The Orp: A "Smart" Bike Horn and Light in One - Kickstarter

"Can you hear me now?" This bike horn almost guarantees it.

What is it?

The Orp is a "smart" bike horn that allows cyclists to be seen as well as heard because it's also a bright headlight that straps to your handlebars. The so-called "smorn" (smart horn) produces a very audible, 96dB blast of sound when the operator activates it. It's sure to get attention, which is exactly the point.

The light normally puts out 87 lumens with 4 modes: Slow/Fast Strobe and Steady On. However, when activating the horn, the light goes into a Fast Strobe and brightens to 92 lumens. The whole thing operates on a battery that can be recharged through the micro USB port.

How loud is the Orp? At 96dB, this is where the Orp falls in comparison to other noisemakers.

This Kickstarter project is currently sitting at $100,269, well above the $90,000 goal, with 1,326 backers ready to make it a reality. The project will be funded on February 11, 2013, so you still have a little time to jump in and pledge money to get one for less than retail.

For $45, backers will get an Orp of their own, but if you go for the $55 package, you get a special "glow-in-the-dark" Orp. Of course, the more money you pledge, the more goodies that are included.

The Orp is expected to retail for $49.95.

Why I Think This is a Great Idea

You can buy a loud bike horn and still not have a good light. Or, you can buy a bright light, but it's not going to make a sound (unless you drop it, maybe.) The Orp, however, is both. And the best part is, because it's one unit, that means more room on your handlebars for... your hands.

Why I Think This is a Bad Idea

To be completely honest, I don't think this is a bad idea, at all. It's about on par with a motorbike/scooter horn, and the shrill tone should easily cut through the sound of noisy engines and loud music in headphones (a lot of cyclists ride with headphones on, making it difficult for them to hear a bell or a, "Hey! Passing on your left!") I really don't have anything to complain about.

Would I Buy One/Fund This?

I'm not reaching for my wallet just this minute, but I am very interested in buying an Orp.

As mentioned, I think it's a great idea. Although I already have a very bright light (several, in fact, that are much brighter than the Orp) I don't have a single bell/horn/whatever. I do have a loud mouth, though, and while I can usually get attention when I need it, why strain myself when a quick double-tap on the Orp's "wail tail" will do? Shut up and take my money!

Full Disclosure

I don't contribute money to every Kickstarter project that I feature. In fact, there are some I'd only write about as a warning to avoid. Some of these projects never see funding and fade into obscurity, while others look like great ideas, get funding and are things I might actually purchase. In any case, don't see these posts as a full-on endorsement. Unless otherwise specified, I have not received payment in any form to write about these products, they just happen to catch my eye and I think they warrant some attention.

Of course, if you are starting up a new project or have a product you'd like me to test and write about, contact me with details and we'll talk.

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Let them eat crow! And milk, and apples.

1/2 peck of apples. Image Source

There were a few hours yesterday that I really wished I hadn't written this. As is, it's a bit preachy, and that's not my usual style. However, I felt I'd leave it because I wanted to get in the habit of writing some of the self-motivational stuff (read: rhetorical drivel) that runs through my head while I'm riding. But what really made me regret that post was yesterday's high temperature: 49° (F).

Despite my passion for cycling, and my newfound appreciation for riding on days with less-than-ideal weather conditions, I really just didn't want to go out into that. And then, as luck would have it, we ran out of milk.

Aha! I thought. Here's my chance to prove I'm not a big, sissy-pants hypocrite! I can ride my bike to the store, pick up a gallon of milk AND practice what I preach! Make today a perfect a day to ride... that's what I said, right? And because I was feeling extra cocky, I decided to pick up a half peck of apples, too.

I put on a jacket, some sweats and hit the road. And because I was feeling extra, extra cocky, I didn't even wear a pair of gloves.

We have a couple of stores that are all within 2 miles, so why I chose the one that's at the bottom of a steep hill, I'll never know. Maybe I was just feeling extra, extra, EXTRA cocky and wanted to prove something by slinging 12-14 pounds worth of apples and milk on my back and riding half a mile uphill to get back home. Actually, that's exactly it. I felt like such an ass for Monday's post that this was my way of achieving atonement; a blogger's penance, if you will.

For the sin of publishing self-aggrandizing, rhetorical drivel, thou shalt eat thine words and pedal uphill in the cold!

