Selecting a front light for my bike

vernon said:

Having used a few low powered lights that are best used in an urban setting
with streelights I now want to have a front light that will illuminate unlit
country lanes sufficinetly enough to facilitate a 10-15mph trundle.

the thing is, the ratings used to describe the lamps are meaninless to
me...I can cope with 55 - 70W lbulbs as I have used them on motorcycles and
i have a good idea of their illuminating powers

However, 2.5W and 600 candle power do not mean a bean to me.

2.5W is the light a good dynamo will give out, plenty to trundle at
15mph on a reasonable road and equivalent to the brightest 'Ever Ready'
style (equivalent to your old CatEye. This will be brighter than almost
any LED lamp wiht the possible exception of the new 1W (or brighter)
luxeon which are perfectly usable for 15mph on and non-technical off
road.

Quoted message said:

. I had a Cat Eye Halogen lamp powered by 2D cells and found it a better
proposition than the EL200 that I now use. My Halogen light fell off its
mount and got run over by a car leaving me with the EL200 as my sole source
of front illumination. I am looking at the Cat Eye EL500 which is 1000
candle power and the Halfords Bike Hut 650 candle power rechargeable light

Can't fnd that one.

try the Electron
http://www.edinburgh-bicycle.co.uk/catalogue/detail.cfm?ID=21719 which
will give plenty of light for what you need, including the faster
downhills.

I have a couple of setups. The Smart 2.4/10W dual system
(http://wiggle.co.uk/Default.aspx?Main=ProductDetail.aspx&W=0&Manufacturer=&UberCatName=&Cat=cycle&CategoryName=Lights%20-%20Front&ProdID=5360009575&UberCat=0)
which is excellent value for money if you can find it on special
offer. Bright enough on 10W for 30mph+ on road, and goes for 8h on 2.4W
(which is bright enough for normal trundling) and the Knightlite 5/10W
unit which is equivalent except for the blue tinted bulbs (which I
don't like).

I prefer halogen to LED. I think it gives a better light, possibly due
to it being a complete wavelength spectrum rather than a set of very
restricted wavelengths.

Basically, for a decent light look at either 1W LED or a 2.4W or
brighter Halogen setup. Cheaper ones have lead-acid batteries which are
heavy. More expensive ones have NiMH which are lighter. Either way you
are looking at 40-60 quid for a set of lights. Given the saving over
buying batteries, the value for money is good, and you won't want to go
back to a D-cell light any time soon.

10W is more than enough for normal road riding. I have packed 25W on
the front before and the increase over 10W is marginal for the speeds I
travel at.

...d

vernon wrote:
I now want to have a front light that will illuminate unlit

Quoted message said:

country lanes sufficinetly enough to facilitate a 10-15mph trundle.

I use a Cateye ABS 10 and can recommend it. Better quality fittings
than the Smart Lead acid light I previously used and half the weight.
Plenty bright for unlit roads.
www.wiggle.co.uk/Default.aspx?Main=Manufacturer.aspx&W=0&UberCatName=&Manufacturer=Cateye&Cat=cycle&ProdID=&UberCat=0
Iain

"David Martin" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

vernon said:

Having used a few low powered lights that are best used in an urban
setting
with streelights I now want to have a front light that will illuminate
unlit
country lanes sufficinetly enough to facilitate a 10-15mph trundle.

the thing is, the ratings used to describe the lamps are meaninless to
me...I can cope with 55 - 70W lbulbs as I have used them on motorcycles
and
i have a good idea of their illuminating powers

However, 2.5W and 600 candle power do not mean a bean to me.

2.5W is the light a good dynamo will give out, plenty to trundle at
15mph on a reasonable road and equivalent to the brightest 'Ever Ready'
style (equivalent to your old CatEye. This will be brighter than almost
any LED lamp wiht the possible exception of the new 1W (or brighter)
luxeon which are perfectly usable for 15mph on and non-technical off
road.

Quoted message said:

. I had a Cat Eye Halogen lamp powered by 2D cells and found it a better
proposition than the EL200 that I now use. My Halogen light fell off its
mount and got run over by a car leaving me with the EL200 as my sole
source
of front illumination. I am looking at the Cat Eye EL500 which is 1000
candle power and the Halfords Bike Hut 650 candle power rechargeable
light

Can't fnd that one.

try the Electron
http://www.edinburgh-bicycle.co.uk/catalogue/detail.cfm?ID=21719 which
will give plenty of light for what you need, including the faster
downhills.

http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/acatalog/Electron_Lights.html

5W, loads of runtime, swap the bulb if you want to a 10W, and £30. Alloy
housings too.

vernon wrote:
<snippage>

Quoted message said:

. I had a Cat Eye Halogen lamp powered by 2D cells and found it a better
proposition than the EL200 that I now use.

