Cateye EL-500?

  • Thread starter Lars S. Mulford
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Lars S. Mulford

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Howdy folks!

The nice folks at our local bike shop let me take a peek at the new J&B Importers catalog (won't be
long for some of those new Sun recumbents now!) and I was looking at the Cateye lights.

They have listed a new Cateye headlight, the EL-500. It uses the newer 1 watt LED and is supposed to
have in the neighborhood of 1000 candlepower. I can't find any information on this light and even
going to J&B, I've not been able to get a price. Does anyone have any information on this headlight?

On my TE, I use two Cateye EL-300s side by side (they light up my cyclometer nicely too) a well as a
Cateye EL-400 underneath them, set to blinking mode. I have plenty of light with these for riding at
night and have been quite pleased. However, this new headlight from Cateye is twice the power of my
EL-300 and looks to be smaller and more compact, perhaps even lighter.

As a sidenote, I'd be interested to hear from others who use LED lights exclusively for their night
riding. In addition to the lights I mentioned above, I use two Vistalite 7-LED combo blinkers for
the rear of my TE, mounted on the tops of the back seat posts.
--
"Sea" ya!
--Lars S. Mulford
"You can find evil anywhere you look.
The question is, why are you looking?"
 
"Lars S. Mulford" skrev> headlight?
> As a sidenote, I'd be interested to hear from others who use LED lights exclusively for their
> night riding. In addition to the lights I mentioned above, I use two Vistalite 7-LED combo
> blinkers for the rear of my TE, mounted on the tops of the back seat posts.

I use a single EL-300. Not good if theres not reflective edgestripes on the bikepath or road and a
car is coming towards you. Everything goes totally black. :) I saw a neat halogen/led lamp in
Sweden last Sunday. The light was more yellow and hence lit up the wall better when we tested side
by side. Also it had LED's above the halogen bulb with a couple of settings so you can save power
when riding in the city. Used 4 AA batteries like the EL300. Can't remember the name. Wasn't a
common brand like Cateye. Will try to ask for a website.

Mikael
 
> They have listed a new Cateye headlight, the EL-500. It uses the newer 1 watt LED and is supposed
> to have in the neighborhood of 1000 candlepower. I can't find any information on this light and
> even going to J&B, I've not been able to get a price. Does anyone have any information on this
> headlight?

48 euros on a finnish site. http://www.lundberg.fi/html/valot.htm

Joe Keenan used two on PBP I think http://www.recumbents.com/mars/pages/lib/libKeenanPBP.html

Mikael
 
"Mikael Seierup" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> > They have listed a new Cateye headlight, the EL-500. It uses the newer
1
> > watt LED and is supposed to have in the neighborhood of 1000
candlepower. I
> > can't find any information on this light and even going to J&B, I've not been able to get a
> > price. Does anyone have any information on this headlight?
>
> 48 euros on a finnish site. http://www.lundberg.fi/html/valot.htm
>
> Joe Keenan used two on PBP I think http://www.recumbents.com/mars/pages/lib/libKeenanPBP.html
>
> Mikael

I went through several models from Cateye including the EL-500, while the 500 might be a better
choice to be seen by other vehicles I found it very poor at doing everything else.

I ended up dumping those types of lights and went to a NiteRider Trail Rat
2.0
 
"Mark Leuck" skrev...
> I went through several models from Cateye including the EL-500, while the 500 might be a better
> choice to be seen by other vehicles I found it very poor at doing everything else.

I think I will try the Petzl Duo LED. On sale in these parts. Anyone fitted them on a helmet? Will
finaggle something otherwise.

Mikael
 
I just replaced a dead Performance dual light system with a Light & Moton ARC H.I.D.

http://www.bikelights.com/ http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Lights/product_79035.shtml

Yowser! Mucho dinero (~$400) but now I've had cars honk, flash their brights, or even stop dead
(especially when I point it into the driver's eyes when I'm in a crosswalk).

Beats being run over and in the overpopulated, auto-centric SF Bay Area, you need every defensive
advantage you can get when bike commuting after dark.

Plus, the light is bright enough to pretty much ride full speed.
 
"Peter" skrev...
> I just replaced a dead Performance dual light system with a Light & Moton ARC H.I.D.
>
> http://www.bikelights.com/ http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Lights/product_79035.shtml

Nights last more than 3.5 hours here though. I'd rather get a SON and have light all night without
worrying about batteries and whatnot if I have to spend that amount. Depends on what you are using
it for I suppose. For tearing through a forest on a MTB I'm sure they are neat.

> Yowser! Mucho dinero (~$400) but now I've had cars honk, flash their brights, or even stop dead
> (especially when I point it into the driver's eyes when I'm in a crosswalk).

