2CLight Company introduces a bright idea in baseball caps: The Solar Light Cap.

Available in three styles (Baseball, Trailblazer, and Sportsman), the Solar Light cap is a unique solution to the need for a small amount of light on a night adventure. The cap is a hand-washable, 100% cotton with plastic or polyester mesh, baseball-style cap with a pre-bent brim and a twist: A built-in, self-contained, solar light system.

The flexible solar panel is built into the brim of the cap, protecting you from the sun during the day while it recharges three nickel metal hydride long-life batteries. NiMH batteries have no charge memory and can be recharged many, many times. With daily use, the batteries in this system are expected to be operating at 80% after three years. This allows that the solar system to be sealed against dust and water, since the batteries never have to be changed. At night, the Solar Light cap’s two ultra-bright (25,000 millicandela each, 10 lux @ 2m), warm white LEDs come into play, casting a beam capable of illuminating up to 22 meters ahead of you.

The lights will operate at full intensity for 2 to 4 hours (or 5 hours on full charge, achieved after 3 days of sun/3 hours on a 1-day charge), or up to 36 hours using the dimmer switch. There are also four modes in which the light can be kept on: steady on, alert flasher, SOS blinking and the 2-minute PartyFlasher mode.

A microprocessor controls the entire solar system in order to maximize the light output from the Solar Light cap.

Riding your bike in cities, especially at night, is a dangerous adventure. That’s why Pedalite, a british company providing safety equipment for riding your bike, invented the Pedalite KPL 100.

The Pedalite KPL 100 is a pedal-powered battery-free pedal that integrates front, rear and lateral lights making it easy for the cycler to be seen. You can read more about it on Pedalite’s website.

Of course this is not a substitute for the other bike lights (front and rear) or other security measures. Accidents can happen at all times and that’s why we should wear helmets while riding a bike. Always!

Related post: Ultracompact emergency headlamp from Petzl

Related products:

• Petzl e Lite
• Blackburn Quadrant and Mars 3.0 Combo Bicycle Light Set
• Reelight SL100 Bicycle Safety Lights

Folding bikes are usually used by commuters. They can be folded quickly and be transported in trains, buses and the like without problems. But what about using them for training?

Dahon’s Speed Pro TT is a folding road bike that can make a long distance travel comfortable. Its design makes it possible to get the perfect riding position while efficiently transferring pedal power to the wheels. Its 24 gears make steep hills easy to climb, and allow high average speed on flatter roads.

These are some of the features of the Speed Pro TT:

• 4130 chromoly steel frame.
• SRAM DualDrive 24 speed.
• Biologic II frame geometry.
• Syntace VRO adjustable handle bar.
• Kinetix Pro S front wheel.
• DFS folding technology. Fold the bike in 3 steps, in 15 seconds.
• 20" wheel size.
• Folded size: 38cm x 66cm x 80cm (15" x 26" x 31.5")
• Weight: 10.3 Kg (22.7 lbs).

You can take the Speed Pro TT if you travel so that you don’t miss a day’s training, or you can just use it as a commuter bike.

Links:

• Dahon.
• Speed Pro TT product page.
• Speed Pro TT YouTube video.

I use a Zipka Plus (also from Petzl) for running and I thought it was the smallest headlamp of the world. The Zipka Plus is a good and compact headlamp, but has one problem: it’s not flat. So when I don’t need it and put it in my pocket it keeps going up and down inside it like a ball. It’s so annoying I sometimes don’t carry the headlamp with me (I don’t need to tell you what the consequences are). If you run you understand me.

Well, the E+lite is the solution to my problem. It’s more compact than the Zipka and comes with a protective carrying case (and it’s flatter). Its total weight with the batteries and the case is 46g (27g without the case). Compare that to the 65g of the Zipka (with batteries and without case). What about performance? It has a maximum shining distance of 19m (35m the Zipka), and a maximum autonomy of 45 hours, enough for 4 nights (150h the Zipka).

These are all the other features of the E+lite:

• Resistant to extreme temperatures: -30ºC to +60ºC (-22ºF to +140ºF)
• A shelf life of up to 10 years.
• Waterproof (-1m).
• Can be used in potentially explosive environments (Certifications: CE Ex II 3GD Eex ic IIC T6, Ex tD A22, IP6X T85°C X).
• The switch can be locked to prevent accidental operation.
• White and red strobe mode.
• 3 white leds and 1 red led.
• Multiple transport solutions: on the head, around the wrist or neck, or attached to thin-edged articles with integrated clip.
• The light source can be rotated 360º.
• 2 Lithium CR2032 batteries.
• 2 modes: maximum (19m, 35 hours) and economic (11m, 45 hours).
• 10-year guarantee.

I will use the E+lite mainly for running, but if you don’t run it’s so small you can carry it with you wherever you go. Just put it in you backpack, or in your car. Keep it with you in case you need it (that’s why it’s called and emergency lamp).

Links:

• Buy the E+lite at Amazon.
• Petzl.
• E+lite product page.
• Zipka Plus product page.

Stephen Regenold has written an article about the products he has been using in his races, from desert to mountain to beach. It’s a list of specialized equipment for the ultrarunner with the following items:

• Sun Runner Cap from Orgear.
• Energy supplements from E-caps.
• Surefire U2 Ultra from Surefire. See all Surefire products at Amazon.
• Sun glasses from Smith.
• Bike from Co-Motion.
• Suunto T6. Get it from Amazon.
• Camelbak 100-ounce Omega Reservoir.
• Pack from MacPac.
• Boxers from Smartwool.
• Bike light from Light & Motion.

Read the whole article at StarTribune.

Also by Sigma and also for spring 2007 we have two new sports lights: Powerled and Quadro.

See all the products from Sigma available at Amazon.