Prolly the Cateye Hl500 halogen or similar - what Cateye made their
name with in the bicycle lighting arena...

Quoted message said:

My Halogen light fell off its
mount and got run over by a car leaving me with the EL200 as my sole source
of front illumination. I am looking at the Cat Eye EL500 which is 1000
candle power and the Halfords Bike Hut 650 candle power rechargeable light

Will either of these lamps meet my needs?

Non-wonderful things have been said about the El500, mainly it not
being as good as the El300, which is what I use. I've never tried the
EL500. The El300 works best in conjunction with a quality dynamo light,
as IME dynamo lights have tended to be similar in useful beam spread to
the HL500 (only brighter), don't use batteries, and can't easily be
forgotten when heading out just before it gets dark. Having said that,
its also pretty much as good as the HL500 on its own during the (rather
large) number of hours it runs on full power. Once it's into its backup
mode, you still get about 100 hours to get home, albeit in a slightly
less well lit stylee. Oh, it's BS approved too, which will be useful
for all of about a month before some new legislation about flashing
comes into force - see elsewhere for details on that.

If you want a rechargeable light, get an intelligent charger and
reachargeable NiMh AA cells to use in whatever light you get, not a
packaged solution from Halfords, which I remember as being synonymous
with north american trousers. This does get you into enough money to
look at Lumicycle/Smart/other Really Serious lights, but bear in mind
the battery maintenance issues these might bring if you're not a
regular night time cyclist, and prolly OTT if you used to be happy with
the HL500-ish thingy. Actually, it may just be fashion and the cost of
D cells that has stopped me from using my HL500. Er, no, actually it
was getting the El300...

JimP

in message <[email hidden]>, JimP

(') said:

This does get you into enough money to
look at Lumicycle/Smart/other Really Serious lights, but bear in mind
the battery maintenance issues these might bring if you're not a
regular night time cyclist, and prolly OTT if you used to be happy with
the HL500-ish thingy

Lumicycle or any of their close competitors do not have 'battery
maintenance problems' if you get the 'intelligent' chargers. Just leave
them plugged in all summer and the batteries will be fine. If you want
lots and lots of light for limited periods (i.e. up to two hours) then
Lumicycle-type halogens and HIDs do that very well, provided you
remember to recharge them. If you want lots of light for longer you want
to look at Solidlights or USE Exposures, which cost even more.
<URL:http://www.solidlights.co.uk/>
<URL:http://www.exposurelights.com/>

However, if you want lots of light always available without having to
bother about batteries or recharging or any of that stuff, you want a
hub dynamo - ideally a SON - and a Solidlights 1203D which is ugly as
sin (or slightly uglier) but which really seems to be the answer for
getting the most light possible out of a dynamo. But you're into
seriously scary money...
<URL:http://www.solidlights.co.uk/products/1203d.php>
<URL:http://www.nabendynamo.de/>
<URL:http://www.kinetics-online.co.uk/html/son_hub_dynamo.shtml>

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; It appears that /dev/null is a conforming XSL processor.

In message <[email hidden]>, JimP
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Non-wonderful things have been said about the El500, mainly it not
being as good as the El300, which is what I use.

Quoted message said:

Oh, it's BS approved too, which will be useful
for all of about a month before some new legislation about flashing
comes into force - see elsewhere for details on that.

I thought that was just for rear lights, not front lights.
--
Chris French

Quoted message said:

I thought that was just for rear lights, not front lights.

I thought it was for flashing lights. These come in front and rear
flavours.

Simon Brooke said:

Lumicycle or any of their close competitors do not have 'battery
maintenance problems' if you get the 'intelligent' chargers. Just leave
them plugged in all summer and the batteries will be fine.

Careful. Lumicycle have since retracted that advice, even with the smart
charger.

http://www.lumicycle.com/Pages/CMS.aspx?MIS=48

How do I store my NiMH battery during the off-season when it is not
being used and what is the rate of self-discharge?

