The End Of Summer
When is it the end of summer for you? Does it end when children start back to school? Is it after labor day? Do you stick with the autumnal equinox?
One of the things that marks the season for me is bicycle lighting.
I leave for work at 5:00 AM. That means that I need a light on my bike all year round when I start my ride. Part of my ride is on a bike path through wooded areas. It can be very dark in there. During most of the year I ride with a Cateye Triple Shot light on my handlebars and another light on my helmet.
It takes two lights to see in the dark woods. One that follows the handlebars and the other to shine where I look around curves.
In early June, it is normally light enough that I can get by without the helmet light. It is light enough by the time I get to the woods that one light is sufficient. I need no light at all by the time I get to my office.
I can do that for about 6-8 weeks. Yesterday I started using my helmet light again. I really should have started a couple of weeks ago.
When I need to start using my helmet light again it tells me summer is coming to an end. It means cooler weather is not far away. Summer can be unbearable here but it is hard to beat fall in Northern Virginia.
August 19th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Here in Bristol (UK), I’m afraid summer never really STARTED this year! I normally dust off the lights for my evening ride home in mid October - I’m lucky to commute more in daylight hours. My new bike has a hub dynamo, which will be great for those evenings when it’s not quite worth attaching the proper lights - the front light is surprisingly bright (halogen, I think), and the back light has some sorty of battery in it to keep it lit when I’m waiting at junctions etc. Highly recommended…if they don’t get stolen/vandalised!
August 19th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Since I start work so early I am home before dark even in the middle of the winter. But just barely. Sometimes I will turn on my red flashing tail light for the last couple of miles.
I have wondered about the dynamo type lights. I was a bit confused from your message. Does your hub dynamo power a front and back light?
What is the make and model?
August 19th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Hi. The model is Shimano DH3N20. The hub on the front wheel powers both front and rear lights, both controlled with a single switch on the front light. Only the rear light stays on when the wheel stops turning - I guess they reckon you’re more likely to be hit from behind.
If you want to see it on the bike, here’s a link to the Kalkhoff website, featuring my beautiful machine!
http://www.kalkhoff-bikes.de/html/bike_detail.asp?kat=Allround&ID=254325&G=24G
August 19th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
You are brave. The thought of riding through dark woods scares the heck out of me. I would be afraid I would fall/run into animals/hurt myself/ etc.
The summer ended for me on Monday when I went back to work. I know it has only been two days, but it feels like more. Thursday is when the trial by fire starts and the middle schoolers get to open up their little brains and absorb the knowledge we put inside.
Wish me luck…. They were really bad as sixth graders…. I am sure they matured over the summer. They always do.
August 19th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
I know this must be a ridiculous question, but I don’t know where you live…do you have snow in the winter?
If you do then what? Do you still ride your bike?
Red be careful!
August 20th, 2008 at 1:04 am
i agree that fall in that area is pretty hard to beat…i’m gonna miss it this year when i’m still sweating it out in texas…for me,summer ends when they start to talk a lot more about football…that’s a glorious time of year no matter where you are
August 20th, 2008 at 2:03 am
I commute home at 10:30pm so using lights is year round.
For me summer ends when I can no longer wear shorts when I am riding to work. This normally takes place near the end of September and by then I need to ride home with at least knee warmers. In mid-October I am riding with rain gear on most of the time and summer begins to be a distant memory.
August 20th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Summer ends when I no longer have to water the garden (that lets me think it’s summer longer than most).
I too have a dynamo front hub. My front light has a ’standlight’ that, once charged, will stay lit through stoplights, etc. The back light runs off the generator, but has battery backup for stops and such (I don’t know why they don’t make a ’standlight’ for the rear). I would recommend peterwhitecycles.com for anyone interested in researching lights.
January 9th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Very interesting. Can you provide more details on this?