A
Anonymous Cowar
Guest
On Wed, 03 Mar 2004 16:49:00 +0000, Doki wrote:
>
>
> Richard Bates wrote:
>> On Wed, 3 Mar 2004 16:20:15 -0000, in <[email protected]>, "Doki"
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>> Any ideas on what lamps to get? I don't want one of those naff flashing LED things on the back
>>> or something that gives out as much light as one of those photon lights strapped to the front.
>>> Proper lights please, preferably as bright as a car tail light at the back (15W Halogen IIRC)
>>> and at least 30W facing forwards...
>>
>> 30W up front will require a battery almost as heavy as the bike itself!
>
> I'm only guessing... 2.5 amps at 14V just needs a lot of NiMH cells and won't last very long
.
> I've just remembered that car brake lights aren't halogens, so you'd probably get by with 5W of
> halogen at the back...
>
>> I would seriously consider LEDs for the rear, and I would also recommend investigating Cateye
>> front LEDs - These are white rather than the naff green ones that you may be thinking of.
>>
>> Hope this helps.
>
> I drive a car and know how difficult it is to see idiot cyclists who think that 5 candle power is
> going to show up against street lamps, headlamps and car brake lamps. I don't want to end up
> under a car, and unless you have a mass of superbright LEDs you're not very easy to see.
Then get a mass of superbright LEDs. I think you're right to be concerned about the cheaper LED
lamps that can be pathetic and often break down (hard to tell, when you can't see them). Cateye do
some good ones. Lots of new car lamps come with LED rear lights nowadays so there's nothing
fundementally wrong with LEDs as a light source.
I can't remember the exact efficiency comparison, but 1W of rear LEDs is probably going to be
brighter than any reasonable wattage of filament lights seen through a red filter. Old bike lights
legally only had to be 0.6W IIRC.
Front lights are for two purposes - one is to light your way in the dark. The other is so that other
people can see you.
To light your way, you don't need such powerful lights as a car has, because your top speed will be
slower. 3W is quite enough. To be seen by others I'd suggest a head-torch set on a narrow beam. When
you see a car waiting to come out of a junction (this is where most accidents happen), point your
head-torch beam directly at the driver. A small head-torch won't blind anyone, but it will allow you
to be seen without carrying a ridiculous amount of batteries.
I've seen some good safety jackets made out of yellow mesh with reflective strips built in. You can
wear them over anything, and they won't make you sweaty in the summer.
>
>
> Richard Bates wrote:
>> On Wed, 3 Mar 2004 16:20:15 -0000, in <[email protected]>, "Doki"
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>> Any ideas on what lamps to get? I don't want one of those naff flashing LED things on the back
>>> or something that gives out as much light as one of those photon lights strapped to the front.
>>> Proper lights please, preferably as bright as a car tail light at the back (15W Halogen IIRC)
>>> and at least 30W facing forwards...
>>
>> 30W up front will require a battery almost as heavy as the bike itself!
>
> I'm only guessing... 2.5 amps at 14V just needs a lot of NiMH cells and won't last very long
.> I've just remembered that car brake lights aren't halogens, so you'd probably get by with 5W of
> halogen at the back...
>
>> I would seriously consider LEDs for the rear, and I would also recommend investigating Cateye
>> front LEDs - These are white rather than the naff green ones that you may be thinking of.
>>
>> Hope this helps.
>
> I drive a car and know how difficult it is to see idiot cyclists who think that 5 candle power is
> going to show up against street lamps, headlamps and car brake lamps
. I don't want to end up> under a car, and unless you have a mass of superbright LEDs you're not very easy to see.
Then get a mass of superbright LEDs. I think you're right to be concerned about the cheaper LED
lamps that can be pathetic and often break down (hard to tell, when you can't see them). Cateye do
some good ones. Lots of new car lamps come with LED rear lights nowadays so there's nothing
fundementally wrong with LEDs as a light source.
I can't remember the exact efficiency comparison, but 1W of rear LEDs is probably going to be
brighter than any reasonable wattage of filament lights seen through a red filter. Old bike lights
legally only had to be 0.6W IIRC.
Front lights are for two purposes - one is to light your way in the dark. The other is so that other
people can see you.
To light your way, you don't need such powerful lights as a car has, because your top speed will be
slower. 3W is quite enough. To be seen by others I'd suggest a head-torch set on a narrow beam. When
you see a car waiting to come out of a junction (this is where most accidents happen), point your
head-torch beam directly at the driver. A small head-torch won't blind anyone, but it will allow you
to be seen without carrying a ridiculous amount of batteries.
I've seen some good safety jackets made out of yellow mesh with reflective strips built in. You can
wear them over anything, and they won't make you sweaty in the summer.