NiMH batteries should be stored in a cool place when not in use for
extended periods. During this time, they should be charged every 60-90
days to counter the self-discharge rate which is approximately 30% per
month. The first time you use your lighting system again after this
period there are some important instructions. The battery should be (1)
fully charged and then (2) only partially discharged (50-75%) before it
is again (3) fully charged. After this it can be used normally. This
maintenance regime ensures that any ‘sleepy’ cells are fully
re-activated and thus ensures the continuing performance of your battery.

http://www.lumicycle.com/Pages/CMS.aspx?MIS=50

NiMH BATTERY Never allow battery to run flat. Turn off or unplug lamps
immediately lamps start to fade. Do not continue to use them when dim.
Failure to do this can damage battery. Recharge as soon as possible.
These are not Ni-Cad batteries so do not attempt to flatten before
charging or leave in a discharged state. Charge and store the battery in
a cool environment (0-20ºC). Charge before storing for a prolonged
period and we recommend charging the battery every couple of months in
storage! To revitalize your battery after Summer Storage: Charge fully,
use only ½-¾ of battery. Fully recharge again, your battery is now
revitalised.

FAST CHARGER Charger will charge battery to 95% in 1-4 hours in fast
charge mode (Red Light). It will then switch to top off mode (Green/
Orange) and finally to trickle charge (Green). It is safe and
recommended to leave the battery on trickle charge for up to 24 Hours
whenever possible.

--
Mark.
http://tranchant.plus.com/

Quoted message said:

Lumicycle or any of their close competitors do not have 'battery
maintenance problems' if you get the 'intelligent' chargers.

The point I was making there was about the Halfords rechargeable
lightset, not Lumicycles etc. IME (which is that of Halfords' ones,
unfortunately) some of the rechargeable Halfords ones can last a
negative amount of time, due to being borked before you even bought
them. However, if you think there are absolutely no battery maintenance
problems with available rechargeable technologies from some of the
better manufacturers, you would be wrong. Even Lumicycle acknowledge
what the common problems are. Heres a quote from their website about
NiMH:
"Limitations

1. High self-discharge - typically 50% higher than Ni-Cad.
2. Performance degrades if stored at elevated temperatures - NiMH
should be stored in a cool place at 100% state-of-charge. "

and here's one about Li-ion:

"Limitations

1. Subject to aging, even if not in use - storing the battery in a
cool place and at 40% charge reduces the aging effect.
2. Cost - greater than NiMH.
3. Not fully mature - metals and chemicals are changing on a
continuing basis."

This from:
http://www.lumicycle.com/Pages/CMS.aspx?MIS=36

The management of these limitations I would refer to as battery
maintenance, and would respectfully suggest that this makes your
comment above a little too strongly worded to be strictly true.

I could also have phrased my comments a bit better, but I think I've
now made myself clear on a point I wasn't intending to make. In
practice, with insufficient maintenance, you may find expensive NiMH or
Li-ion batteries failing within a couple of years. Things do get a lot
better if you read and follow the manufacturers reccomendations - do we
have any stats on how many people do that?

JimP

In message <[email hidden]>, JimP
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I thought that was just for rear lights, not front lights.

I thought it was for flashing lights. These come in front and rear
flavours.

Yes, I know, but I thought the bit about them being legal applied just
to rear lights, for some reason.

However having checked back with the recent posts made re this the CTC
press release does say that it apples to both front and rear lights, so
I was obviously mistaken.

Not that I like flashing front lights, only purpose for them seems to me
to make a cycle that doesn't have BS lights legal
--
Chris French

David Martin said:

vernon said:

Having used a few low powered lights that are best used in an urban setting
with streelights I now want to have a front light that will illuminate unlit
country lanes sufficinetly enough to facilitate a 10-15mph trundle.

the thing is, the ratings used to describe the lamps are meaninless to
me...I can cope with 55 - 70W lbulbs as I have used them on motorcycles and
i have a good idea of their illuminating powers

However, 2.5W and 600 candle power do not mean a bean to me.

Quoted message said:

2.5W is the light a good dynamo will give out, plenty to trundle at
15mph on a reasonable road and equivalent to the brightest 'Ever Ready'
style (equivalent to your old CatEye. This will be brighter than almost
any LED lamp wiht the possible exception of the new 1W (or brighter)
luxeon which are perfectly usable for 15mph on and non-technical off
road.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

. I had a Cat Eye Halogen lamp powered by 2D cells and found it a better
proposition than the EL200 that I now use. My Halogen light fell off its
mount and got run over by a car leaving me with the EL200 as my sole source
of front illumination. I am looking at the Cat Eye EL500 which is 1000
candle power and the Halfords Bike Hut 650 candle power rechargeable light

Quoted message said:

Can't fnd that one.

