Bike chased late Friday night by loons

There I was... minding my own business proceeding uphill... and as I passed a pub in quite a rough area during my long journey home, I heard a car engine revving up and a horn (it's headlights were already on when I passed it), then expletives and someone shouting "GRAB HIM! GRAB HIM!", and the sounds of running footsteps trying to catch up with me. Luckily it was uphill, no contest lol.

 

Turn up the volume to hear some of the looniness as their mates overtake in a car, heads sticking out of the windows, after lurking for a time behind me. Other vehicles never pass by too close these days/nights, because of the Oxford Safety Lollipop sticking out 39.9cm from the end of my right handbar (visible at 17 seconds). And this is why I hate failing to avoid cycling home Friday nights!

 

They sound just like the group of seven Sur-Ron riders I encounter every so often. I probably wasn't going fast enough for my 250W BBS01B converted Dahon folding bike to interest them. Note the grindless sounds of my snappy and smooth gear changes - the Bafang gear sensor works wonderfully on my bike, even when powering uphill chased by loons.

 

Suddenly I'm quite serious about increasing the amp limit from 15A to 19A in the Bafang controller's firmware, for faster hill climbing/uphill chasing loon evasion...

 

 

Edited July 15, 20232 yr by guerney

Very disconcerting, hope you reported it to the police?

In that situation going uphill, I'd certainly been mugged if I'd converted my bike using a legal 250W hub kit! It's increase BBS01B controller amps time!

 

 

Very disconcerting, hope you reported it to the police?

 

I really hadn't considered reporting them to the cops - what could these loons be charged with? Anything less than the guillotine will only antagonise them, and they'd know it was me... I often pedelec home late at night, and they might try harder (use the car's advantages) to divest my bike from my possession next time and/or mete out a bloody revenge. At one point I thought about turning right to a more level road to increase my speed, but that would have encouraged these out of control funsters to engage in hot pursuit, and on a much quiter road than I was on. Damned wolves.

 

I believe they noticed my camera while speeding away (or was I imagining that?), but rather unhelpfully the car passes by too far away, the middle section of it's number plate lights is not working when it's closer and dark, and by the time the plate is illuminated by my headlights it's even further away and moving fast. My GoPro Hero 7 Black captures plates of close passers very well indeed, but it's failed me in these circumstances. This wasn't at all a close pass.

 

Are the first characters of this plate BN72 V? Best I could do with this footage. Too far away, too dark, too fast:

 

 

 

 

 

Enlarged and brightened... something N7? I think it's also time to seriously consider adding a third 1800LM headlight pointed to the right and down, to illuminate plates while they're closer, in such a way as to not dazzle oncoming traffic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Further away... BN72 V something something?

 

 

 

Edited July 15, 20232 yr by guerney

Looks like a Hyundai i20 possibly the n line version

 

Suddenly I'm quite serious about increasing the amp limit from 15A to 19A in the Bafang controller's firmware, for faster hill climbing/uphill chasing loon evasion...

 

Your plan is to get faster than SurRon hell riders?

Looks like a Hyundai i20 possibly the n line version

 

[ATTACH=full]52765[/ATTACH]

 

Thanks! Good spot! I'm tempted to swing by that pub later on tonight, to see if I can get clear view of the plate. Might be their regular haunt.

Edited July 15, 20232 yr by guerney

Your plan is to get faster than SurRon hell riders?

 

I want to be much faster than the runners on foot uphill - those running footstep noises last night sounded like they got far too close! Increasing controller amps will only increase speed going uphill, also acceleration, and torque... the motor would still cut assistance at 25km/h. Seven determined ♫ Sur-ron-ron-ron-a-Sur-ron-ron ♫ hell riders would get me for sure.

 

 

 

 

I was thinking of doing this anyway, to increase towing speed up steep hills:

 

 

I am sorry Guerney for what you have experienced. I might be wrong, but I think those idiots were attracted by your specific bike lights. They usually gather in numbers and they feel brave when together. If I were you I would avoid that area.