In fact, it still bugs me that the store was only a mile away instead of 20 or so. Never mind the fact that there are thousands of people who commute to work/go shopping on bikes every day in conditions much worse than 49°. Just who the hell do I think I am, anyway?

Rest assured, next time, I'll ride to the store that's about six tenths of a mile farther but doesn't go up or down any hills. Much easier, much less... flagellant.

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Taking shortcuts can lead to hidden dangers

I came across an interesting article this morning via Bike-PGH on the topic of "paper streets" -- streets that were planned out on paper, but were never actually built, or fully realized. When is a street not a street? | PublicSource by Emily DeMarco.

An adult bike shows the size and scale of the sinkhole. Photo credit: Emily DeMarco

As DeMarco explains in the article, these abandoned roadways are often attractive as a shortcut -- especially when the surrounding streets can be very dangerous -- but they can also pose hazards of their own. From the article:

In Pittsburgh’s late summer, Charles Carthorn and his son, Chuckie, rode their bikes over a favorite shortcut, a path sandwiched between the former Reizenstein Middle School and The Ellis School.

“We commute here by bike every day to football practice,” said Charles Carthorn, 42. “And this is our little shortcut.” 

But he worried that 12-year-old Chuckie might be tempted to jump over a five-foot wide sinkhole on the path that looks as if it would gobble up about one-third of an adult bike.

Living in North-East Pennsylvania, you grow accustomed to hearing about sinkholes. Whether due to collapsed mining shafts or water runoff from the mountainous areas eroding the land and flowing through underground waterways, sinkholes can be a big problem. Fortunately, I haven't encountered too many on the various back roads I like to take, but it's still something to be aware of.

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Another Perfect Day

This is where I ate my sammich today. Jealous?

Much like Friday, today was another perfect day for a ride. As such, I decided to push it a little harder than usual.

First of all, if I'm going to go, I'm going to go hard. Otherwise, what would be the point? Even if I were going on a leisurely ride, it would be a hardcore leisurely. Why? Because I have other things I could be doing, like cleaning out my DVR by getting caught up on Honey Boo Boo episodes. I'm not out here to waste time. It's not fair to drivers who have to go around me, and it's not fair to myself for skipping work. Besides, I mean, Honey Boo Boo. With that much motivation-crippling distraction available at my fingertips, of course I'm going to stay in the saddle as long as possible. Sometimes, you have to save yourself from yourself. I think Dr. Drew said that once, I'm not sure.

So, results time. Just how hard did I actually push it? According to the computer, I travelled 42.7 miles for a total trip time of 3 hours and 37 minutes at an average of 11.8 mph. I like that number. I like it a lot. I like it especially because my trip on Friday took 3 hours and 32 minutes to travel 40.6 miles. That's an average of 11.4 mph. In other words, I rode farther and faster today (following the same route, plus a few extra miles on the gorge trail) than I did on Friday. That makes me happy -- much happier than I would have been sitting at home, watching Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.

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Riding in Reverse

There was no way I was going to resist the chance to get on two wheels, today. The weather was perfect, and the road was inviting. I simply had to heed the call...

As promised in a previous post, I rode the Lehigh Valley Gorge route in reverse -- going out Stockton Mountain Road first, then through Beaver Meadows into Weatherly, down into the gorge and then up past Eckley.

I have to say, I like the reverse route better, although it does ruin my favorite part of the ride -- flying down Buck Mountain Road, screaming through tight curves and holding on for dear life. Things are a lot different when you're sweating and panting on your way up it, instead.

One of the things I always forget to mention is the amount of wildlife I get a chance to see. Unfortunately, most of it is dead when I get to see it, like the porcupine I saw the other day. Still, though, a porcupine! I also felt really bad that I saw a dead groundhog, especially since it occurred coming up out of the gorge where people aren't supposed to be going very fast in the first place.

But today, going out Diamond Avenue towards Stockton Mountain Road, I could swear I saw a live coyote. I mean, I don't know... there's a lot of houses back there, it could have just been someone's dog that ran away, but it was grey and had a long, bushy tail. It took off as soon as it saw me, but it looked like a coyote.

