Cree XR-E LED bicycle light

[Russell Lang]

My previous bike light used a Luxeon III LED,
http://www.ghostgum.com.au/misc/BikeLightV1.htm
and was based on Suzy's design
http://www.littlefishbicycles.com/bikelight/index.html

Since then, Cree released the XR-E LED with twice the efficiency of the older Luxeon LED. It was
time for a simple upgrade by replacing the LED and optics.

The results can be seen at
http://www.ghostgum.com.au/misc/BikeLightV1_5.htm

Old light was 80 lumens, new light is 170 lumens. The new beam has a bright spot in the middle, 4
times as bright as the old beam. I confirmed the improvement - I can see the spot on the road under
street lights.

Another method suggested for a bike light is to strap one of the Fenix torches (L1D CE or L2D CE) to
the handlebar or helmet.
http://www.torchworld.com.au/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=96&products_id=371
http://www.torchworld.com.au/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=96&products_id=370
These give 90 - 135 lumens on turbo power setting using one or two NiMH AA cells.

 

[Ray]

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
> My previous bike light used a Luxeon III LED,
> http://www.ghostgum.com.au/misc/BikeLightV1.htm
> and was based on Suzy's design
> http://www.littlefishbicycles.com/bikelight/index.html
>
> Since then, Cree released the XR-E LED with twice the efficiency of the older Luxeon LED. It was
> time for a simple upgrade by replacing the LED and optics.
>
> The results can be seen at
> http://www.ghostgum.com.au/misc/BikeLightV1_5.htm
>
> Old light was 80 lumens, new light is 170 lumens. The new beam has a bright spot in the middle, 4
> times as bright as the old beam. I confirmed the improvement - I can see the spot on the road under
> street lights.
>
> Another method suggested for a bike light is to strap one of the Fenix torches (L1D CE or L2D CE) to
> the handlebar or helmet.
> http://www.torchworld.com.au/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=96&products_id=371
> http://www.torchworld.com.au/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=96&products_id=370
> These give 90 - 135 lumens on turbo power setting using one or two NiMH AA cells.
>
>
>
>
Hi Russell,

I have my LEDs, but still find it impossible to source FCG optics, which
would be a drop in replacement for my lights, upgrading from Lux III's.

Did you just give up on getting FCG's, and went the smaller lens route
in sheer frustration?

Ray

 

[Russell Lang]

Ray,

> I have my LEDs, but still find it impossible to source FCG optics, which
> would be a drop in replacement for my lights, upgrading from Lux III's.
>
> Did you just give up on getting FCG's, and went the smaller lens route
> in sheer frustration?

I tried to get whatever optics were available from the supplier, Cutter Electronics. I tried to get
the Fraen FC and Khatod PL265, because these suited the XR-E and would fit in my existing light.
The Fraen FCG would not fit. In the end, the Fraen FC was the only suitable lens I received. There
is another optic (from a manufacturer whose name escapes me) which is even smaller and one user
didn't like the result.

I'm happy with the result. I'll give it a more serious test on Monday night when I need to use the
light on short trip.

 

[[email protected]]

Hi,
I read this thread when I was searching for info on bike lights. I've
moved to the country and need lights for night riding on unlit roads.
In the past I have used a halogen headlamp and a lead acid battery
which was OK but bulky. I read a whole lot of stuff about types of
lights and in the end I ordered a couple of Fenix L2D CE. I received
them today and I think maybe one would be enough but hey 2 of the
Fenix torches costs less than the high power halogen lamps with
rechargeables and they are very compact and I can use them for other
stuff.
Thanks for the suggestion Russell. I'm impressed with your light
building info.

Peter.

 

[roshea]

I have been using my Fenix L1D for commuting over the last couple of weeks and am very happy with it. I can run it on high for the one hour trip on a 2500 mAh NiMH cell with no noticable dimming and it is bright enough for urban commuting. The major issue I have, and this may be due to the way I attach it to the bars (using a Nite Ize Lite Ride), is that it tends to reset itself to "low" output mode if I hit a large bump, but this only happens a couple of times per trip. It can be tricky to alter the power settings while riding, since this needs a precise touch on the end cap.

 

[Donga]

On Apr 13, 10:38 pm, roshea <roshea.2oz...@no-
mx.forums.cyclingforums.com> wrote:
> I have been using my Fenix L1D for commuting over the last couple of
> weeks and am very happy with it. I can run it on high for the one hour
> trip on a 2500 mAh NiMH cell with no noticable dimming and it is bright
> enough for urban commuting. The major issue I have, and this may be due
> to the way I attach it to the bars (using a Nite Ize 'Lite Ride'
> (http://www.niteize.com/productdetail.php?category_id=28&product_id=79)),
> is that it tends to reset itself to "low" output mode if I hit a large
> bump, but this only happens a couple of times per trip. It can be
> tricky to alter the power settings while riding, since this needs a
> precise touch on the end cap.
>
> --
> roshea

Maybe you could put a lump of foam between the bars and the torch -
the damping might stop the reset.

donga

 

[roshea]

On Apr 13, 10:38 pm, roshea <roshea.2oz...@no-
mx.forums.cyclingforums.com> wrote:
> I have been using my Fenix L1D for commuting over the last couple of
> weeks and am very happy with it. I can run it on high for the one hour
> trip on a 2500 mAh NiMH cell with no noticable dimming and it is bright
> enough for urban commuting. The major issue I have, and this may be due
> to the way I attach it to the bars (using a Nite Ize 'Lite Ride'
> (http://www.niteize.com/productdetail.php?category_id=28&product_id=79)),
> is that it tends to reset itself to "low" output mode if I hit a large
> bump, but this only happens a couple of times per trip. It can be
> tricky to alter the power settings while riding, since this needs a
> precise touch on the end cap.
>
> --
> roshea

Maybe you could put a lump of foam between the bars and the torch -
the damping might stop the reset.

donga

Worth a try, and I have some foam from my previous version of torch mounting hardware. The "Lite Ride" wraps around the torch and the bars, holding the front and back of the torch (link in my earlier post). It is a real stretch to fit it around oversized handlebars, so I attached a Minoura "Swing Grip", which unfortunately adds some vibration to the system.