The headlight on the Platypus appears to be aimed very high. As the rider makes his final right turn I can see the top of the beam shining on the house across the street. It's critical when comparing two setups to be sure to aim the lights the same way. On my own bikes I aim the top of the beam about 140 feet ahead. But what does that mean Peter? Well, I'll tell you.
The Edelux II headlight has a beam pattern similar to an automobile's low beam. If you were to project the beam against a vertical wall, the top of the beam would be brightest, and there would be a sharp horizontal cutoff at the top of the beam. As you look down from the top of the beam it would become progressively dimmer. This is because the top of the beam is supposed to be projected further down the road than the bottom of the beam. The idea is that this will result in the road ahead being evenly illuminated by the headlight, from the point of view of the cyclist. The further away you aim the top of the beam, in other words, the higher you aim the headlight, the dimmer the road surface will be. The first bike appears to have the beam aimed fairly well. The second bike is not aimed well at all. You could put the two bikes side by side and compare the front of the headlights by looking at them from the side. Start with both headlights having the front of the headlights vertical. In other words the glass lens at the front should be vertical. That should put the top of the beam about 50 feet in front of the bike on a level road. The beams of both bikes should then be identical in shape and brightness. Depending on the speeds you ride, you may well want the headlights aimed a bit higher. As I wrote, on my own bikes the top of the beam is about 140 feet away. Where I ride it's extremely hilly, there's virtually no traffic at night, but there are lots of critters lurking about, wait for me to come along and run them over. So on a fast descent I need more time to react to something I'm approaching. I don't need to worry about glass on the road, so I don't need the road 20 feet ahead to be as brightly lit as possible. I'm not competing with other light sources. If the moon isn't up there are no other light sources. So the relatively high projection of the beam, and its relative dimness, isn't a problem. Were I back riding in downtown Boston as I was 50 years ago, I wouldn't care what was 140 feet ahead, so I would aim the headlight lower, thereby making the road surface, and all the glass and shrapnel easier to see. On Sat, Apr 24, 2021 at 11:12 AM Leah Peterson <[email protected]> wrote: > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/A807AD65-B1CE-4CBF-BF45-0CF78E16E552%40gmail.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/A807AD65-B1CE-4CBF-BF45-0CF78E16E552%40gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > > > Sent from my iPad > > On Apr 24, 2021, at 8:01 AM, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! < > [email protected]> wrote: > > I never had dyno until 2020, and now I have it on my 2 bikes. > > 1. 52 cm Clem L with 650b wheels: Shutter Precision hub with Edelux II > headlight and fender mounted SON taillight > > 2. 55 cm Platypus with 700c wheels: Schmidt SON hub with Edelux II > headlight and fender mounted SON taillight. > > So: same lights but different generators. > > SON has the votes for best dyno ever, so I went with that for my Platy, > but so far, it's not been as good as the SP. I know that cannot be, so > something must be wrong with my setup of the SON, or possibly the > hub/generator itself. I think it has been this way from the start; I always > thought the differences were due to the mounting location of the light. > > We had both bikes out on a family ride and the Clem's light was blindingly > bright - a veritable floodlight. The Platy's light appeared dim in > comparison, even though I was riding the Platy at a faster speed. The > Platy's rear light often flickers unless I am riding downhill, and the > Clem's does not. I've checked the connections and as best as I can tell, > there's nothing amiss. The Clem's headlight is front rack-mounted, and the > Platy uses a fork-crown mount. I did a night ride with the Platy last night > and was really underwhelmed by the beam. It is not the beam is blocked; it > appears the light is just generally dimmed. I ride a dark path through the > desert where there is wilderness on one side and homes distantly located on > the other, no streetlights. I need good illumination; the Clem gives ample > lighting but I feel like I'm straining to see on my Platy.. > > Secondly, I hear something in the drivetrain or wheel set of the Platy. > Almost like the sound of electrical current. It is only on the Platy, never > the Clem. I have heard that the SON is supposed to be silent, but there is > definitely noise coming from the bike, but I don't know if it's the hub. > > I'm going to take the bike to the shop that built it and see if they can > figure out the noise and the dim light. If you have any words of wisdom or > direction I could point them in, please let me know here. > > Things I have considered: > 1. Does the wheel size affect the difference in brightness? > 2. Does the mounting location affect the appearance of the beam? (I have > tilted the Platy light this way and that so the beam doesn't fall on the > front wheel, but no real difference was noted.) > 3. Maybe there is some tension on the wires somehow? > > ******************************************************************** > Don't read past here if you don't want to be subjected to my angst. It is > cathartic to talk to bike people about bike woes; no one else understands. > > I dread taking the bike in and presenting them with some obscure issues > (What is this noise? Don't you hear it? Well, it's not doing it right NOW, > but... My light is not bright enough! Can't you make it brighter?!) Most > shops in Vegas don't know a thing about dyno; it took my LBS considerable > time to suss out how to do it. So, I fear that the bike will come back to > me in the same state and I will be slowly driven crazy by the sounds and > the inferior lighting. Also, the Platy is special and I am overly attached > to it. When things aren't right with it I am all sackcloth and ashes, > wailing and gnashing of teeth over here. > ******************************************************************* > Thanks for your insight! > Leah > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the > Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this topic, visit > https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/2Bte2sgNeQU/unsubscribe > . > To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to > [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/988f7223-aab3-4905-be91-89fea790eae3n%40googlegroups.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/988f7223-aab3-4905-be91-89fea790eae3n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/A807AD65-B1CE-4CBF-BF45-0CF78E16E552%40gmail.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/A807AD65-B1CE-4CBF-BF45-0CF78E16E552%40gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- Peter White -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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