How bright is to bright?
- foo on patrol
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Re: How bright is to bright?
Postby foo on patrol » Thu Apr 04, 2013 7:02 am
From my perspective I want a light that throws a good beam out for 30mtrs or more and just don't understand why, the sellers of bike lights can't have a beam photo so we can see if this or that light is appropriate for our needs.
The best way for all to see if their light is not aimed properly is, get off your bloody bike and walk up the road and have a look at the light beam, it's not rocket science is it.
Foo
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Re: How bright is to bright?
Postby warthog1 » Thu Apr 04, 2013 7:37 am
Philips safe ride 80 here. 270 measured lumen with a controlled beam pattern. Yes it does cut it. Better than the supposed 1000 lumen magic shine it replaced. Well apart from the apalling mount it comes with that is.Lukeyboy wrote:All I will say is that at 35-50kph in darkness (no street/ambient lighting) a 300lumen light simply does not cut it.
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Re: How bright is to bright?
Postby Nobody » Thu Apr 04, 2013 7:57 am
How's the mount going? Did you try the tube or did you end up having to go to adhesive grip tape? Is there any way to bolt it on with another clamp?warthog1 wrote:Philips safe ride 80 here. 270 measured lumen with a controlled beam pattern. Yes it does cut it. Better than the supposed 1000 lumen magic shine it replaced. Well apart from the apalling mount it comes with that is.
- il padrone
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Re: How bright is to bright?
Postby il padrone » Thu Apr 04, 2013 8:17 am
Lots of little LED 'Christmas lights' will achieve that very well. You don't need a 2200 lumens searchlight. She has vision confused with conspiquity.Comedian wrote:A lady I know commutes and she just wanted to be lit up like a football stadium for personal safety.Lukeyboy wrote:All I will say is that at 35-50kph in darkness (no street/ambient lighting) a 300lumen light simply does not cut it.
I have frequently ridden through pitch dark night (eg. Audax rides, Oppy 24 hr ride, ACE250, night riding on tour in various locations) using 350 lumens B&M iQ Cyo or Supernova E3 and been perfectly happy riding at speeds of 20-50kmh.
- MattyK
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Re: How bright is to bright?
Postby MattyK » Thu Apr 04, 2013 10:11 am
This.warthog1 wrote:Philips safe ride 80 here. 270 measured lumen with a controlled beam pattern. Yes it does cut it. Better than the supposed 1000 lumen magic shine it replaced.Lukeyboy wrote:All I will say is that at 35-50kph in darkness (no street/ambient lighting) a 300lumen light simply does not cut it.
After a season, mine started slipping.Well apart from the appalling mount it comes with that is.
Remember the accessory strip they give you for different bar sizes?
(My) 25.4mm bar seems to fall in a gap between being too small to clamp without the strip, and too big to clamp with it.
I solved this by cutting the strip in half and covering up one of the nubs only. Has worked fine since.
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Re: How bright is to bright?
Postby Pushy » Thu Apr 04, 2013 11:16 am
Here's another use for that old inner tube.MattyK wrote:This.warthog1 wrote:Philips safe ride 80 here. 270 measured lumen with a controlled beam pattern. Yes it does cut it. Better than the supposed 1000 lumen magic shine it replaced.Lukeyboy wrote:All I will say is that at 35-50kph in darkness (no street/ambient lighting) a 300lumen light simply does not cut it.After a season, mine started slipping.Well apart from the appalling mount it comes with that is.
Remember the accessory strip they give you for different bar sizes?
(My) 25.4mm bar seems to fall in a gap between being too small to clamp without the strip, and too big to clamp with it.
I solved this by cutting the strip in half and covering up one of the nubs only. Has worked fine since.
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Re: How bright is to bright?
Postby eeksll » Thu Apr 04, 2013 11:17 am
you can call it an arms-race ... but it simply isn't. Its about getting a light which I feel is bright enough to light my way.il padrone wrote:And the lighting arms-race goes on.......eeksll wrote:But isn't this the cause of the misunderstanding? Your acceptance that a brick or rock will knock you off cause you didnt see it is someone elses (mine included) version of not bright enough.
I now commute 50-50 bike path/road with a dynamo headlight (Busch + Müller Lumotec IQ Cyo Senso Plus) which is good for the road but lacking on the bike path. The main problem with the light is when the bike path gets windy I can no longer see the path, this is where the ayup helmet mounted fills in the gap. AND I don't ride fast ...
Add in walkers/dogs who dont carry lights, I really want something with a bit of throw and helmet mounted. I do turn the ayups off when I get back on to the road ... but roads don't get that windy so the low mounted dynamo works really well there.