Maybe it's time in addition to upping to 18a to also fit a throttle with a higher assist top speed (in the controller settings), you can still peddle like hell but with the throttle open it'll overide your normal 25kph pedal assist fixed top speed

I am sorry Guerney for what you have experienced. I might be wrong, but I think those idiots were attracted by your specific bike lights. They usually gather in numbers and they feel brave when together. If I were you I would avoid that area.

Yep I agree on avoiding the area even if it means a longer detour. Maybe change your shift pattern to finish earlier too for a couple of weeks. These goons will move on to something else to entertain themselves

I am sorry Guerney for what you have experienced. I might be wrong, but I think those idiots were attracted by your specific bike lights.

 

I'd rather be chased by loons than be rendered invisible again to traffic night and day, not see potholes, and experience close passes again.

 

 

They usually gather in numbers and they feel brave when together. If I were you I would avoid that area.

Yep I agree on avoiding the area even if it means a longer detour. Maybe change your shift pattern to finish earlier too for a couple of weeks. These goons will move on to something else to entertain themselves

 

Sadly this is quite a large nasty area with no easy way around... but I am thinking about alternative routes home. I'm not scared of these guys. I'm quite happy in violent situations - let's just say I'm well prepared despite not carrying any weapons. I should say "comfortable" rather than "happy" lol, else risk sounding like a psycho. If I was cornered, I'd start by quickly detatching my Dahon seatpost with heavy saddle and wield it like a club, hammering out justice...

Edited July 15, 20232 yr by guerney

Maybe it's time in addition to upping to 18a to also fit a throttle with a higher assist top speed (in the controller settings), you can still peddle like hell but with the throttle open it'll overide your normal 25kph pedal assist fixed top speed

 

I do miss my throttle! A throttle would certainly help quicken a getaway from a standing start. On the other hand, with "Keep current" at 100% @15A while moving, I can't tell that there's any difference to throttle. The BBS01B did well last night - those running steps just sounded too close, and it took me longer than I would have liked to increase my uphill speed. Bloody hill, unlucky.

I do miss my throttle! A throttle would certainly help quicken a getaway from a standing start. On the other hand, with "Keep current" at 100% @15A while moving, I can't tell that there's any difference to throttle. The BBS01B did well last night - those running steps just sounded too close, and it took me longer than I would like to increase my uphill speed.

Yep so on highest assistance and peddling the throttle wouldn't make any difference (other than acceleration from a standstill) up to your set pedel assist limit (25kph) but the throttle would keep the assistance beyond 25kph when open up to whatever you set the throttle top speed (on the motor is maxed out), so on the flat peddling hard you'd probably hit at least 27-28mph (gearing dependent)

Yep so on highest assistance and peddling the throttle wouldn't make any difference (other than acceleration from a standstill) up to your set pedel assist limit (25kph) but the throttle would keep the assistance beyond 25kph when open up to whatever you set the throttle top speed (on the motor is maxed out), so on the flat peddling hard you'd probably hit at least 27-28mph

 

I believe I probably would @20A - closer to no load speed. I'll have a fiddle with PAS firmware settings later followed by a test, have to replace brake pads and true a wheel anyway. It'd be just my luck to get booked for having an unrestricted throttle, after running into a crackdown on delivery riders on a high street somewhere. I don't want to be mistaken for one of those.

I believe I probably would @20A - closer to no load speed. I'll have a fiddle with PAS firmware settings later followed by a test, have to replace brake pads and true a wheel anyway. It'd be just my luck to get booked for having an unrestricted throttle, after running into a crackdown on delivery riders on a high street somewhere. I don't want to be mistaken for one of those.

Someone needs to come up with a throttle that looks like a retro bell !

Someone needs to come up with a throttle that looks like a retro bell !

 

Or one controlled wirelessly via skullcap electrodes! Think fast, go fast!

 

 

I am sorry Guerney for what you have experienced. I might be wrong, but I think those idiots were attracted by your specific bike lights.

 

I don't know what you mean.

