Headlights - best available

[Alex Simmons/RST]

I did a search but not much came up.....

With the darker mornings ahead of us, I pulled out my old Moonshine HID light to see if it's still working - it's been about 2.5 years since I used it. Alas no.

The thing I liked about that light was its phenomenal brightness and "respect earning capacity" you got from other road users. I never had a driver cut in front of me with that beam. It was even highly visible in broad daylight.

I want another high quality, very high brightness head lamp. I don't subscribe to the low level, flashing "yeah I'm just a cyclist so you can still cut me off" technology. I wanna burn the retinas of drivers.

technology has moved on somewhat since I bought the HID, with the super bright LEDs seemingly the technology of choice.

what are best lights now days?

Characteristics desired:
super bright, for city use
run time required 2 hours minimum
good fitting options for a road bike readily removed for day riding/racing
quality / smart battery
not overly bulky
will cope with sweat
hopefully doesn't produce much signal interference for power meter CPU

[Kalgrm]

I'm surprised you missed the discussions, but Ay-ups are the most respected bike-specific lights by consensus on this forum. (Search link)

However, many of us are using super-bright LED torches found at DealExtreme.com because they are a fraction of the price and just as bright (and in some cases, brighter). (Search link or this search link)

Cheers,
Graeme

[sogood]

A few points.

Ay-up is well liked but it's also a significant investment and requires Li batteries that can't be easily replaced if one forgot to charge it.

I am not sure if they've updated, but earlier models don't have a flash mode.

You should test any prospective system with your PM setup for interference.

Otherwise I really like my Fenix LED torch (L1D). Runs on rechargeable or non-rechargeable AA batteries with numerous power and flash modes. It's a bit more expensive than DealExtreme's bargain offering but are very well built and feature rich. I like the L1D single AA battery version for its compactness but there are lots of other models to choose from with differing run time. With a single AA under mixed constant and flash modes (max intensity/constant when in dark streets and flash on roads with street lighting), I have not had problems in leaving home at 5:30am and have it last well past sunrise on my CP or RNP rides. In terms of mounting, I previously just used two rubber bands and a short length of inner tube as the padding. Recently I picked up a cheap mount from DealExtreme and is very easy to mount and unmount (A$4 with free postage).

[Alex Simmons/RST]

Ay up - now I remember, yes that's the one. Ta
road kit for ~ $200-250. that's cheap compared to my HID system and my life.

how did you get those search links? I used the search function but it just gave me 3 pages of posts from about 3 threads, most from a budget light thread.

[Mattsbike]

G'day Alex,

Yes, Ay Ups are the go, IMHO:
http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=13528

I started this thread after I received mine a couple of weeks ago. I love riding with them.
Just quietly, I wish I was on some sort of commission from the company based upon the positive feedback I've received!

Matt

[sandman]

When you cant afford to have the lights fail, I'd go AYUP. I ended up buying the enduro kit and yes its expensive, my wife wasnt overly happy that I spent $600 in lights but the question has to be asked, whats a life worth ? As I've posted, I live up in Alice Springs (for now) and ride to work, 30km or so with trucks, roadtrains and high speed wannabees, I want to be seen. You need lights out here as there are no street lights past the edge of town, you cant afford to have them fail when its plain pitch black, for now its 1/2 the journey with lights and soon it will be lights all the way as it gets to winter....I ride with the larger battery and carry one of the smaller batteries in my Jersey just incase.

The AYUPs are just worth the money if you need to be seen.

Sandman

[ScottDavis]

+1 for Ayups. Can't fault them. Unlike my rear Basta light which goes haywire if I even cycle close to water let alone get them slightly wet from spray.

Looking for a good waterproof rear light if anyone has a recommendation

[philip]

I met a guy who runs http://www.radical-lights.com/. He was testing a prototype and showed me how it all works, it was SERIOUSLY bright. It looked very well made and robust, had a bunch of different modes and was very user friendly at the same time. As you can see from the website, they are very pricey too.

[twizzle]

http://www.hidtechnologies.com.au

[Andrew69]

A few points.

Ay-up is well liked but it's also a significant investment and requires Li batteries that can't be easily replaced if one forgot to charge it.

With either 2x3 hour or a 6 hour battery (depending on what you choose), forgeting to charge them after every ride isnt something you need to worry about.

You should test any prospective system with your PM setup for interference.

No interference with a wired PT.

[Alex Simmons/RST]

No interference with a wired PT.

Perfect

[Alex Simmons/RST]

http://www.hidtechnologies.com.au

Nice

I met a guy who runs http://www.radical-lights.com/. He was testing a prototype and showed me how it all works, it was SERIOUSLY bright. It looked very well made and robust, had a bunch of different modes and was very user friendly at the same time. As you can see from the website, they are very pricey too.

Wow!


I'm liking the idea of getting up to 1000 lumen lights.

[alchemist]

I'm liking the idea of getting up to 1000 lumen lights.

1000? Is that all? These are by far the brightest bike lights ever I've seen, but you'll pay for it.

Ay-Ups win on bang for buck and simplicity.

[il padrone]

I rode for 7 hours on Saturday night with my wonderful Supernova E3 3W LED lighting up the very dark moonless roads of the Goulburn Valley.



Powered by my 25 year old Sanyo Dynapower, which also lit up the 1/2W B&M Seculite tail-light.



