Fiat Lux. I took four years of Latin in High School. Although I don't consider it a total waste of time (calculus takes that cake) I'm able to intersperse little phrases like fiat lux into my daily life. It basically means "let light be made." So as we creep towards the bike commuters darkest time of year, I would like to share my initial thoughts on bike lights. You can check back to my last year's blog post for the lights that have failed me in the past. I also got some great recommendations from readers as well. But this year, after some research online and asking some folks at the shop, I think I've found a great lighting system.

There have been a lot of changes around the Magoon household in the past few weeks. New baby, new job are a couple of big ones. But the biggest one in terms of biking is my conversion to fixed gear. I know I've been writing about how my freewheel has been crudding up due to the weather, well it totally died, violently. So I was all ready to get a new freewheel, but since the Redline 925 came with a flip flop hub, I thought I'd give it a try.

My main concern was not the constant "if the bikes moving the pedals are moving" concept. It was pushing an even bigger gear with studded tires. For some reason they decided to put a 16 tooth on the fixed side. Oh man, total beating with those big meaty tires. I just couldn't take it (wimp) so I swapped out the tires for the summer slicks and slapped on the fenders while I was at it.

Another stellar week for bike commuting. Monday was clear and fairly warm with temps in the 20's so I actually got out the road bike and took a longer route in. It was nice to see some of the old summertime haunts along the way. It wasn't so nice not to have the studded tires because I did come upon some icy corners that scared the crap out of me at 20mph--ooops. No down time though, so that was good.

I want to seriously promote these two products for winter commuting and riding. The first is the Lake Winter Mountain boots . These things rock. The BOA lacing system is easy to dial in a comfy fit with its push-pull tension adjustment wheel while two velcro panels conceal the laces and provide a great weather barrier.

The leather uppers are soft and supple and I applied the (provided) NuWax right away to ensure a little more water-proofness and guard against salt and sand. Another great feature is the Vibram sole that completely recesses the cleats so that when walking. It's all rubber--a nice feature when pushing the bike on ice or snow or walking on pavement.

Well I did it! I pulled the trigger on a new bike. Al and the gang at the shop dug an '07 Redline 925 out of the bowels of inventory and it happened to be just my size. Gravy. So far, I have a good 50 miles or so on it and here are my initial thoughts.

It's the ideal commuting bike for me. The big selling point was the price. Retail I think is in the $550 range, but with my Bikeman discount, I was able to get it for less which was nice. The parts are pretty standard: Tektro road brake calipers and levers, FSA cranks, flip flop hubs, Welgo flat pedals (which I swapped out for Crank Brothers Smarty), Planet Bike fenders.

My lights suck. There, I said it. I have the Sigma Exo X system . When I first got them, I liked them because they were so bright. But about a week into using them (last year) the battery could only hold a charge for 20 min. so I was sent a new battery and charger in hopes that it was just a bad combination. That seemed to work pretty well at first, but I noticed this year that my low-battery red warning lights would come on about 15 minutes into the ride home.

No I didn't ride it, but man that would be cool, wouldn't it? I was out in Portland, OR last week on business and just wanted to put in a good word for the city. Everyone there seemed so relaxed, friendly and chilled out. And the bikes? Tons of them. Everyone was riding-- all ages, sexes, races in any weather. And there were a crapload of single speeds as well.

The company that I was visiting had a covered bike garage (of sorts) for commuters. Picture a 30x20 tent with chain link fencing for walls and bike racks in the middle. There were about 20 bikes in there for this company alone and room for another 20. I was even told that this company (a trucking company) had started a competitive team--way to go.

I had to bundle up today. It was 3.1 degrees this morning when I left. I may have spent more time finding the right clothing and dressing then the time it took to ride in. I know I've gone over winter clothes but this combination really works. I might've been a little over-dressed but at least I wasn't cold. Here's a rundown of what I had to put on:

Winter clothes. Seeing as though today was the first snowfall of the season here in Portland, ME I think it's time I talk about winter clothes. The right clothes make all the difference for winter riding and commuting. I've tried a lot of different combinations of jackets, jerseys, hats socks and gloves, but here are a few that work well for me. Let's start from the bottom up:

Well that's it, no more light on the commute home. This time of year is what separates the year-rounders from the, dare I say, fair weather commuters. I like this time of year when it's dark at night, but that feeling wears off about mid-January when I forget to charge my light for the 3rd night in a row and I have to ride home with little more than a dull glow. SO let's talk about lights, because you absolutely need them if you're gonna commute in the winter. Cars can't see you without them. I have used a couple different configurations on my light setups, but here's what I currently use on my commuter rig. I have a NiteRider Trail Rat 2.0 mounted on the handlebars and a red flasher on my bike bag in the back. I just ordered a new red flasher in the back after misplacing TWO over the summer. I went with the Cat Eye LD1000 Taillight because a fellow team member gave it a good review. I wanted to get one that plugged into my NiteRider system, but it was only available in a white flasher. I think red should always appear in the back--that way motorists know which direction you are traveling. The white flasher in the back is just confusing. But perhaps that confusion is just enough for a motorist to take notice and slow down--I don't know, you be the judge.