Urban Velo - Bicycle Culture on the Skids

Ilumenox Vega 1W

The Vega 1W Rechargeable is a high-powered commuter headlight from the Taiwanese manufacturer S-Sun, sold under the brand name Iluminox. Like several of the top bike light manufacturers, S-Sun specializes in diving lights, which means they’re more than capable of designing effective lights for biking and hiking.

The Vega 1W Rechargeable is rated at 20 lux. Most bike lights marketed in the US are rated in lumens instead of lux, which makes it hard to compare the Vega to the competition on paper but seems on par with 100 lumen lights I have in my collection. The beam is relatively tight, yet wide enough to provide an appropriate field of vision, provided the light is not pointing down too much. Interestingly, the bulb itself is mounted at the top of the unit pointing down, not straight out like most lights. All of the light emitted has been bounced off of the curved reflector.

Ilumenox claims the Vega will run for eight hours on high when fully charged. A low-battery indicator begins after seven hours, however the light’s constant current technology means that the light output will remain the same, regardless of whether the battery is fully charged or nearly depleted.

The unit features a tool-free quick-release mounting bracket that fits bars from 22.2 - 31.8 mm that features an indexed micro-adjustment which lets you precisely set the horizontal angle of the light.

The Vega uses a replaceable lithium ion battery, which is readily available online and retails for about $6. The light includes a wall charger, and it can also be charged via USB, each taking approximately 4 hours for a complete charge. The Vega 1W Rechargeable retails for $160.

Check out www.ilumenox.com

Milwaukee Bicycle Co UHMW Bike Polo Mallet Heads and Caps

Up until recently, the material of choice for bike polo mallet heads has been HDPE (high-density polyethylene), aka gas pipe. With a little research and plenty of field testing, Ben’s Cycle has brought upped the ante by bringing UHMW (ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene) mallet heads to the masses.

According to Wikipedia, UHMW has “the highest impact strength of any thermoplastic presently made.” And according to Ben’s Cycle, the UHMW heads will outlast HDPE heads and weigh about 10 g less on average.

Milwaukee Bicycle Co is taking 2.5” OD/.25” thick UHMW and machining it in-house down to .15” thick, except at the ends. The heads come with pre-drilled starter holes to help you get your shaft lined up perfectly straight.The optional UHMW cap is machined to fit snug inside the end of the UHMW head, and comes with three grub screws to hold it in place.

As far as performance, I can’t say I’ve been happier with any other mallet head. My shots feel solid as ever and the material seems to be wearing slowly, even though this is the only mallet I’ve been using for months. You can see in the photo below, the capped end is still almost perfectly round, indicating very little wear. The non-capped end has deformed over time, but it should be noted that I used a Dremel Tool to chamfer the inside of the open end to make it easier to scoop the ball.

The UHMW head retails for $15.99 and the cap for $4.99. Buy them together and save $1.

Check out: www.benscycle.net


	Ilumenox Vega 1W The Vega 1W Rechargeable is a high-powered commuter headlight from the Taiwanese manufacturer S-Sun, sold under the brand name Iluminox. Like several of the top bike light manufacturers, S-Sun specializes in diving lights, which means they’re more than capable of designing effective lights for biking and hiking. The Vega 1W Rechargeable is rated at 20 lux. Most bike lights marketed in the US are rated in lumens instead of lux, which makes it hard to compare the Vega to the competition on paper but seems on par with 100 lumen lights I have in my collection. The beam is relatively tight, yet wide enough to provide an appropriate field of vision, provided the light is not pointing down too much. Interestingly, the bulb itself is mounted at the top of the unit pointing down, not straight out like most lights. All of the light emitted has been bounced off of the curved reflector. Ilumenox claims the Vega will run for eight hours on high when fully charged. A low-battery indicator begins after seven hours, however the light’s constant current technology means that the light output will remain the same, regardless of whether the battery is fully charged or nearly depleted. The unit features a tool-free quick-release mounting bracket that fits bars from 22.2 - 31.8 mm that features an indexed micro-adjustment which lets you precisely set the horizontal angle of the light. The Vega uses a replaceable lithium ion battery, which is readily available online and retails for about $6. The light includes a wall charger, and it can also be charged via USB, each taking approximately 4 hours for a complete charge. The Vega 1W Rechargeable retails for $160. Check out www.ilumenox.com Milwaukee Bicycle Co UHMW Bike Polo Mallet Heads and Caps Up until recently, the material of choice for bike polo mallet heads has been HDPE (high-density polyethylene), aka gas pipe. With a little research and plenty of field testing, Ben’s Cycle has brought upped the ante by bringing UHMW (ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene) mallet heads to the masses. According to Wikipedia, UHMW has “the highest impact strength of any thermoplastic presently made.” And according to Ben’s Cycle, the UHMW heads will outlast HDPE heads and weigh about 10 g less on average. Milwaukee Bicycle Co is taking 2.5” OD/.25” thick UHMW and machining it in-house down to .15” thick, except at the ends. The heads come with pre-drilled starter holes to help you get your shaft lined up perfectly straight.The optional UHMW cap is machined to fit snug inside the end of the UHMW head, and comes with three grub screws to hold it in place. As far as performance, I can’t say I’ve been happier with any other mallet head. My shots feel solid as ever and the material seems to be wearing slowly, even though this is the only mallet I’ve been using for months. You can see in the photo below, the capped end is still almost perfectly round, indicating very little wear. The non-capped end has deformed over time, but it should be noted that I used a Dremel Tool to chamfer the inside of the open end to make it easier to scoop the ball. The UHMW head retails for $15.99 and the cap for $4.99. Buy them together and save $1. Check out: www.benscycle.net	Nutcase

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