Product Review | Planet Bike Blaze

The Planet Bike Blaze One Watt light ... but where is the off switch?

Product: Planet Bike Blaze One-Watt Light with "Superflash."

Price: $45

Where purchased: REI

Use: Back-up Light for overnight brevets; urban commuting

I had high hopes for this light. Lightweight, bright, portable, a long run time on 2 AAs. I bought it last summer before I headed off to California for the Santa Cruz 1000K. I mounted the bracket on my handlebars and stowed the light as a back-up in my handlebar bag. If I used it at all during the ride, it was simply to rummage through the front bag at night. It saw no use as primary light; my Schmidt Edelux performed flawlessly.

Since then, I've used the light as a commuter light. It's easy to swap the mount on and off various bikes. It's not as bright as the Edelux, but it doesn't have to be to light the city streets. The one or two times I've used it in the countryside without the Schmidt  it has been adequate. However, I don't want adequate in a bike light; I want strong to very strong.

On Tony G's latest 200K, held on 1.1.11, the light got its biggest test to date. We were socked in by a heavy fog all day and we rode through moderate rain during the afternoon. I used the Blaze in flash mode during the day to increase my visibility for oncoming cars, and I switched it to a steady bright mode as darkness descended. The light wasn't very good on the wet roads, but frankly neither is my Edelux.

All good so far. Safely back to the ride finish, I put the bike in the back of my car for the two-hour drive home. About halfway there, I noticed the Blaze was still ablazing. When I attempted to turn it off, no luck. I cycled through the three modes (low, high, flash) and back to off. The beam remained on with the brightness of a standlight.

Is the light supposed to do that? Maybe that's how it acts when the batteries begin to run low, although all three modes still seemed to be plenty bright. Maybe it was the rain, although it did not appear any moisture had penetrated the light's seal. Maybe it was the extended use in flash mode.

Whatever the cause, I took it back yesterday to REI and swapped it out for a new one. I've read a few other complaints online about this light, usually involving the mount or the soft push button on top. Those have not been an issue for me. But a battery light that will burn up your batteries between rides is a real problem.

Foggy Flatland Breakdown: Tar Heel 200, Nov 15, 2009

Penned up all week, local randonneurs were squirming and wanted out to play. They got their chance this past weekend. The forecast for ride day called for a cool start with high temperatures in the low-to-mid 70s, mostly sunny skies, and negligible wind. Not bad for mid November! When the weather broke and the anticipatory ride was announced, eight riders joined the fun: Andy, Byron, Geof, Janis, John, Mary, Tom, and me. The National Weather Service and one of our local meteorologists known as the “Fish” had nailed it. I think they added the fog as an afterthought, a special treat to include an other-worldly element. It worked! Although the surrealism continued long after the fog had lifted, translating into a day of levity on the bikes. A few minutes before the 7 AM start, Janis and Andy are ready. After today’s ride, only four months separate them from their first R-12 Award, having managed to complete eight consecutive monthly Permanents since joining RUSA in April. With one more ride, Janis will have also earned a 2000km Distance Award (medal) for the year. Not bad for a rookie, having only eight months of riding in her first calendar year with RUSA!

Geof, John, and Mary. Can you tell Geof is pumped and ready to go!

So is Tom, who, with Mary (lead-in picture), have been logging considerable miles, readying for the Sebring 24 Hour race in February. The day before our ride, they’d participated in a 100-mile fast-paced club ride. Today would be another training ride. As usual, it was a pleasure riding with them today.

Group, sans Janis (inside), at the Erwin control.

Just after the Averasboro Battlefield Museum, I find myself slicing through the fog behind blogmeister Geof, snapping pictures of a surreal morning landscape that seems to have enveloped us.

Geof’s and my conversation eventually turned to potential blog titles for our upcoming ride reports. “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” fell from my lips. I knew it was lame as soon as it slipped out. It already had two strikes against it. There are no mountains in eastern North Carolina, and no one had had a breakdown. This is when I quickly added, “And I hope no one has a breakdown on today’s ride.” This was before Tom’s flat which caused him to go down just before the turn to Tar Heel. Fortunately, Tom rebounded nicely, although he had us all concerned for a while.

What can you be sure of when you’re cruising through the early morning fog as the shapes of objects continually morph before your eyes and you hear the distant wailing and muffled roar of a fast rumbling freight train?

