hotbike

Concrete planters and CitiBikes



I’ve been utilizing 12 volt 10 amp/h lithium iron phosphate batteries and solar panels on my bikes. Recently added strobe lights to the ebike.

Russ Roth

My wife rides an electric bike from Oceanside up to Mercy from time to time. My main commute is a walk across a parking lot but when I need to go visit with people nearby for work I'll take a bicycle for the commute.

hotbike

M222 at Alternate Unisphere

M219 at dawn

Photo of the bike I rode up to 125th Street.
M219 is lightweight. All corrugated polypropylene had to be reinforced with Honeycomb Polypropylene.

hotbike

The ebike has a 500 watt motor.
Pannier/Tailbox has liquid refreshments.

Honeycomb Polypropylene beats Fiberglass Monocoque in terms of cost. Weight saving cutouts are strategically placed.

Recumbent Bike Fashion Statement Fiberglass Shark Bicycle is based on the Fiberglass Ladies Bicycle, retaining the low step over height.

Pannier/Tailbox The corrugated polypropylene Coroplast seems economical at first, but had to be reinforced with heavier Honeycomb Polypropylene.


Hope some of you post pics from your bike ride today.

kaos joe

Bethpage, NY


But....but....the "thing" says I've only ridden 33 miles.........



(you know, the thing)

Steve B.

Holy Crap, a Kaos post. Been months. Next thing you know Papa Tom and Glenn will show up.

But, where are you Joe, do you even know ?.

kaos joe

Well, I thought I was in Bethpage.....

Ferdinand NYC

Not often do I ride out on Long Island, still less often do I do it at night. So it's always an unpleasant reminder to see how little lighting there is out there.

On Sunday I went out to Farmingdale from my home in Woodhaven. Going out there, I was on 107 going south, and turned off of it at Central Avenue, which becomes Merritts Road. Though that was during the daytime, I took note of the streetlights; I saw that, for a long stretch on Central Avenue, there were streetlights on only one side of the street. So I decided that, coming home, I would not go that way. Instead, going home I took Merritts south, following it as it veers westward and become Boundary Avenue, and then I took that to hit 107.

There were indeed some more streetlights going that way. However, one problem was that those lights didn't come on until much later than they should have done; and the second problem was that, when the lights did come on, they were extremely dim. It's as though the last couple of decades' worth of improvements in lighting have not yet made it to Long Island. Even though I had a reflective vest, reflective gloves, reflective bands on my messenger bag, and lights on my bike and on my helmet, properly functioning streetlights would still have been nice! When I got back across the City line, the difference was dramatic; I could see so much better.

A few times over the years I have had to alter my route at night if I am out past the City line. Whereas during the day I like to use side streets as opposed to giant roads such as Hempstead Turnpike, at night I have to abandon that approach simply because I cannot see the side streets' street signs in the paltry lighting.

Coming home on Sunday I was having memories of my childhood in the 1970s. Back then I lived in eastern Queens, so I sometimes found myself out past the City line in Bellerose or Floral Park. A few times I got caught out there after dark. In those days, there were no streetlights at all out there, and I didn't have lights on my bike. So I would have to ride in complete darkness until I could get back into the City. Last year I was in that area at night, on avenues such as Bryant and Lowell, which upon crossing the City line become 87th Avenue and 87th Road, respectively; and I was again amazed at the improvement in lighting at the border.

So I have to ask myself: what the F is wrong with those people out there? The use of the new LED lights for streetlights should be mandated by law. For headlights those lights are often too bright; but for streetlights they are ideal.