Tartan Travel Rugs and other Nostalgic Motoring Accessories

[Stickyfinger]

As used by Xantia & XM for dip beam

[white exec]

Now there's an idea: a carbide conversion!

[Hell Razor5543]

As used by Xantia & XM for dip beam

Sorry, Alasdair, but I think you might be wrong. I found out that the lighting system used on the XM pushes the light out at -10MPH (so if your car is travelling at 70MPH the light is travelling at 60MPH), which is also why they don't need lights for the rear number plates (the headlights are illuminating them!).

[white exec]

[CitroJim]

As used by Xantia & XM for dip beam

Now there's an idea: a carbide conversion!

Inspired thinking Chris

I have an old cycle carbide light here and the light output is impressive... In fact it was used for potholing and caving until quite recently - up until LED technology caught up with it...

Carbide bike lights were always a lot better than their feeble battery and dynamo powered rivals but battery and dynamo were invariably simpler to operate and maintain...

As an aside, dynamo lights on bikes are making something of a comeback amongst those who ride epic distances in the dark... The best LED lights still suffer short battery lives and long charge times... My 1100 lumen light will only burn for around an hour on full brightness...

I have a whole book on the history of cycle lighting and it's quite a wonderful read

[white exec]

LEDs + an efficient dynamo (remember the dynohub?) sound like a good combination. And you get regenerative braking thrown in for free!!
I remember the "bottle" shaped cycle dynamos that had a small ribbed wheel against the tyre wall: the drag they inflicted was awful.

[CitroJim]

I remember the "bottle" shaped cycle dynamos that had a small ribbed wheel against the tyre wall: the drag they inflicted was awful.

You can still get them... They're still awful... They still wear tyres out shockingly...

Hub dynamos are better but for we speed/endurance/Sportive types their weight and drag is still unacceptable...

'Boris Bikes' have hub dynamos for their lights...

[van ordinaire]

All you'd need then was a scooter, complete with mirrors, Miller spots & fogs bought by weight and a tank aerial, to display them on!

[Peter.N.]

In Holland I saw a motor driven bicycle with the friction drive to the front wheel! Yes, I remember the bicycle dynamos, thought about using a hub dynamo for a wind charger - but they only give about 3 watts and that's at 6 volts.

Peter

[Peter.N.]

Does anyone remember the Butler spot/fog lights the ones that the bulb fitted from the front with a screw cap over it? And the Notek ones with the blue centre, they were made in Bromley not to far from where I used to live.

Peter

[CitroJim]

Does anyone remember the Butler spot/fog lights the ones that the bulb fitted from the front with a screw cap over it? And the Notek ones with the blue centre, they were made in Bromley not to far from where I used to live.

Peter, yes!!! I remember them very well I always thought how attractive they were

All you'd need then was a scooter, complete with mirrors, Miller spots & fogs bought by weight and a tank aerial, to display them on!

Oh yes!!! There's one like that local to me I see occasionally... It has a top speed of 10mph in daylight and 5mph with all the lights on

[van ordinaire]

Thought those particular Butler lights were as ugly as they were weird. Those early huge, almost oval Noteks with the heavily fluted lenses weren't lovely either. The later ones, which I suspect you mean, fetch silly money in Europe (must be considered typical period British accessories) - but what was the significance of the amber dot ones - QI?

[Peter.N.]

They were easy to change the bulbs in though.

Peter

[van ordinaire]

Can't argue with THAT - definitely a case of function over form!

[NewcastleFalcon]

Yes this particular accessory has had an airing on the thread before, but quite a nice in the wild spot today.

The car it was attached to was an absolute beauty.

And..from the accessories point of view a nice display of the makers name

nf own work

Regards Neil