Look closer, for example, at Mary’s lead-in picture above. Notice the antlers sprouting from her helmet? You may have to click on the picture. This may explain why Tom was overheard occasionally referring to her as “Deer.”

What about the invisible person with gloved hands guarding Andy’s bike while Andy’s getting his Permanent card signed? Spooky, huh?

And then there was the talking dog conversing with Tom that went something like this:

Dog: Hey, mister, is that your Permanent card lying there? You’re gonna need it. I’d fetch it for you, but I’m tied up at the moment.

Tom: Oh, yeah! Thanks, canine!

Dog: Don’t mention it, mister. Have a nice ride. Wish I could chase your wheel!

The sun finally appears just before we reach Stedman.

Andy celebrating the first sunshine in almost a week and Byron (in green) peals down to shorts.

Andy’s on fire, leading the paceline out of Stedman.

While under the Spanish-moss laden trees near the turn to Tar Heel, the driver of an approaching vehicle stopped to inform us that a cyclist ahead had gone down.

When we found Tom, he was in good hands. Mary, who had already reached Tar Heel and had turned back when she’d gotten wind that a rider was down, was on the scene. I could tell instantly by her demeanor that Tom was okay. Even Tom was demonstrating a “preternatural calmness” for the situation, which we’re told is a characteristic of randonneurs.

Apparently, his front tubular had developed a very slow, imperceptible leak and he was thrown attempting to make a turn.

Tom had to decide how he was going to repair the flat. If he were going to replace the tubular, it would take some time to unseat the tire, replace it with a new one, and wait for it to reseat after gluing. He decided instead to try to apply a pressurized sealant into the tire. It was hard to tell if the sealant was going into the tire, since a lot of white foam was building up outside the tire and onto the ground. We crossed our fingers while Tom then reinflated the tire with a gas cartridge. It held, and Tom continued on to the Tar Heel control. All of us were relieved that Tom was okay, his usual sense of humor fully intact.

Just after we’d crossed the Cape Fear River bridge, we met the lead group—Byron, Geof, and John—on the return to Benson, which they’d easily reach before nightfall.

We had a leisurely ride back along River Rd/Tabor Creek Church Rd. Mary, who rides considerable miles in this area, remarks that she’s never seen this stretch flooded. Great news for Permanent riders!

The weirdness continues . . . with an Elvis sighting in Erwin.

As we are putting our bikes up and readying to eat at the Subway, a train rumbles through Benson. Andy remarked that each railroad company has its own characteristic whistle sound. I did not know that!

Five of us then headed over to the adjacent Subway for a post-ride sandwich and ride recap.

I’d mentioned that I had a new toy—a headlight I’d wanted to test, a Magicshine 800 (900 lumens). Although not yet an endorsement, I was amazed at its output at medium power. My reasoning for running the light on medium was due to the fact that Ron, who alerted me to the light, had determined it had a run time of seven hours based on a test in his garage. Time will tell how sturdy it is and whether it develops water issues. I’ll keep you posted.

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot to extend my apologies to Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs for my being inspired by but nonetheless butchering the title of their award-winning instrumental, which is worth a listen and a toe tap or two.

Several riders committed to a December Permanent. Let’s ride! Stay posted! Be safe!

From Frost to Frivolity: Tar Heel 200, Nov 7, 2009

I’ll skip the story part of the ride, since there are so many divergent and contested views of the events that transpired. I’ve decided instead to provide the only true evidence of the alleged incidents. After all, photoshopped pictures don’t lie.

Ron likes a glazed Krispy Kreme doughnut with his morning coffee. Problem is, judging by the above picture, it appears that he literally drove his car through the drive through window on the way to the start.

When Ron and I pulled into a couple of parking spaces near Burger King, Sridhar was already at the scene. In all, a group of six of us rolled out of Benson at 7 AM into a cool, slight headwind toward Dunn with the promise of a 30-degree temperature increase and an afternoon tailwind to bring us home.

Someone said that I had promised an afternoon tailwind. Mike O dissented, asserting that I had “guaranteed” one. And so we set to parsing the meanings of “predicted,” “promised,” and “guaranteed.”

Who was this cast of characters? Characters, indeed. There was Alan, Maria, Mike O, Ron, Sridhar, and me.

