mountain_lion

Blfex driver has 5 brightness settings. You can operate it in 5 level mode or duo mode (2 setting). For duo mode you can choose any of the 5 levels for the 2 you use. No problem dimming. But who needs to dim off-road? At 680mA load current at full blast (level 5) the theoretical run time from 2200mAh is more than 3 hours (still need to test the actual run time from this battery). PS: It has been too wet in the Western Cape to mow the lawn, and when the weather is good, I grab the opportunity to go for a dryer ride!

The beam shots above does not show it well, but the combination triple Cree lens gives a better result than the 3 individual lenses. The beam pattern can be seen better from a side view against a flat surface (like my dining room wall): 3 individual Cree's: Triple Cree in round heat sink: As can be seen here, the composite lens (sourced from deal extreme) gives a nice narrow spot to light up the road ahead (about 10? ?), but also has usable side spill of 30? +. The 3 individual lenses has a wider total beam, which spreads the light over a wider area, so it seems less bright. I am not sure if I will even need the helmet light with this light. Will have to go ride some really twisty single track at speed to see...

And now for the beam shots (air drum roll http://fc95.deviantart.com/images2/i/2004/02/d/3/Air_Drummer_emoticon_2.gif)... All photos with Panasonic FZ20 set to auto white balance. 4 seconds @ F4, ISO 100. The tree in the foreground on the right is 14m from the garden shed. Lights and camera on tripod are 2m back from the tree, which makes it 16m from the light to the garden shed. (yes I know I need more distance to really show this light, but it is much easier doing these photos in my back yard). First my original Luxeon III LED light: 2x Luxeon helmet light: The 3 individual Cree's (all 8 degree lens angles): Triple Cree in round heat sink: mountain_lion2008-09-22 17:02:59

Finally I had all the parts ready: The PVC pipe and modified coupling method worked fine to enclose my original Luxeon LED light, so I decided to use it again. I machined an Al disk to fit into a 50mm PVC pipe, with holes drilled and threaded to mount the LEDs and fit the legs of the lens: Much easier to mount this onto the heat sink than working direct on the heat sink. While the disk on its own might provide sufficient heat sinking, the round heat sink has much more bling value, so had to be used. The LEDs are secured with heat sink paste and screws. This assembly is then screwed onto the heat sink (with some heat sink paste in between). Lens goes on top and is secured with a modified PVC coupling to serve as fixing ring. This required quit a bit of work on the lathe since the coupling's diameter had to be reduced to fit inside the heat sink fins. Not much space between the PVC pipe and the heat sink either. I modified some scrap Al extrusions into a mounting bracket with some foam to protect the stem plate on the bike. I am still experimenting with the mounting; using a LED flasher mount on the under side of the stem at present. After some mods including a rubber band for stability, it is working OK, but I am not 100% satisfied with this solution yet. I ordered a blex driver from http://www.taskled.com (George is a very helpful guy). With this design there is no space for the driver in the light head, so I enclosed the bflex in a small plastic container used for cosmetic samples, complements of the local pharmacy). It is packed with some foam with a tact switch on top protruding through a hole drilled in the lid. (I will hard wire the light head to the driver later, but for now it is convenient to be able to plug various light heads onto the driver). The driver enclosure is covered by a piece of old bike tube with a button (from army days) sewn on with dental floss. To attach, just wrap around the handle bar and hook the button through the "button hole" on the other end of the tube. I am using 14.8V Li-ion Batteries which are attached to the bike frame in a small pouch with a velcro strap. All mounted on the bike:

Some may remember my post in Willehond's DIY light thread featuring a very nice heat sink. I decided this heat sink deserves to be used in a killer light. Something like a triple Cree XR-E Q5. Luxeon IIIs are old hat... So I sourced some Cree LEDs and lenses from China: I found that the lenses & LEDs were a good fit in 22mm brass end caps. Heavy, but good heat sink and easy to construct (lathe not required), so I built this monster: Very bright light (much better than the Luxeons) and the beam distribution is not bad either; some useful spill light to light up the side of the trail. (Beam shots to follow in another post). So this experiment proved to be a success and I now had a bright light to use while figuring out how to turn the PC heat sink into a killer bike light. mountain_lion2008-09-22 16:32:29

Looks great, but isn't 2200mAh too high for the Luxeons? Ai WH, moet ek jou nog die basics ook leer... (en daar gaan maak jy vir NT so skrik dat hy sy foto afhaal!) 2200 mAh is the capacity rating of the battery. Actual current drawn will be determined by the impedance of the load. Battery voltage is 14.8V. Most drivers (e.g. the BuckPuck) can handle that. 14.8V input voltage is just right to provide 3 LEDs in series with a constant regulated current from a buck type driver. mountain_lion2008-09-22 14:33:02

Bliksem! Sal maar moet vra dat hulle weer bestel en vir my 'n paar hou!