Finally, into the gorge. There are picnic tables set up every mile or so as you ride through the gorge, and I knew there was one that sits in an open area with plenty of sunshine on it about 5 miles in. Sure enough, I made it to the table to sit down and eat, and I was very grateful for the sunlight. Sections of the gorge get kind of cold because the sun doesn't get through the trees very well. This section was nice and warm, though. Perfect.

My plan all along was to add another 10 miles to my route by riding into the gorge a bit. I want to increase that number slowly, until I'm able to go 60 miles, or better. I just seem to be hitting my limit at 40 miles, and that bothers me. Fortunately, I only need to do 30 miles for the 50k in October (JUST 21 DAYS LEFT!!) but even some days, that feels like too much. Today, though, even at 40 miles, I felt great.

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Fall is Definitely in the Air

Today's ride could have been better. I made it to the Lehigh Valley Gorge (15 miles) in about an hour and was feeling pretty good. But the ride back took almost twice as long, and I was definitely not feeling good by the end of it.

The reason the return trip takes longer is because the trip into the gorge is mostly downhill, so it's easier to go faster. I don't follow the same route back, I always go in a big circle, but I still have to go up just as much as I come down.

I'm curious as to what the trip would be like if I rode in the opposite direction -- going through Beaver Meadows first, then Weatherly and on into the Gorge, then riding up past Eckley. It's definitely worth a shot to find out.

I also wasn't crazy about the weather, today. It was 66 degrees, which isn't that bad until you're soaking with sweat and riding through heavily shaded, tree-covered back roads with a headwind. I wore layers and tried to stay in the sun, but it still got chilly. And before you roll your eyes, remember: I was doing this back when the mercury was hitting the mid-90s and didn't mind it one bit. Most folks were hiding in the shelter of their A/C units -- I don't even own an air conditioner. I would love to have that weather back.

I was also rather annoyed with my rear derailleur. I'm going to have to adjust it a bit before I go out again because it kept slipping gears and shifting when it should have been steady. Hopefully it just requires some cleaning and tweaking to get it to settle down.

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Jim Thorpe Ride

Not long ago, I mentioned that I'd love to ride the Lehigh Valley Gorge (aka D&L Trail) all the way to Jim Thorpe. Well, I had to cheat a little, but I finally did it.

It's 15 miles from my house to the gorge, and since it's another 15 miles from the gorge to Jim Thorpe, I decided to put the bike on the back of my car and drive to the gorge rather than attempt a full, 60 mile round trip. I'm just not up to that level, yet.

The trip was beautiful! I saw a couple riding 4-wheeled recumbent bikes, and another couple riding a tandem bike. There were also quite a few other sites to see, like this view off the Nesquehoning Bridge:

Shot from the Nesquehoning Bridge on the D&L Trail.

Oh, my God! I can't believe I'm taking a picture of this vintage train!

All in all, I had a great time. I even took a ride up through Jim Thorpe to see some of the shops, galleries and other sites along the way. I love Jim Thorpe.

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Weatherly Cemetery

Riding past the Weatherly Cemetery is a creepy experience, even in the middle of the day.

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Come for me G'Mork! I am Atreyu!

Really hadn't anticipated meeting the servant of The Nothing while biking out of the Lehigh Valley Gorge, today.

Alright, so, maybe it's just sunlight streaming through the back of this eerie cave/rock formation, but it's got me thinking about naming my bike Artax.

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Another Ride to the Gorge

I couldn't wait to make another ride to the Lehigh Valley Gorge. I was eager to see what the river was like after the remnants of Hurricane Isaac made its way through our area. As I had expected, the Lehigh River was swollen and wild, running violently in places. The rocks where I stood a few days ago were now under water with a rushing current splashing around them.

Even the bottom steps of the staircase leading down to the bank of the river were fully submerged. What a sight it was to see! Compare the shots below to the shots I took the other day.

I rode the trail for almost a mile before heading back. I don't want to spoil whatever awaits down that path until I'm ready to take it all in. Maybe on Friday I will head out early enough to follow it to its terminus and visit Jim Thorpe. Until then, I wait. I simply cannot resist the natural charms and beauty of this place.

This area was dry only a few days ago, where I sat along the rocks and ate my lunch.

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Lehigh Valley Gorge Ride

Today, after getting a new inner tube for my front tire, I headed out to complete my mission to find the Lehigh Valley Gorge.

