armb's journal

Once I'd bought new brackets, I tried the DLumotec with the Lumotec as a secondary light. It didn't really work, which turns out to be another known problem.
But I sent the rattling light off to AMBA (the importers), who sent me back a replacement. The halogen Lumotec now comes up to noticeable brightness around 12mph, but I'm not really sure whether it's worth bothering with or not. (I haven't tried a series capacitor yet).
With Andreas hinting at a new Schmidt light I might hold off on buying an IQ Fly, but the current setup is certainly usable as is.

The bad news is that H Drake, the friendly helpful bike shop conveniently close to work, are moving out of town and concentrating on non-bike-related parts of their business.
The (transient) good news is that they have sale prices on their remaining stock. While I can't justify £900 for a Birdy City even if it is £300 less than usual, I did buy their hub dynamo demonstrator - there are more efficient hubs than the NX22, and better B+M lights than the Dlumotec coming soon (or some really nice homemade lights out there with Cree XR-E LEDs and sawn up E6 reflectors), but at £55 for the lot and given the chances of my actually putting something better together by autumn, I thought it was worth it.
(There's a Shimano light-sensing switch there too, but not wired in.)

Cycled from work to the Park and Ride through freezing rain with a bit of snow. My shoe has fallen apart - a four inch long gap where it has completely come away from the sole. They are less than two years old, and I don't wear them all the time, so I am not impressed.
I'd forgotten just how poor at braking in the wet old style chromed steel rims are (I was on the folder). But I couldn't see to go very fast anyway.
I have now found my gloves and neoprene overshoes.
Thought I'd finally mended the light (after two trips to Maplin and one to Gees to get the right size barrel connector - forgot to take the old one with me the first time), but apparently not.