Enlighten Me On Bike Lights

[The Walrus]

Any bets on how many threads, ahem, months it will take for Walrus to get his lights.

I have my eye on the winter solstice.

This is about the 5th dig you've had at me about my decision process for buying lights. Not sure WT? your problem is but I wish it would just go away...

Let me see...you started a light thread when there were heaps already on the forum. The people here were helpful enough so you got responses to that on your thread. Yet here you are still posting on someone else's light thread stating you still can't decide. No one else is going to decide but you over your light dilemma. How many more posts and responses do you require? CRC has light reviews too. The web has plenty of light reviews.

In short, just buy some freaking lights man. And it would be good if lighting threads can be stemmed. How many lighting threads does this forum need per day?

I'm not going to argue with you and debate the rights and wrongs. This is a public forum, If you dont like it dont read it...I've said nothing offensive, so back off

[zero]

OK, what I was getting at was why don't cars use LEDs and Lumens? Probably won't get an answer because this is a bicycle forum!

Cars can be had with LEDs, with halogens, and with HIDs.

Its just not a major sales issue, because the impact of the different systems on a car is minor, and sufficient electrical power is available to power any number/power of lights. Efficiency is not that critical.

The impact on power vs light impacts battery life significantly for a cycle light, therefore its far more important. We'll only carry a finite weight of batteries, and we'll only pay so much for them too...

[Oxford]

OK, what I was getting at was why don't cars use LEDs and Lumens? Probably won't get an answer because this is a bicycle forum!

Cars are beginning to use LEDs and you will find legislation is having to keep up by adopting Lumens in its wording along with Wattage as a result. There's a new 14.4v, 3,000 Lumen LED on the market that only draws about 300mA, I was told it was the equivalent of around 140W halogen light in terms of brightness and output, so imagine if that was ramped up with enough LEDs to reach 55W the low beam spec for cars. You'd probably set fire to something right in front of it. Legislation had to change when HID lamps started to be used as they draw less power than halogen but are much brighter. What zero says is also true, anyone remember the days of carrying around SLA batteries for your halogens just so you could ride for a couple of hours?

[il padrone]

OK, what I was getting at was why don't cars use LEDs and Lumens? Probably won't get an answer because this is a bicycle forum!

Had a look at the tail-lights of Mercs and Auddis lately? A bunch of 12-15 leds rather than a globe. Brighter visibilty. For a focused headlight cars have more than enough power to run a HID light - brighter than LEDs at present.

[CommuRider]

I'm not going to argue with you and debate the rights and wrongs. This is a public forum, If you dont like it dont read it...I've said nothing offensive, so back off

Ditto. Pointing out some basic netiquette you've skipped. So you don't like what I write then feel free to ignore it. You can do that can't you?

[wookie661]

F'ing hell guys, get over it commurider, geez mate, honestly, yes there may be many posts about lights, although if someone is after a certain question in particular, then they would make a new post with that specific question.

i myself would not search through countless pages of threads to find an answer to a question that might be on page 50 of 100.

All i can say is, if you aren't going to be supportive and answer a question that someone has obviously asked, aimed at everyone with some knowledge/experience with current lights, then dont bother saying anything in a post that clearly doesn't need your opinion.

thanks.

[master6]

In short, just buy some freaking lights man. And it would be good if lighting threads can be stemmed. How many lighting threads does this forum need per day?

I feel this way about "Best Chain Lube?" threads.

Lights, I find much more interesting, even though, as a retiree, I only cycle after getting out of bed, and that can happen anytime .

Much of the "light discussion" is about headlights. I can understand the reasons for this.
I would like some discussion about tail lights.

My wish is for a tail light that will vibrate the eyeballs of motorists 500 metres behind me in the most brilliant sun light.

Is anything available?

[CommuRider]

Yeah well, I still can't decide on the best chain lube for my needs so better post a new thread on it

And I will post another new thread on lubes a couple of days afterwards if I can't get a sufficient response to said thread with suggested price and a list of LBS that stock them. And that's not a threat but a PROMISE.

Re: tail lights, I believe you can get the blinking blue lights to impersonate a copper. Personally I prefer the LED ones that spell out "smile, you're on my bike cam"

[tallywhacker]

My wish is for a tail light that will vibrate the eyeballs of motorists 500 metres behind me in the most brilliant sun light.

Is anything available?

I use a couple of the DX TR801's for front lights and haven't been hit for nearly 18 months (nearly a record for me). Have been considering putting a red filter on one and using it for a rear flasher.

[ausmomo]

I use a couple of the DX TR801's for front lights and haven't been hit for nearly 18 months (nearly a record for me). Have been considering putting a red filter on one and using it for a rear flasher.

WT?? I just got into riding... should I be worried? Or are you "special"?

[tallywhacker]

don't worry, my family has the "$hite happens" gene

[Aushiker]

Hi

I guess it comes to down to how much you want to pay. I used Fenix L2D/Dealextreme style torces for a couple of winters and found they worked fine. I have now "upgraded" to DiNotte 400L.



I also have a summary of numerous threads here on the subject. It needs updating but. You can find it here.