They flash at the EL-300 too actually. But it swivels enough to flash em back. Nasty light to look
into but doesn't produce enough light for some situations. Will look into the Petzl or maybe go the
whole hog and get a SON.

Mikael
 
"Mikael Seierup" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> > They have listed a new Cateye headlight, the EL-500. It uses the newer 1 watt LED and is
> > supposed to have in the neighborhood of 1000 candlepower. I can't find any information on this
> > light and even going to J&B, I've not been able to get a price. Does anyone have any information
> > on this headlight?
>
> 48 euros on a finnish site. http://www.lundberg.fi/html/valot.htm
>
> Joe Keenan used two on PBP I think http://www.recumbents.com/mars/pages/lib/libKeenanPBP.html
>
> Mikael

Hi Mikael

I used an HL500II, an EL300 and a Petzel Duo headlamp. On PBP "LED lights" are not allowed as
headlamps. At least not to get through inspection :eek:) What I found:

EL300: Because of the LED's, I used this as primary light source due to the extended burn time with
lithium batts. Not a great light pattern.

HL500II: Much better light pattern to me, but for a long night's ride not enough burn time. Used
only on descents or when I wanted extra light on the road, say when there might be a bad stretch
to illuminate pot holes, cracks, etc. Would use this in conjunction with the EL300, but not as a
sole light.

Petzel Duo Headlamp: Older model with a halogen as the small lamp. Would not do any long distance
night riding without this. Great for lighting up where you want to see, especially the road ahead on
fast descents. Also, this light can shine through fog. I did most of a 400K at night in heavy fog
and would have been SOL with just an EL300 or HL500II to light my way. The Petzel was a lifesaver.
The newer model uses an LED for the small lamp. I use the small lamp to light up the road
immediately in front of me and also to light the cyclometer.

Just like with bikes, so many choices and borrow and try'em if you can.

Bon Route ;o)

Slow Joe Recumbo
 


I think I will try the Petzl Duo LED. On sale in these parts. Anyone fitted them on a helmet? Will
finaggle something otherwise.

Mikael [/B]


I really love the Sport Spot from Planet Bike, comes with the hardware for helmet (or head or handlebar) mounting, and lights up the road ahead like a disco on flash mode. A bargain at $30, and a cool advocacy company too...

http://www.planetbike.com/feature.html:cool:
 
Mikael Seierup <[email protected]> wrote:
> Nights last more than 3.5 hours here though. I'd rather get a SON and have light all night without
> worrying about batteries and whatnot if I have to spend that amount. Depends on what you are using
> it for I suppose. For tearing through a forest on a MTB I'm sure they are neat.

Speaking of that, I got a Schmidt E6Z (secondary light) to go with my SON/Lumotec setup. The E6 beam
pattern is simply amazing! However, I'm going to have to find a way to mount the light lower, or
paint over the back of the "signal ring" around the edge of the light, since it shines back into my
face with the light mounted on the handlebar. What surprised me the most, however, was that even
with the secondary engaged, it gave out useful light at fairly slow speeds. Only at the slowest pace
would I actually need to shut it off...

--
Russ [email protected] the wabbit to email "The solution is simple: all
spammers, if convicted of spamming, should be drowned in cow diarrhoea in televised public
ceremonies. Start with Ralsky." -Guy Chapman
 
"Joe Keenan" skrev...
> Petzel Duo Headlamp: Older model with a halogen as the small lamp. Would not do any long distance
> night riding without this. Great for lighting up where you want to see, especially the road ahead
> on fast descents. Also, this light can shine through fog. I did most of a 400K at night in heavy
> fog and would have been SOL with just an EL300 or HL500II to light my way. The Petzel was a
> lifesaver. The newer model uses an LED for the small lamp. I use the small lamp to light up the
> road immediately in front of me and also to light the cyclometer.

I'm looking at the Petzl Duo too. However its hard to judge its light in a welllit shop in the
daytime. :) Did you use the one with the beltpack for C batteries? It lasted all night with
lithiums? And how well did it light up the road? How was it when cars came at you or in mixed light?
(The odd lamppost here and there) Thats when my EL300 packed it in.

Mikael
 
Lars wrote:

> On my TE, I use two Cateye EL-300s side by side

I've used that same arrangement, and even though the light is very white and noticeable, I don't
like the round pattern cast by the EL-300; it's similar to that of the old pair of Cateye HL-500II
that I used, but not quite as bright for the first hour or so.

I'm much more happy with the two Sigma Sports I'm using now, that have an elliptical pattern. I also
really like the convenience of onboard battery-charging: just plug in the charger, no removal of
batteries.

