Bike Lights

Here is a link to another article I wrote for Tri Alliance and extract below:

At Tri Alliance, we encourage you to train on your bicycle throughout the entire year and crank out early morning km with a quality set of lights. It is a legal requirement to use bike lights in Australia and the law states that bike lights are a must when daylight fades (this includes cloudy days). This is why it is essential that all cyclists are seen and are safe when riding on the roads especially at night.

My bike (and the way I have my lights)

They ensure that car drivers can see you from a distance and be alerted to you and your bike on the road. Almost all bicycle lights use LED bulbs as they are more reliable and use much less battery power, whilst also offering much higher levels of brightness. Used in flashing mode, they are very good at attracting attention from other road users (this includes other cyclists). It is recommended to use at least two rear bike lights where possible, a common configuration is one flashing and one in constant, this is highly advisable just in case one stops or becomes obscured. In Australia, if your rear light is to be placed on the seat stay, it is recommended that it be placed on the chain side due to visibility of other road users behind you.

BRIGHTNESS – Is the light bright enough? – When riding at night it’s essential to have a light that provides you with the right level of illumination for your riding needs. Light brightness is measured in Lumens, and the more Lumens a light has the greater its power output will be.

MOUNTING – Is the light easy to attach to my bike? – To get the maximum benefit of your light on the road or trails it’s important that the lighting unit is securely fastened to your bike. Lights come equipped with a mounting bracket device and this is meant to create a solid attachment to the handlebars for front lights and seat post for rear lights. Mounting brackets usually require no tools and often incorporate a twist dial to tighten. A simple and reliable mounting bracket is essential as it ensures that the your light will be easy to install and easy to use

BATTERIES – Will the battery be rechargeable? – The vast majority of bike lights today come with a rechargeable Lithium battery which is lightweight. Brighter front lights for maximum visibility will often come with an extra battery pack which is to be attached on the handlebars or top tube separately.

RUN TIMES – Will the light last long enough for my ride?- It’s essential to know that your light’s battery life can last the duration of your bike ride. If a light ceases to work while you’re riding at night it will be a major safety risk for you and other road users. Bike lights are designed to run for a specific time period until the battery runs out and requires charging again. Run times are also dependant on the light systems settings. Many lights have their Lumen outputs split over selected beam displays such as low, medium and high.

BULB TYPE – What type of lighting system is best? – Cycle light technology has moved on greatly over the years, traditional ‘bulb’ lights have been more or less replaced by LED and HID systems. When cycling at night with low levels of visibility we recommend you use a LED bulb as this will provide the right amount of power output.

Wearing a Helmet - The Basics

This is an article I wrote for Tri Alliance. I thought I would do a post here as well.

 

In training and racing, we often see helmets being worn incorrectly. This is a guide to the correct way of adjusting and wearing your helmet (on your head).

Safety Sticker

Check that your helmet (bought in Australia) meets the (approved) stringent safety tests. Look on the bicycle helmet for the sticker or label certifying that the helmet meets the Australian and New Zealand standard (AS/NZS 2063) and has passed stringent safety tests.

Be aware that if you decide to purchase your helmet online (from overseas), this sticker will not be present and some sanctioned races will not allow you to compete if your helmet does not meet this standard.

How to wear your helmet

• Always wear a helmet when you ride and make sure you fit your helmet correctly.
• The helmet should fit comfortably and securely when the straps are fastened.
• The straps should not be twisted and nor cover the ears. When done up correctly, the straps should provide a snug fit over the ears and under the chin. 

The following lists the steps for a correct helmet fit:

1.    Have you removed any obstructions – such as a hat? Is your hair in the way?

INCORRECT - Hair in the way

CORRECT - Hair tied back and no obstructions

2.    Have you placed the helmet on your head the right way?

CORRECT

Incorrect – helmet worn backwards	Incorrect – helmet worn backwards
Incorrect – Too far forward (not protecting the back of your head and obstructing view)	Incorrect – Too far backward (not protecting your forehead)
Incorrect – Helmet not protecting the side of your head	Incorrect – helmet not secured (with straps). A helmet is not a hat.

