Bike Light Update

I realized this morning as I saw the clip of my bike light hanging on my bag that I never got around to posting a followup on my new bike light. I have to say, I'm quite disappointed. There are two fundamental flaws in design. First off, while the cover stays on nicely, the light slides off the plastic clip all the time. The design of the clip makes it easy to duct tape it on to my Timbuk2 strap, but I'd like to have the light stay on my bag as well as the clip. Secondly, the little rubber cover on the switch keeps coming off. It's mostly an irritation as it doesn't ever seem to get lost and is relatively easy to put back on, but annoying nonetheless. The worst part of the switch is that the button is too easy to turn on and off, so it's usually left on, and I'm sure by now the battery is drained. Sadly what this means is that I have a bike light clip currently on my bag, but the light itself is sitting inside my bag. When will bike light manufacturers finally create a light that is appropriately designed for the bike light strap of my Timbuk2 bag?

Bike Light First Thoughts

So I finally got around to picking up my new tail light yesterday. A few things that I noticed right away. When I walked into my dark apartment, the reflector was so bright that for a second I thought the light was on (until I realized that I had yet to put in the batteries). One of the big problems with my previous light was that when clipped to the light strap on my Timbuk2 bag, either the red cover would fall off or the entire light would fall off (even with the light duct taped in place). The latter is the reason I have recently been without light. The design of this light is to have a longer clip part that sticks out, which I have duct taped together. I think this will actually hold better than with the previous light where the tape would roll off over time. The cover on this light also seems pretty solid. I was unable to remove the cover without the assistance of a quarter, so I'm hoping that means it won't easily come off. I'll try to give another update after the light has been in use for a month or so.

Bike Lights

I've decided that I need to devote some time to catalog my favorite biking related products. A friend of mine just got a nice vintage road bike, and I was helping him figure out the basic things he needs to get. So far the things I've told him are:

• Saris Bones Bike Rack
• Topeak Toolbar
• Crank Brothers Bike Pump
• Cateye Rear Light

Obviously that's an incomplete list, but just some things for starters. So today's rant will be about tail lights.

LEDs are just amazing. I'm pretty sure that I could create a blog dedicated to the amazingness of LEDs alone. However, the audience for such a blog would be rather limited. When I got my schwinn and started biking around the city, I realized that I should probably have safety lights on my bike. I think somewhere in my box of bike crap I have an actual light with rechargeable battery, etc for my bike. But that was really more of a necessity in the south bay where the light's purpose is to actually light the road. In the city, there are plenty of street lights so that what you really need is a safety light. For the front light, I purchased the Cat Eye Compact Opticube Headlight. While it's probably a bit of overkill to have a headlight that is waterproof up to 50 meters, bike lights will short circuit in the rain. If you are the kind of person to forget to bring your light inside with you when you run in for coffee, you will probably lose your light to theft before you will lose it to rain. In that case, go with a cheaper light. However, this headlight is crazy bright. Every time I'm out and about, I'm shocked at the distance this thing covers. I'm pretty sure it's impossible for a car to miss me in its rear view mirrors. While I have yet to purchase my tail light, I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with the Cat Eye TL-LD 500. It's the first light that I've seen to be both a reflector and a light. I have a tendency to either forget to or be too lazy to turn on my rear light. Thus I think it would be fantastic to have something that would still serve some purpose even while off. I would also think that it would be good for those times when your batteries are fading and the light is of negligible use. If my opinion changes after I get around to buying the light, I will update this entry.

Keeping Time.

I hate wearing watches. I especially hate wearing watches when I'm going to be all hot and sweaty. It's part a comfort issue, but it's probably more importantly a vanity thing. Since I don't wear a watch normally, if I were to wear one whenever I'm out in the sun, I'd be stuck the rest of the time with this horrible tan line. It's really not a problem when I'm on my bike, but when I'm out on the water, I often need to know the time so that I can get the boat back punctually. And when your floating around the middle of the bay, it's not like there are a lot of people you can stop to ask for the time. I used to just attach a watch to the rigger of my boat, but then I would sometimes forget to remove the watch when I was done. However, I think I have solved my problem with the Hogwild Snap Watch.



