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Malkoff Devices MDC HA LMH Li-ion Rechargeable Head

Malkoff Devices MDC HA LMH Head on Vital Gear FB1 body
Malkoff Devices MDC HA LMH Head on Vital Gear FB1 body

I’ve been using a Veleno Designs E-Series (3 mode, neutral white) tower module on a Vital Gear FB1 body as my EDC. When Malkoff Devices came out with a three mode, RCR123 compatible head, I thought it would be a better light for me than the Veleno setup. The Veleno’s neutral white looks green to me.

The Malkoff Devices MDC HA LMH Li-ion Rechargeable Head has a light orange peel reflector designed by Don McLeish. The beam profile is similar to the Malkoff M31 and M61 drop-ins with a large center hotspot and nice spill. The are three modes: 15 lumens, 80 lumens and 400 lumens. The MDC is noticeably brighter than the Veleno head, and has a cooler (6200K) Cree XP-G2 LED.

This setup is just 3 3/8″ (86mm) long and the largest diameter of the head is 1″ (25.4mm). It fits unobtrusively in a pocket. Compared to a Surefire E-B Backup body with the Malkoff MDC head, this combination is about 1/2″ (13mm) shorter.

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Campagnolo Chorus Carbon Ergo Shifters

Campagnolo Chorus Carbon Ergo Shifters

Though it is nearly 2014, I just installed “modern” shifters on my De Rosa – 8 speed Campagnolo Chorus Carbon Ergo Shifters that were first released in the mid-90’s. I am catching up. At this rate, I should be fitting a Campagnolo 11 speed setup on my De Rosa around 2028.

I bought these shifters on eBay and when I took them apart to rebuild them, I saw that the right spring carrier was broken into two pieces. I bought the current version of the spring carrier at my local bike shop and with a Dremel cut-off wheel, modded them to fit.

I had previously been using Campagnolo Record SL-01RE CG downtube shifters. With my last rear wheel build, I graduated from a 7 speed freewheel to an 8 speed Campagnolo Chorus freehub. My Campagnolo Syncro shifters only had a 7 speed insert and with CT cranks (50-34), I was spinning out of gears at about 30 mph. I wasn’t using the smallest rear cog because I needed the largest cog to get up hills. Now I can use all the gears in the freehub and don’t start spinning out until I reach 35 mph.

On my first ride, I only reached for the no-longer-there downtube shifters three times.

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SpaceX Grasshopper 744m Test

From the spacexchannel on YouTube: “On Monday, October 7th, Grasshopper completed its highest leap to date, rising to 744m altitude. The view above is taken from a single camera hexacopter, getting closer to the stage than in any previous flight.

Grasshopper is a 10-story Vertical Takeoff Vertical Landing (VTVL) vehicle designed to test the technologies needed to return a rocket back to Earth intact. While most rockets are designed to burn up on atmosphere reentry, SpaceX rockets are being designed not only to withstand reentry, but also to return to the launch pad for a vertical landing. The Grasshopper VTVL vehicle represents a critical step towards this goal.

Grasshopper consists of a Falcon 9 rocket first stage tank, Merlin 1D engine, four steel and aluminum landing legs with hydraulic dampers, and a steel support structure”

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Bay Bridge Traffic Jam

San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge’s new East Span Bicycle/Pedestrian Path

I took a bike ride with a couple of thousand bicyclists and pedestrians on September 3, 2013, on the just opened San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge’s new East Span.

The 15.5-foot wide bicycle/pedestrian path on the new Bay Bridge almost goes to Yerba Buena Island, then ends. A section of the old bridge will have to be demolished before the path reaches Yerba Buena Island and Treasure Island.

There is access to the path from the Bay Trail that begins in Emeryville and from Oakland on Maritime Street and the aptly named Burma Road.