Darkness descending on us all.

[jonathan ellis]

Arghhh

my head is planning a "bike to work scheme"
were i buy goodies but not a bike!

it may just work - but its evanscyles only...

 

[Jake]

there's someone on the towpath who blinds me each evening, not sure who it is. the path is pitchblack with no lightening at all, so your eyes have to get used it. so there you are, cycling along slolwy trying the best to see and along comes a cylcist with god knows what light it is blinding everything in its path and ruining my nightvision. Good for him, bad for me. oh well, perhaps i should strap a car batery to my back hehe.

I've ranted about joggers not wearing any refelective clothing and cyclists wiht no lights.

 

[domtyler]

If you are serious about cycling then a Schmidt Dynohub with Busch and Mueller lights are the way to go. Obviously this is a fairly serious outlay but will pay for itself over time. No batteries to charge or buy. No forgetting the lights! No fade. On mine I don't even need to flick a switch as they are automatic.

 

[Plax]

Probably a bit of a thick question, but how does lumens equate to watts e.g. 10 lumens = ??? Watts

 

[fossyant]

It does and doesn't - the more watts, the more lumens usually...... Lumens is the better guide to light output.

That said, I might be in the market for new lights - literally blew up my BLT battery pack the other night - bought a new charger, plugged it in, and the bloody battery pack start's pouring out smoke......

"Oh shoot"....grab pack and fling it outside...... the new charger had fried all the wires inside the battery pack, and it had gone up - had to pour water on it to stop the flames.....

 

[twowheelsgood]

Get a cheap torch (can be had for under £20 off 'internet) containing the Seoul semiconductor P7 LED and use a rubber mount (I use a zefal strap design for a pump). This has 4 LED dice on it and will make ayups and the like look very sad and overpriced indeed. Forget the rubbish cateye produce.

If you build an external battery pack you should be able to outperform a standard 10W HID fairly easily.

Basically most of the premium, single emitter lamps from dinotte et al are obselete. Cree also have a 4 dice LED but probably won't make it into cycle lamps this winter. Better still, the 4 dice driven lower are more efficient than a single, hard-driven die.

 

[docedemayo]

I've got Nite Rider Classics - dual halogens. They're not cheap, and the batteries have to be recharged all the time, but they'll light up the night just fine. A Planet Bike SuperFlasher will make anyone behind think you're an ambulance.

I wrote about nighttime fun bike commuting on my blog.


- Josh
workbiking.com

 

[A Nutter]

i use two sets of these.

 

[Jonathan M]

If you are serious about cycling then a Schmidt Dynohub with Busch and Mueller lights are the way to go. Obviously this is a fairly serious outlay but will pay for itself over time. No batteries to charge or buy. No forgetting the lights! No fade. On mine I don't even need to flick a switch as they are automatic.

Was just wondering if dynohubs had fallen from favour, seeing as no-one had mentioned them up to now. I've got a Shimano dynohub and a Basta Pilot front light on my winter bike, I'm not a commuter as such, even though I do try the nature of my work precludes a lot of cycling too & from etc, but like the security of always having somelighting available on the short winter days. I tend to leave mine on all the time. Even has a standlight when stationary.

This set up is cheap for a dynamo (in the region of £100 when I bought it 4 years ago), but also heavy, however the bike in question isn't a lightweight bike anyway, so for the winter months this isn't much of an issue.

 

[Plax]

Well I'm a bit narked today as last night my cateye EL450 fell off the bike and smashed on the floor. Then cycling home this morning some old biddy nearly off'ed me. She had stopped at the side road (waiting to turn right), I saw her look right at me, she waited for a few seconds, and then as soon as I was near to passing her she pulled straight out. I had to apply the brakes to avoid hitting her. She just carried on driving and looking fixedly ahead as if nothing had happened. Just as well as I was frothing at the mouth at that point, I was absolutely livid with some very unlady like language and gestures. What an 'effin ding bat. I'm normally cool, calm and composed and it's the first time I've actually lost it like that.

Anyway, back to the light. I am somewhat annoyed at it's demise - when it gets darker I mount it to my helmet to see the computer, monsters hiding in the bushes etc. I was thinking of trying a normal head torch. Any suggestions of any decent ones that won't break the bank?

 

[BentMikey]

i use two sets of these.

If you want brightness, you need either some Ayups or a set of Fenix P3D/L2D lights. They make EL530s look like guttering candles.

I don't think a dynohub is that good any more, though I'd like to know how the new Schmidt LED light is in comparision with the Fenix lights.

 

[hackbike 6]

I get on fine with my dynohub thanks.

 

[Jonathan M]

Well I'm a bit narked today as last night my cateye EL450 fell off the bike and smashed on the floor. Then cycling home this morning some old biddy nearly off'ed me. She had stopped at the side road (waiting to turn right), I saw her look right at me, she waited for a few seconds, and then as soon as I was near to passing her she pulled straight out. I had to apply the brakes to avoid hitting her. She just carried on driving and looking fixedly ahead as if nothing had happened. Just as well as I was frothing at the mouth at that point, I was absolutely livid with some very unlady like language and gestures. What an 'effin ding bat. I'm normally cool, calm and composed and it's the first time I've actually lost it like that.

Anyway, back to the light. I am somewhat annoyed at it's demise - when it gets darker I mount it to my helmet to see the computer, monsters hiding in the bushes etc. I was thinking of trying a normal head torch. Any suggestions of any decent ones that won't break the bank?

I've got a LED headtorch, so has my son, each less tha a fiver, mine was from Decathlon, his was from Aldi. His would probably be better for cycling as on mine the actual light detaches from the head band - but unclips downwards, so while for camping trips etc this isn't a problem, I'd be concerned about it loosening if used for cycling.
Either of these would probably need some tweaking, maybe zip ties to secure, if you wear them with a cycle helmet. Wouldn't be a problem if you are helmet less.

 

[simoncc]

For urban riding all you really need is a reflective jacket and a cheap set of LED lights. £20 at the very most for the whole lot.

 

[Absinthe Minded]

Having bought the AyUp 'Roadie' kit for the front and a DiOntette 140L for the rear, I am not allowed to think about lights ever again.
The good thing is I probably don't have to!

Just bought the Dinotte 200L for the front and it's a great bit of kit. I'm thinking of getting the 140L for the rear - is it as good a the pictures make out on the Dinotte site, and do you recommend it? I cycle very dark unlit lanes and I'm looking for something that's ridiculously bright. Also, where did you buy it from, I ended up getting the 200L from the states since it was out of stock just about everywhere I looked over here.

Ta,
AM.