Dimming lights

[Bazzer]

well I can tell you that I have not seen a sub £100 light that is as bright as this. I only paid £16 for mine last year

I travel long distances in pitch dark on unlit cyclepaths and roads. The difference that it makes is that with another light, I'd be cycling between 12-15km per hour vs 25-27 km/hr with this solarstorm.

use mine on the dimmest setting on a headband. It's bright and I can see far. I have a large garden.... (back garden is approx 40m long .... on dim, I can see the neighbour's garden shed very clearly which is approx 50 meters away

Which might suggest a cyclist coming from the opposite direction, might find them a tad bright? - Especially if they are at eye level.

 

[mjr]

What is the preferred option for 'to be seen' lights in well lit areas?

There isn't one, basically. If an area's well-lit, you aren't going to be brighter than the streetlights (which are permanently wired into the mains) so you might as well concentrate on making your bike reflect the streetlights and headlights (reflectors, reflective tape/panels on mudguards and so on) and pick your lights for their "to see" ability.

 

[MontyVeda]

Those lenses work well. You can also buy self adhesive tape.

they do, but are completely the wrong size for my current light... have you got a link to the tape?

 

[mythste]

I have one of those powerful cheap Chinese Solarstorm with the 3 lamps:

these are as bright as a Volvo bus's headlights. I need a strong light as I commute on some lanes/cycle paths that have no street lights and very dark

I use the headband, and it works brilliant .... if I want to see a bit further ahead, I tilt my head up slightly .... if another bike approaches, I look to the left or right or down, so as not to blind them. I use mine on the lowest setting (it has 3 settings), and even with that setting, I can maintain speeds on 28-30km on very dark roads. My light was £16 off ebay last year, and I very much doubt than any light that costs approx £100 will be better or brighter

I emplore you to not mount this on anything other than your handlebars and pointed down! You'll still have plenty to see by and by your own reasoning you're either having to turn your eyesight away from oncoming traffic (daft) or blind oncoming traffic (also daft).

Seriously, I have one, half of my 11 mile commute is pitch black and although I didnt think a Lezyne 400xl would be enough, it abosloutely is.

I'm only keeping the solar storm for off road night MTB stuff. If I ever get that far!

 

[confusedcyclist]

As newbie cyclist I was unaware that lights had to be pointed down to avoid blinding others... I kept them more or less horizontal for fear that I wouldn't be seen by cars... seems like common sense in hindsight, but clearly it was not, I just avoided using the highest setting which I suppose was a lesser of two evils.

No clip on lights that I have purchased mentioned where to aim the beam in the mounting instructions, although they do say avoid dazzling others, which isn't that helpful. (My current dynamo light being the only exception)

If I ever saw a cyclist doing this nowadays, I would simply stop and have a quick chat and be on my way.

 

[Jody]

@Bazzer Mounting on a helmet is a bit unecessary unless you are riding trails at night, in which you would need it to be directional. Bar mount will surfice and pointed way down like others have suggested.

 

[fossyant]

they do, but are completely the wrong size for my current light... have you got a link to the tape?

Can't find a direct link, but if you look on ebay for frosted film, a small sheet of that works. I've seen people use frosting or the wide angle tape on the top half of the lens. I'll keep looking though

 

[confusedcyclist]

Here's a good example of aiming a bright beam effectively, this is the B&M IQ-X dynamo light:

 

[MontyVeda]

Can't find a direct link, but if you look on ebay for frosted film, a small sheet of that works. I've seen people use frosting or the wide angle tape on the top half of the lens. I'll keep looking though

this sort of thing (intended for theatre lighting rather than bathroom windows)?

 

[Jody]

Here's a good example of aiming a bright beam effectively, this is the B&M IQ-X dynamo light:

I like the spread on that.

 

[fossyant]

this sort of thing (intended for theatre lighting rather than bathroom windows)?

Certainly for the top part of the lens. I've seen folk experiment with even just a quarter. That's quite heavy, but would produce a scattered light, and would leave the lower part for distance. It's worth experimenting.

 

[MontyVeda]

Here's a good example of aiming a bright beam effectively, this is the B&M IQ-X dynamo light:

what's seen from the saddle isn't what oncomers see... so that image is useless.

without a proper diffusing lens, my light is still too bright even when dipped as yours is. which is why it's pretty much aimed at my front wheel.

 

[mjr]

As newbie cyclist I was unaware that lights had to be pointed down to avoid blinding others...

They don't all. Like that IQ-X, some have a downward spread so can be nearly horizontal.

No clip on lights that I have purchased mentioned where to aim the beam in the mounting instructions, although they do say avoid dazzling others, which isn't that helpful.

Maybe they should spell it out? "1. Fit light; 2. turn light on; 3. leave bike on stand or leaning against something and walk a goodly distance in front of bike (20m, say); 4. look at bike. Can you still see? No? Then you'll be dazzling oncoming traffic, self-gratification artist! Have another try!"

Not as easy with dynamo lights (most of which now go into powersaving standlight mode when the bike's not moving), so they tend to have something to line up with a spirit level or similar.

If I ever saw a cyclist doing this nowadays, I would simply stop and have a quick chat and be on my way.

I don't stop and have an even quicker chat, mostly in Anglo-Saxon that would get filtered out here!

 

[freiston]

well I can tell you that I have not seen a sub £100 light that is as bright as this. I only paid £16 for mine last year

I travel long distances in pitch dark on unlit cyclepaths and roads. The difference that it makes is that with another light, I'd be cycling between 12-15km per hour vs 25-27 km/hr with this solarstorm.

use mine on the dimmest setting on a headband. It's bright and I can see far. I have a large garden.... (back garden is approx 40m long .... on dim, I can see the neighbour's garden shed very clearly which is approx 50 meters away

If you need a light that bright for those speeds then imho your light is poorly designed for road use. I can cycle comfortably on unlit winding single track lanes (with pot-holes, horse muck and fly-tipped all-sorts including builder's rubble and a fridge) at 25 mph with a B&M IQ Cyo T Premium which is rated at 80 lux and does not dazzle other road users without any need for dipping or dimming.

Here's an article written by someone who has used most types of light discussed here - linky

B&M reference two Ixon IQ Speed lamps at 50 lux each as being approximately 190 lumens (source)

I gave up on my Fenix BT20 rated a 750 lumens because as a road light, it didn't have a useful beam pattern - even after I fixed a large reflective visor onto it (see here and here for pictures).

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

well I can tell you that I have not seen a sub £100 light that is as bright as this. I only paid £16 for mine last year

I travel long distances in pitch dark on unlit cyclepaths and roads. The difference that it makes is that with another light, I'd be cycling between 12-15km per hour vs 25-27 km/hr with this solarstorm.

use mine on the dimmest setting on a headband. It's bright and I can see far. I have a large garden.... (back garden is approx 40m long .... on dim, I can see the neighbour's garden shed very clearly which is approx 50 meters away

Cost isn't the point. The point is that some of these super high quoted lumen lamps (solarstorm is a common one) put out a beam of light that is either unusable as it's a big circle (known as a hotspot) or it spreads light so far to the peripheral it is going to do nothing but dazzle rabbits,walkers or other road users no matter what you do.

I'm a huge fan and believer in lower lumen ratings and diffuser lens installed. The beam of light is softer and far more useful.

Pics borrowed from the internets, but I hope you can see the idea.

See how much more usable the light in the last pic is?