Front light up to £200?

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summerdays

Cycling in the sun
Location
Bristol
Hope 1 fan too! Although I also own a Volt 800 as well. I've read lots of good things about Hope's customer service, though I haven't had to use it myself.
 

summerdays

Cycling in the sun
Location
Bristol
I have two of the original Hope 1's (so I think the updated version gives a low battery warning whereas mine don't). And I will see if I can compare the lights. The main difference I notice is size and charging method. The Hope 1 would last me on a charge of the 4 batteries longer than the Volt, but the Volt is easier to charge up anywhere.
 

Lozi

Senior Member
Location
Northants
Just thought I would add my exposure has never come loose I have never had a issue with it, all my riding is in pitch black at the minute and it’s outrageously good low setting is enough most of the time but on high it’s ridiculous!

A couple things I have noticed since I bought it a couple years ago to replace my cheaper cateye light are that cars now dip their beams for me before they come round bends towards me as it’s bright enough for them to know I’m coming and I often get cars pulling onto the verge way ahead because they think I am something more substantial than a cyclist lol
 

Lozi

Senior Member
Location
Northants
The Exposure light appears to be marketed as an MTB light.

This indicates it has a flood beam, great for trail finding in the dark, but might not be appreciated by other users when on the road.

There are road specific ones though, I use one of the non road specific ones and I have been fine i don’t have it facing straight in front. Maybe I do dazzle some people but a lot of car drivers keep there beams up for cyclists so bollocks to them lol
 

mustang1

Guru
Location
London, UK
That's Exposure lights off my Christmas list! I'm buggered if I'm wanting someone to pay money for something that might not function properly!

My favourite attachment is the one you get with lezynne lights: a simple yet strong rubber band. It always keeps the light in place, dead easy to use. But it only works with smaller lights like zecto and femto. For the larger lights like the Exposure ones, the attachment is not too bad, I just have to tighten the screw every so often.
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
[QUOTE 5064378, member: 9609"]I'm new to night riding and this is what I'm finding, most don't dip.[/QUOTE]
I find about 2-3 an hour don't dip initially this year and they dip after a flash of my German-standard headlight. Maybe your light is either too weak to be recognised as a road light or so bright they're trying to persuade you to dip.
 
EXPOSURE - STRADA

An amazing front light. Now in my third winter on 10 miles unlit roads.
This model is specifically designed for road use with the ability to dip from low to high beam using a remote switch.

The battery life is amazing even in freezing winter temperatures.
Customer service is great.

I have gained respect on the road since using this light. However if a vehicle driver needs a wee reminder to dip it's just takes a wee press of a switch.
 

Sharky

Guru
Location
Kent
[QUOTE 5064378, member: 9609"]I'm new to night riding and this is what I'm finding, most don't dip. The other night I past 4 vehicles coming the other way, non dipped, two had fog lights on and the lorry left all his spots on (6 on the roof, 4 in the visor and 4 in the grill) what a prize one twat, i was so blinded I had to stop for a minute[/QUOTE]
I've used a couple of techniques to encourage an oncoming car to dip.
- momentarily blackout your own front light be covering it with your hand
- sit up, covering your eyes with your forearm to making it clear that you cannot see AND drift out into the centre of the road until he has seen you and dipped. Only attempt this when you are sure of how much time/distance you have before he gets to you, but usually works. And always a "thank you" wave as he passes you.
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
[QUOTE 5065250, member: 9609"]Light is bright enough to ride at 15mph on a wet pot holed road and with the high refl vest it must be obvious I'm a cyclist, I have also evaluated it from the viewpoint of a driver and it is def not blinding.

I only passed one car last night after dark, it didn't dip. I also passed one earlier during twighlight, they just had their DRLs on - :eek: they fairly burn your retinas after the sun has set.

I suspect one of the following round here; They have never come across a cyclist after dark so can't comprehend the situation, or, i its an off-width* road I tend to stop and put a foot down on the verge, may be they thing I have then ceased to be a road user.


*Off-width? does a road that is wider than single track but a bit of a squeeze for two cars to pass have a description?[/QUOTE]
Sorry I forgot you're one of those. Yeah, if they can easily tell you're obviously definitely a cyclist, I think you'll find fewer will dip because why would they? A mere cyclist is not big enough to hurt their precious car.
 

Dave 123

Legendary Member
[QUOTE 5059745, member: 9609"]I'm still impressed with this, cateye800 - can certainly ride 15 -20mph on wet roads and easily see pot holes / stones etc. - it has run for 2h15 on full power (800lm) before it switched itself to its lowest setting (200lm) I have no regrets in buying it.

---------------------------------------------------------------

I'm unsure about this claimed lumen output specified by various companies, I have been comparing a few of the claimed outputs and they don't seem to make any sense, the following 4 are all 3.7v batteries powering LED lights
800 lumen, 2h run time on a 3400mah battery ~ therefore 127 lumens per watt
1200 lumen, 4h run time on a 4400mah battery ~ therefore 294 lumens per watt
6600 lumen, 3.5h run time on a 8000mah battery ~ therefore 780 lumens per watt
2650 lumen, 2h run time on a 8700mah battery ~ therefore 165 lumens per watt

something don't add up somewhere, are some LED bulbs 6x as efficient as others ?[/QUOTE]


I have 2 (after finding that my lad had rehomed my original)
It's great having a couple on, I can see for miles!
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
[QUOTE 5066285, member: 9609"]"one of those" - what's one of those ?[/QUOTE]
Someone who thinks it's a good idea to be easily identifiable as a cyclist from far away rather than just another vehicle. I think it may be one of the great divides now.
 

summerdays

Cycling in the sun
Location
Bristol
Someone who thinks it's a good idea to be easily identifiable as a cyclist from far away rather than just another vehicle. I think it may be one of the great divides now.
I don't mind someone knowing I'm a bike ... I don't travel at the same speeds as other traffic when the road is clear (which is more likely at night) and I'm more squidgy than a vehicle so I'd rather that they treated me differently ... I'd go with taking more care around me would be my aim.
 
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