Because it fits loosely around your wrist, it is quite comfortable. I like that it's the totally minimalist watch. No stop watch, lap timer, etc. It just tells you the time (I don't even think it tells you the date). Not to mention it's a waterproof watch for less than $10. The loose fit also means that it moves around while you're wearing it, so as far as I can tell, no tan line!

Originally posted here on 12/16/04. It should be noted that while I still think this product is cool in theory, the battery seems to die relatively quickly, and so I have not used it for the last 6 months or so. Instead, I have these clips that I will post about soon.

I was at Bed Bath and Beyond yesterday looking for coffee grinders (my Mr. Coffee grinder broke after only a few weeks. I ended up finding nothing better, so I'm giving the Mr. Coffee another try) and, as an impulse buy, I got the EuroSeal.



I'm sure you have all seen the device before, but it's rare to bring one home. I think i was given "as seen on TV"-purchasing genes from my dad. I remember around the holidays, there was this old run down mall in Aurora, CO that would have all kinds of stands set up in the middle of the mall selling knives, etc. Now, they have actual As Seen on TV stores. We had lots of that crap in our house including my favorite, the knock off nordic track. My previous experience buying as seen on TV goods from Bed Bath and Beyond was so successful (I bought a safety can from them. Unfortunately it seems that no one else agreed with me on the awesomeness of this product as it no longer seems to be made. I hope mine doesn't break) that I decided to give it another go. So, what do I think?

I unpacked my crammed freezer full of rubber banded bags and EuroSealed them all. Everything now lays nice and flat with their airtight seals. On top of that, I no longer have to collect rubber bands that I get in the mail (apparently mail that is forwarded seems to come in rubber bands. as does broccoli). I do agree that there is a slight learning curve to get the perfect airtight seal, but I'm sure that once I master it, it'll become one of my most treasured kitchen appliances. I give it two thumbs up.

Garlic Twist

(Copied over from my other blog)

The other day I stopped by Viking Home Chef, and I couldn't help myself: I purchased a Garlic Twist. I am perfectly aware that this item falls into the category of gadgets I really don't need. Luckily, it compensates for its lack of utility with its small size. So, for those of you who believe in things like the garlic press, this is the gadget for you. It successfully minces rather than smashes your garlic, and it's much easier to clean. For me, I figure it saves about 2 seconds off the time it would take me to mince the garlic with my knife, which, in itself, is not a very good sell. However, I'm usually too lazy to spend even the 5 seconds it takes to mince garlic. So the real enticement of this gadget is the fun factor. Since it's fun to use, I am more likely to take the 3 seconds to mince my garlic with the garlic twist (as opposed to just skipping the garlic, which I often do) than I am to mince with the knife. Yeah for worthless gadgets.

On vegetable peelers.

The other day I was reading my free trial issue of Cook's Country Magazine. In their article about cooking broccoli, they mention that in order to peel the stems of broccoli, don't even try using a vegetable peeler. Stick to a knife since most peelers aren't sharp enough for the job. Definitely not the case with my Messermeister vegetable peeler.

In case you don't know me, I like the idea of keeping a minimal kitchen (which unfortunately has not been the case as of late). So, for years I thought that the vegetable peeler fell into the category of unnecessary items. For the occasional times I needed to peel a carrot, I just pulled out my paring knife and took to it. However, at some point I decided that I was ready to invite the peeler into my family of kitchen utensils. I was walking around the Williams-Sonoma in Chicago with my ex-roommate and almost bought the Oxo peeler. However, R pointed me to the messermeister instead. It instantly caught my eye as the blades were actually serrated. Seemed like a very intelligent idea for peeling soft items like tomatoes. On top of that, it peels through thick stalks with ease. Unlike most of my other purchases, I rather impulsively went with the Messermeister without my typical lengthy investigation, but it's definitely a choice I'd make again.