little lights
16:25 Wednesday 27 October 2021
The other lights I ordered for the bike arrived today. All the lights I've ordered have arrived in 4 days.
In the first batch I got a couple of cheap lights (OFZVEO Smart Bike Tail Light, $10), but I was curious about a cheaper light (MapleSeeker Bike Tail Light, $6). The cheap lights weren't as bright as I'd hoped, and they don't have a steady-on setting. The cheaper lights are brighter, and can do red blinking or steady. They can also do some other flashing color combinations - possibly confusing for street use, but quite visible. Either of these will be good on the trailer, and would suffice as back-ups if my regular taillights run down unexpectedly or break.
I got another little light (Cycle Torch MicroBot, $15) which is quite bright; 3 very bright LEDs that can be (1) on steady, (2) flashing together (2 speeds), or (3) flashing in sequence (2 speeds). It will be good on the back of the helmet, or the back of the seat. But the winner in my small-light collection is still the Magicshine Seemee 60 Bike Taillight I've been using for 3 years ($35) - steady or 2 flash patterns, with 3 brightness choices for each, and REALLY bright flashing for braking deceleration. (There were 2 warranty replacements before I got one that kept working, but it's been excellent since.) It would be nice if it had some kind of charge-level indicator, since it has gone flat on me a few times.
The big item today was the BikeSpark Auto-Sensing Rear Light for cargo rack - since my bikes have racks, and the ones I still ride don't have seatposts. It's smaller than I expected, but the light I've been using doesn't fit well. I don't think it's a bright as the current light, but (like the Seemee) it can sense braking and go VERY bright. And it is easy to remove for recharging. The current light requires dismantling to get the 4 AAs out for recharging and the whole set-up has to be re-assembled and re-mounted, so the cells aren't recharged as often as they should be, and most of the time the light isn't as super-bright as it could be. The BikeSpark is designed for rack mounting, so it won't be rattling loose like it's going to fall off (and the old light did lose one of the 2 mounting screws once; it might not have survived the fall if the other screw had gotten lose too).
I'm still waiting for a cassette lockring, essential for pedalling. There's no tracking info for it yet, although the predicted delivery window starts tomorrow. It could be in the mail, and almost here. (No, tracking says Nov 3 now, no details.) The vendor is in Wisconsin. But this wasn't in the order from the beginning; there was another lockring that suddenly wouldn't be here until mid-December, instead of Oct 24. (I think somebody's inventory wasn't accurate, and that bin was empty.) All my blinky new toys, but I'm not going anywhere.
Wednesday 18:22
I took all the taillights outside at dusk. The $6 light is much brighter than the $10 light.
They won't clip onto the trailer frame the way I thought they would, but they can clip onto the fabric higher up; much better. And the mounting hardware for seatposts should work on the trailer frame. The $15 light is brighter than the $6, but not that much more.
It's harder to compare the rack-mount lights. I think the old light with fresh cells would blow the new one away, but the cells don't get recharged as often as they should.
By the way, the freehub is working again.
Wednesday 22:38
Hmmm, the Micro Bot light is $2 cheaper (and free shipping) on the CycleTorch.com website. There's a warranty registration page, but it doesn't include this light as a choice. There was also no mention of registering on/in the box.
Thursday 16:16
The lockring shipped today. (The 2nd one; 1st is expected mid-Dec.)
The reflective and fluorescent slap bands are supposed to arrive today. arrived 12:57 (no delivery email (yet)).
The 2nd Accessory Holder (probably going on the recumbent's older twin) is saying delivery Monday, Nov. 1. Shipping Label Created, 21:38, Oct 20, WHEATON, IL 60189
Shipment Received, 17:45 Oct 21, WHEATON, IL 60187
Accepted at USPS Origin Facility, 19:19 Oct 27, WHEATON, IL 60189
Tracking didn't show anything but "Package Acceptance Pending" until this afternoon. Sitting in the origin post office for a week? It's in Chicago now.