Quoted message said:

try the Electron
http://www.edinburgh-bicycle.co.uk/catalogue/detail.cfm?ID=21719 which
will give plenty of light for what you need, including the faster
downhills.

Quoted message said:

I have a couple of setups. The Smart 2.4/10W dual system
(http://wiggle.co.uk/Default.aspx?Main=ProductDetail.aspx&W=0&Manufacturer=&UberCatName=&Cat=cycle&CategoryName=Lights%20-%20Front&ProdID=5360009575&UberCat=0)
which is excellent value for money if you can find it on special
offer. Bright enough on 10W for 30mph+ on road, and goes for 8h on 2.4W
(which is bright enough for normal trundling) and the Knightlite 5/10W
unit which is equivalent except for the blue tinted bulbs (which I
don't like).

Quoted message said:

I prefer halogen to LED. I think it gives a better light, possibly due
to it being a complete wavelength spectrum rather than a set of very
restricted wavelengths.

Quoted message said:

Basically, for a decent light look at either 1W LED or a 2.4W or
brighter Halogen setup. Cheaper ones have lead-acid batteries which are
heavy. More expensive ones have NiMH which are lighter. Either way you
are looking at 40-60 quid for a set of lights.

You should be able to get the Smart 1 Watt White LED bike lamp for
little over 20 quid if you shop around. Takes 4 AAs, either alkaline
or rechargeable. It's a better light than any of the several 2.4W
halogens I've had over the years, a lot better than most, a little
better than the best. I'm quite happy cycling at night at 15mph on
unlit bosky cycle paths with it. Well, no, I'm not, but it's not the
light that's inadequate, it's intoxicated teenagers who like to throw
things at passing cyclists.

--
Chris Malcolm [email hidden] +44 (0)131 651 3445 DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]

Axa front dynamo + light unit; cheap, effective, easy to mount/demount
as and when you need it. Light plenty bright enough for fast riding on
roads and careful riding on trails where you can maintain speed and not
have to slow down below about 10kph - only when it's pitch dark, slow
speed in twilight or moonlight OK anyway.
cheers

Jacob

I can't stand front flashers either. If I were to feel the need to be
Really Seen from the front, I would shirley get one of those reflective
vests and one of those lights ina-as-featured-on-tomorrows-word stylee
with which to illuminate it, and ride on the correct side of the road.
But, where I live, you stand out like a sore thumb compared to all the
other cyclists if you have any sort of lights.

That was so much more pleasant than the nobody-duck type of exchange,
which seems to be getting a little common around these parts recently.
For more than one value of common.

JimP

"vernon" wrote in message ...

Quoted message said:

Having used a few low powered lights that are best used in an urban
setting
with streelights I now want to have a front light that will illuminate
unlit
country lanes sufficinetly enough to facilitate a 10-15mph trundle.

the thing is, the ratings used to describe the lamps are meaninless to
me...I can cope with 55 - 70W lbulbs as I have used them on motorcycles
and
i have a good idea of their illuminating powers

However, 2.5W and 600 candle power do not mean a bean to me.

. I had a Cat Eye Halogen lamp powered by 2D cells and found it a better
proposition than the EL200 that I now use. My Halogen light fell off its
mount and got run over by a car leaving me with the EL200 as my sole
source
of front illumination. I am looking at the Cat Eye EL500 which is 1000
candle power and the Halfords Bike Hut 650 candle power rechargeable light

Will either of these lamps meet my needs?

Ta Vernon

Shimano Nexus hub generator w/ Lumotec headlight w/ standlight? For more
money you could get the Shimano DH-3N70 hub generator w/ higher quality
bearings and less weight. Or you could just go for the Schmidt hub w/ dual
Schmidt E6 lights, but that's a little much for 10-15 mph trundles.

I've been using the Lumotec headlight w/ standlight for a couple months now,
it's excellent for the riding you describe. The Shimano DH-3N70 hub
generator won't impress your friends the way a Schmidt would, but for less
than 1/2 the price of the Schmidt it's awfully good value.
--
mark

David Martin ([email hidden]) wrote:
: try the Electron
: http://www.edinburgh-bicycle.co.uk/catalogue/detail.cfm?ID=21719 which
: will give plenty of light for what you need, including the faster
: downhills.

That's the one I've got. Claimed runtime of 5.5 hours with the standard
5w bulb but I swapped it for a 10w. And it uses a Nimh battery when most
of the others around that price use Nicad or lead acid. 30 quid (and
post free) from Chain Reaction Cycles.

Blair