Front lights

[gambatte]

Seems the rear light threads well underway, but a while since we've had one of the front light ones?

Besides I've a bit of Xmas prezzy cash left over and may be looking to upgrade.

Currently using 5/10W Smarts with the lead acid battery. But calling into the shops its a lot (fiddly) to 'make safe'

Any suggestions as to upgrades?

Usually I run the 5W, but use the 10W for bad weather, filtering through jams etc.

 

[Tynan]

dunno. spent £25 ish on a Solaris and it seems plenty bloody bright to me, see it flashing off road signs and buildings, tiny and a single button on top to toggle off/steady/on

 

[bonj2]

get ayups www.ayup.com.au
they're expensive (£170 for bar light + helmet light/ or £100 for one light)
but well worth it. got mine today they look dead good quality.
quick aswell, only ordered them on boxing day

on my road bike i've got a smart 5-led thingy (very popular, most bike shops even halfrauds sell them) and also a BLT firewire 2.0, very good light, small and elegant, 'stick' battery pack which conveniently takes AAs, bright, only thing that lets it down is its mount, but it's fairly easy to bastardise it with a nut and bolt to fasten it tightly on so it stays secure. Not easy to slip off to take with you to prevent theft though, i'd say only get one if you can leave it on your bike permanently but i can.

 

[bonj2]

Seems the rear light threads well underway, but a while since we've had one of the front light ones?

Besides I've a bit of Xmas prezzy cash left over and may be looking to upgrade.

Currently using 5/10W Smarts with the lead acid battery. But calling into the shops its a lot (fiddly) to 'make safe'

Any suggestions as to upgrades?

Usually I run the 5W, but use the 10W for bad weather, filtering through jams etc.

ah i see. a BLT firewire won't be that great for you then.
ayups would, the light itself is quite easy to slip off and put in a pocket. battery not too difficult either as it just velcros round the stem or front of top tube. (if it's to see where you're going, if it's just to BE seen in town etc then just have a smart, or if you want to be more visible multiple smarts!)

 

[gambatte]

hiya Bonj.
I was thinking of multiple smarts, or something like. I don't need off road capabilities. But what I definitely don't want is the small 'point' light you see with a lot of riders, using poor LEDs on the road.

Looking for something or a combination that'll be seen as opposed to just being legal

 

[gambatte]

The Ayup roadie set is fantastic.

Got to say, the name if not the price would appeal to a Yorkshireman

I'll have a quick 'google' and see if I can see them

 

[MrGrumpy]

http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/Pr...ryID/2/v/5d00441d-8ecb-4961-9f9d-4849d4db6022

these are good for the money, they were even cheaper for a while, £99 but can`t see them at that price anywhere, alot of light and neat, suppose the Dinottes are neater, my neighbour has a set and they are smart but he paid £300+ for his front and rear.

 

[bonj2]

hiya Bonj.
I was thinking of multiple smarts, or something like. I don't need off road capabilities. But what I definitely don't want is the small 'point' light you see with a lot of riders, using poor LEDs on the road.

Looking for something or a combination that'll be seen as opposed to just being legal

yes, i would say looking at the smart it does look like a 'spot' of intense light, that's the sort of lights I like. unlike, say, a cateye EL530. They've got them all out on a wall with batteries in them in je james on bramall lane so you can see.

this is the one i've got:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=23455

The Ayup roadie set is fantastic.

Got to say, the name if not the price would appeal to a Yorkshireman

I'll have a quick 'google' and see if I can see them[/QUOTE]

www.ayup.com.au

first bike product i've bought in ages where it's obvious that 'how cheap is it going to be to manufacture' hasn't entered the designers minds.

 

[Iceniner]

Im looking into a new front light too as ive only got small 5LED smart light too, its just not cutting it on unlit roads. So ive got a new Busch & Muller Ixon IQ light on order at the moment (http://www.bumm.de/index-e.html). About £65.

I have seen that magnatom has put a good comparison of this light with a Cateye EL500 online incase he doesnt see this thread.


What i like about this light is that its powered by 4AA's and they arent in an external pack like the dinotte's. The website says the run time is 5hours on full output and then it has a "eco-city mode" for lower output around well lit areas which lasts about 20 hours. Ill try and put some pictures of something up once it arrives.

 

[magnatom]

Im looking into a new front light too as ive only got small 5LED smart light too, its just not cutting it on unlit roads. So ive got a new Busch & Muller Ixon IQ light on order at the moment (http://www.bumm.de/index-e.html). About £65.

I have seen that magnatom has put a good comparison of this light with a Cateye EL500 online incase he doesnt see this thread.

Thanks for posting that Iceniner. Yes it is a good light and conviniently runs off 4 AA's.

Unfortunately since my Clyde Tunnel incident it has been a little tempremental. It did take a direct hit, so I cn't really fault it

 

[threefingerjoe]

Here's a little trick that works well for me. I've had a 5 LED light on my bars for some time, and was satisfied with being seen, but not very satisfied with seeing. I have since mounted a small single LED headlamp on the traffic side of my fork. This second lamp, mounted this low, causes obstacles on the road/path to cast a LONG shadow, and really show up well. I mounted it by screwing a piece of 3/4" PVC pipe to the front rack mount brazeon, then clamping the headlamp mount around the PVC pipe. I'm sure there are plenty of other ways of mounting a light on the fork. Maybe this will give someone else other ideas.

Joe

 

[Tynan]

a light to be seen and a light to see are fish and fowl, the two can't be compared in any way whatsoever

 

[Plax]

have people had any experience of these lights (Electron)?
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDeta...5995&N=Electron 5W 10W Double Lighting System
They look pretty similar to the Smart's. I was thinking of maybe getting these and the Smart 1/2 watt rear light and using that set-up.
(would keep my helmet mounted Cateye EL-450 and my Cateye TL-LD260BS Rear Light and sell the other Cateye lights I've got)

 

[gambatte]

have people had any experience of these lights (Electron)?
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDeta...5995&N=Electron 5W 10W Double Lighting System

No experience, but from what I remember there have been a few negative comments about the battery?

 

[Iceniner]

The battery life of those electrons looks pretty poor in comparison to some other models, 10 hour charge times for 2 or so hours usage on medium settings?

It just seems unpractical to me. You would probably leave them to charge whilst you were sleeping probably, but 10 hours is a long time. If you came home late, or forgot to charge it, you'd probably not have time to charge it for 10 hours before you needed it again, meaning you would have even less than what the website states as they tested with a full battery.

Regards to the 1/2 watt rears, i put coupled two together in a row to put under my seat, they are awesomely bright together. I put some pictures under the "rear lights" thread in this part.