Friday 17:00
The (2nd) lockring is expected Monday Nov 1. I have Monday off. Maybe it will be here in time for me to install it and go for a ride? (Maybe the freehub will cooperate, and not leave me walking the bike home?)
Saturday 16:32
Suddenly, the first lockring, the one that went missing for October and was delayed to December 17/18, is coming by 22:00 tomorrow, Sunday Oct 30. I had checked the item's page last week, and I saw that it was in stock again with deliveries in November. I was miffed that people could order later than I did with deliveries before mine.
So I should have lockrings arriving Sunday and Monday.
Sunday 19:30
The first lockring has arrived.
It's late and dark to be working on the bike. (And it's Halloween.)
I have plans to help
vvalkyri tomorrow afternoon, but I'm likely to be driving instead of biking.
Sunday 22:15
The threads of the new lockring do not seem to fit the freehub. ☹
But I was able to get the old lockring to catch. I don't know how long it will keep things together.
And the 2nd new lockring should arrive tomorrow; maybe it will screw in properly? (Although I'm not expecting to be home.)
Tuesday 00:51
The 2nd lockring did not arrive today (Monday).2021 November 2, 00:10 - Status: Awaiting Delivery Scan
I had a nice afternoon helping Vval declutter.
I need to take my mail-in ballot to a drop box. I suppose I could have left it in my (home) mailbox Monday for the USPS to pick up, but it looks like no one came to the house today. Rain is likely tomorrow, so I probably won't want to bike to take the ballot in. It might not be raining before 08:00, but I don't see myself getting out that early.
Tuesday 17:59
I did get to the polls early, and I was able to just drop my absentee ballot in a slot. No wait. One raindrop. (I could have biked.) Walking was about 20 minutes each way. Longer than I expected. (I've walked there to vote maybe twice before? I usually bike there, on my way to work.)
The lockring arrived, probably after 17:00. The USPS tracking page has not been updated, and still shows an alert for not having the delivery yesterday checked in by midnight this morning. (Not checked in because it didn't happen yesterday.) The rain was supposed to stop around 15:00, but it's still wet - and cold, 46°F/7.8°C - outside, so I'm not about to get the bike out of the shed and remove the wheel on the very wet deck to find out whether this ring fits the freehub's threads.
Hmmm, the threads look the same on both new lockrings. Maybe my freehub is the problem? ☹
There is a freehub still on its way here, but I haven't yet figured out how to remove the old one.
Tuesday 18:40
The USPS website updated:2021 November 1, 06:10 Out for Delivery
021 November 2, 17:20 Delivered, In/At Mailbox
So, why/how do items go out with carriers in the morning and not get delivered?
Tuesday 21:46
YunExpress tracking (YunTrack.com - who knew) says the freehub reached my local post office at 13:27 this afternoon. So I should have it tomorrow. And YunTrack has given me a Last Mile Delivery Tracking Number - presumably to let me know that UPS actually takes it out tomorrow (and hopefully doesn't take overnight again).
It will be sunny for the next week, but highs only around 50°F/10°C (60°F/15.6°C next Mon/Tue).
Installing a lockring or freehub requires only the wheel, not the whole bike, so it's easy to do that indoors (once the wheel's off the bike).
21:31 Wednesday 03 November 2021
USPS tracking says they left the freehub here at 19:37. There was nothing else; I don't know whether there was paper mail earlier and Andrea brought it in, or this was all they delivered today.
Both new lockrings fit the new freehub. Maybe they'll fit the old one now that the threads have been scraped clear.
It doesn't turn as smoothly as I expected it should. Maybe that will loosen up with some time on the road?
It looks like it just screws into the hub. My attempt to remove the old freehub should have worked, but maybe it just needed more force. The force of pedalling screws it on tighter, so it will take a lot of force to remove. One of my new tools is a bigger wrench, so I will have more leverage.
Best would probably clamping the wrench in a vise, letting me use the radius of the wheel as my lever arm. (And with force on both sides of the wheel.)
[This entry was originally posted as https://syntonic-comma.dreamwidth.org/1264354.html on Dreamwidth (where there are
comments).]
