Comments on: Win a Knog Boomer Wearable LED light – all this week

By: David Arthur

David Arthur — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 10:46:37 +0000

Congratulations Steve and Royston, you’ve both won a fab Knog light! Can you email us editor@bikemagic.com asap please to claim your prizes

By: Royston Smith

Royston Smith — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 15:42:22 +0000

Ten o’clock at night, emerging from dark woods onto an unlit gravel track, I started hearing a mysterious squeaking noise which got louder as I carried on. What was it? The grim reaper sharpening his scythe or a giant deranged bat?

The answer soon became clear as an old car came into the beam of my lights. Inside I could just about make out a couple of semi-clad people “at it” in the car, causing it to rock on its noisy suspension.

They were a bit surprised to be suddenly lit up by 500 lumens of LED power however. In fact they seemed to think they’d been busted by the police or something and started frantically trying to get clothes on. As I cycled by though they realised I was just a “mad cyclist” and stopped panicking. I carried on my way and they resumed their business.

Unfortunately under the circumstances we didn’t speak so I couldn’t tell them I was near my turning round point and would be back in ten minutes. They did seemed a little less surprised to see me the second time and didn’t stop to check.

By: Ian Stewart

Ian Stewart — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:22:21 +0000

Picture it. A dark December night in the “frozen North.” I was on my favourite night time trail. Not too difficult but highly enjoyable. A mix of single track and fireroads through local parkland. I had done this ride so many times I swear I could have done it with my eyes closed, and lights off. Or so I thought! There I was, I had just finished a difficult section of singletrack and had made my way onto a landrover track. It was always a bit of an “electric” road, you know the sort its going up but feels like down, so I did what I usually did and gunned it. That’s when disaster struck. I wasn’t aware that a 9 inch square, wooden post (which had always lain in the grass at the side of the track) had been re-installed by some “thoughtful” council employee to create a gate. You know the sort of gate I mean, the sort you see border guards raise and lower in spy movies. So hurtling towards this unknown danger, my lights picked out the ominous shape of the black horizontal post too late for me to take any avoiding action or even brake. I slammed into it, and went from 20mph to ero instantly. I was left hanging over the post like some Tom and Jerry cartoon character, legs dangling helplessly and fighting for breath, while I watched the rear light of my bike wobble it way along the track without me. The bike came off best as the handlebars and saddle had passed below the post leaving me behind. So with two badly bruised biceps, massive bruising to the chest, and a broken rib, I collected my bike and made a slow and painful way home at a snails pace. A couple of weeks later I returned and disposed of the offending post deep in the adjacent forrest. Vandalism I know but done for altruistic reasons. The local authority have since replaced the gate but this time left a space for bike to pass through and the gate itself is brightly painted yellow and black. I only wish it had been so on that dark night in December in the “frozen North.”

By: Steve Smith

Steve Smith — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 20:57:18 +0000

Riding down a steep road leading off Salisbury Plain last winter and a baby badger runs out in front of me. As I swerved to avoid it, my pedal hit the verge and I launched over the handle bars with the bike following me as I was clipped in. The badger trotted off down the road whilst I nursed a very sore wrist and picked up the pieces of my light…..