Unfortunately, we didn’t get any entries from the Seattle area this month and in fact it was all I could do, prizes and all, to recruit this month’s winner from Chicago.
David is a business colleague who works for a major educational publishing company, and is an avid bike commuter. I would also note that David is one of those unassuming guys who ran a 4-something mile in high school. Although most of his cycling is limited to commuting these days, I expect to see a RAGBRAI report from him in the near future.
This month’s contest inspired him to upgrade his visibility:
David’s new bike
Here’s a shot of my cool new bike. I love it. For no extra cost, Wheelie Fun in Lebanon (OH) (near Dayton) swapped out part of the stem with a Ritchey part so that the fit is identical to the fit on my road bike, which they sold me about a year ago. It is wonderful to be able to switch between the bikes with no difference in the fit. And since I’ll probably be putting over 100 miles a week on the new commuting bike, the fit is especially important.
Front details
Front of the bike:
I have a NiteRider MiNewt.X2 mounted on the handlebars. It is incredibly bright and sleek, providing plenty of light to get the attention of drivers who might otherwise turn across my path. It lights up all the bumps in the road and makes night turn into day for the few miles of unlit, forested bike path on my commute. I just bought it to replace the NiteRider halogen front light that served me very well for seven plus years but whose battery was pretty much shot. On my helmet I have a Cat Eye Compact Opticube, which I keep on blinking mode to help attract attention. On blinking mode, the batteries last forever.
Helmet details
Rear of the bike:
On the back of my helmet I have a Planet Bike Blinky 3H. It’s not super bright but it swivels to always stay pointing in the direction of the cars behind me. I also like that it’s mounted up on my helmet, as high as you can go. Mounted on the back of my seat post is a Planet Bike Superflash, which has a great attention-getting flash pattern and is super bright. I’ve also clipped three Viewpoint LED taillights on my Timbuktu bag.
Bag details
These are affordable at less than $10 each and I got them because the clips are shaped so that they hold on well to the bottom light strap on the bag as well as to the two side pockets, which helps with my side visibility.
Side illumination:
My tires have a built-in thin reflector strips that run along the sidewalls. To enhance the effect, I added Lightweights to each of my spokes. It took awhile to affix these but it was easy and the results are fantastic. Check out this video that shows the difference these make with side illumination.
Reflective tape on the wheels
I also added some Reflective Marking Dots (part# 6042T9) that I bought from McMaster-Carr. I got the idea from last year’s January winner. I put the dots on my cranks and the backs of my fenders.
McMaster-Carr reflective dots
(Blogger’s note: I had to add reflective strips like this for Race Across Oregon, and although they somewhat **deface** my bikes, I’ve kept them on the bikes because I think they are a valuable addition, even for daytime urban cycling.)
Clothing:
I always ride with a bright top: a yellow or white jersey in the warm weather and in the winter an Illuminite jacket I bought last year from Performance. It is similar to the Seattle Waterproof Jacket described on Illumite’s site. The arms and back appear to glow in the light of headlights at night. It also keeps me dry in the rain and it’s a great wind blocker that makes a good top layer on those nasty sub 20-degree Fahrenheit commutes.
David in action at night
Well done, David! Congratulations and thanks!
Photo Album
All night photos were taken by Dan Warrell. All day photos taken by David Leistensnider.
