do these things, I typically take two headlight systems. I use a
Nightrider dual headlight system, with a 5 (6?) watt low beam and a 20 watt
high beam and a Nicad battery. The low beam is usually suffient in open
country (unless it's wet) and I generally get about 5 hours from one battery.
The second light I carry is a little Cateye 2.5 (?) watt strap on headlight.
I generally carry it loose, so I can shine it at street signs or other things
not straight ahead, but it's mostly there as an emergency backup. Since it
runs on 2 C cells, it's much easier to replenish if necessary. (Thus far I've
NEVER been forced to rely on the Cateye as my primary light...knock on wood!)
Needless to say, I find extra batteries for longer rides and send them off
to appropriate checkpoints!
Dave Jordan