Help With Lights for Night-time Riding Please

[Kevin Harper]

I'm after some advice please. I came back to cycling in the spring after a
good 20 year break and I'm thoroughly enjoying myself. I'm far healthier
and I've lost weight to boot! Due to work etc. I'm generally out riding
after 7.00pm and, of course, it's dark now at that time. My usual ride
splits into roughly one third local roads, one third main roads and one
third country roads / lanes. To ensure that I'm seen, I'm using an EL-520
and an HL-500BS on the front and a TL-LD260BS and a TL-LD1100 on the rear,
all being Cateye lights. The front lights are great until I hit the unlit
country roads, whereupon, seeing where I'm going can become a bit of
guesswork. I'm thinking of going the rechargeable twin light route, but the
variance in wattage, battery life and cost is tremendous. Can anybody
recommend something that should be adequate to use but will not break the
bank please? I'm normally out for about 45 minutes to an hour at a time.

Thanks in advance,

Kevin the Lurker

 

[Ben C]

On 2007-10-24, Kevin Harper <[email protected]> wrote:
> I'm after some advice please. I came back to cycling in the spring after a
> good 20 year break and I'm thoroughly enjoying myself. I'm far healthier
> and I've lost weight to boot! Due to work etc. I'm generally out riding
> after 7.00pm and, of course, it's dark now at that time. My usual ride
> splits into roughly one third local roads, one third main roads and one
> third country roads / lanes. To ensure that I'm seen, I'm using an EL-520
> and an HL-500BS on the front and a TL-LD260BS and a TL-LD1100 on the rear,
> all being Cateye lights. The front lights are great until I hit the unlit
> country roads, whereupon, seeing where I'm going can become a bit of
> guesswork. I'm thinking of going the rechargeable twin light route, but the
> variance in wattage, battery life and cost is tremendous. Can anybody
> recommend something that should be adequate to use but will not break the
> bank please? I'm normally out for about 45 minutes to an hour at a time.

These things are OK:

http://www.parker-international.co....yID/11/v/7936c7ad-806f-48df-b165-336554b28c0e

Mine were 6W+6W instead of 10W+2.4W and were a bit cheaper I think, but
otherwise similar.

The idea of 10+2.4 is presumably that you turn it down to 2.4 when
you're going through a village with street-lights to save batteries.

But if the ride home is only 1hr then I wouldn't bother-- just give it
four hours charging every day.

Quite bulky but very bright and you can certainly see where you're going
in pitch darkness. 4/5 stars.

 

[A.Lee]

Ben C <[email protected]> wrote:

> On 2007-10-24, Kevin Harper <[email protected]> wrote:
> > Can anybody
> > recommend something that should be adequate to use but will not break the
> > bank please? I'm normally out for about 45 minutes to an hour at a time.
>
> These things are OK:
>
> <http://www.parker-international.co.uk/ProductDetails/mcs/productID/6407/gr
> oupID/1/categoryID/11/v/7936c7ad-806f-48df-b165-336554b28c0e>

I would recommend these too. I've used them for 5 or 6 24hr MTB races,
and have never crashed at night!
They are nowhere near the brightest lights out there, but they are
clearly adequate for country lane use, and off-road riding - on mine I
rarely turned the 10w bulb on, as the 2.4w is fine for the speeds I do.

I've seen them for as little as £25. A spare battery can be bought from
Maplins for around £7, though the battery easily has 3 hours use on it,
probably more.

The next step up is something like the Busch and Muller Ixon, which can
be bought for use with 4 AA batteries at ~£50, or a rechargeable version
around £20 dearer at £70. Good bright light from this one, but I dont
think you'd get 2 hours from a set of Duracell betteries - NiMh
rechargables are recommended for it.
Alan.


--
To reply by e-mail, change the ' + ' to 'plus'.

 

[mb]

A.Lee wrote:
>
> The next step up is something like the Busch and Muller Ixon, which
> can be bought for use with 4 AA batteries at ~£50, or a rechargeable
> version around £20 dearer at £70. Good bright light from this one,
> but I dont think you'd get 2 hours from a set of Duracell betteries -
> NiMh rechargables are recommended for it.
> Alan.

Normal Ixon with charger and batteries:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300164684405

One isn't really enough though, I use 2 and it's "acceptable"

I think they have brighter lights, obviously more expensive.

