Prelimenary LED light tests

Two great weekends in a row is a blessing. I did my normal long ride (54 miles) last Saturday, but I soon realized an energy drink would help me avoid bonking out near the end of the ride.


Saturday night I fell victim to my kids' common cold, so my Sunday bike ride with friends and family was postponed. The weekend was not a total lost. The weather and home situation allowed me to go on a field test of my two LED 900 lumens flashlights.

This was a quick setup, mainly to test out how the testing process should proceed. I gathered all my equipment that I would use.

• two led 900 lumens flashlights100' long measuring tape
  
• markers for 100' sections (I used white water bottles)
  
• digital slr camera
• tripods (1 for camera & 1 to hold the flashlight)
• velcro strips to hold the lights in place on the tripod

Picking out a straight path on the Little Miami Bike Trail I setup the test and the results are below. I marked 100 and 200 feet with white drink bottles.

(click on image to enlarge)

Aurora AK-P7-3 SSC P7-C 900-Lumen 2-Mode LED Flashlight. Wide spill area, long throw (spot) area, a bright center area of illumination, middle area not as bright as the middle and outer. The 200 feet marker is easily seen. The Aurora uses (2) 18650 size batteries, runtime around 1 hour and 20 minutes on high.

(click on image to enlarge)

Aurora AK-P7-3 SSC P7-C 900-Lumen 2-Mode LED Flashlight set on low mode.

(click on image to enlarge)

MTE SSC P7 900-Lumen 5-Mode Super LED Flashlight set on high mode. The 100 feet marker can be easily seen. The 200 feet marker is not so easily seen, but still slightly visible. The MTE uses (1) 18650 battery, runtime around 50 minutes on high.

The things that I learned was that I forgot to bring pen and paper to record the camera setting. It took a while to get the right exposure settings and a second set of eyes to verify. Hopefully on my next test I will have it down correctly.

The results:

• The Aurora model gave out a wider spill, while the MTE was a bit narrower
• Both flashlights illuminated the trail visibly at 100 feet.
• The Aurora model had a much great throw towards the 200 feet mark.
• The Aurora model, being around 9 inches long, would be too long to be efficiently mounted on the handlebars.
  

For the cost of around $80-$110 (including batteries, charger, bike mount) these flashlights would make a handy and economical way in getting you through your night ride. For more information on the Aurora flashlight, please see my old post on this blog.

Keep in mind that these are 900 lumens flashlights. A Surefire U2 Ultra, rated at 100 lumens, would cost you around $295.

Note:
The images seem to be a bit darker a Macintosh.

First 54 mile ride of the season.

1.6 miles South of Morrow, is Morrow-Cozaddale Road

Saturday mornings are normally my individual long rides. The ride begins in Newtown Ohio (before sunrise) and the turn-around point is Morrow Ohio, a 54 mile ride. This was my first long ride of the season, so finishing under 3 hours was not likely.


I rode my red Bacchetta Strada recumbent. The bike weights around 30 lbs with all the necessary equipment and other items.

I wanted to leave Newtown around 6 AM, but really didn't hit the trail until 6:45 AM. It was a cold 39 degrees at the start, but with long cycling tights and three layers of clothing it wasn't much of an issue.

15 mph was my speed until I arrived at Loveland. I was fortunate to draft behind a rodie that was heading north at 18 mph. From Loveland to Morrow we sustained this speed, my only worry was if I was fit enough to keep up.

Riding by yourself it's sometimes hard to get motivated to riding at a high speed. When you're drafting behind someone that somehow gives you the mental push to keep up.

Looking south from Morrow

On the way back from Morrow I waited on the trail for a few minutes, like a guy waiting for the bus, for a roadie heading south. Even though I didn't luck out in drafting behind a roadie, the ride was a bit bearable since the trail slopes down.

Trail at Cozaddale Road looking south. Even though it was a very chilly morning, a beautiful sunny day in the upper 70's was in the works. I was able to remove one layer of clothing on the way back.

Intersection at Fosters Road. The photo above is a bar-restaurant called "The Train Stop". Sadly, there use to be a caged chimp outside in the summer time, drinking beer and smoking a cigarette.

It wasn't until I hit Milford that a fast roadie passed by. We kept a pace of around 21 mph. That little fast spurt helped reduced the time getting back to my truck. If I latched on to this roadie earlier in the ride, I don't believe I would have the energy keeping up. First of the season long ride it was a good start.

Bikes and Dogs

Dog clip art created by Dog-Paw-Print.com

Riding on the trail I've seen allot of dogs, with their owner and without. This evening's ride was one of those rides where I've encountered two dogs without their owners.

The first half of my 21 mile short ride I saw a small Terrier. It just barked at me and ran into the woods, hopefully home or it's Coyote food. It had a collar, so it was a house dog.

On the way back, there was a large, long haired, brown dog. It was loose and running along side a rode parallel to the trail. There was a Good Samaritan walking his small dog trying to get a hold of it. But, as soon as it saw me pass by, it clicked into chase mode after me. It was 15 yards away and closing. I yelled out "Get Off the Couch!", which confused it for a second and that gave me enough time to accelerate from 15 mph to 20 mph.

Nothing gets your adrenalin going than seeing a loose dog running after you. I kept the 20 mph pace for about a mile. The dog chasing me disappeared from my rear view mirror after 10 seconds from first contact.

Every ride has it's own characteristic. This one I will title "Two Lost Dogs".