Commemorating 53rd birthday

Last Sunday evening I met a fellow cyclist on my way back to my truck. Since I ride a recumbent, it initiates people strike up a conversation with me.

Asking me where I was going and I told him, "Back to Newtown.", which was the same place he was also going. He was riding a Litespeed road bike. Well versed cyclists would know that this type of bike is not cheap. Titanium frame and high end components would put this bike past the $2,000 mark new. Just the frame alone on some models would cost around $5,000.

Back to the cyclist. I learned that he was completing his 110 mile ride (Newtown, Ohio to Oregana, Ohio). This was basically a recovery ride for him. His previous ride on Saturday was his 190 mile ride on the Little Miami Bike Trail. That ride was to commemorate his 53rd birthday.

He was also impressed by my cycling lights, since the sun was setting and we had 20 minutes left to go on our ride.

Time, time, time

MTE SSC P7 900-Lumen 2-Mode LED Flashlight (18650)

About 19 years ago I was reading an article in Bicycling magazine. It was about finding the time to ride if your life or schedule was full, be it family or work. The article suggested riding at night or early in the morning, which to me sounded crazy. I was still in college at the time and my schedule was more flexible than now.

Now having kids and a full time job, I fully understand. I scrape any time I can get to ride on the trail. It's normally in the evenings or before dawn in the weekends.

Riding when light levels are low or non at all brings the problem of getting the right equipment to ride safely. Enter bike lights. In my previous posts I have experimented with several lighting solutions. Through trial and error, I have narrowed it down to a few lighting equipment that is affordable and puts out an enormous amount of light.

1. For a compact flashlight I found the MTE SSC P7 900-Lumen 2-Mode LED Flashlight (18650) to be adequate. For around $35 you get a nice 900 lumen LED light. Unlike another LED flashlight that I have, it will not change to the next mode when jarred. When your riding your bike it will be a bumpy ride. This particular model will not jump to the next mode unless you fully click it to the next mode. The downside is the battery life, on high it would only last for about 50 minutes.
   
2. For an affordable dedicated bike light the HA-III SSC P7-C (SXO) 3-Mode 900-Lumen LED Bike Light Set is a good investment. For around $80 you get a good flood type 900 lumen LED light. On high mode the battery life is around 3 hours. Several times on the trail people often tell me how bright the light is. The beam spreads out quite generously (about 20 or more feet) and illuminates a good 100 feet down the trail.

These lights are all sold online from "dealextreme.com". Shipping is free, if you don't mind waiting 14 days for your items to arrive. It's a Hong Kong company and paying with PayPal, the buying process is quite secure.

HA-III SSC P7-C (SXO) 3-Mode 900-Lumen LED Bike Light Set

I can't tell you how many times I've helped out fellow cyclists caught on the trail with little or no bike lights. Just before typing this post I've helped a dad and his daughter get back to their car with my lights illuminating the trail.

I've also met a fellow recumbent rider named Mike, whom I've seen quite often on the trail, but never had the chance to talk to. He was riding an older model Sun bike that his wife bought him. His house is just about a stones throws away from the trail.


I love riding on my local bike trail, because I'll never know who I'll meet or help out.