--
Mike
Van Tuyl titanium Dura ace 10
Fausto Coppi aluminium Ultegra 10
Raleigh Record sprint mongrel
Huissoon project bike (in bits, natch)

 

[Kevin Harper]

"A.Lee" <alan@darkroom.+.com> wrote in message
news:1i6i0no.2yq8tzsvebguN%alan@darkroom.+.com...
> Ben C <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> On 2007-10-24, Kevin Harper <[email protected]> wrote:
>> > Can anybody
>> > recommend something that should be adequate to use but will not break
>> > the
>> > bank please? I'm normally out for about 45 minutes to an hour at a
>> > time.
>>
>> These things are OK:
>>
>> <http://www.parker-international.co.uk/ProductDetails/mcs/productID/6407/gr
>> oupID/1/categoryID/11/v/7936c7ad-806f-48df-b165-336554b28c0e>
>
> I would recommend these too. I've used them for 5 or 6 24hr MTB races,
> and have never crashed at night!
> They are nowhere near the brightest lights out there, but they are
> clearly adequate for country lane use, and off-road riding - on mine I
> rarely turned the 10w bulb on, as the 2.4w is fine for the speeds I do.
>
> I've seen them for as little as £25. A spare battery can be bought from
> Maplins for around £7, though the battery easily has 3 hours use on it,
> probably more.
>
> The next step up is something like the Busch and Muller Ixon, which can
> be bought for use with 4 AA batteries at ~£50, or a rechargeable version
> around £20 dearer at £70. Good bright light from this one, but I dont
> think you'd get 2 hours from a set of Duracell betteries - NiMh
> rechargables are recommended for it.
> Alan.

I was heading towards this type of thing anyway, so it's quite reassuring
that I'm going in the right direction. I'd be interested to know where
you've seen the smart ones for £25 - the going rate seems to be about £50.
Again, they also do a 6W + 6W version for about the same cost - is that
overkill or would it be worthwhile? The country lanes I use are totally
unlit.

Thanks for the help so far

Kevin

 

[A.Lee]

Kevin Harper <[email protected]> wrote:
snipped
>
> I was heading towards this type of thing anyway, so it's quite reassuring
> that I'm going in the right direction. I'd be interested to know where
> you've seen the smart ones for £25 - the going rate seems to be about £50.
> Again, they also do a 6W + 6W version for about the same cost - is that
> overkill or would it be worthwhile? The country lanes I use are totally
> unlit.


http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/id31435.html have the 6 / 6w one at £25.

I've seen the 10/2.4 in an ad in the MTB mags recently at £25.
Alan.
--
To reply by e-mail, change the ' + ' to 'plus'.

 

[A.Lee]

A.Lee <alan@darkroom.+.com> wrote:

> Kevin Harper <[email protected]> wrote:
> snipped
> >
> > I was heading towards this type of thing anyway, so it's quite reassuring
> > that I'm going in the right direction. I'd be interested to know where
> > you've seen the smart ones for £25 - the going rate seems to be about £50.
> > Again, they also do a 6W + 6W version for about the same cost - is that
> > overkill or would it be worthwhile? The country lanes I use are totally
> > unlit.
>
>
> http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/id31435.html have the 6 / 6w one at £25.
>
> I've seen the 10/2.4 in an ad in the MTB mags recently at £25.


The above link shows 'out of stock' for the 6/6, but they do have the
10/10 in stock.
Alan.

--
To reply by e-mail, change the ' + ' to 'plus'.

 

[Kevin Harper]

"A.Lee" <alan@darkroom.+.com> wrote in message
news:1i6iayd.e20nruqlr4ykN%alan@darkroom.+.com...
> A.Lee <alan@darkroom.+.com> wrote:
>
>> Kevin Harper <[email protected]> wrote:
>> snipped
>> >
>> > I was heading towards this type of thing anyway, so it's quite
>> > reassuring
>> > that I'm going in the right direction. I'd be interested to know where
>> > you've seen the smart ones for £25 - the going rate seems to be about
>> > £50.
>> > Again, they also do a 6W + 6W version for about the same cost - is that
>> > overkill or would it be worthwhile? The country lanes I use are
>> > totally
>> > unlit.
>>
>>
>> http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/id31435.html have the 6 / 6w one at £25.
>>
>> I've seen the 10/2.4 in an ad in the MTB mags recently at £25.
>
>
> The above link shows 'out of stock' for the 6/6, but they do have the
> 10/10 in stock.

Alan,

Thanks for this. SJS Cycles have the 6W+6W on their web site for £25 as
well. I think I will go for that.

