Brompton front light recommendation needed

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

doginabag

Senior Member
I had a bit of a close call this morning and came closer than I would have liked to being under a Nisan Nirvara.


View: https://youtu.be/R0aZqtEq3-k
Audio removed due to getting a bit sweary.
Caught up with the guy about a mile down the road to try and explain to him the error of his ways and his only defense was that he didn't see me.

I'm pretty confident that was a load of balls and was just another case of "putting your foot down so I don't get stuck behind a bloody cyclist!" but I would now like to do whatever is can to stop that being an excuse next time.

I have one of these cheap ebay eleventy billion lumen lights with the separate battery pack which I use for the winter, but the flashing mode is not far off being stroboscopic and I don't want to be responsible for giving anyone seizures so I only ever use it as fully on.

I have seen some of these slower pulsing lights that some cyclists use and they seem to be pretty good for making yourself seen during the day. So can anyone recommend one of these that will fit on a Brompton with S bars and not interfere with the fold?
 

Drago

Legendary Member
Looks like broad daylight to me. No obstructions to view. Assuming his eyesight is normal, he either didn't look or didn't care.

Could have been nasty, glad you're OK.
 

12boy

Guru
Location
Casper WY USA
There are quite a few blinkies available that have rechargeable batteries and are very visible. I have a Lezyne at present but Cateye and Knog also come to mind. They have stretchy straps that allow them to attach to seat posts, and handle bars and have a USB port attachment that can plug into your PC at work, if you have one there. Mine are good for multiple trips in blinky mode, and while they cost more initially, there are no batteries to replace. They work best when dark or overcast and are definitely cheaper than a trip to the emergency room. If you don't already wear a high vis jacket or vest that will help too.
 
OP
OP
doginabag

doginabag

Senior Member
I have a set of Lezne Femto's which I use set to flash along side fixed lights at night. But during the day they are not bright enough to be noticeable.

The ones I am thinking of are constantly on, but with an higher powered flash but what I have seen so far are pretty expensive.
 

oldwheels

Legendary Member
Location
Isle of Mull
I removed the front white reflector and using an epoxy fixed a battery light approximately the same size as the reflector. Stays there permanently for emergency use and looks just like the reflector to any nosey but uninformed person. The bike is not handy just now so cannot remember make etc. It sits under the front bag and does not interfere with anything. Look around and you will find something. I think it came from Tesco and takes AAA batteries.
 

srw

It's a bit more complicated than that...
That was a simple case of driver-not-looking. The car didn't slow down. No light will sort that - just ride assertively but defensively and expect that when a mini roundabout has a straight-on option every so often (rarely) someone will be a twunt.

If you really want a Brompton front light option, use a dynamo hub.
 

TheDoctor

Europe Endless
Moderator
Location
The TerrorVortex
Aldi had little USB chargeable lights recently, and my local one still had them last week
Pretty sure Decathlon do them too. Steady and flashing modes.
Not sure they'd have helped in your case though...
 
I had a bit of a close call this morning and came closer than I would have liked to being under a Nisan Nirvara.


View: https://youtu.be/R0aZqtEq3-k
Audio removed due to getting a bit sweary.
Caught up with the guy about a mile down the road to try and explain to him the error of his ways and his only defense was that he didn't see me.

I'm pretty confident that was a load of balls and was just another case of "putting your foot down so I don't get stuck behind a bloody cyclist!" but I would now like to do whatever is can to stop that being an excuse next time.

I have one of these cheap ebay eleventy billion lumen lights with the separate battery pack which I use for the winter, but the flashing mode is not far off being stroboscopic and I don't want to be responsible for giving anyone seizures so I only ever use it as fully on.

I have seen some of these slower pulsing lights that some cyclists use and they seem to be pretty good for making yourself seen during the day. So can anyone recommend one of these that will fit on a Brompton with S bars and not interfere with the fold?


According to the British Epilepsy Association there is only one recorded incident of photo-epilepsy triggered by a bicycle light and that was during fitting at very close proximity

As a rule photo-epilepsy requires a very narrow band of flashing rates, and bicycle lights are outside of this.

The chances of triggering an epileptic fit are very small
 

Kell

Veteran
I've got two Lezyne 300 XL lights on mine. Mounted on the left hand side of hte bars, they don't interfere with the fold at all.

They were (from memory) £14.99 on sale.

I bought one to replace a 600XL Macro drive that the USB port had broken on and I could no longer charge. As they're half the lumens, they're nowhere near as bright, but still good enough for 'be seen' lights rather than 'see by' lights if that makes sense.

My only problem with them (and all other lights that use that rubberised mounting system) is that after hitting one or two potholes, they end up pointing at the floor.

In the end, I bought two Hope mounts and screwed the lights onto those instead.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/hope-universal-handlebar-mount/rp-prod23533?gs=1&utm_source=google&utm_term=&utm_campaign=Chain Reaction-UK-PLA-PLA-All-DT-SE-Shopping QLB Manufacturer Desktop&utm_medium=base&utm_content=mkwid|sZeeOGCPH_dc|pcrid|161854541222|pkw||pmt||prd|72337UK
 
Last edited:

Kell

Veteran
IMG_9217.JPG
IMG_9216.JPG
 

Cycleops

Legendary Member
Location
Accra, Ghana
I had a bit of a close call this morning and came closer than I would have liked to being under a Nisan Nirvara.


View: https://youtu.be/R0aZqtEq3-k
Audio removed due to getting a bit sweary.
Caught up with the guy about a mile down the road to try and explain to him the error of his ways and his only defense was that he didn't see me.

I'm pretty confident that was a load of balls and was just another case of "putting your foot down so I don't get stuck behind a bloody cyclist!" but I would now like to do whatever is can to stop that being an excuse next time.

I have one of these cheap ebay eleventy billion lumen lights with the separate battery pack which I use for the winter, but the flashing mode is not far off being stroboscopic and I don't want to be responsible for giving anyone seizures so I only ever use it as fully on.

I have seen some of these slower pulsing lights that some cyclists use and they seem to be pretty good for making yourself seen during the day. So can anyone recommend one of these that will fit on a Brompton with S bars and not interfere with the fold?

At least you would have been in Nirvana.

As srw said no amount of flashing lights would sort that driver out, only a frontal lobotomy.
 
Top Bottom