The main character, Mike O, was off the front most of the day. I've learned a lot about riding from this former New York City bicycle courier. He and Byron have the best eyes in the business for spotting wildlife.


Here's Maria, completing her second 200km in as many months. What a fast learner. If she keeps up this pace, soon I'll be learning from her! Off topic, if you have a physics question, bring it to her.


Sridhar cruising somewhere between Stedman and Cedar Creek. The reason he’s smiling? He’s elated to hear that we’re not turning down Turnbull, or some such, road. It's always a pleasure to ride with Sridhar. Last year, I think we did 1000km together on RUSA/ACP events. While Sridhar and I have talked hours on Russian culture, I learned just yesterday during the ride that he knows German! Zut alors! (Pardon my French).


Then there’s this lowdown guy, Ron. Is he going uphill? I thought this route was flat! You can't go wrong riding his Permanent in historic Tidewater Virginia, which I've ridden twice.


Our “Fearless Leader” Alan with Maria.

Finally, Alan has to put up with me extolling the benefits of aqua purely and shamlessly for the camera.

Now back to the ride, itself.

Riders outside the Erwin control.

A kindred spirit on a townie checks us out. He’s probably thinking we have cool bicycles but funny clothes.

There were signs of a thaw by the time we reach Stedman. Doing Clark Kent-Superman phone booth impersonations, riders wriggled out of top layers emerging as Super Heroes.


If you ever need a Super Hero who can “Ride, Eat, and Sleep,” you’re in luck. Just call Alan, an “NC Randonneurs” Super Hero. Alan already commuted 160 miles to work this week. Hmm . . . with this ride today, that's 285 miles in one week! If you want to go to Paris in two years, ride along with Alan. You'll learn a lot, and I'm sure he'll love the company (Just don't make me commute with you to work, Alan!).


A peek at North Carolina agriculture: is this where shredded wheat comes from?


Hey (or is it hay?), I think this dude was working in the loft of the barn, although I couldn't be sure. We were too far away to see into the loft window.


Also of agricultural interest, we notice that they’ve begun to harvest the cotton on some of the fields near Averasboro.

There was quite a bit of activity at the Jambaas Ranch today: a canine contest. The term “Dog Show” just doesn’t seem to fit the persona of these pooches.

Pit bulls! Every (hundred) one of ‘em!

Nice doggie (I hope the leash and that fence hold!).

Alan and Ron see P-B-P on the horizon in 2011. Both riders reported significant milestones today. Ron logged his 6,000th mile of the year, while Alan surpassed 4,000 miles largely since May. I also believe that Mike O has a string of five consecutive months of rides for his R-12 as does Alan. [note: See comments below. Mike O actually has eight consecutive months of riding a 200km or longer RUSA/ACB brevet.]

On the topic of equipment, the brightness of Ron’s new LED battery powered headlight drew several oohs and aahs.

Riding my Permanent for the first time, Ron provided a fresh pair of eyes, noting that a road sign had been turned ninety degrees. I'm making a note on the cue sheet and contacting the NCDOT. Thanks, Ron. Such advice will benefit out-of-staters who do not know the route.

How cool is it cruising downtown Benson at dusk?

After tethering our bicycles, we regroup across the street at Subways for some camaraderie, banter, food, drink, and tales. The best part of the ride?

Members of the group motivated by the R-12 Award and the upcoming 2010 brevet season announced that they are looking forward to riding a Permanent in December.

Lights! Camera! ACTION!

The showdown is set!

Mike's E3 Supernova versus my brand-spankin' new Schmidt Edelux, fresh out of the box. We're doing a nighttime permanent between Raleigh and Richmond next weekend, so stay tuned for an extended road test.

First impressions, the Edelux is a beautiful little package. Its black-anodized aluminum housing looks seamless, sculpted. The magnetic switch is a joy to move back and forth. Its Senso setting has a raised notch between On and Off, so you can set it correctly without looking down.

The paperwork says the "IQ-TEC optical system" was developed by Busch & Muller, and is also found in their Lumotec IQ Fly. The emitter points slightly backward from the top of the housing, bouncing its light off the beveled reflector. Perhaps the reported difference in output between the IQ Fly and the Edelux is due to different emitters? Our buddy Byron rocked the local SR series with an IQ Fly and I was extremely impressed, especially on wet roads at night. Can't wait to get home and give this light a try!

Total damage to the checking account: just under $200 US.