Need a new light system for 1980s bike

[SuperGalactian]

My 1985 Claud Butler Panache audax bike came (when new) with a Sanyo dynamo that mounted behind the bottom bracket, and lightweight front and rear lights. The front light attached to a boss on the offside front fork, and actually produced a very good beam for night rides on rural roads. The rear light was fine, but nothing exceptional. The dynamo was useless: poor output when climbing hills or stopped, slipped in the wet, quickly got full of dirt and died. I soon replaced it with a 12V battery in a small saddle bag, which was very effective but actually a clumsy solution.

Having put up with that for 40 years, I feel it's time to embrace LED technology. I need a system powerful enough for night rides on rural roads (ie very dark, with potholes and wildlife). The rear light is easily sorted with a USB-chargeable flashing LED light, which should last all night. The front light is more difficult, and I'd appreciate recommendations. Ideally, it would be LED, I'd mount it on the front fork boss again (because I use a handlebar bag), and I'd power it from a re-chargeable battery pack in the bottle cage, something like this one. The wiring would then be short and neat. Does anyone know of a decent-quality retro-looking front light that would pair with such a battery pack? (The actual lights made by Fourth4th are too modern to suit the bike, and very pricey.)

 

[Punkawallah]

Have you considered fitting an LED bulb into your current light?

 

[Chris S]

I just put LED bulbs in my 1975 Hercules. They make a huge difference even at low speeds.

 

[Andy in Germany]

We get a lot of bikes with this sort of system. When we refurbish them for sale we tend to swap the bottle for a hub dynamo which gives more power. There are some LED lights for use with dynamos which have a good output and a retro style.

 

[Sharky]

How about a retro headlight, which is led AND rechargeable?

Seems cheap, so no idea how good it is.
Just search for retro led rechargeable bike light.

Several options come up.

 

[SuperGalactian]

Have you considered fitting an LED bulb into your current light?

Yes, but I understood that they may well melt the housing! If that isn’t the case, it could well be a good solution, but I must also solve the power supply issue.

 

[SuperGalactian]

How about a retro headlight, which is led AND rechargeable?

View attachment 806698

Seems cheap, so no idea how good it is.
Just search for retro led rechargeable bike light.

Several options come up.

Thanks for the suggestion. There seem to be many variants of this lamp from different suppliers. Some say that it is really only suited to urban situations with street lighting. There’s also a question about run-time per charge. But hey, at that price it’s surely worth a try!

 

[SuperGalactian]

We get a lot of bikes with this sort of system. When we refurbish them for sale we tend to swap the bottle for a hub dynamo which gives more power. There are some LED lights for use with dynamos which have a good output and a retro style.

I have looked covetously at those too. They are quite expensivr, and obviously involve rebuilding the wheel. I’m really hoping for an add-on solution rather than a re-build one. But I am very undecided still.

 

[Punkawallah]

Yes, but I understood that they may well melt the housing! If that isn’t the case, it could well be a good solution, but I must also solve the power supply issue.

AFAIK LED bulbs produce less heat than incandescent? And as they need less power to run, could solve your power issues. Worth looking into, at least - please let the rest of us know what you turn up :-)