Posted by Teresa Ibanez
on 12/02/2010
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Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)The purpose of any LED tail light is to make sure cars coming up behind you know you're there. The Planet Bike Blinky 3 does a fine job at that, stays put, has great battery life and doesn't cost much. You get two mounting options - a big cheap plastic clip for the seat post and a smaller clip for a rear side strut. I put mine on the seat post. In past years when I had a baby seat I would have used the side strut. You also get two settings - steady and blinking. That's the only negative in my book. I can't imagine using anything but blinking.
This is pretty much a no brainer. My wife's has been through almost 8 years of abuse and has had only one battery change. I didn't think twice when it was time for my bike and my son's to get this safety enhancement. I now bike a lot during the late night. I haven't had a close call with a car coming up from my rear yet. Enough said.
Update - 8 months later (6/5/09): I added a bike rack over my rear wheel and had to re-mount this because the rack's cargo obscured the seat post. Neither included mount fit the small gauge bars of the rack. I was able to use the small mounting clip by adding a small strip of black rubber (cut from an old inner tube scrap I had lying around). Because of the orientation of the rack's bars my light is now sideways. This arrangement works fine for me. I'm still on my original set of batteries and I use the light at least once a week.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Planet Bike Blinky "3" 3-Led Rear Bicycle Light
Product Description:
Planet Bike BRT-3 Taillights includes batteries, seatpost and seatstay mounts. Features: Brighter LED's. Over 100 hours run time. Soft-touch flash/constant/off switch. Includes batteries, seatpost and seatstay mounts
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Posted by Teresa Ibanez
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Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I've had mine for almost two years of heavy use. The light is very bright, providing a great deal of visibility and some illumination of the road in front, which is enough for the city, and batteries last a very long time. Most pleasingly, the mounting system is very durable and it seems likely that it will withstand several years of regular use. The unit appears to be impervious to rain. As with all of the gear I've purchased from Planet Bike, a superior level of design is evident. A good, basic LED headlight.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Planet Bike Beamer 3 LED Bicycle Light with Quick Cam Bracket Mount
Product Description:
Whether you're a 24-hour racer or a super commuter, the Planet Bike Beamer 3 bicycle light will keep your path well lit. The Beamer 3 is equipped with three white Nichia eXtreme v2.0 LEDs, which not only illuminate your way after the sun has gone down, but also make you visible to passing cars or pedestrians. In addition, the light attaches securely to your bike thanks to the Quick Cam bracket mounts, which adjust or remove in seconds without tools. The Beamer 3--which offers up to 100 hours of runtime on two AA batteries (included)--boasts both flashing and steady modes and carries a limited lifetime warranty.
About Planet Bike In November of 1996, Planet Bike was founded in Madison, Wisconsin. In many ways, Planet Bike began as a social experiment that dedicated itself to doing business in a different way. Instead of being just another company that develops and sells products with profit as its end goal, Planet Bike wanted to help bring about positive change for people, their communities, and the environment.
Despite being a simple machine, the people at Planet Bike have always believed that the bicycle has great potential to help improve the world and the lives of the people in it. From the start, they have embraced an alternative corporate purpose which seeks to help get more people on bicycles by making communities friendlier places for the self-propelled. By donating 25% of company profits to causes that promote and facilitate bicycle usage, Planet Bike hopes to make an impact.
Social experiments aside, Planet Bike was born from the heart of a cyclist with a goal of making innovative, high quality, and practical bicycle accessories. Simply put, they strive to design and develop the best bicycle products in the world. In the company's short ten year history, they have made important product innovations within the bicycle industry. Advancements include the 4-line computer which is now a standard in the industry and the world's first self-contained HID light. Not bad for a company that ten years ago started as a one man operation. Today, while still a small company, Planet Bike continues to evolve and improve their product line with the goal of always striving to build accessories that make it easier for people to ride their bikes. Since 1996, Planet Bike's financial support of the grassroots bicycle movement has totaled $500,000. By 2010, they have made a goal to donate $1 million to organizations that are dedicated to making America a friendlier place for cyclists.