 

 

3.    Can you place just two fingers between your eyebrows and your helmet?

4.    Do the straps join in a ‘V’ just below your ears?

5.    Can you fit just two fingers between the helmet strap and your chin?

Replace your helmet if:

·         It’s been dropped onto a hard surface or involved in a crash or severe fall.

·         You see any cracks in the foam.

·         The straps look worn or frayed.

You know you are a triathlete when....

This first list is what I wrote for the Tri Alliance newsletter around May 2010:

1)    You would rather spend $100 on a pair of 2XU compression pants than a “3 for $100” shoe sale at Tony Bianco.

2)    You chose to run near Beach Road....yes....in public – just so you can perve on bikes that ride along that road

3)    You wear your compression pants under Bettina Liano jeans as you did a run session the night before and your muscles are still recovering.

4)    On the kitchen bench - the coffee, tea, sugar are replaced with protein powder, recovery powder, isotonic powder.

5)    Christmas is when your (online orders) arrives

6)    Your hair/skin constantly smells of chlorine - no matter how well you shower after the swim.

7)    You run out of towels, always.

8)    You constantly have gear in your car – a bike, towels, swimming toys (paddles, fins, pool bouy, goggles, cap), runners, spare socks, running vest, arm warmers...

9)    There are plenty of drink bottles in the car and you find yourself drinking (Water/Gatorade) whilst driving all the time.

10) You would (happily) go to sleep at 9pm on a Friday night whilst all your work colleagues are moving on to the next bar/pub as you have a 7am ride on Saturday morning

11) You slow down when you drive past a bike shop and try and look at the latest bike they have at the shop front and go “phwoar!”....then speed up to the legal speed limit as the cars behind you honk their horn...

12) You love gels and we are not talking about hair products

13) You rather wake up at 4:30am to swim 2-3km (in an outdoor pool) before work than being tucked in a warm bed.

14) You are always eating, non-stop

15) You can never finish watching a DVD as you fall asleep after the first 10 minutes, no matter how good the movie is.

16) You see your “squad” friends more than your school/uni/work friends or family

17) You would rather do a “Sweat Session” on a Tuesday night during windtrainer than sweating it up on the dance floor on a Saturday night...maybe because you have an early morning run session planned for Sunday too.

18)  A sleep in.....what was that again?

19) You can’t decide between attending a friend’s wedding or entering in a triathlon/running event which falls on the same day!

20)  Your “search words” on You Tube are: Ironman, Kona, championships, transition, triathlon...

21) You can never have enough layers which you put on as it is cold, take off as you get too hot when running/riding, put back on when you are stationary.

22) You wear a (Garmin) watch that is too big for your wrist

23) You would rather spend $225 on a RETUL bike fit than paying off your mortgage earlier

24) You laugh to yourself when someone (who doesn’t train with the squad) has a bad technique when they swim, ride or run...because you can recognise a “good technique” and they are doing what you were doing before you joined Tri Alliance.

25) You would rather spend a long weekend training (at Lorne) than spend it with a partner, loved ones or friends...

26) Your water bills sky rockets from the amount of laundry you do and the number of showers you take within a week.

27) Your friends have replaced “What did you do on the weekend?” with “How much did you train on the weekend?”

28) In your lunch break, you visit CBD Cycles and Evelyn Faye rather than Myer or David Jones.

29) You have triathlon/cycling/running magazines next to your couch/bed/toilet

30) You can’t wait until you recover from your cold/flu so you can get back into training again!

I have since added a few things on this list - May 2012

31) You tell your friends dates to put into their calendar of your races and ask them to plan their important dates around them 

32) You think you know how to run - this is until you attend a Tony Benson run session. 

33) You think you know how to swim - this is until you attend a Coach Ryan swim session.

34) You have more than one bike (says me who has six).

35) Your teeth and guts hate you from the amount of gels and processed energy food products you consume during training and racing

36) You have an excess of competitor/finishers towels, bags and shirts from all the races you have entered.

37) You get to see the sights of greater Melbourne on a bike as part of training, which you never would have before triathlon (in a car).

38) You get helmet hair

39) You can't wait for recovery week to have a sleep in and give your body a chance to recover.

40) You have your goals posted on the fridge door/toiletdoor/car/work computer to remind you why you train so much.