@kwseattle what glove size are you and how do you prefer the different sizes on the PNW grips? I'm looking at some new grips because my old ones are tearing... I get a little numbness in my ring and pinky fingers on longer rides which led me to get an Ergon set which I liked - but I don't want another set tearing on me. I think the GA3's are a different material than the leather GA1's I had (don't laugh the leather is great for sweaty guys) and on my E06 I don't know how crazy I will get on technical trails so comfort is a little more the goal.
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Speaking of the GA3's and considering this is the 'Hydra as a Commuter' thread, I might point out Ergon has a GA3 model with a bracket for the Supernova high beam. A Package with the M99 Pro 2 head & tail lights is the perfect thing for a commuter bike. Automatic DRL switching & low beam/hi beam - specifically mentioned Magura MT5e brakes as an exampe of what they're made to work with. I wonder what the situation is with the Innotrace controller and lights - I recall there being discussion about how the X1 doesn't have the functionality to work with headlights via the Bafang controls without the light module that was being worked on, but I wonder if that affects whether they can be powered from the system or not. Even though these lights are low powered I would honestly prefer a discrete 12V source for them and just have the light connectors from the controller to run relays with a manual bypass if you want the lights on without the motor/controller on. This is one reason I like the options with their own batteries - no more wires to run, not dependant on the ebike battery or controller, so on and so forth.
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All 12v and up types that I've seen have a big, bulky external battery and wires. And, you're paying a lot more money for a light that lacks even Bluetooth, wireless controls.
Accidents involving cars, the driver seems to always say "I never even saw him".
The most common accident is cars making right turns in front of bikes, clipping the bike driver with their r.v. mirror, or stopping and causing a collision.
I know a bicycle courier who's left arm was ruined by a car mirror. She was stationary and the car tried to go around her.
It happens in broad daylight. "Direct sunlight has a luminous efficacy of about
93 lumens per watt of radiant flux. Multiplying the figure of 1050 watts per square meter by 93 lumens per watt indicates that bright sunlight provides an illuminance of approximately 98 000 lux (lumens per square meter) on a perpendicular surface", Wikipedia says.
It's not they can't see you.
I went for a 4 - 5mile spin between composing this and it happened twice.
I know I'm not putting a daytime carnival light show on my bike for text-drunks or people that cut me off. It's not like they'll say "Ohhhh. A light, I'll show some class this time and use a turn signal".
These are not accidents so much as acts of 'careless aggression' by people in 2 ton metal weapons, under the impression bikes will get out of their way. The same types that as a rule don't use turn signals.
A lot of it's that bike's are mentally associated with pedestrians and the police stopped enforcing laws against J-Walking, crossing against the light, or standing off the curb in the street at a red light - looking down on a phone as cars wiz by at 30mph, and me at 25mph, pinned by those cars right into a collision with the oblivious phone zombie. That, the bums on (almost always stolen) bikes, and the roadie clowns that run every light, go the wrong way on one-way streets - forcing cars to yield and in general antagonizing and aggravating drivers by ignoring rules they cannot.
It adds up to a lot of drivers in general conditioned into hating bikes, thinking we're all part of a moron's club that won't obey the law.
Kinda right too. For instance:
VEHICLE CODE - VEH DIVISION 12. EQUIPMENT OF VEHICLES [24000 - 28160] ( Division 12 enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3. ) CHAPTER 2. Lighting Equipment [24250 - 26106] states flashing Blue lights are for emergency vehicles only and flashing red lights are illegal -
except as hazard or turn signals.
If you're riding with a blinking red light for any other reason, it is illegal in California.
Bikes think they're exempt. Okay, so if you get a ticket for it, do you claim you were willfully riding a known hazard? lol
Detachable RockBros 800 Lumen（R1-800) has 4000mAh of 18650's.
work fine to see by.
That's one light on level 2. I run two when I go night-crawling.
The latest models lack the screw knob on the bar mount. The light still slides right off, but the clamp is affixed with a hex bolt.
