Roger Palmer
03-04-2007, 12:05 AM
I am enjoying the monster cross setup, I built up out of the Ibex x-ray, and its become my favorite single track ride. I often ride at night with a NiteHawk digital emitter, with maybe ten watts of 'halogen equivalent' spot light. Plus a Helmet light. I needed a dedicated rig, and wanted a custom one for the way I like to ride.
With the cross tops, I needed more bar real estate. The idea was to make a DIY rig that was good for the dense close combat of rooted pitch black trails, on a muddy track, that hides a snake or a slippery dangerous place to put down a foot. Some dedicated down the fork light that could save my stepping on reptile hell or awful fire ants. Then there is all that jumping around and shouting with the fire ants, in the dark, that lacks dignity before all possums.
I wanted some way to run red or amber, aimed down for slow riding, to sneak along the track, with night vison half intact, listening to the woods, before hitting switches.
On a suspension fork, with a high crown, I have used a star nut or compresson plug up the lower end of the steerer tube, to hold a light in front of the fork crown, to get a hooded light low and get some light down near the jungle mud. I miss this easy option on the X-ray, there is not good enough clearance to do the second star nut trick.
The X-ray solution has been a Nashbar small front rack, 6 by 9 inches, ten bucks from Nasba. For lights and batteries its ideal and leaves the bar clean for other things. It weighs a bit less than a pound.
This tiny front rack goes on the canti studs and back to the fork arch, clearing the brake cables nicely. I have built up a light bar on the back of the rack, with two three watt MR16 luxeon bulbs in water proof pots, and one ten watt halogen for a high beam, dead center front of the rack in a metal pot. It could be a luxeon spot, but I like the warm halogen lights throw and fill when I need it a bit farther out. Plus, its cheap to replace and it takes the hit out front when I am stupid, and comes from Home Depot for 16 bucks.
I am experimenting with two 36 LED arrays 1"1/2" square, used for inside truck over head cab or trailer lights aimed forward and down a bit each side of the fork. Its kind of crazy, but I can see where to dab a foot and see to each side of the fork leaning into a turn on narrow track. Ground effect lights with some options I suppose. These little arrays are thin, low heat, and bright. Come in white, red, amber.
I found I can cover the white 'ground effect lights' with a slab of red or amber plastic, to give a minimum light for slow crawl running with night vision when watching for animals. I am still experimenting with these 'foot parking' ground effect lights. I am gearing the lights to pitch black heavy cover trails, with a need for survival not speed. However, its working ok at near daytime speeds.
I can post a picture if anyone is interested, when I have a rig that survives hard riding, I do not want to post before I get the 'foot parking/fork lights' right. Its lot of mess, and with all the bulbs not cheap, but one stop in the ER for a crofab drip might ruin my bike budget. The little Nashbar rack on an X-ray gives a lot of under side and top side real estate for playing with lights.
With the cross tops, I needed more bar real estate. The idea was to make a DIY rig that was good for the dense close combat of rooted pitch black trails, on a muddy track, that hides a snake or a slippery dangerous place to put down a foot. Some dedicated down the fork light that could save my stepping on reptile hell or awful fire ants. Then there is all that jumping around and shouting with the fire ants, in the dark, that lacks dignity before all possums.
I wanted some way to run red or amber, aimed down for slow riding, to sneak along the track, with night vison half intact, listening to the woods, before hitting switches.
On a suspension fork, with a high crown, I have used a star nut or compresson plug up the lower end of the steerer tube, to hold a light in front of the fork crown, to get a hooded light low and get some light down near the jungle mud. I miss this easy option on the X-ray, there is not good enough clearance to do the second star nut trick.
The X-ray solution has been a Nashbar small front rack, 6 by 9 inches, ten bucks from Nasba. For lights and batteries its ideal and leaves the bar clean for other things. It weighs a bit less than a pound.
This tiny front rack goes on the canti studs and back to the fork arch, clearing the brake cables nicely. I have built up a light bar on the back of the rack, with two three watt MR16 luxeon bulbs in water proof pots, and one ten watt halogen for a high beam, dead center front of the rack in a metal pot. It could be a luxeon spot, but I like the warm halogen lights throw and fill when I need it a bit farther out. Plus, its cheap to replace and it takes the hit out front when I am stupid, and comes from Home Depot for 16 bucks.
I am experimenting with two 36 LED arrays 1"1/2" square, used for inside truck over head cab or trailer lights aimed forward and down a bit each side of the fork. Its kind of crazy, but I can see where to dab a foot and see to each side of the fork leaning into a turn on narrow track. Ground effect lights with some options I suppose. These little arrays are thin, low heat, and bright. Come in white, red, amber.
I found I can cover the white 'ground effect lights' with a slab of red or amber plastic, to give a minimum light for slow crawl running with night vision when watching for animals. I am still experimenting with these 'foot parking' ground effect lights. I am gearing the lights to pitch black heavy cover trails, with a need for survival not speed. However, its working ok at near daytime speeds.
I can post a picture if anyone is interested, when I have a rig that survives hard riding, I do not want to post before I get the 'foot parking/fork lights' right. Its lot of mess, and with all the bulbs not cheap, but one stop in the ER for a crofab drip might ruin my bike budget. The little Nashbar rack on an X-ray gives a lot of under side and top side real estate for playing with lights.