Thanks again

Kevin

 

[Martin Dann]

Kevin Harper wrote:

> I was heading towards this type of thing anyway, so it's quite reassuring
> that I'm going in the right direction. I'd be interested to know where
> you've seen the smart ones for £25 - the going rate seems to be about £50.
> Again, they also do a 6W + 6W version for about the same cost - is that
> overkill or would it be worthwhile? The country lanes I use are totally
> unlit.

AIUI the only difference between the 10+2.4 and the 6+6 is the bulbs
carried in the lights.
If you want these lights then I would recommend buying the cheapest
option, and then buying bulbs to suit, keeping the other bulbs for spare.

I used to run a similar cateye system with 10+6, keeping a 2.4W bulb as
a spare, or for use if the battery was low.

Martin.

 

[Adam Lea]

On 24 Oct, 16:13, "Kevin Harper" <[email protected]> wrote:
> I'm after some advice please. I came back to cycling in the spring after a
> good 20 year break and I'm thoroughly enjoying myself. I'm far healthier
> and I've lost weight to boot! Due to work etc. I'm generally out riding
> after 7.00pm and, of course, it's dark now at that time. My usual ride
> splits into roughly one third local roads, one third main roads and one
> third country roads / lanes. To ensure that I'm seen, I'm using an EL-520
> and an HL-500BS on the front and a TL-LD260BS and a TL-LD1100 on the rear,
> all being Cateye lights. The front lights are great until I hit the unlit
> country roads, whereupon, seeing where I'm going can become a bit of
> guesswork. I'm thinking of going the rechargeable twin light route, but the
> variance in wattage, battery life and cost is tremendous. Can anybody
> recommend something that should be adequate to use but will not break the
> bank please? I'm normally out for about 45 minutes to an hour at a time.
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Kevin the Lurker

I bought these:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=15442

for my commute which is about 45 minutes almost entirely on unlit
couontry roads, often with potholes. They seem to do a good job of
lighting the road ahead, plus you can switch the 10W bulb off when
going through streetlit areas to conserve battery power.

 

[Kevin Harper]

"Martin Dann" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Kevin Harper wrote:
>
>> I was heading towards this type of thing anyway, so it's quite reassuring
>> that I'm going in the right direction. I'd be interested to know where
>> you've seen the smart ones for £25 - the going rate seems to be about
>> £50. Again, they also do a 6W + 6W version for about the same cost - is
>> that overkill or would it be worthwhile? The country lanes I use are
>> totally unlit.
>
> AIUI the only difference between the 10+2.4 and the 6+6 is the bulbs
> carried in the lights.
> If you want these lights then I would recommend buying the cheapest
> option, and then buying bulbs to suit, keeping the other bulbs for spare.
>
> I used to run a similar cateye system with 10+6, keeping a 2.4W bulb as a
> spare, or for use if the battery was low.
>

Martin,

That makes a lot of sense.

Thank you

Kevin

 

[squeaker]

On 24 Oct, 16:13, "Kevin Harper" <[email protected]> wrote:
> I'm thinking of going the rechargeable twin light route, but the
> variance in wattage, battery life and cost is tremendous.
Alternatively you could get a decent battery light (think German here)
with a sensible beam shape (not a wasteful cone) e.g. Trelock LS 730
(been pleased with mine) - less than £30 delivered from www.roseversand.de
Best if you invest in a decent AA charger too: but I guess you have
already done that for all your other lights?

 

[[email protected]]

On Oct 24, 5:00 pm, Ben C <[email protected]> wrote:

> These things are OK:
>
> http://www.parker-international.co.uk/ProductDetails/mcs/productID/64...
>

If you do buy these (and I've just bought my second set), it can be
worth a trip to Maplin to buy a charger like this
http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=27701&doy=25m10
for 15 quid to cut the risk of overcharging the battery. If you don't
fancy this, use the charger that comes with the lights on a timer so
you don't forget it and "cook" the battery. Always unplug the battery
when it starts to fizz (just press the container of heating lead-acid
gel which is plugged into the mains to your ear...).

David

 

[Kevin Harper]

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Oct 24, 5:00 pm, Ben C <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> These things are OK:
>>
>> http://www.parker-international.co.uk/ProductDetails/mcs/productID/64...
>>
>
> If you do buy these (and I've just bought my second set), it can be
> worth a trip to Maplin to buy a charger like this
> http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=27701&doy=25m10
> for 15 quid to cut the risk of overcharging the battery. If you don't
> fancy this, use the charger that comes with the lights on a timer so
> you don't forget it and "cook" the battery. Always unplug the battery
> when it starts to fizz (just press the container of heating lead-acid
> gel which is plugged into the mains to your ear...).
>
> David
>

I have now gone for a set of these (at £28) so your advice is rather useful.
I do have a timer, so I will probably use that.

