Will lights be limited?

[XmisterIS]

It's only a spot light if you pick a bike(bicycle) light that has a reflector like that...

I must confess that I'm not the world authority on bike lights! I haven't had that many of them, but all the ones I've bought have turned out to be like spotlights.

 

[al78]

IMHO, making lights brighter and brighter doesn't make it any easier for us to see where we're going!

I say that because as a car driver, biker and cyclist, I find that by comparison to car/motorbike headlights, bike lights produce a beam that is far too much like a spotlight - so you get to see a small bit of road lit up incredibly brightly, while the rest of the road is in darkness. Car headlights, however, cast their light over a broad area, which is much better for seeing where you're going!

So I'd be interested in a very bright bike light only if it cast its beam as broadly as a car or motorbike headlamp.

You also want the majority of the light to be directed towards the road like a car headlight, not uselessly illuminating the trees and dazzling anything coming the other way.

 

[HJ]

Quite a timely question though as i've been pondering a very bright Dinotte type back light for this winter.

Why wait for winter? I find mine effective in full sun light...



OK so that was an overcast day, but I have reliable reports that it is clearly visible at over a mile in full sun...

 

[taxing]

If anyone can recommend a front light for use on an unlit country road I'm all ears. I'm not bothered about it being blindingly bright really, it just needs to be bright enough and a wide enough beam to light up the road in front of me.


Edited for spelling.

 

[HJ]

yeah, one set of lights must be up to the relevant british standard or equivalent, once you have one set that anything else goes.

My problem with the really bright lights isn't their lumen count, it's the fact that they are wasting way to much of those lumen in areas that there is no need for them to be used which is a real irritation to other road users. Then there are people who seem to go out with these lights & the sole intention of robbing all approaching road users of their night vision.

This is covered by the The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 Reg 27 "No person shall use, or cause or permit to be used, on a road any vehicle on which any lamp ... Used so as to cause undue dazzle or discomfort to other persons using the road."

High end cycle lights may look superficially bright, but unless you have a Lupine Betty 24w, you not getting near the output of a 50w car headlamp.

 

[TheDoctor]

I recognise that road!! It goes to Lindesfarne, yes?
[/OT]

 

[arallsopp]

I'm not sure how actively its policed, but something of this nature seems to exist in Germany. For example, the Supernova E3 that I looked at (before opting for the more focussed beam of the Cyo) is strictly NOT approved for use on german roads. (http://www.supernova-lights.com/en/e3_triple.html). I can understand that, as the beam pattern is almost circular. Great for country lanes with overhead tree cover (as it really enhances the feeling of riding into a green tube) but awful for oncoming traffic.

The cyo puts out 60lux, and aims most of it in a very useable arc on the floor. Riding beside one is a joy. Meeting one coming the other way is bewildering, but not dazzling. As a rule, most wannabe SMIDSYs see me coming, wait, watch the bike go past, then look again to see where the 'moped with the bright headlamp' went.

These are both dynamo lights, but I'm pretty sure the restriction applies to their battery equivalents.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

I'm not sure how actively its policed, but something of this nature seems to exist in Germany. For example, the Supernova E3 that I looked at (before opting for the more focussed beam of the Cyo) is strictly NOT approved for use on german roads. (http://www.supernova.../e3_triple.html). I can understand that, as the beam pattern is almost circular. Great for country lanes with overhead tree cover (as it really enhances the feeling of riding into a green tube) but awful for oncoming traffic.

The cyo puts out 60lux, and aims most of it in a very useable arc on the floor. Riding beside one is a joy. Meeting one coming the other way is bewildering, but not dazzling. As a rule, most wannabe SMIDSYs see me coming, wait, watch the bike go past, then look again to see where the 'moped with the bright headlamp' went.

These are both dynamo lights, but I'm pretty sure the restriction applies to their battery equivalents.

Agreed. I have the E3 Triple also. I've had motorists flash their lights at me a few times, and I suspect it's because of this light. But, on balance, I'd rather have a few people taken aback at how bright it is than fall victim to a SMIDSY.

 

[ufkacbln]

IMHO, making lights brighter and brighter doesn't make it any easier for us to see where we're going!

I say that because as a car driver, biker and cyclist, I find that by comparison to car/motorbike headlights, bike lights produce a beam that is far too much like a spotlight - so you get to see a small bit of road lit up incredibly brightly, while the rest of the road is in darkness. Car headlights, however, cast their light over a broad area, which is much better for seeing where you're going!

So I'd be interested in a very bright bike light only if it cast its beam as broadly as a car or motorbike headlamp.

This is where the problem lies.

THe pedigree is for off road and keeping the costs down.

The lights need to be redesigned for road use to give a more appropriate spread and t prevent the (unused) top half of the beam dazzling oncoming drivers. None of the high power companies do this.

Personally I run "bobby dodgers" cheap and almost disposable BS6102/3 lights so that I comply with the law and then mega lights front (USE Exposure 720 lumens) and back (twin Dinotte) as an "auxiliary" or backup for these.

 

[GrasB]

I must confess that I'm not the world authority on bike lights! I haven't had that many of them, but all the ones I've bought have turned out to be like spotlights.

There are lights out there which have a wider beam but the problem is that almost all have a broad beam in 360 deg. The Exposure Strada does better than most by giving a spot & a wide beam with the latter being wide in the horizontal plane only.



al78, you want a decent amount of light to be directed towards the near side as animals & people merge in with the background when on a path or verge. I find this very important on some of the tree/wood lined sections of my commute during the dark to twilight hours on my commute into work. Earlier this week I spotted a fox in the hedge & went out wide to near the centre line, this gave me space & when the fox bolted I had far more warning as it was still in the beam of my light. Had I just had a front facing spot I've never seen the fox where it was tucked under the hedge & would have had a much closer call than that.

 

[arallsopp]

There was a very good light comparison post at 'the other place' not that long ago. I'll see what a search turns up...

 

[moggsy100]

Check out these bad boys for less than £100 and at 1400 lumens i think they might just be bright enough !!!!!

http://www.magicshineuk.co.uk/bike-...6-1400-lumens.php?item=30&category=1&p=1&so=0

 

[sunnyjim]

Agreed. I have the E3 Triple also. I've had motorists flash their lights at me a few times, and I suspect it's because of this light. But, on balance, I'd rather have a few people taken aback at how bright it is than fall victim to a SMIDSY.

Umm- a motor vehicle heading towards you with a blinded driver really isn't very safe. It won't be SMIDSY when you're squashed, it'll be 'I was temporarily blinded by the deceased shining an illegal light in my eyes' .

You are also puting the lives of oncoming cyclists at serious risk.
Please stop doing this.

 

[Origamist]

There's very little chance of high-powered lights being restricted at the present time. Firstly, because very few cyclists have retina-searing front lights (although nos have increased) and secondly beacuse the DfT/police are more concerned with cyclists without lights.

 

[arallsopp]

There was a very good light comparison post at 'the other place' not that long ago. I'll see what a search turns up...

Here's a couple of resources for those thinking about which lights to buy:

• The 'beams' page at Peter White
• Charlotte's awesome light testing marathon at YACF.

Andy.