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| Sept 8, 2021: Raleigh rod brake roadster along a forest road |
Labor Day in the USA marks the end of customary summer, though absolute summer continues through something like September 21, or so each year - at least until we get to the autumnal equinox. But one notices we're losing daylight as the month of August goes by, and as September begins. I know that I'm noticing less daylight in the evenings.
You should do yourself a favor, and bring along front and rear lights on your vintage bicycle. This extends the riding season a little bit. Some lights, such as the vintage types, tend to be more for allowing cars and other cyclists to see you more easily. More modern lights that have higher outputs actually will allow you to see the road in the dark.
And that is how I tend to classify lights: lower output lights that allow you to be seen by others, but which might not necessarily allow you see well on a dark road; and higher output lights that are sufficient for you to actually see in the dark. My bikes with vintage lights are the former, but I also have a couple portable lights that I can move from bike-to-bike that are the higher output type. Don't be afraid to mix and run as many lights as you need to get by on a darker evening.
Thank you for this. One thing that frustrates me with some vintage bike lovers is their adherence to "traditional" lights. I love a lot of things about old bikes, but outside of aesthetics it's not the lights. I want to see where I'm going at night!
ReplyDeleteThere are some ways to compromise: modern LED bulbs in old lights, or for those who have dynamos, the B+M Retrotec headlamp, which looks like a vintage lamp.
Best,
Shawn
https://societyofthreespeeds.wordpress.com/
That's very true and it seems like everyone starting out in vintage bikes wants 100% original, including the lamps. I started that way too. But the old lamps kind of stink by today's standards. They look nice, but they are pretty dim.
DeleteI've done two things to max-out the power of my Dynohub lighting: convert an original lamp to a Reflectalite LED bulb kit, and convert the headlamp entirely over to the B&M Lumotec Classic. The B&M is the best lighting I've ever gotten from an original Dynohub, but that's not exactly a high standard. The Reflectalite kit helps a lot compared to stock, but the B&M is a much stronger light still.
Neither of those options is enough to actually see on a dark road. Those two options will allow you to be seen by others, but you need even more light to really illuminate the road and see potholes. So what I do is I run the old light, and then supplement with a portable, USB-powered light. The two lights together allow you to see on a dark road at night. But I think the bottom line ends up being - don't force yourself to be blind at night because you just want to run an original lamp. It's too dangerous, I think.
This is true. The Lumotec Classic is good for city riding, but it's a bit low in the lux for dark-road night riding. That's why I've moved beyond it and use the stronger B+M lights. They are "aesthetically correct" but I value functionality over looks in this department.
DeleteAnd with LED lighting it's amazing what one can get out of an old 1.8 watt Dynohub!
-Shawn