Any 6V 3W dynamo would do this job, but the Dynapower tyre-tread roller is really very low drag to power the lights. I was happily buzzing along, lighting up the road 30M ahead of me and picking up signs and reflectors a couple of hundreds of metres away. Felt very visible on the roads.

And running on renewable energy

[sogood]

Just went through Anaconda this afternoon and noted a number of 3W LED headlights. I wonder if anyone has used these for biking? Price wise they seemed to be cheaper than many of the bike specific offering.

[twizzle]

State of the art for a 3W LED is about 250 Lumen. Ayup is claiming 320 lumen for their dual setup. I have HID (500 Lumen) with a 6 degree beam, when that dies I'll be replacing with a HIDTechnologies 3 LED (750 Lumen) unit. Why so much light? - because at 40kph+ in the dark (no streelights), even 500 lumen doesn't give you enough time to stop, it's only enough time to dodge whatever is on the road. The Ayup with narrow lens might light up a reasonable distance for 40kph+ riding as well... but I haven't see one to compare it against my HID.

[Aushiker]

G'day

A summary of various better (read informative) light threads and links to other sites on the topic can be found here. My experience with Fenix L2D (the big brother of the one Sogood uses) can be found here.

Regards
Andrew

[trailgumby]

I have ayups, and use both the helmet and bar set when commuting. I like being able to "spot" inattentive drivers with my helmet lights. I also like that you can adjust the throw on the beam so that one of each pair points slighlty ahead of the other. The throw is excellent (100m+) although on wet nights a little more would be even better as the high reflection and poor contrast can make picking out road surfaces a bit tough at 60km/hr. Otherwise, I'm really happy.

I've gone from being invisible to having cabbies and buses flash me because I'm too bright. The complaints I receive from pedestrians are simply briliant - music to my ears. Apart from getting a bit of my own back against the stupid, I know my presence has been registered!

There was a short bit on the Radicals - a 3-emitter and 4-emitter model - in the last issue of Enduro. They look very good, but after the Ayups I'm pretty sure I'd want both bar and helmet mount. To do that with these lights is well past twice the investment in a set of Ayups.

With the Ayups, as more efficient (and bright) emitter units come to market, he offers the option of upgrading just the emitters at a discounted price. Seems like a low-risk investment to me.

[toofat]

just be aware that if you do any night riding on cycle paths or narrow trails anything brighter than ayups 320 lumens is very annoying and possibly accident causing to people coming the other way
had then set up for the road ( aiming just far enough in front to give me time to avoid a pothole or a half brick), when I turned on to the cycle path got several complaints and had to point the beam down,

have also noticed that those with very bright flasher lights mostly seem to have them directed level or up slightly as they are using them as a be seen (not seeing) device. its a PIA passing them in a narrow space at high speed.

if the" my watts bigger than yours" competition gets out of hand we might end up with laws limiting output. you can end up with close to high beam with no way of dipping it.

[JustinD]

I have the niteflux stick that produces 270 lumens. I like it because of the flashing mode. I don't like it because I am on the 4th unit in a space of 12 months (poor quality control).

Also, fyi on the Ayups - they are expecting to have a flashing mode battery pack for sale in July or so, for all the people that like to flash

[NotTim]

Also, fyi on the Ayups - they are expecting to have a flashing mode battery pack for sale in July or so, for all the people that like to flash

Hmm, i've got the first gen Ayup's, I've been thinking about upgrading to the newer ones now that winters approaching to give me a little more light output, and I want the switched battery too, not sure I can hold off to July before I upgrade though.

Although I think I'm better off with the Ayup's on all the time to help me see where I'm going and then a cheap flasher just to make me a little more obvious.

[}SkOrPn--7]

Also, fyi on the Ayups - they are expecting to have a flashing mode battery pack for sale in July or so, for all the people that like to flash

Hmm, i've got the first gen Ayup's, I've been thinking about upgrading to the newer ones now that winters approaching to give me a little more light output, and I want the switched battery too, not sure I can hold off to July before I upgrade though.

Although I think I'm better off with the Ayup's on all the time to help me see where I'm going and then a cheap flasher just to make me a little more obvious.

Just get the new lights for yourself and still use your old batteries then when the flashing battery/normal mode is released just make the purchase. I'm holding of purchasing a new battery until the new battery pack is released no point is wasting money in the mean time.

[Aushiker]

Although I think I'm better off with the Ayup's on all the time to help me see where I'm going and then a cheap flasher just to make me a little more obvious.

G'day

Do you think the flasher will be visible over the Ay-Ups? From what I have observed there is little point in running a good non-flashing front light (required in WA) and a flashing light as I find the flashing light only gets noticed when really close. As a result I have stopped using a flasher except in an emergency (e.g., low battery). Seems pointless.

Andrew

[}SkOrPn--7]

Guys I think the flashing/normal mode battery is designed to be used with there up coming "slip on Saxon" rear red cover not the main head light.

Scroll down a tad.

http://www.ayup.com.au/techinfo.php

[rmgrimes79]

JustinD wrote:
Also, fyi on the Ayups - they are expecting to have a flashing mode battery pack for sale in July or so, for all the people that like to flash

Awesome!!! i have a commute of about 15km to work and anywhere from 15 - 30km on the way home .... i seem to get lost alot but its nearly all on lit roads so have got flashies as cars seem to see them better .... come on july!!!!
matt