A light wheel

Now that is what I call a light wheel. Being Jealous of the light I had built for Bruce I decided to make one for myself. On the Mt. Lemmon brevet there was a guy who had his light mounted to the end of the quick release bolt and I thought that might be a good thing to try so try I did. The beauty of the design is the light is attached to the wheel/axle and not the bike so when you remove the generator wheel the light automatically comes off to making it very easy to remove the light. I'll be the first to admit the light is not pretty. That being said it is bright and the beam is very focused. The lower light really accentuates the deformities/rubble in the road making it easy to avoid them at speed. I have to confess I used a lot of JB Weld and silicone sealer. The light is perhaps not the most aerodynamic but with the 4 leds I don't think it could be much more aerodynamic than it is so I am not too worried there. Now I just need to get my knee healed up so I can let loose and give this thing a serious long night ride.

On another note, I can't remember if I mentioned on here or not that I have a new job or not. So, I have a new job. It is at Americhoice up in Phoenix making for a 30+ mile commute one way. I think I have a few good plans to make it possible to bike it still though. A few factors are coming into play in the next few weeks that will facilitate my commute. Here are my assets-

Good fitness

Express Bus Routes to downtown

Light Rail coming online on the 27th with a station 3 miles from work and a station at the express bus station downtown.

A brother inlaw who works a few miles away.

A new park and ride 16 miles away from work right about where the bad traffic starts.

So I have a few options and I will list them here with time estimates for total commute time and gas/bus cost.

Xport modes	Time	Cost
Xpress bus + train + 3 mile ride	160 minutes	$1.75
ride in mooch ride home	160 minutes	free
Park and Ride + 16 mile ride	160 minutes	$4
Ride both ways 30 miles x 2	220 mintues	free
Ride 12 miles to light rail station	220 minutes	$1.25
Drive in	100 minutes	$8

I am leaning toward the express bus option with perhaps a full commute once a week to get a longer ride in. I will keep you informed.

With the buses, trains, and carpool with brother inlaw involved I decided to break down and get a folding bicycle which I ordered yesterday. Folders have come a long ways in the last few years. They are a bit heavier but not too much and the one I ordered comes with a generator hub and a light so I can save money there. It also has fenders and a rack. Granted fenders are not something we use a lot here in Arizona but they are handy when it does rain. If you remove all the extras from the bike it would only be a pound or two heavier than my roadbike so it is not too bad. It should arrive on Tuesday and I am eager to give it a test run.

I start work on Monday and I will probably work a few days before I start the bike commuting just so people get to know me first before I start showing up dressed like a superhero and having to change.