Front light reccomendations

[MacB]

ok, last Winter I ran 2 x smart led on the rear and 1 x led plus 1 x Fenix on front. The Fenix takes two AA batteries, I have 4 rechargeable ones and get about 2 hrs on max from each set. This gives enough light, on unlit country roads, to ride as fast as I'm able. The other lights all use AAA batteries and are still on their first sets.

This was fine but was my SECOND choice, I wanted, and still do, a SON dynamo for the front and to run both front and rear lights from this. I just ran out of money when building up my commuter bike. I still intend to do this for the coming Winter. For other bikes then the battery lights will be fine.

 

[BentMikey]

I have a USE Exposure Maxx-D - 960lumens on full power, 3 hours. 10 hours on medium, 24 hours on low, and days on flashing.

 

[Browser]

In the end, to try and keep costs down, I ordered a new headlamp unit for my Niteflux, one of their new 540 lumen 8 watt LED jobbies which is standard fitment on the Enduro 8 light. Trouble is, I should've asked them to mark it up as a gift as I had to order it direct from Oz and Her Majesties robbing barstewards SORRY Customs and Excise, want £20 off me fopr the privilege of 'importing' it ! Ruddy cheek, I think I'll check it works by shinin' it in their eyes!

 

[Crankarm]

x2 Cateye EL130s the small cheapish beggers each with a half yoghurt pot funnel wrapped in foil around the light to focus the beam. They each have 3 LEDs. Drivers who don't dip quickly do when I aim one of them at them. The two together give an excellent spread of light with my make shift lens bowl around them and last ages on continuous light with rechargeables. Can't see the point of spending £250+ on a light that will either get broken, lost or nicked in no time. At least if mine give up the ghost which they haven't in 3-4 years or I lose one I can buy another quite cheaply and I don't break the bank .

 

[BentMikey]

LOL, sure. An EL130 will really be bright like a modern 3W LED.

 

[HJ]

x2 Cateye EL130s the small cheapish beggers each with a half yoghurt pot funnel wrapped in foil around the light to focus the beam. They each have 3 LEDs. Drivers who don't dip quickly do when I aim one of them at them. The two together give an excellent spread of light with my make shift lens bowl around them and last ages on continuous light with rechargeables. Can't see the point of spending £250+ on a light that will either get broken, lost or nicked in no time. At least if mine give up the ghost which they haven't in 3-4 years or I lose one I can buy another quite cheaply and I don't break the bank .

You evidently haven't tried riding at a reasonable pace on a road without street lights on a dark night. I like having lights where on coming drives dip their lights before coming round the bend...

 

[bicyclerubber]

These over on Amazon are bright - 1W - and seem to last a good while in flashing mode

Couple it with a Basta T-race and the Be seen part of the see and be seen equation is covered

 

[Browser]

Well, I've now tested my Niteflux (Visionstick Enduro 8 single) in the dark and can recommend it. Did my first dark ride home this autumn last night, first bit was aided by cars behind me and such, but turned onto the minor road I use and left the traffic and light pollution from Peterborough behind. Even on the low-power setting, it was as bright as my previous Cateye+Niteflux Halogen 10 setup, on full power it was superb. Easy to spot and avoid road defects and no chance of motorists not seeing you.
My only gripe is one I've heard before about Niteflux, namely that if you want to take the headlight off for security, it's in one piece with the mount so you have to take that off as well, which involves a certain amount of fannying about aiming it again when you put it back on. For now I will permanent marker a witness line on the handlebars to aid re-fitting. Long-term I'll either adapt the mount I have or get a different one and make a hybrid, so that the light can be removed leaving a mount behind.

 

[bauldbairn]

I was kinda looking at reducing the Mod-like Vespa GS array of headlights I seem to have at present, together with less weight, fewer chargers etc, and a bit more light output. I tried looking at the Ayup website for technical info (lumens output etc) but it says that a new website is coming soon?
I will also consider replacing the existing 10W halogen headlight I have got in the Visionstick with one of their new 8W LED units, which will work off the existing battery, if I can find out it's lumens output compared to the halogen.
I have looked at dynohubs before but couldn't find one with the same light output as a battery system, plus which none of them seem to work through a battery and thuis give a decent 'stopped at junctions' facility, unless I'm wrong?

Absolutely nothing wrong with the Vespa GS headlight arrangement - thats what I'm trying to achieve, without the foxtail though!!!!!!!!
I'm currently building a stack of Smart bspoke 0.5W around the front of my scooter(sorry bike)!!! - at four, with a flashing EBC led for annoyance.

 

[Tharg2007]

im hoping to build up a front dynohub wheel, any recomendations on a front and rear light?

Also are sbr not honoring the dynohub offer? its still on their site http://www.sbrsports.com/899-414146

 

[oxford_guy]

im hoping to build up a front dynohub wheel, any recomendations on a front and rear light?

My Hewitt Chevot SE tourer has a Busch & Muller IQ Cyo Senso Plus light up front and a Busch & Muller D-Toplight XS at the back powered by a Schmidt SON 28 dynamo, its the best lighting combination I've ever used, very bright and truly "fit and forget", I don't even have to remember to turn it on and off, as it has a light sensor which senses when it needs to turn itself on and off (and a manual over-ride, if desired) it also has a "standlight" faciltity so doesn't turn off when I'm stationary (capacitor, not battery-based).

A secondary benefit of the dynamo, is that in theory it would be possible to keep my mobile phone, iPod, GPS etc. charged using a device like this, which for touring, I'm very tempted to get...

 

[HJ]

Also are sbr not honoring the dynohub offer? its still on their site http://www.sbrsports.com/899-414146

If they are not honouring their dynohub offer, then Trading Standards would be interested in hearing about it...

 

[John the Monkey]

If they are not honouring their dynohub offer, then Trading Standards would be interested in hearing about it...

Anecdotally, make sure they refund you when they cancel the order too.

Lots of people on YACF have complained that they've been rather slow about putting the money back in people's accounts/credit cards. I wouldn't use them or Bonethrone again, because you can't trust what they say about their stock levels.