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Posted by Teresa Ibanez
on 11/28/2010
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Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)The helmet and pads are both safe and cool !! The fit is good for a child between toddler& big kid.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Spiderman Child Helmet and Pads Combo Pack Combo
Product Description:
Spiderman Childs Helmet Combo
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Posted by Teresa Ibanez
on 11/25/2010
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Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This mirror is fantastic. I bought it to replace a helmet mounted mirror when the stem broke on the helmet mount. I can't tell you how much better I like this bar-end mirror. It's much easier to find this mirror out of the corner of my eye, and it provides a very good view of what's behind me, both in the traffic lanes and directly behind me in the bike lane.
I did have to mutilate the grip on my handlebar to remove the plug and cut out and opening for the mirror, so just trying it out requires some commitment, but once it is mounted the installation looks clean.
I didn't have any significant trouble with the installation. The directions are a little bit unclear about what to do with piece that goes inside the bar (the directions say to "secure" it, but you need to leave it loose, securing only the nut, until it is inside the bar). If you look at the piece and think about how it's going to hold the mirror in place, it's pretty obvious what to do with it.
The mirror itself stays put very well on rides. It shakes a very little bit, but really only little. The stability is surprisingly good for a piece for which it is so easy to adjust the angles.
All the parts can be replaced individually if broken for about $4 each plus shipping.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Mirrycle MTB Bar End Mountain Bicycle Mirror
Product Description:
Mounts onto bar end, installation wrench included Wide view convex mirror pivots to any viewing angle
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Posted by Teresa Ibanez
on 11/20/2010
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Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I have just recently had my classic Schwinn Continental English racer (today referred to as a road bike) repaired and fixed up and have been braving the roads for about three weeks as of this writing.
So the first things I set off to buy were a new saddle, a saddle bag, a bike helmet and cycling gloves.
After reading the reviews on other sites, I decided to purchase the Bell Pro Gel Cycling Gloves.
All I can tell you is that my hands no longer hurt. The gloves are marvelous and do exactly what they are made to do, cushion your hands from the handle bars especially when you take some serious bumps or when digging in for speed and stamina training.
There are certainly higher priced gloves on the market but I'm on a budget. So after trying on a pair at a local brick and mortar store, I knew they were just what I was looking for. Here's what you'll get with the Bell Pro Gels:
1) Gloves are half finger style with a suede "leather" palm,
2) The backing fabric is 92% polyester and 8% nylon. It's broken up into two sections, a smooth, breathable section that stretches over the back of the hand, and an area that feels like terry cloth over the thumb and index finger, made for wiping the condensation from your nose on a cool day,
3) All trimming is 100% rubber which includes the straps that Velcro over the wrist to tighten the glove.
The palm is double stitched for durability. There are three gel pads and each pad is sectioned and stitched. This is a nice feature as long sections of gel over a period of time and use tend to ball up, becoming ineffective or uncomfortable. Indeed a nice feature to find in an inexpensive pair of cycling gloves. The finger ends are also stitched so they should not start to unravel right away.
Cleaning instructions are as follows:
"Hand wash in cold water, line dry, do not iron, do not dry clean."
Since the palm is not leather, washing in water won't kill the suede palm material and will help keep your gloves smelling nice, especially after a few wipes of the nose.
The Bell Pro Gel Cycling Gloves also feature a small jut out, or tongue, at the wrists that help with putting them on. Sewed to the tongue is a handy loop for hanging your gloves up to dry after a ride.
So, how do they feel? The Pro Gel Gloves are easy to put on, and feel great. The gel pads are in just the right spots to take the pressure of your hands on the handle bars. Many cyclists will cover their bars with a spongy tape or padding but I personally don't like that. I like having the bar exposed with a single wrap of standard bar tape. So the gloves pad the handle bar but still let me have that feeling of control you need for quick moves.
Will they hold up? Time will tell. And they might not last as long as an expensive pair of gloves, but for the price, I think they are a great bargain.
One note on price. If you order online, beware of stores that will try to gouge you on shipping. These gloves are very light and take up no room for shipping. I've seen online shipping prices for these gloves that basically double the price of the gloves. Buyer beware!
