Before I get to the main topic, let me reply to some comments.
I got a comment asking for a wider shot of the
CatEye Nano F that I matched to the color of my fenders.
Here's what it looks like.
Actually, the beam axis is angled upward from horizontal,
and I'd like to point it downward below horizontal,
but the shape of the light's mounting bracket
limits me to about this angle.
I changed the front tire to 25C
(about what happened to the last Transparent 28C
(→here))
so now there's plenty of clearance
between the fender and the tire.
So if I bend the L-shaped bracket screwed to the fork crown
to a slightly more obtuse angle,
and then adjust only the mounting bracket on the fender side
back to its original angle,
I can lower the light's beam axis.
Actually, at that level there'd be clearance
even with 28C tires.
Since I want to attach a different light
separate from this Nano F,
I went to Cycle Shop Kawahara,
which I've relied on since my high school days,
and picked up a white CatEye HL-EL010—
the one I affectionately call "Uno"—
Bought it.
Oh, I don't need the bag.
The white was the last one they had.
I've already stockpiled the black ones before.
↑The red on the packaging has faded.
This Uno is already a discontinued model,
but it's a light I really love.
It's the first—and probably the world's first—
front light from CatEye that runs on just one AA battery
and is bright enough to qualify as a legal headlight
under traffic regulations.
By the way, the distinction goes like this:
If it doesn't meet legal front light requirements → safety light
If it does meet them → headlight
The great thing about this is that if you buy an AA battery
at a convenience store out on the road,
you never have to worry about the battery dying.
Even on the pitch-black mountain roads of Nabeyatoge Pass
where there's not a streetlight in sight,
it's bright enough to dimly make out the drainage ditch and white lines—
barely enough to limp back home alive, and I've had to rely on it
two or three times now.
Before the VOLT300 came out,
this was the front light I used most often.
I've bought several black Unos to modify them
to run at 1 million watts (in spec),
and while I don't sell them commercially,
I do produce them in quantity
(→here).
Now that I've picked up a white Uno,
I'm only using the light unit itself—not the body.
I'm pairing it with a RecMount® bracket
that I modified to single-leg for fender mounting,
and a body from an old black Uno that I've already painted
to match the fender color.
Installed.
The beam axis is angled down a bit, sort of like a slight bow.
Since I don't plan to attach anything really heavy here,
I'm setting this Uno as my weight limit.
Besides, I can just leave it installed without batteries most of the time—
it makes a good backup for when all my USB-rechargeable lights
inevitably end up dead.
↑This is posted with permission, but it's a Chiikawa drawing
of Hachiware that the shop manager's daughter
drew on the sandwich board at Kawahara
asking me to come show them when I visit.
The artwork on this board changes from time to time,
but it's always incredibly well done.
There've been times when it was Bucciarati from JoJo Part 5
or Nezuko from Demon Slayer, and those were equally amazing.
Even the little flowers she sketches in the corners
are insanely good.
The reason it's Chiikawa is because the daughter loves Chiikawa,
and I sometimes bring her Chiikawa merchandise,
so this drawing is her way of saying thanks.
I even once gave her a complete set of eight Chiikawa toys
from the McDonald's Happy Meals a while back—
four from the first batch and four from the second batch.
Well, I brought some more today too.
I got a comment asking for a wider shot of the
CatEye Nano F that I matched to the color of my fenders.
Here's what it looks like.
Actually, the beam axis is angled upward from horizontal,
and I'd like to point it downward below horizontal,
but the shape of the light's mounting bracket
limits me to about this angle.
I changed the front tire to 25C
(about what happened to the last Transparent 28C
(→here))
so now there's plenty of clearance
between the fender and the tire.
So if I bend the L-shaped bracket screwed to the fork crown
to a slightly more obtuse angle,
and then adjust only the mounting bracket on the fender side
back to its original angle,
I can lower the light's beam axis.
Actually, at that level there'd be clearance
even with 28C tires.
Since I want to attach a different light
separate from this Nano F,
I went to Cycle Shop Kawahara,
which I've relied on since my high school days,
and picked up a white CatEye HL-EL010—
the one I affectionately call "Uno"—
Bought it.
Oh, I don't need the bag.
The white was the last one they had.
I've already stockpiled the black ones before.
↑The red on the packaging has faded.
This Uno is already a discontinued model,
but it's a light I really love.
It's the first—and probably the world's first—
front light from CatEye that runs on just one AA battery
and is bright enough to qualify as a legal headlight
under traffic regulations.
By the way, the distinction goes like this:
If it doesn't meet legal front light requirements → safety light
If it does meet them → headlight
The great thing about this is that if you buy an AA battery
at a convenience store out on the road,
you never have to worry about the battery dying.
Even on the pitch-black mountain roads of Nabeyatoge Pass
where there's not a streetlight in sight,
it's bright enough to dimly make out the drainage ditch and white lines—
barely enough to limp back home alive, and I've had to rely on it
two or three times now.
Before the VOLT300 came out,
this was the front light I used most often.
I've bought several black Unos to modify them
to run at 1 million watts (in spec),
and while I don't sell them commercially,
I do produce them in quantity
(→here).
Now that I've picked up a white Uno,
I'm only using the light unit itself—not the body.
I'm pairing it with a RecMount® bracket
that I modified to single-leg for fender mounting,
and a body from an old black Uno that I've already painted
to match the fender color.
Installed.
The beam axis is angled down a bit, sort of like a slight bow.
Since I don't plan to attach anything really heavy here,
I'm setting this Uno as my weight limit.
Besides, I can just leave it installed without batteries most of the time—
it makes a good backup for when all my USB-rechargeable lights
inevitably end up dead.
↑This is posted with permission, but it's a Chiikawa drawing
of Hachiware that the shop manager's daughter
drew on the sandwich board at Kawahara
asking me to come show them when I visit.
The artwork on this board changes from time to time,
but it's always incredibly well done.
There've been times when it was Bucciarati from JoJo Part 5
or Nezuko from Demon Slayer, and those were equally amazing.
Even the little flowers she sketches in the corners
are insanely good.
The reason it's Chiikawa is because the daughter loves Chiikawa,
and I sometimes bring her Chiikawa merchandise,
so this drawing is her way of saying thanks.
I even once gave her a complete set of eight Chiikawa toys
from the McDonald's Happy Meals a while back—
four from the first batch and four from the second batch.
Well, I brought some more today too.