I followed the same route I took last time and made very good time. I was feeling strong -- even better than I di

d on Friday.
Unfortunately, after making it past Church Road -- past the scene of my front tire's blowout -- I found myself on Lehigh Gorge Drive and turned the wrong way. I even remembered thinking to myself before I left the house, "Stay to the right, and you can't miss Laurytown Road."

But, nope. I forgot and went 5 miles out of my way towards White Haven. That's when I knew something was very wrong. The route I mapped would take almost exactly 15 miles to get to the Lehigh Gorge State Park, so when I passed 15 miles on my odometer and started seeing signs for White Haven, I knew I had to turn around.

After doubling back on Lehigh Gorge Drive (adding a total of 10 miles to my 30 mile trip,) I found Laurytown Road. From there, it was just a few miles of windy turns and steep downhills to get to the park. Everything was alright. I even took pictures!

I couldn't stay long because I was burning daylight, so I took just enough time to eat my power bars and enjoy the view before heading back home. I don't have a light on my bike and I hate riding in the dark, so I had to hurry.

According to the map, the Lehigh Gorge Trail runs all the way to Jim Thorpe. That is a trip I would love to take, but it's going to have to wait for another day.

And now, pictures!

Note the red line heading North, indicating my wrong turn.

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Dat gummit! A blowout!

After 320+ miles, my front tire blew out.

I was rolling down an unfamiliar road as I was attempting to get to the Lehigh Valley Gorge. That's when I hit a bump and saw a splash of water, or what I thought was water. Turns out, it was the anti-leak gel shooting out of the front tire. Light-blue goo squirting all over me -- now I know what a porn star feels like.

Thankfully, the gunk did its job and plugged the leak. I only lost about 30 pounds of pressure before it sealed, leaving just enough to ride on without worrying about ruining the rim. Just enough to make it to my brother's house and get a lift home.

Eventually, I'll make it out to the Lehigh Valley Gorge, but it'll have to wait until I can patch the tube and put a new tire on.

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Beautiful Sky Along the Quakake Road

Shot this photo during my ride, today. This is along the Quakake Road, which is where I ended up after making a left in Weatherly instead of turning right to go up the Plains Road.

If you take a right at the church in the photo, you're about 3 miles from Beaver Meadows. However, I opted for the longer route, following Quakake Road to 309 and popping out between Hometown and McAdoo. From there, I just followed 309 home.

36.6 miles in 3 hrs 40 minutes. That's 58.9km. HELL YEAH.

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Almost a 50k

Full Route: 29.8 miles

Today was an epic riding day. I plotted a course, gathered my things and hit the open road. It was glorious!

First of all, this ride was freaking fantastic. Lots of uphill challenges, plenty of downhill thrills, a distinct lack of traffic and wide open roadways. Have you ever wondered what it felt like to fly? I may have never gotten off the ground, but it was exhilarating.

I started off going out 940, towards Freeland. I then turned off 940 and rode through Jeddo, eventually going past Eckley Miner's Village. Past Jeddo (and especially past Eckley) the shoulder widens, leaving plenty of paved roadway to ride on. Not that it matters, as traffic is virtually nonexistent. It's mostly uphill, but that just means plenty of downhill to come.

Entrance to Eckley Miners Village

When I finally began to head downhill, I relished it. Arms tucked in, feet firmly planted, I hung over the handle bars and let the wind rip through my hair (well, what's left of it.) I could hear the front tire screaming as the speedometer climbed past 30 mph. However, the blissful moment was over all too soon. Back to reality, back to tough uphill roads.

I made a right at the bottom of the hill on Buck Mountain Road, heading towards Weatherly. Again, not very steep, but a long climb to the top. Eventually, however, I saw a welcome sight, a sign indicating a 7% grade for the next 3/4 of a mile. Time again for pure, downhill adrenaline. This time, with a slight twist.

You have no idea how happy I was to see this sign.

There's a marker obscuring the squiggly line on the map at the top of this post, but it represents the tight, hairpin curves of the Weatherly Hillclimb. People come from all over to race up this hill in souped-up vehicles twice a year, and the tire tracks all over the surface of the road tell the tale of the hundreds of cars that attempt it. But it's just so much fun to ride down it! The 20 MPH speed limit signs, then 10 and 5 MPH signs were pretty funny at the time. I won't say how fast I actually went, but I was respectful of those curves.