NT: jou bliksem; toe ek middagete daar kom toe is die laaste een van die flitse op special weg! Apparently some more were due to arrive this afternoon. I will go past Midas on my way to work tomorrow...

WH: I used the same LEDs in the helmet light and bar light. 3 Luxeons in the bar light and 2 on the helmet (one spot and one wide lens). Because the copper end caps provide limited heat sinking, I use 0.8A max current for the helmet lights. This works, provided that there is good airflow over the lights, i.e. keep moving! The bar light is brighter than the helmet light. Driving the LEDs with sufficient voltage so that the buck puck can regulate makes a big difference ( I got some 14.8V Li-ion batteries). Might be a better photo than last time too. Comparative beam shots (and more) coming in a new thread...

OK, it been more than a few days, but beam shots need to be done outside after dark and the weather in the Cape has been miserable. On the better evenings I rather went for a ride and went back in immediately afterwards! Here is a beam shot for the DIY helmet light described in my earlier post Panasonic FZ20 with auto white balance 4 seconds @ F4, ISO 100: The tree in the foreground on the right is 14m from the garden shed. I was standing next to the camera and tripod 2m back from the tree, which makes it 16m from the garden shed. As said before, the intention is not to use this light on its own, but to complement a bar mounted light. mountain_lion2008-09-21 14:28:13

all three of them.. Yoh Zoo! But unfortunately I have lost another since you last saw me at Panorama so now there are only 2 ........... Loose another, then you can leave it deurmekaar!

of course this topic has been discussed before; e.g. https://www.bikehub.co.za/forum_posts.asp?TID=31048

As have been said by Willehond and others, READ the DIY LED light thread. All your questions have already been answered there. Rabtron is a great source of electronics, but they have not been able to stock Cree LEDs. I have built lights with Luxeons and with Cree Q5s and the Crees are MUCH brighter at the same current with less heat. Two possible sources for Crees: http://www.cutter.com.au http://www.kaidomain.com

Leave bike to dry, then brush off worst mud. Rise with water (low pressure). Soap optional. Wipe down frame with rag. Remove chain and degrease, rise thoroughly and leave to dry. Clean chain rings and deraileurs with rag / brush. Degreaser optional. Remove rear wheel and clean cassette with rag & brush. Degreaser to be avoided - don't want degreaser to get into the freehub. Fit wheel and chain; lube chain when dry, wipe off excess lube before next ride. I have some "clean" rags & brushes, which I only use on the frame etc. and some "grease" rags & brushes, which I only use on the drive train. Works for me.

Since I fitted a quick link to my chain, I have stopped using a clam shell type cleaner gadget. Much easier, quicker and more efficient to remove the chain to clean it with your choice of degreaser. I have not tried it, but hear Prepsol is a good solution. Will try some when my current bottle of engine cleaner runs out.

IMHO the designs by Le Tour are nice designs with The Hub logo stamped on top. The designs by Mampara are true Hub kit, using The Hub colours and identity. But majority rules...

You mean http://www.morningstartools.com/freehub_buddy1.html ? Looks interesting... GoLefty: do you import this? Looks like the tool is actually used to lube the freehub itself (something I have never done). The seals could help above mentioned problem. Where do I get?

Now LBS is saying they cannot get axle + cones for the Formula hub I have. So looks like I will need to get 2 new rear hubs (mrs mountain_lion has the same bike, although her cones are not as bad as mine). What do I get that offers reasonable durability and sealing on the drive side without breaking the bank? mountain_lion2008-08-07 14:36:48

Which XTR hub was that and is worth the extra cost? Would it be worth it to rather get a new hub and build a new wheel on it? As said before, I ride for fun and am more concerned with durability than weight. I am prepared to pay for quality (within my budget of course...)

Where did you go? Looks like laps around the shop!

It is a Formula hub. Not sure which model; (original spec. for 2007 Anthem 2).

The Stellenbosch mud feast this weekend, required me to open up the hubs on my Giant Anthem for a clean. Front was generally OK, almost not needed to to any thing. Rear non-drive side also not too bad, but drive side was a total mess! Cone and bearings totally shot and more mud than grease in there. The reason: drive side rear does not have a outer wiper seal, so the mud has free access to the bearings. I had the free body replaced a month ago by LBS and there is already noticeable wear in the cup of the of the free body. The winter in Stellenbosch = mud riding which I don't mind, but the wear and tear on the bicycle is getting a bit expensive! Is there no better rear hub design available? Surely it must be possible to have some sort of seal on the drive side? or is component spec on the Anthem 2 just so low?