dr2chase's Profile

@garystartswithg, @mira123 - the drop-to-upright conversion is not too hard, depending slightly on how the dropped bars are set up. Velo-orange has a nice wide selection of bars in both "road" and "MTB" tubing (different sizes, so different choices for brake levers and shifting levers, so minimizing cost is one of those things where you have to see the bike that you are starting with).

And mira123, if you are Boston-local, there are some good LBS choices, and if you don't find good choices, ping me (@mac.com). LBS works better if you go in on a non-busy day. I've got two friends with similar problems, as well as my own self (I am not as afflicted as they are, merely older than I used to be).

The latest generation of LEDs (from Cree or Luxeon) are more efficient than CFLs and produce good light, but they are not cheap, and cooling can be an issue. I would not buy a pre-fabbed "LED bulb", at least not the ones that I have seen advertised, because they are just not large enough. The best LEDs are about as efficient as good fluorescent lights, so if the power fed to the bulb is not about the same as an adequate CFL, it probably isn't big enough.

Undercabinet lights seem to be the killer application for LEDs. I rigged up undercabinet lights using an LED-specific regulator, and 9 CREE XR-E P4 Neutral White LEDs, with the LEDs epoxied to pieces of aluminum flat stock. The "Cool White" LEDs have a higher lumen rating, but the light is too blue.

It's important to keep the lights from getting too hot -- it reduces their lifetime. One light per chunk of aluminum, with the thinnest possible layer of epoxy holding it in place, is probably ok.