The other lights I ordered for the bike arrived today. All the lights I've ordered have arrived in 4 days.
In the first batch I got a couple of cheap lights (OFZVEO Smart Bike Tail Light, $10), but I was curious about a cheaper light (MapleSeeker Bike Tail Light, $6). The cheap lights weren't as bright as I'd hoped, and they don't have a steady-on setting. The cheaper lights are brighter, and can do red blinking or steady. They can also do some other flashing color combinations - possibly confusing for street use, but quite visible. Either of these will be good on the trailer, and would suffice as back-ups if my regular taillights run down unexpectedly or break.
I got another little light (Cycle Torch MicroBot, $15) which is quite bright; 3 very bright LEDs that can be (1) on steady, (2) flashing together (2 speeds), or (3) flashing in sequence (2 speeds). It will be good on the back of the helmet, or the back of the seat. But the winner in my small-light collection is still the Magicshine Seemee 60 Bike Taillight I've been using for 3 years ($35) - steady or 2 flash patterns, with 3 brightness choices for each, and REALLY bright flashing for braking deceleration. (There were 2 warranty replacements before I got one that kept working, but it's been excellent since.) It would be nice if it had some kind of charge-level indicator, since it has gone flat on me a few times.
The big item today was the BikeSpark Auto-Sensing Rear Light for cargo rack - since my bikes have racks, and the ones I still ride don't have seatposts. It's smaller than I expected, but the light I've been using doesn't fit well. I don't think it's a bright as the current light, but (like the Seemee) it can sense braking and go VERY bright. And it is easy to remove for recharging. The current light requires dismantling to get the 4 AAs out for recharging and the whole set-up has to be re-assembled and re-mounted, so the cells aren't recharged as often as they should be, and most of the time the light isn't as super-bright as it could be. The BikeSpark is designed for rack mounting, so it won't be rattling loose like it's going to fall off (and the old light did lose one of the 2 mounting screws once; it might not have survived the fall if the other screw had gotten lose too).
I'm still waiting for a cassette lockring, essential for pedalling. There's no tracking info for it yet, although the predicted delivery window starts tomorrow. It could be in the mail, and almost here. (No, tracking says Nov 3 now, no details.) The vendor is in Wisconsin. But this wasn't in the order from the beginning; there was another lockring that suddenly wouldn't be here until mid-December, instead of Oct 24. (I think somebody's inventory wasn't accurate, and that bin was empty.) All my blinky new toys, but I'm not going anywhere.
Wednesday 18:22
I took all the taillights outside at dusk. The $6 light is much brighter than the $10 light.
They won't clip onto the trailer frame the way I thought they would, but they can clip onto the fabric higher up; much better. And the mounting hardware for seatposts should work on the trailer frame. The $15 light is brighter than the $6, but not that much more.
It's harder to compare the rack-mount lights. I think the old light with fresh cells would blow the new one away, but the cells don't get recharged as often as they should.
By the way, the freehub is working again.
Wednesday 22:38
Hmmm, the Micro Bot light is $2 cheaper (and free shipping) on the CycleTorch.com website. There's a warranty registration page, but it doesn't include this light as a choice. There was also no mention of registering on/in the box.
Thursday 16:16
The lockring shipped today. (The 2nd one; 1st is expected mid-Dec.)
The reflective and fluorescent slap bands are supposed to arrive today. arrived 12:57 (no delivery email (yet)).
The 2nd Accessory Holder (probably going on the recumbent's older twin) is saying delivery Monday, Nov. 1. Shipping Label Created, 21:38, Oct 20, WHEATON, IL 60189
Shipment Received, 17:45 Oct 21, WHEATON, IL 60187
Accepted at USPS Origin Facility, 19:19 Oct 27, WHEATON, IL 60189
Tracking didn't show anything but "Package Acceptance Pending" until this afternoon. Sitting in the origin post office for a week? It's in Chicago now.
