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Permalink Reply by David P. on February 4, 2012 at 12:00am

Melanie,

Assuming your problem is the wiring itself, I've got a soldering set you can borrow if you like. 

David

Melanie said:

Thank you again, everyone!

I was going to replace the headlight anyway- the stock one that came with the bike went out less than a month after I bought the bike in Feb. of 2009, the shop replaced it after I contacted the manufacturer of the bike, then that one went out in less than a month, brought it back into the shop 2 more times, and after that the shop told me that had no idea why it kept blowing up and to get a new headlight for it as the stock light was crap and the replacements that they were getting from Specialized weren't working right. I also had one of the mechanics tell me that on this model, the headlight was always a problem- of course, by that time the bike was out of warranty LOL. I wish the salesman would have warned me, as it was the main selling point of the bike for me.   The standing taillights have always, for the past 3 years, worked fine, so I know the dynamo is running fine, but after 3 years of commuting and many front tire changes later, the wires have slowly been shredded, and this last tire change I ended up ripping the wires so that they are too short. 

Thanks for the info on the wire gauge- I am going to stop tonight and pick some wiring up, and attempt to fix it this weekend and give everyone an update when its done :)  

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Permalink Reply by Gerry G on February 4, 2012 at 3:05am

I'd like to lend you a continuity tester.  It will aid in rewiring.  I'm at Lincoln and California and will be headed for work at 10:00 A.M.  Could connect with you before if you would like to use it.  

chicagobikedriver@gmail.com  

+1 on the correct bulb voltage.

+1 on stranded cable for this application.

G

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Permalink Reply by Melanie K on February 4, 2012 at 3:34am

@ Steel Driver- That is hilarious- We are also near Lincoln & California!  Was going to get supplies this afternoon to start working on it.  I don't think we have a continuity tester, and since you are so nearby, it would be great to be able to borrow one, and much easier to return when done. I'll PM you.

@David Purtez-  Thank you for the offer, but I have a soldering set hanging around here somewhere.

@Everyone- Everyone here has been awesome. Chainlinkers are the best!

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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on February 4, 2012 at 4:42am

In the Chicago area the over-voltage issue might not be much of a problem as it only happens at high speed.  Most people aren't lancy-pants or full of steroids enough to go that fast without any long-long hills so the low-wattage bulb issue probably isn't a big deal.

I often ride with my lights on all the time in the winter. It's dark even during the day when it is gloomy and I figure running with the light on all the time isn't going to hurt my visibility at all -and I won't forget to turn it on if it is always on ;)

My 50lb converted MTB/comfort bike with 10lbs of locks in the back isn't going to get me going too fast either without a REALLY long hill.  I'm running a spanninga LED rear light with standlight but I'm not sure if it's drawing enough to make much of a difference of it being there or not when figuring the wattage of the headlight.   I'm using a 2.4w halogen too.  The lamps are not that expensive but can be a little bit hard to source -you can't get it at Menards or a typical auto parts store.

it is pretty easy to change once you figure out how the light opens up.

Jeff Schneider said:

I've been using a B&M halogen bulb headlight for 3 years with an LED taillight on a SON dynamo.  The 2.4W bulbs work fine for me, but I've read that their lifetime is only about 100 hours, and that's about what I get.  It's amazing how quickly you can rack up 100 hours of nighttime riding in an Illinois winter.  The bulbs are not expensive, they're really easy to replace, and I like the color of halogen, so I'm happy with my setup.  

James BlackHeron said:

I was just wondering because some people have a problem with blowing out the headlight if they have the wrong-sized headlamp installed on some brands of headlights.  

If one has only a headlight then the bulb should be a 3.0 watt unit.

If one has both a headlight AND a taillight then the headlight should be a 2.4 watt unit.  

This is particularly important in Bush & Mueller headlights as running a 2.4 watt headlight without a taillight installed could cause the bulb to burn out.  Some tail lights are super-efficient LED types that use so little power that it is possible that a 2.4 watt bulb could still be damaged at high speed in a B&M headlight as the overvoltage protection will not be sufficient to protect the 2.4w bulb.

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Permalink Reply by Kevin Mulcky on February 4, 2012 at 5:51am

Your advice is usually spot-on but, you always seem to be bashing on road riders, people choose to ride tires under 35mm, people with fixed gears, people who wear athletic-gear while riding, etc.

James BlackHeron said:

Most people aren't lancy-pants or full of steroids enough to go that fast without any long-long hills so the low-wattage bulb issue probably isn't a big deal.

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Permalink Reply by Gerry G on February 4, 2012 at 3:39pm

Hey, hey!  ; )  I met my neighbors Rob and Melanie today.

Thanks, Chainlink.

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Permalink Reply by Melanie K on February 5, 2012 at 11:59am

Patient is sitting in my dining room awaiting its operation LOL. I did get all the supplies at least. Will try to update tomorrow, as I was going to try this today but something more urgent came up. 

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