Thanks

Kevin

 

[[email protected]]

On Oct 24, 4:13 pm, "Kevin Harper" <[email protected]> wrote:
> My usual ride
> splits into roughly one third local roads, one third main roads and one
> third country roads / lanes. To ensure that I'm seen, I'm using an EL-520
> and an HL-500BS on the front and a TL-LD260BS and a TL-LD1100 on the rear,
> all being Cateye lights. The front lights are great until I hit the unlit
> country roads, whereupon, seeing where I'm going can become a bit of
> guesswork. I'm thinking of going the rechargeable twin light route

I'm thinking of doing the same, although for slightly different
reasons, and have a supplementary question. Can I get away with
leaving rechargeable twin lights on the bike while it's parked all day
in a fairly public cycle shed, or do I need to remove them?

A colleague recently had her Cateye (not sure which) stolen. I find my
EL500 almost entirely adequate for what I do, but would rather have
something I can just leave on the bike. I was thinking of going down
the homebrew rechargeable route, but the type of lights talked about
here would suit me and save me some hassle.

AIUI dynamo light users don't bother removing their lights. I'm pretty
sure the homebrew arrangement I have in mind wouldn't get nicked, but
I'm not sure about a proper setup. (I'm not bothered about appearance
- making my bike look considerably tattier than it actually is forms
part of my anti-theft strategy.)

My other reason for going for something seriously bright is that my
main night cycling problem isn't seeing where I'm going but being
blinded by drivers who are slow/don't dip their lights. A very bright
main beam to be turned on when necessary (I meet about

 

[[email protected]]

On Oct 25, 4:10 pm, [email protected] wrote:
> On Oct 24, 4:13 pm, "Kevin Harper" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > My usual ride
> > splits into roughly one third local roads, one third main roads and one
> > third country roads / lanes. To ensure that I'm seen, I'm using an EL-520
> > and an HL-500BS on the front and a TL-LD260BS and a TL-LD1100 on the rear,
> > all being Cateye lights. The front lights are great until I hit the unlit
> > country roads, whereupon, seeing where I'm going can become a bit of
> > guesswork. I'm thinking of going the rechargeable twin light route
>
> I'm thinking of doing the same, although for slightly different
> reasons, and have a supplementary question. Can I get away with
> leaving rechargeable twin lights on the bike while it's parked all day
> in a fairly public cycle shed, or do I need to remove them?
>
> A colleague recently had her Cateye (not sure which) stolen. I find my
> EL500 almost entirely adequate for what I do, but would rather have
> something I can just leave on the bike. I was thinking of going down
> the homebrew rechargeable route, but the type of lights talked about
> here would suit me and save me some hassle.
>
> AIUI dynamo light users don't bother removing their lights. I'm pretty
> sure the homebrew arrangement I have in mind wouldn't get nicked, but
> I'm not sure about a proper setup. (I'm not bothered about appearance
> - making my bike look considerably tattier than it actually is forms
> part of my anti-theft strategy.)
>
> My other reason for going for something seriously bright is that my
> main night cycling problem isn't seeing where I'm going but being
> blinded by drivers who are slow/don't dip their lights. A very bright
> main beam to be turned on when necessary (I meet about

[not sure what happened there...]

.... one car per mile) is attractive.

Rob

 

[[email protected]]

On Oct 25, 4:10 pm, [email protected] wrote:
> On Oct 24, 4:13 pm, "Kevin Harper" <[email protected]> wrote:

> I'm thinking of doing the same, although for slightly different
> reasons, and have a supplementary question. Can I get away with
> leaving rechargeable twin lights on the bike while it's parked all day
> in a fairly public cycle shed, or do I need to remove them?
>

Folks will steal anything really. I'd take them off if I were you. I
leave the Smart lights fitted on the bike but they are pretty
knackered and covered in tape. I take the battery with me as I think
it is unlikely they'll just nick the lights and I usually charge the
battery at work. Also the parking is pretty secure. When I was
parking somewhere less secure I took the whole thing off. They slide
off the permanently fitted bracket in a jiffy. If you buy anything
decent, I'd make this a consideration.