thewashingmachinepost




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portland design works gravity usb tail light

pdw gravity tail light

one of the more economical ways of getting to and from the island is by boat and bus or bus and boat, depending in which direction you're travelling. and at one time, certainly in the days when mrs washingmachinepost and i first moved to civilisation, it was a simple case of turning up at either glasgow's buchanan bus station or kennacraig ferry terminal, paying the fare and boarding the bus. though citylink coaches promised to add a second coach if the first had sold out, in those days, the distilleries were simply not as attractive a destination as they have since become and there was rarely, if ever, the need so to do.

pdw gravity tail light

however, as time rolled by and timetables changed, ferry times altered and the number of visitors inexorably increased, the bus company began encouraging folks to book in advance, for it was ultimately possible that those who did not, could find themselves with an extended stay at either glasgow or kennacraig. of course, this pretty much created its own problem, for now we were fearful that the above situation could, indeed, occur, allied to the advent of online booking over a decade ago offering an apex fair at lower price.

pdw gravity tail light

this particular charge, simply put, was non-refundable and non-negotiable. if the ferry was delayed and we'd to resort to a later bus service, it was necessary to pay the difference between apex and full fare to be allowed to contribute an administration fee for altering the ticket. it is still, more often than not, perfectly possible to simply turn up and travel, but at greater cost. life was once a tad simpler on the outer edge.

the more things change, the more they don't actually stay the same. for all the emphasis placed on highlighting our presence on the national highways by wearing reflective and hi-viz clothing, the purveyors of quality cycling apparel seem hell-bent on offering less frightful colours. with this, i have a certain sympathy, for i really have no great desire to indulge in a bout of froth supping, while dressed like a crossings patrol officer or one of the guys who fills in the ever increasing number of potholes. in order to appear as the sophisticated man about the peloton we all know me to truly be, i prefer less ostentatious colours; subtlety is my watchword.

pdw gravity tail light

however, in the grey days that inflict themselves upon the early months of the year (at least until august), dark blues, blacks, browns, olives and the like scarcely help advertise my presence to the motoring public. though i have a very in-your-face bright pink gilet with which these darker colours might be accessorised, once again i live in mortal fear of someone handing me a shovel and insisting i 'get on with the job'. so i mostly choose not to.

on the other hand, were i to be out after the hours of darkness, even in the light provided by islay's new led street lighting, i observe the law of the land by fitting both front and rear lights. and pretty much due to peer pressure of a pelotonic nature, i have taken to fitting a flashing rear light during daylight hours, even if daylight can often be confused as night time at the moment.

pdw gravity tail light

though traffic on the island's roads is hardly onerous at this time of year, whether riding solo or in the body of the peloton, the fervent hope is that an approaching motorist faced with a phalanx of flashing red lights will be more inclined to take care, as opposed to discovering our presence at the very last moment. yet, in common with the bus company's pressure to book in advance, those flashing red lights have become omnipresent where once they were less than conspicuous by their absence. nowadays we feel less safe if leaving home without them.

happily, their encroaching ubiquity can only have proved beneficial to the intrepid velocipedinist. where once we would have had need of choosing an appropriate thickness of rubber shim before carefully affixing a bracket to the rightmost seatstay, it is now most often a simple matter of fastening a rubber strap around the lower portion of the seatpost. and gone are the days when that red light simply flashed; modernity and omnipresence has given us variable double-flashing, usb charging and a brightness that borders on threatening. not only that, the excellent boffins at portland design works now offer the chance to make those following aware of our decceleration.

pdw gravity tail light

their recently released gravity tail light features an accelerometer that curtails the flashing to display a highly effective static red light when braking or swerving. and in order to provide an incredible brightness of being, the led on the light's upper portion is exactly the same as that used in car brake lights. the gravity tail light offers two modes of operation, alternate flashing between top and bottom lights or solid illumination. it arrives with a usb charging cable (sadly not featuring the same mini-usb plug as seen on older pdw lights), and brackets for either seat post or seatstay.

a far cheaper and flimsier red flashing light i had previously used, offered a battery life that was scarcely equal to the length of an average bike ride. though portland design works advertise a battery life of 30 hours when in flashing mode, i left the light on solid for a continuous period of almost three days before the light went out. the gravity light is fortunately solidly weatherproof; fortunately because its usual position at the juncture of seatpost and seat tube showers it with more than its fair share of rain and crap.

those of you who have been paying close attention to this review will, no doubt, be wondering how it is i know that the accelerometer fulfils its function in times of stress, given that the light is always behind and below me when riding? fortunately, i do not always ride alone, so specific instructions were issued to those in my speeding wake to keep a close eye on the light's activities as i deliberately slowed after the sunday morning sprint. those thus charged were apparently entranced by its relentless efficacy and efficiency.

at the time of writing, portland design works are apparently in the throes of arranging uk distribution, so the best i can offer by way of pricing is a conversion from the gravity's forty american dollars to approximately £29 uk pounds sterling. i now ride safely and brightly, despite my predilection for a more sombre shade of clothing than that of chartreuse yellow.

portland design works gravity usb tali light

sunday 21 january 2018

twmp ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................