I have a suggestion for people who have really bright lights and dont want to dazzle drivers, avoid helmet mount and mount them low as you can, ie just above the wheel or even lower and add a blinky up higher. Not without other issues though...
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Re: How bright is to bright?
Postby warthog1 » Thu Apr 04, 2013 1:42 pm
I've been using this mount as it has a better clamp than the one MattyK has;Nobody wrote:How's the mount going? Did you try the tube or did you end up having to go to adhesive grip tape? Is there any way to bolt it on with another clamp?warthog1 wrote:Philips safe ride 80 here. 270 measured lumen with a controlled beam pattern. Yes it does cut it. Better than the supposed 1000 lumen magic shine it replaced. Well apart from the apalling mount it comes with that is.
however the light is quite heavy and the ridiculous little swivel ball and socket keeps moving down over the bumps. I have used two hands to wrench the collar as tight as I can on the ball and no dice, the light is simply too heavy over the bumps.
I'm going back to the one MattyK has and trying a tube on the oversize 32mm carbon bar I have on the Cervelo.
The 2013 light is supplied with the ball and socket mount which has the stronger clamp but is let down by the ball and socket. I ordered an older mount that doesn't have the ball and socket so I had a spare and could quickly swap betwwen two bikes. This mount is superior because it doesnt have the undersized ball and socket, but the plastic is fairly flexible and bends where it clamps when you apply a bit of torque to it
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Re: How bright is to bright?
Postby warthog1 » Thu Apr 04, 2013 1:47 pm
Thanks, I've only used it on the 25.4 mm bar on the now broken Azzurri, have not yet tried it on the 31.8 mm bar on the Cervelo. I'll try that when I get a new commuter frame for the running gear off the AzzurriMattyK wrote:This.warthog1 wrote:Philips safe ride 80 here. 270 measured lumen with a controlled beam pattern. Yes it does cut it. Better than the supposed 1000 lumen magic shine it replaced.Lukeyboy wrote:All I will say is that at 35-50kph in darkness (no street/ambient lighting) a 300lumen light simply does not cut it.After a season, mine started slipping.Well apart from the appalling mount it comes with that is.
Remember the accessory strip they give you for different bar sizes?
(My) 25.4mm bar seems to fall in a gap between being too small to clamp without the strip, and too big to clamp with it.
I solved this by cutting the strip in half and covering up one of the nubs only. Has worked fine since.
In case you were contemplating it, don't bother with the later mount
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Re: How bright is to bright?
Postby rjk » Thu Apr 04, 2013 2:41 pm
And yes i used to commute on a path that had no lighting, in the wet it was impossible to see the path.
So for me the only problem with to bright lights are the ones aimed at me, i will keep my ayups on my bike.
I just look low and left when i see a bright light coming at me, so i dont run off the side of the path
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Re: How bright is to bright?
Postby eeksll » Thu Apr 04, 2013 4:06 pm
does anyone know if this is an even newer spec? or where the 40% brighter versions always 700 lumens? I got the 40% brighter version when they first came out with that option and I always thought they where around the 400 lumen mark.rjk wrote:... the new Ayups are rated at 700 lumens ...
Also it is my experience that my ayups are not bright enough in all conditions (especially wet). And I don't ride faster than 35km/h.
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Re: How bright is to bright?
Postby MattyK » Thu Apr 04, 2013 4:19 pm
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Re: How bright is to bright?
Postby NhiTrac » Thu Apr 04, 2013 11:10 pm
I only just bought another set and didn't notice any different numbers. Trawling through their specs page, it reads as if the 40% have always been at 700 lumens...eeksll wrote:does anyone know if this is an even newer spec? or where the 40% brighter versions always 700 lumens? I got the 40% brighter version when they first came out with that option and I always thought they where around the 400 lumen mark.rjk wrote:... the new Ayups are rated at 700 lumens ...
Also it is my experience that my ayups are not bright enough in all conditions (especially wet). And I don't ride faster than 35km/h.
I'm not sure anymore. All I know is two sets of Ayups on the front works for me
- VRE
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Re: How bright is to bright?
Postby VRE » Fri Apr 05, 2013 7:15 am
- foo on patrol
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Re: How bright is to bright?
Postby foo on patrol » Fri Apr 05, 2013 7:38 am
Then if there are enough of the brands there could be and I'm only suggesting this, it maybe put up as a sticky for those that are looking for lighting.
Foo
- il padrone
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Re: How bright is to bright?