Friday 17:00
The (2nd) lockring is expected Monday Nov 1. I have Monday off. Maybe it will be here in time for me to install it and go for a ride? (Maybe the freehub will cooperate, and not leave me walking the bike home?)
Saturday 16:32
Suddenly, the first lockring, the one that went missing for October and was delayed to December 17/18, is coming by 22:00 tomorrow, Sunday Oct 30. I had checked the item's page last week, and I saw that it was in stock again with deliveries in November. I was miffed that people could order later than I did with deliveries before mine.
So I should have lockrings arriving Sunday and Monday.
Sunday 19:30
The first lockring has arrived.
It's late and dark to be working on the bike. (And it's Halloween.)
I have plans to help
vvalkyri tomorrow afternoon, but I'm likely to be driving instead of biking.
Sunday 22:15
The threads of the new lockring do not seem to fit the freehub. ☹
But I was able to get the old lockring to catch. I don't know how long it will keep things together.
And the 2nd new lockring should arrive tomorrow; maybe it will screw in properly? (Although I'm not expecting to be home.)
Tuesday 00:51
The 2nd lockring did not arrive today (Monday).2021 November 2, 00:10 - Status: Awaiting Delivery Scan
I had a nice afternoon helping Vval declutter.
I need to take my mail-in ballot to a drop box. I suppose I could have left it in my (home) mailbox Monday for the USPS to pick up, but it looks like no one came to the house today. Rain is likely tomorrow, so I probably won't want to bike to take the ballot in. It might not be raining before 08:00, but I don't see myself getting out that early.
Tuesday 17:59
I did get to the polls early, and I was able to just drop my absentee ballot in a slot. No wait. One raindrop. (I could have biked.) Walking was about 20 minutes each way. Longer than I expected. (I've walked there to vote maybe twice before? I usually bike there, on my way to work.)
The lockring arrived, probably after 17:00. The USPS tracking page has not been updated, and still shows an alert for not having the delivery yesterday checked in by midnight this morning. (Not checked in because it didn't happen yesterday.) The rain was supposed to stop around 15:00, but it's still wet - and cold, 46°F/7.8°C - outside, so I'm not about to get the bike out of the shed and remove the wheel on the very wet deck to find out whether this ring fits the freehub's threads.
Hmmm, the threads look the same on both new lockrings. Maybe my freehub is the problem? ☹
There is a freehub still on its way here, but I haven't yet figured out how to remove the old one.
Tuesday 18:40
The USPS website updated:2021 November 1, 06:10 Out for Delivery
021 November 2, 17:20 Delivered, In/At Mailbox
So, why/how do items go out with carriers in the morning and not get delivered?
Tuesday 21:46
YunExpress tracking (YunTrack.com - who knew) says the freehub reached my local post office at 13:27 this afternoon. So I should have it tomorrow. And YunTrack has given me a Last Mile Delivery Tracking Number - presumably to let me know that UPS actually takes it out tomorrow (and hopefully doesn't take overnight again).
It will be sunny for the next week, but highs only around 50°F/10°C (60°F/15.6°C next Mon/Tue).
Installing a lockring or freehub requires only the wheel, not the whole bike, so it's easy to do that indoors (once the wheel's off the bike).
21:31 Wednesday 03 November 2021
USPS tracking says they left the freehub here at 19:37. There was nothing else; I don't know whether there was paper mail earlier and Andrea brought it in, or this was all they delivered today.
Both new lockrings fit the new freehub. Maybe they'll fit the old one now that the threads have been scraped clear.
It doesn't turn as smoothly as I expected it should. Maybe that will loosen up with some time on the road?
It looks like it just screws into the hub. My attempt to remove the old freehub should have worked, but maybe it just needed more force. The force of pedalling screws it on tighter, so it will take a lot of force to remove. One of my new tools is a bigger wrench, so I will have more leverage.
Best would probably clamping the wrench in a vise, letting me use the radius of the wheel as my lever arm. (And with force on both sides of the wheel.)
[This entry was originally posted as https://syntonic-comma.dreamwidth.org/1264354.html on Dreamwidth (where there are
comments).]