And be sure to see my reviews on the Giro Transfer Sport Bike Helmet, the Bell Mountain Bicycle Seat, and the Bell StowAway Bicycle Seat Bag.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Bell PRO-GEL Cycling Gloves
Product Description:
The Bell PRO-GEL Cycling Gloves feature superior styling and lightweight design. Three divided gel inserts provide shock absorption and reduce hand fatigue. The perforated palm venting and stretch nylon/spandex back provide superior comfort.
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Posted by Teresa Ibanez
on 11/16/2010
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Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)When I first heard various rumors about this light's pending appearance on the market, I was *really* worried someone was pulling my leg, because the specs read like a dream come true: a compact, self-contained, quick-release headlight that could throw a beam bright enough to truly see *by*, rivaling some batteries-go-somewhere-else units, using merely a pair of garden-variety AA alkalines (I have a *much* better alternative to those, which I'll get to shortly), and coming in at well under a hundred bucks. My local dealer not only confirmed the 2-watt light's existence, but said he could order one for me if I'd like. (*Would* I!)
I've been using the light a good deal for the better part of two weeks, and it does the business. It's the same size as the 1-watt version, save for its jet-black finish. Like all the Planet Bike lights I've bought, build quality is great, the now-renowned quick-release mounting system remains unchanged, which is a good thing, because (1) it's fantastic as it is, IMO, and (2) it allows quick interchange between two of my bikes, one using Planet Bike's Beamer 5 (itself an excellent urban light). You can purchase the quick-release mounts separately, allowing the moving of one light between several bikes quickly and easily.
Short of extreme, high-speed, off-road night-patrol rides, you're not likely to "over-drive" this headlight, allowing for safer road cycling on streets and roads. I don't have to try and remember the surface irregularities when rolling fairly quickly down a particular side street or path I don't often travel; the light offers a reliable heads-up, reducing the need for sudden evasive maneuvers (and pretty much eliminated the possibility of a snakebite flat, dented rim, or worse).
But perhaps the real surprise is the SuperFlash function: if you think PB's SuperFlash taillight is an amazing performer (and it is), you simply *need* to check this headlight out. When using the SuperFlash function at dusk (it's been recommended by some that you do *not* use this function after dark, where it might be potentially blinding), on more than one occasion I've actually had motorists *pull over* to the side. Never experienced that before. I'm definitely a believer in "safety in candlepower."
Battery life appears to be more or less as advertised. But here's a hot tip: forget loading this up with alkalines. Do your wallet (and, as a nice coincidence, the planet at large) a favor, and buy a Sanyo Eneloop battery-and-charger kit, which comes with four rechargeable AA batteries and battery charger. What makes these rechargeables different from other is that, once charged, Eneloop batteries retain 85% percent of their charge for upwards of a year. In other words, their discharge rate is about as good as typical store-bought alkalines. No more "surprises" when you reach to switch on your light which you haven't used in three weeks. You can trust these batteries the same way you trust alkalines, except that when these run down, you recharge them rather than chuck them. They make a great match with a headlight like this, which understandably uses up a pair of batteries somewhat faster than lower-powered lights.
So, we have a winner here: a true high-powered headlight that's as easy to live with as most any other self-contained bike light, and priced well within the means of many more cyclers than wildly-expensive, multi-piece lighting systems. If you're the sort for whom a high-speed downhill run in the woods is a big part of your "balanced" riding repertoire, you might need one of the pricier HID numbers for your ride (good luck with that!). Otherwise, the Blaze 2Watt is likely all the light you could ask for. (By the way, it obviously makes a killer flashlight when needed.)
Click Here to see more reviews about: Planet Bike Blaze 2Watt LED Headlight
Product Description:
The Blaze 2 Watt LED Headlight is our top of the line headlight. You have the choice of steady High and Low power beams and the SuperFlash mode with a unique flash patttern designed to be highly visible, even in daylight. The QuickCam bracket mounts, adjusts or removes in seconds without tools. Run times for High/low/flashing modes are 5 / 12 / 18 hours on 2 AA batteries (included).
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