++ Cornel Ormsby ++ +Henderson, Nevada+ http://www.boomspeed.com/lioninoil/myte.htm
 
> I really love the Sport Spot from Planet Bike, comes with the hardware for helmet (or head or
> handlebar) mounting, and lights up the road ahead like a disco on flash mode. A bargain at $30,
> and a cool advocacy company too...

I've just been looking at their Super_Spot 1-Watt LED headlight, and it looks to be superior to the
EL-500 in every way.

http://www.planetbike.com/pop/3031.html

++ Cornel Ormsby ++ +Henderson, Nevada+ http://www.boomspeed.com/lioninoil/myte.htm
 
Howdy folks!

Ok, can you give me some input as to why the Super Spot is superior to the EL-500? From what I read
in the J&B Importers catalog, they seem almost identical. They are both utilizing 1 watt LEDS, have
approximately the same run time (30 hours) and roughly the same same bracket as well.

--
"Sea" ya!
--Lars S. Mulford
"You can find evil anywhere you look.
The question is, why are you looking?"

"LioNiNoiL at NetScApE_DoT_NeT" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:CMCTb.28390$P17.3065@fed1read03...
> I've just been looking at their Super_Spot 1-Watt LED headlight,
> and it looks to be superior to the EL-500 in every way.
 
"Mikael Seierup" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> "Joe Keenan" skrev...
> > Petzel Duo Headlamp: Older model with a halogen as the small lamp. Would not do any long
> > distance night riding without this. Great for lighting up where you want to see, especially the
> > road ahead on fast descents. Also, this light can shine through fog. I did most of a 400K at
> > night in heavy fog and would have been SOL with just an EL300 or HL500II to light my way. The
> > Petzel was a lifesaver. The newer model uses an LED for the small lamp. I use the small lamp to
> > light up the road immediately in front of me and also to light the cyclometer.
>
> I'm looking at the Petzl Duo too. However its hard to judge its light in a welllit shop in the
> daytime. :) Did you use the one with the beltpack for C batteries? It lasted all night with
> lithiums? And how well did it light up the road? How was it when cars came at you or in mixed
> light? (The odd lamppost here and there) Thats when my EL300 packed it in.
>
> Mikael

Mikael,

Nope, I didn't use the Petzel all night. I used the Petzel as an "as needed" light to spot road
signs, look for road markings on the side, and especially on fast downhills to light the road bright
and far ahead. The model I have is the one with the battery cage on the straps. It tucks nicely
under the cantilevered back of the helmet with a couple of double sided velcro loops to keep the
front down. The balance was fine and I really didn't notice the weight. Dang good light for what I
needed it to do. A lifesaver, especially on foggy nights. Without it I would not have been able to
finish a very foggy brevet and qualify for PBP.

I used the Cateye LED light as my main source because it will last an incredibly long time with
lithium batts. I used the Cateye halogen when I thought the road might be bad to give extra
illumination ahead of me.

Hope this helps. By the way, the folks who had the hub dymo lights swore by them.....and
not at them.

Slow Joe
 
>I've just been looking at their Super_Spot 1-Watt LED headlight, and it looks to be superior to the
>EL-500 in every way.
>
>http://www.planetbike.com/pop/3031.html
>
I've had a Smart halogen light that looked exactly like that; lasted about 2 weeks (and 1 shower)!
Only thing it probably has in common is the housing, but I'm still a bit suspiciuos...

Mark van Gorkom.
 
> > As a sidenote, I'd be interested to hear from others
> who use LED lights exclusively for their night riding.

> so you can save power when riding in the city. Used 4 AA batteries like the EL300.

I use the EL-300 and like it. More light would be welcome, but I get along. I like the long battery
life. I use a flashing grenish-white LED array on the front next to the EL-300. I use several
blinking red LED arrays in the rear. I have considered soldering up wires to link these all together
to a central battery pack, of maybe rechargeable NiMH cells.

I bought a mess of 'AA' NiMH cells for my digital camera. I have a couple different sizes.. I run
both 1800 mwh and 2100 mwh, though 2300 (2350?) mwh is available. Right now I am testing two 1800
mwh 'AA" NiMH cells in a 3-LED flashing red light, the LED purchased at Long's Drug store for
$0.79!!! It has gone 72 hours so far! I think the NiMH have greater capacity than the Alkaline 'AA'
cells (if anyone knows some typical ratings for the alkalines, please tell me!)
 
>>I've just been looking at their Super_Spot 1-Watt LED headlight, and it looks to be superior to
>>the EL-500 in every way.
>
> Ok, can you give me some input as to why the Super Spot is superior to the EL-500?

Sorry, that was a typo on my part. I meant to write "EL-300". I have no experience with the EL-500.

++ Cornel Ormsby ++ +Henderson, Nevada+