Finally, Weatherly. I made a slight deviation in my plotted course to stop and visit my brother, but he wasn't home. So, onward. I had planned a stop at the Dollar General that lies across the bridge to refuel. I bought a Nature Valley Granola Bar (Google Affiliate Ad) and went looking for some chocolate milk -- carbs and protein, basically -- but the only available drink was some brand that had 450 calories in it. In hindsight, I probably should have grabbed that one -- I burned over 1,000 calories on this trip -- but I spotted a bottle of "Protein to Go."

SCORE! Oh, wait, no. This stuff tastes like vomit.

At first, I thought I'd scored gold, until I actually tasted it. Horrible! It tasted like spoiled milk and sick. The date indicated that it was good until 2014, but it still tasted like the worst dreck I'd ever had. Was it bad, or is it supposed to taste like that? I thought twice about finishing it, then bottoms-upped it before thinking again. Time to move on.

The Weatherly Plains Road was the only part of this trip I was worried about. However, looking back, I found that it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. All those runs up the hills here in town seem to have prepared me well. I was even surprised to see that I'm not dead-last on Strava.com. I'm only second to dead last...

Onwards through Beaver Meadows, up the Stockton Mountain Road, along Diamond Avenue to 309 and, finally, home. If I get to my driveway and remember feeling like I'd never see it again, that's how I judge a journey like this. True, I was never very far from people I knew who could help me in a pinch, but there were times that it did feel very lonely.

I'm well aware of those who would not be challenged by this ride -- I even encountered a fellow cyclist on the Weatherly Plains Road who blew right by me -- but I still feel very proud. Think of nothing but victory; recall nothing but triumph.

29.8 miles in 2 hours and 49 minutes. Almost a 50k.

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Quickie Update: Interval Training

Just a quick update, mostly for personal record-keeping.

Today I did intervals for a total of 52 minutes at an average speed of 12.4 mph, going a total distance of 10.9 miles.

I tried doing 5 sets the last time I did intervals, but couldn't finish the last set. I ended up doing 11.4 miles in 57 minutes at an average speed of 12.0 mph.

Blech... I can't get anything out of this. Next time I do intervals, I need to write down what my time is after each set and not count the warm-up and cool-down rides. Looking at what I have from these 2 sessions, it's hard to see if I'm improving.

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Scary New Pain

For the past few weeks, I've been pushing myself to become stronger and faster, but I admit that I've been neglecting my endurance. So, for today's ride, I decided to see if I could push myself to go a little farther than usual.

The Route:

Up and down Arthur Street 6 times to build a little more hill climbing endurance. On the 6th time, I rode to Diamond Avenue and followed it out to the Rails to Trails for distance endurance. I rode Rails to Trails out to Beryllium Road, turned around and headed back. I then followed the Rails to Trails all the way to Route 93 and turned around in the parking lot, heading back to Stockton Mountain Road. From there to Diamond Ave, up Arthur and back to home.

The Stats:

Total Distance: 20.8 miles

Time: 2 hrs 26 minutes -- non-stop

Average Speed: 8.5, Max Speed: 32.8

Elevation gain: 2007 ft, Max Elevation: 1860 ft

Also worth noting: I didn't go below the 3rd gear of my rear hub, even during the hill climbs. I wanted to add extra resistance and keep my speed up.

The Ride:

Uneventful. A few close calls with cars thanks to a lack of decent shoulder on some parts of the road. My hybrid bike definitely likes pavement more than the rough trail, but whatever. I still want a road bike more than a mountain bike.

I felt pretty good throughout the ride, until the turn for home, going up Arthur one last time. My legs were burning and giving me the, "Let's wrap this up, pronto," message. Despite the burn, I didn't feel fatigued or a lack of strength, but then the real fun began.

Post-ride:

As I parked my bike in the garage and headed upstairs, the situation got scary.

In the minute it took to cook some oatmeal, I guzzled 2 glasses of water and was adding protein powder to a 3rd. I just kept shaking my legs, trying to get the ants to stop marching, but it wasn't helping. I was in a lot of pain -- more than I had encountered from any previous ride. I was worried for a moment, but I knew what I had to do.

