A
Andrew Reddaway
Guest
Hi everyone. I cycle as my main mode of transport, on a commuter
(entry-level touring) and a good road bike. I do 1-3 hours in
darkness per week, on a mix of well-lit roads and dark bike/pedestrian
paths. Nothing extreme, just a few bunny-hops sometimes.
My current front light is a 4-year-old Cateye Daylite 5W/10W with a
rechargeable SLA battery that hangs off the frame. I also bought a
smart SLA charger from an electronics shop, which has been great. The
old Cateye has done a good job, but it's heavy, the battery is slowly
dying and I'd like a bit more power for dark downhills. Plus, the
"spot" light has always been misaligned to the right - annoying.
MUST HAVE
- Low power (eg 10W) and high power (eg total 20W) options
- Last for 2 hours including about 1 hour on high power.
- Rain-proof
- Battery not too heavy (less than 1Kg / 2.2lbs)
- Easy to switch between low and high power, even with gloves on
- Quick & easy to switch the whole system between 2 bikes (I'll get
an extra mounting bracket)
- Charger will accept 240V mains power
- Battery compatible with aftermarket smart "set and forget" charger,
to charge it up fast, detect when fully charged, then trickle.
- 2 lamps for redundancy & so I can appear as a "proper vehicle"
when I want
- Doesn't take up too much space on the handlebars
- Robust components - last for several years
- Bulbs & batteries don't burn out / degenerate too quickly
NICE TO HAVE
- Choice of either two batteries or one - less weight on short rides.
- Power cut-off when batteries reach damagingly low discharge levels
- Battery has minipump shape for easy mounting on bike-pump bracket
- Choice of focus beam and/or wide beam.
- Able to adjust direction of lamps while riding
- Lamps don't take up too much handlebar space
- Can charge the battery while it's still on the bike
- Good long-term availability of spare batteries, lamps etc.
Alternatively, parts that are easy to replace DIY.
- Battery charge status visible when riding
I've searched the manufacturers' sites (the Cateye and Nightrider
sites are **** by the way), newsgroups and online reviews, and it
looks like the Cateye ABS-25 meets all my "Must Haves", and most of
the "Nice to Haves". The price is OK if it does. I saw that the
supplied charger should only be used on two fully-discharged lights.
That would be annoying, but I plan to get a good smart-charger that
can charge one at a time. Some of the cateye ABS-20s I saw seemed to
have NICAD batteries and plastic lamp housings, otherwise I'd go for
that model.
http://www.cyclexpress.co.uk/products/Cateye_ABS_25_537.asp
Sooooo...
- Does this light meet my needs?
- Any other problems with it?
- Are there any better lights out there for me?
- What is a good smart charger to use with its batteries?
- I can't find it on any USA-based websites - why is this?
- How good is the Cateye support in Australia, if I buy the bike
online from overseas?
Thanks for your help!
Andrew
(entry-level touring) and a good road bike. I do 1-3 hours in
darkness per week, on a mix of well-lit roads and dark bike/pedestrian
paths. Nothing extreme, just a few bunny-hops sometimes.
My current front light is a 4-year-old Cateye Daylite 5W/10W with a
rechargeable SLA battery that hangs off the frame. I also bought a
smart SLA charger from an electronics shop, which has been great. The
old Cateye has done a good job, but it's heavy, the battery is slowly
dying and I'd like a bit more power for dark downhills. Plus, the
"spot" light has always been misaligned to the right - annoying.
MUST HAVE
- Low power (eg 10W) and high power (eg total 20W) options
- Last for 2 hours including about 1 hour on high power.
- Rain-proof
- Battery not too heavy (less than 1Kg / 2.2lbs)
- Easy to switch between low and high power, even with gloves on
- Quick & easy to switch the whole system between 2 bikes (I'll get
an extra mounting bracket)
- Charger will accept 240V mains power
- Battery compatible with aftermarket smart "set and forget" charger,
to charge it up fast, detect when fully charged, then trickle.
- 2 lamps for redundancy & so I can appear as a "proper vehicle"
when I want
- Doesn't take up too much space on the handlebars
- Robust components - last for several years
- Bulbs & batteries don't burn out / degenerate too quickly
NICE TO HAVE
- Choice of either two batteries or one - less weight on short rides.
- Power cut-off when batteries reach damagingly low discharge levels
- Battery has minipump shape for easy mounting on bike-pump bracket
- Choice of focus beam and/or wide beam.
- Able to adjust direction of lamps while riding
- Lamps don't take up too much handlebar space
- Can charge the battery while it's still on the bike
- Good long-term availability of spare batteries, lamps etc.
Alternatively, parts that are easy to replace DIY.
- Battery charge status visible when riding
I've searched the manufacturers' sites (the Cateye and Nightrider
sites are **** by the way), newsgroups and online reviews, and it
looks like the Cateye ABS-25 meets all my "Must Haves", and most of
the "Nice to Haves". The price is OK if it does. I saw that the
supplied charger should only be used on two fully-discharged lights.
That would be annoying, but I plan to get a good smart-charger that
can charge one at a time. Some of the cateye ABS-20s I saw seemed to
have NICAD batteries and plastic lamp housings, otherwise I'd go for
that model.
http://www.cyclexpress.co.uk/products/Cateye_ABS_25_537.asp
Sooooo...
- Does this light meet my needs?
- Any other problems with it?
- Are there any better lights out there for me?
- What is a good smart charger to use with its batteries?
- I can't find it on any USA-based websites - why is this?
- How good is the Cateye support in Australia, if I buy the bike
online from overseas?
Thanks for your help!
Andrew