Andrew

[il padrone]

My wish is for a tail light that will vibrate the eyeballs of motorists 500 metres behind me in the most brilliant sun light.

Is anything available?

Dinotte

But they are somewhat 'overkill'



Personally I really like the Mars 4.0 together with the Supernova E3






For the front - Supernova E3 headlight





Powered by the Schmidt dynohub - oops, SON28.

[GraemeL]

Geez that is one BRIGHT tail light

Graeme

[wombatK]

My wish is for a tail light that will vibrate the eyeballs of motorists 500 metres behind me in the most brilliant sun light.

Is anything available?

I use a couple of the DX TR801's for front lights and haven't been hit for nearly 18 months (nearly a record for me). Have been considering putting a red filter on one and using it for a rear flasher.

Yep, done that with a TR-801 - and shelved it. Used a secton of red perspex cut out from a trailer brake light fitting (so to get some of the dispersion from the prismatic like inner surface). While it was possible to strap it to the seat post or seat-stay with a charity wrist-band, it was too easily bumped off-line and got obscured by saddle-bags or panniers.

Then spotted someone whose tail light that could knock your eyeballs out at 500 m, and discovered it was a Tioga Big-Eye. They mount readily into the loop on the back of Tioga saddle-bags. Bought one of them, and found my mates whining that it was too bright to ride behind. That's another plus - plenty of people to draft behind And while I find the single Big-Eye very effective, you can get a twin now - for double the effect.

Pretty sure this might also fit your bill DX Magichinse MJ818. I've seen some video demos of these that look impressive. But I'm not tempted to try one due to poor experience with other Magicshine lights from DX, and the battery size etc.,. is ugly - they might be overkill.

But you know master6, this is really getting off-topic, and you should really have started a tail-light thread. As someone who would rather see fewer light threads, I'm complimenting you on not doing so.

[william]

In reply to Krank from his original post...
The type of light you use in respect to focusing can cause problems in itself. A lower positioned light will give a better defined shadow of objects and road differences than a higher placed light.

william.

[Ken Ho]

LIght threads do have the advantage of reminding those of us who have left them on to go turn off before batteries die.

Rushes out to turn off tail-light...............................

[Aushiker]

Hi

Slotting in just below Sigma’s mega bright PowerLED Evo light, the new Karma Evo looks promising for a lightweight, 320 lumen light all for under $200. The Karma looks to be quite compact, but still promises to put out a wide, powerful, and focused beam all at the same time.

via BikeRumor.com

Andrew

[Krank]

very nice.....

[moreegolfer]

Bought a Cygolite ExPilion 250 yesterday and love it. Light weight and one piece on a good mount. Don't think I'll go back to Magicshines for road riding, I may keep it aside for MTBing at night/dusk.

[longshanks]

Bought a Cygolite ExPilion 250 yesterday and love it. Light weight and one piece on a good mount. Don't think I'll go back to Magicshines for road riding, I may keep it aside for MTBing at night/dusk.

+1

I picked up one of these the other day from Cell. Really happy with its performance on my commute home at night. (Syd CBD to inner west)

[MichaelB]

....Pretty sure this might also fit your bill DX Magichinse MJ818. I've seen some video demos of these that look impressive. But I'm not tempted to try one due to poor experience with other Magicshine lights from DX, and the battery size etc.,. is ugly - they might be overkill.

....

Have just gotten one of those, and it uis a bright sucker indeed.

Run it with a splitter cable with the 900 Lumen DX headlight and am happy as a pig in poop

[Kalgrm]

very nice.....

It won't mount on your bars.

Cheers,
Graeme

[ColinOldnCranky]

I have understood that Quartz Halo and other halo lamps are actually very efficient but only when running at the designed intensity. Certainly when they started rolling out LEDs onto traffic lights a few years back, while efficient, LEDs were not near the most efficient choice, with various halos beating them, and still so (the Argon vaours for freeway lighting for example). But LEDs are better at sub-optimal voltage.

The images that are constantly posted here sometimes show a chalk and cheese situation, as does the one from the reply above. Certainly the picture though misrepresents greatly the real difference. I mean, honestly how often do you seen halogens that are as poor as indicated above? What these pictures do for incandescent lights, is show you the colour-temperature (in the sense that photographers use the term). As far as brightness, photos have always been a poor instrument anyway, but these day of auto exposure they are useless for determining intensity.

Most halo and led white lights are designed to give a colour-temperature of that of the sun - 6500K - about the same as for a welding arc or a camera flash.

The picture above, with the halo having an extremely low colour -temperature, is indicative a sub-optimum voltage, not light intensity. But I add that when running at that lower colour-temperature efficiency drops (as well as brightness) and you just chew thru what charge remains for decreasing benefit. The LED on the other hand just reduces brightness more or less linearly as the battery voltage drops, but maintains a steady colour-temperature and efficiency. And rapidly improving in performance with newer technology.

All things considered, choosing LEDs over halogen and any other incandescent is now are becoming a no brainer, if indeed it is not already.

[Krank]

colin.

what brand of light do u use?

krank