Anticipated replacing the 18650's, I thought these were cheap lights. But none have failed or gone dead while using.
They're pretty stout aluminum, but slippery in the hand when using as a flashlight. Same construction with their matching taillight.
The bicyclestore has both
R1 800 Front and Q1 Rear 37.00 in the discontinued screw knob type.
If you're a weight weenie, I weighed them and they weigh 190- 92gms each with the clamp.
Work perfect for a HAC (Hydra As a Commuter) .
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What else do you need on your HAC?
A Go-Pro mount of course (you'll need evidence that idiot pulled in front of you).
I don't see any bottle mounts either. Oh well, don't drink and drive. Some bars might let you bring the bike in?
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Big front 'bags' are for 'slo-mo-slog' riding. Their added area's wind resistance hits me right in the face.
These 26" x 13" W Carhartt tool roll-bags
work for me.
Rubber/ velcro straps also work well and come in any color - if you can't simply use the bag's straps to attach over your bars- as I do.
Why these? Size matters. At 14" wide they fit bars well. I can fit a near frozen Stone IPA's, a Banana, my Tomahawk (just kidding) and a Ham Sandwich with Mustard in an about half again larger around the space of a beer can bundle.
Quality. Everything's downsized nowadays, but Carhartt makes above the cut products. You don't get it, not part of the club, can't help you until you pass the secret 'Carhartt ritual of appreciation' that I can't talk about.
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Any HAC'ed concept, for 'utility sake' requires the right bars as well - unless you love Quasimodo posture and don't care about (1) a rats nest of wiring; (2) having a place to mount anything without 'Rube Goldberg' 'accessories to mount the accessories'.
It can get ugly real quick and the Hydra gods might not like it.
I tried this-n-that bars and found first off, my hand position must be correct (like I'm grasping two weightless bars that transect at the apex of the head-stay).
If my wrists are crooked, the joint is at the end of it's motion.
'Rise' should be minimal. I like 0.5", and my grips must point slightly down below 3:00/ 9:00 o'clock on that plane, based on how high my butt is and how far I want to bend over before I'm stressing my spine.
The perfect angle's right between 'pressure on my spine' from not forward enough - and 'pressure on my hands' from too far forward.
I adjust that setting by feeling it out while riding and assess rake's correctness (FOR ME) by: NO neck/ back stress; my wrists and hands feel natural. Control: either hand is right where I have the most hand strength throughout the swing of the bars and my grip is the same as my instinctive grip in the real world.
It's perfectly simple with the right bars, but impossible with straight bars.
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Try holding your hand out, knuckles up (like your holding handlebars) about even with your belly and make a fist where
your index finger knuckle is in a straight line with your elbow. Now grip, hard. If you rotate that axis inward (into a flat parallel grip) you'll notice your fingers from the smallest end, one by one begin to lose grip strength, while your index gains maximum grip - but my index's for my brakes and shifting, so it's a one or the other compromise.
I
want to grip with my last three fingers, with my thumb & Index for other matters. I want my grip to let go intuitively when my index reaches for my brake as my hand moves up. I'm letting go of the throttle and immediately gripping the bars (lesser fingers again) while I work the brakes.
The domino going on my Ti UC even has a cut-out.
These Jones butted 660mm H-Bars (literally) are also going on my Ti UC - and a pair in black will grace this bike.
I have another pair in 2.5" rise - very interesting when dialed in on a upright posture street machine.
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Absolutely, @ Deacon. On a UC w/ K'nay there's going to be lot more clutter to contend with than w/ an HAC.
Lights add to the problem of three hydraulic lines, the Display line set, two brake cut-offs and five wire set from the throttle.
That's 14 signal wires.
I'm wondering if Pushkar's found a mount where the Display fits the bars 31.8 section yet?
14 wires in a common sheath will fit down the tube, but will Juliet plugs? If so, I know a few tricks. Perhaps I can fish them out the bottom and create a harness.
I'm pretty anxious to have the bike in hand to start that project.
I'm riding on, too hot to stay inside for Fast and Furious today.
Best to all!!
Fn'F