Finally, I grabbed everything and headed over to the dining room where I kicked my legs up onto the table to keep them elevated while I ate. Oatmeal with flax seed, potatoes and tuna. More water, and some rest. In about an hour, it was like nothing was ever wrong. As I write this, I'm feeling much better.

So, what now?

There are about 6 weeks left until the event. Just 6 weeks to see if I can manage to hit 31 miles (50km) without utterly destroying myself. I figure, I'll stick to my normal training regimen of intervals and hill climbs for the next few days. Next week, though, I'll see if I can't conquer those last 11 miles.

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Let's Talk About Natural Supplements

...because just the thought of choking down another omelette is making me gag. Yesterday, during my post-workout meal, I was doing everything I could just to get through chewing and swallowing those eggs.

According to everything I've read, the post-workout meal is very important, but what do you do if you're just not feeling hungry? Are you supposed to force-feed yourself? And, yes, I would describe what I did yesterday as an intense training session. After 2 hours of going up a very steep hill, my legs were extremely sore.

The good news is, I got through the meal and my legs were feeling much better, but I think I'd like to switch out eggs for a protein supplement. Any thoughts on this?

I happen to have a large bottle of Healthy 'n Fit Nutritionals 100% Egg Protein. It's the "heavenly chocolate" flavor, which is a bit of stretch -- both in the "heavenly" and "chocolate" descriptions -- but I can drink it down and get it over with much more easily than another plate of foam-rubbery grossness. I can also mix it in with oatmeal and milk, which seems much more palatable.

Again, any suggestions? Should I just avoid this stuff and stick to whole foods?

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Breakthrough!

One of my minor goals was to ride the Arthur Street route for an entire 12.4 miles, and I managed to do it sooner than I expected.

On my first attempt, I was only able to go 6.5 miles. On my second attempt, I was able to push that another 2. Today, on my third attempt, I had only intended to go 10 miles, but when I realized how close I was, I decided to dig a little deeper and go the last 2.4 miles to finish it off. I didn't even "cheat" by weaving back and forth, I just pushed straight up the hill.

The last 2 miles were brutal, but I feel great. After lingering in self-doubt about my training and nutritional regimen, I feel like everything I've been doing so far has been right.

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Interval Training

I decided to add a new method to my training regimen. Basically, you have 40 seconds of intense, passionate, unbridled... pedaling... followed by 20 seconds of rest. Then, repeat 9 more times. After the tenth time, rest for 5 minutes. Repeat this whole process about 4 or 5 times, and that's a good hour. Have a victory lap to cool down, and you're done.

The first session was absolutely killer -- I really thought this was the most brutal thing I could do to myself. But then, it wasn't so bad. And after each rest, I actually felt myself able to crank those pedals even harder. It felt good; I feel great.

After the fourth set, I debated going just one more time. What would one more time hurt? But then, I began to think about yoga planks. What is a yoga plank, really? It's a push-up that forgot to lie down. The thing is, they burn while you do them, and then they don't feel like anything... until the next day. So, I'm willing to bet tomorrow is going to suck.

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My 2 Best Friends

My dog Cinco is sitting on my lap, crushing my painful, sore legs, while Jonesy, my cat, is sitting on the arm of the chair, pawing at the can of tuna fish I'm trying to eat to replenish my protein.

Cinco and Jonesy

I'm covered in salty sweat, so the dog loves me because, as creepy as it sounds, I taste pretty good. The cat loves me because the can looks and smells suspiciously like his usual dinner. I'm sure, somewhere in that feline brain, Jonesy is thinking, "Why are you eating MY food? Why don't you give that tasty tuna to ME?" Because it's NOT for you. AWAY, BEAST!

It's almost as bad as when I'm trying to do yoga planks and Cinco comes over to lick my face, then crawls under me to lay down. I could collapse at any second, dog... That's really not the best place to lie down. Just FYI.

For today's ride, I stuck to the same route as Thursday. The first two laps up the hill felt pretty good. The rest of the laps were decidedly miserable, however. All in all, I managed 8 laps up the hill, which is 2 better than Thursday, so I'm feeling pretty good about that.

I finished off on the flats, taking 1 hour and 50 minutes to go a total of 11.1 miles. I'm not thrilled with that, but I'll give up some time if it means increasing my stamina for hill climbs. Eventually, I want to be able to get up that hill for an entire 12.2 miles. Confidence is high.

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