It’s an interesting section of the paper to put it in, but here it is. New York bike courier Hugo Giron reviews several battery bike lights.

Of the lights he tried, Hugos favorites are the Blackburn Flea front and rear lights. These lights were the bee’s knees,” Mr. Giron said. “They were so small and ridiculously bright.”

My favorite lights right now: Planet Bike SuperFlash on the rear and NiteRider MiNewt on the front. I’ll write more about the MiNewt later, but for now I’ll just say that they’re inexpensive, bright, compact and the USB charging feature is more useful than I would have expected.

Update: Several people got in touch with me! THANK YOU SO MUCH! If I haven’t contacted you yet I will. There will be other opportunities for those who are interested later.

I’m writing a review for Momentum Magazine for the Schwinn Tailwind bicycle with electric assist, and I’d like to submit a photo or five for Momentum’s use. I need somebody who can spare an hour who can ride this bike while I take photos.

This is a men’s “Large” model, so I need a woman who’s at least 5’9″ or a man who’s at least 5’10 or so (it’s actually too large for me). My deadline is Sunday, so I need somebody who can meet me late Friday afternoon in Menlo Park or Palo Alto, or Saturday in the South Bay or Santa Cruz County, though my strong preference is somebody in Scotts Valley or Santa Cruz.

You may appear in a nationally distributed bicycle magazine and you must sign a model release. Any photos I take will be posted to Flickr with a Creative Commons “Share Alike” license, though this is negotiable.

I’m not looking for supermodel quality models — if you’re comfortable with your appearance and don’t mind thousands of people looking at you, I’m probably fine with that, though you should be well groomed. The model will wear ‘normal’ clothing — please no lycra or workout clothes. Something akin to business casual is ideal. I’d like to avoid the bike commuter stereotype of crumpled, frayed clothing. Women should probably avoid skirts and dresses unless you’re very tall: the standover height on this bike is 31 inches.

I’m also looking for somebody who can do this as a freebie or very cheaply — I won’t make a dime from this myself.

Time is short, so if you know somebody please help me spread the word and you’ll have my gratitude.

If you’re interested, please email me with your contact information.

As I type this up on Tuesday night for early Wednesday publication, the guy on the bus next to me is snoring loudly. With his mouth open. I hope he doesn’t lean into me.

Thief steals bike, takes it to the shop where it was built. Story at Fix Memphis.

Interview with Gary Fisher at Bikescape.

Rivendell announces Quickbeams will be no more. “The continuing enfeebling of the US dollar against the Yen allows us to declare with no uncertainty that this will be the last of the Quickbeams,” writes Grant. There aren’t that many left, so put your deposit in now if you want a piece of this last batch.

Kansas City, Missouri: Bicyclists are encouraged to show up Transportation and Infrastructure Committee meeting. The first meeting was last night, but you can show up tonight. Click the link for details.

Oakland stolen bike alert: a blue Yuba Mundo cargo bike.

San Jose Cycling Classic takes place Saturday, February 14. Which is the same day the Tour of California starts in Sacramento. Jerks.

Portland cyclists ride through the snow and cold.

Trickle down bike tech.

Caltrain board meeting will discuss bikes on board February 5. Murph is organizing a San Francisco to San Mateo Bike Train. If you live in the city, they start at 4th & King at 7 AM.

Bicycle Community Center in Los Angeles.

My daughter featured in 15 uses for coffee filters.

Bicycle Jobs:

• Transportation Demand Management sales for Alternative Transportation Solutions (ALTRANS) in San Jose. ALTRANS creates alternative transportation programs for cities, schools, and businesses in the South Bay.
• Pestec in San Francisco still has openings for bicycling mosquito abatement workers.