 

 

 

Edited July 16, 20232 yr by guerney

In cinemas, this summer, Close Encounters of the Guerney Kind

 

In cinemas, this summer, Close Encounters of the Guerney Kind

 

[ATTACH=full]52779[/ATTACH]

 

 

Very tempted to add this 6000LM to the two 1800LM headlights on my handlebar, pointing forwards and angled down... then point one 1800LM to the right and down, to illuminate passing number plates more clearly for the GoPro. The older 1800LM is dimming and yelowing with much day and night use, will need replacing at some point. I don't think the 3A inline blade fuse on that circuit from the battery would need uprating, will need to measure amps used to be sure.

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004793064010.html

 

 

UPDATE: Naively completely taken in by the fiendishly clever and totally honest advertising below, I've ordered one. I don't particularly want 1800+1800+6000= 9600LM on my handlebar, will try to achieve the close dark number plate illuminifying objective stated above, with a mere 7800LM. I say no to dim and weak.

 

 

Edited July 16, 20232 yr by guerney

When you try to solve a problem, you have to be careful not to create new ones. Sometimes less is more.

When you try to solve a problem, you have to be careful not to create new ones. Sometimes less is more.

 

It would be great if these cheap bright headlights had focusable beams, or barndoors like photography lights to shape the light cast. I don't want to dazzle drivers. I could make a hood using 1.5mm aluminium sheet - I've got some of that stuff, used to block off fireplaces with, which I could cut an appropriate shape from, to superglue+baking soda onto the headlight directed down and to the right at number plates passing at the side.

 

 

Edited July 16, 20232 yr by guerney

Very tempted to add this 6000LM to the two 1800LM headlights on my handlebar, pointing forwards and angled down... then point one 1800LM to the right and down, to illuminate passing number plates more clearly for the GoPro. The older 1800LM is dimming and yelowing with much day and night use, will need replacing at some point. I don't think the 3A inline blade fuse on that circuit from the battery would need uprating, will need to measure amps used to be sure.

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004793064010.html

 

 

UPDATE: Naively completely taken in by the fiendishly clever and totally honest advertising below, I've ordered one. I don't particularly want 1800+1800+6000= 9600LM on my handlebar, will try to achieve the close dark number plate illuminifying objective stated above, with a mere 7800LM. I say no to dim and weak.

 

 

 

You probably have to divide those Lm figures by a hundred to get genuine numbers

 

Generally, I think they are BS. They put clusters of high power LEDs together, without adequate power dissipation. Output falls with increasing temperature (and so does longevity). The current of the overall lamp will have to be reduced compared to the maximum theoretical output of a single LED to stop it from overheating. So they quote the addition of the theoretical outputs of the single LEDs as the output of the lamp, even though it could never achieve that.

You probably have to divide those Lm figures by a hundred to get genuine numbers

 

I'm sure you're right, still, according to the lux meter app on my phone, a 1800LM headlight is brighter than overcast days at 1m (I forget the numbers), which is bright enough to get me noticed by drivers. Hate being invisible at intersections, or to crossing pedestrians, and traffic generally. During brighter days I have both flashing, they're not synchronised.

 

Comparing them at traffic light stops, together the two 1800LM headlights are substantially brighter than motorcycle headlights. Felt sorry for them. Swings and roundabouts - they've got better suspension for potholes.

 

 

They put clusters of high power LEDs together, without adequate power dissipation.

 

Their aluminium housings make handy handwarmers in the winter. I neglected to measure amps used before fitting last time.

Edited July 16, 20232 yr by guerney

I don't know what you mean.

 

 

[ATTACH type=full" alt="52771]52771[/ATTACH]

 

 

 

Install this one:

 

If I am pursued, cornered, and as these merry funsters shouted: "Grabbed" - switch on a very loud continuous siren? Might it be useful tool to attract neighbourhood attention? Perhaps an extremely loud one would give them pause? It could also be sounded when approaching and going around big fast scrary dangerous roundabouts... but I expect doing that would be illegal, most fun things are.

 

Setting all my 1800LM lights flashing, dissuaded merry funsters one late night last year - they were in a car which kept circling me like Jaws...until I set all lights flashing, the flashing lights put them off. I've added two more since then.

Edited July 16, 20232 yr by guerney