Postby il padrone » Fri Apr 05, 2013 7:54 am
That's why I have only been posting the very good photos from Peter White Cycles, as he has been very diligent in taking all his photos at the same location with a rigorously identical camera exposure setting. This makes his comparison photos very valuable. Mostly he has concentrated solely on the high quality road lights from German manufacturers and he does not have photos of the ultra high lumens "possum-fryers". Beam shots barely matter for these anyway - just get the highest lumens you can and they're all road-user blinders
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Re: How bright is to bright?
Postby Comedian » Fri Apr 05, 2013 8:09 am
I wonder at what point the government will have to step in to control these lights?il padrone wrote:Different cameras, different exposure settings, different locations all make for unequal photo results that are very poor comparisons. A poor light can be made to look really bright with the right camera exposure.
That's why I have only been posting the very good photos from Peter White Cycles, as he has been very diligent in taking all his photos at the same location with a rigorously identical camera exposure setting. This makes his comparison photos very valuable. Mostly he has concentrated solely on the high quality road lights from German manufacturers and he does not have photos of the ultra high lumens "possum-fryers". Beam shots barely matter for these anyway - just get the highest lumens you can and they're all road-user blinders
I really do agree with you. Lights need a defined cutoff and solid mounting so they can be properly aimed.
Interestingly, I've got both a magicshine and ayups... The ayups are much more focused than the magicshine. The ms really just sprays light everywhere. Excellent for mtb but I don't think it's possible to use them and not blind oncoming traffic
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Re: How bright is to bright?
Postby VRE » Fri Apr 05, 2013 8:15 am
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Re: How bright is to bright?
Postby Comedian » Fri Apr 05, 2013 8:56 am
Car headlights are regulated now... in some cases such as xenon lights quite heavily (must have washers and self levelling). However I've never seen police ever pull someone for a poorly aligned headlight.VRE wrote:If they do step in to regulate vehicle lighting, let's hope it's done for all vehicles, including motor vehicles. I've seen car and truck headlights that could definitely do with some regulation, on both their intensity and their beam angles.
I guess there is my answer.. even if it were regulated it wouldn't be enforced anyway, so why bother?
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Re: How bright is to bright?
Postby ColinOldnCranky » Fri Apr 05, 2013 9:26 am
Regardless, I seldom experience people using any wildly excessive lights in motor vheicles. On the other hand I experience it every day that I ride in the dark.VRE wrote:If they do step in to regulate vehicle lighting, let's hope it's done for all vehicles, including motor vehicles. I've seen car and truck headlights that could definitely do with some regulation, on both their intensity and their beam angles.
Which leads me to conclude that cyclists, in this regard, can be less considerate than motorists.
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Re: How bright is to bright?
Postby MattyK » Fri Apr 05, 2013 9:32 am
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Re: How bright is to bright?
Postby rangersac » Fri Apr 05, 2013 10:03 am
I agree with this wholeheartedly. When driving, the newer range of xenon headlights I often find horribly dazzling when coming around a corner, or having one behind me shining in the rear vision mirror. I find the worst culprits the new breed of tank like SUVs that are driven by an increasing number of environmentally inconsiderate morons who clearly have an inferiority complex and degenerative driving skills (in case you haven't guessed they are my pet road hate). Given the height that these lights are mounted at, one of these at low beam I find the equivalent of looking at a high beam halogenVRE wrote:I've seen car and truck headlights that could definitely do with some regulation, on both their intensity and their beam angles.
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Re: How bright is to bright?
Postby Red Rider » Wed Apr 17, 2013 10:52 pm
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Re: How bright is to bright?
Postby Lukeyboy » Thu Apr 18, 2013 12:20 am
The people that annoy me more are those idiots that modify normal headlights with the DIY halogen kits. So instead of having the light focused etc the headlights just throw the light everywhere. I've been known on a few ocassions to flip off oncoming cars that have done itrangersac wrote:I agree with this wholeheartedly. When driving, the newer range of xenon headlights I often find horribly dazzling when coming around a corner, or having one behind me shining in the rear vision mirror. I find the worst culprits the new breed of tank like SUVs that are driven by an increasing number of environmentally inconsiderate morons who clearly have an inferiority complex and degenerative driving skills (in case you haven't guessed they are my pet road hate). Given the height that these lights are mounted at, one of these at low beam I find the equivalent of looking at a high beam halogenVRE wrote:I've seen car and truck headlights that could definitely do with some regulation, on both their intensity and their beam angles.
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Re: How bright is to bright?
Postby eightsixboy » Thu Apr 18, 2013 10:08 am
I went for a ride last night and the amount of guys that have insanely powerfull lights is rediculous, dont they realise there blinding other riders?
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