How bright is to bright?

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Re: How bright is to bright?

Postby warthog1 » Thu May 16, 2013 7:33 am

Red Rider wrote:The one for the computer. It's also for being able to plug into my phone charger that has a USB port, and very handy for overseas travel also.
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Re: How bright is to bright?

Postby Red Rider » Thu May 16, 2013 8:06 am

The light has a 2.1mm DC jack, I doubt Prolite will charge any more than a tener for it judging by the price on the Supernova website and what Prolite are selling the light for.

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Re: How bright is to bright?

Postby bychosis » Thu May 16, 2013 10:45 am

Was driving home the other night and saw some bright lights coming towards us. At first couldn't work out what sort of vehicle it was. As it turned out there were about 6 MTB riders most with helmet and bar mount lights, a couple with just bar mounts. My wife commented on how bright they were, I too thought that they were shining at the driver a bit much (not like a low beam car headlight). I should add they were not doing anything wrong, just riding along the correct side of the road and the lights were enough to be distracting for oncoming drivers.

Super bright is fine in the bush, not so great when oncoming traffic is involved unless there is a degree of directionality with the brightness.
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Re: How bright is to bright?

Postby franjae » Fri May 17, 2013 8:51 am

I really hate it when some cyclists have lights so bright that they blind you as they go past, that's just dangerous. You are just on a cycle path, why the hell do you need to light up the whole surburb? Then you get some still riding without lights.......

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Re: How bright is to bright?

Postby rjk » Fri May 17, 2013 11:34 am

franjae wrote:I really hate it when some cyclists have lights so bright that they blind you as they go past, that's just dangerous. You are just on a cycle path, why the hell do you need to light up the whole surburb? Then you get some still riding without lights.......

cycle paths are the worst to ride on, specially when they are wet, there is no street lighting for them.

Everyone who cycles regularly on paths know this
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Re: How bright is to bright?

Postby VRE » Fri May 17, 2013 12:06 pm

rjk wrote:
franjae wrote:I really hate it when some cyclists have lights so bright that they blind you as they go past, that's just dangerous. You are just on a cycle path, why the hell do you need to light up the whole surburb? Then you get some still riding without lights.......

cycle paths are the worst to ride on, specially when they are wet, there is no street lighting for them.

Everyone who cycles regularly on paths know this
I don't. I find the Koonung Creek Trail safer than Maroondah Highway when cycling home, even in the dark. Both routes have their own hazards, but I prefer the trail.

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Re: How bright is to bright?

Postby g-boaf » Fri May 17, 2013 2:34 pm

rjk wrote:
franjae wrote:I really hate it when some cyclists have lights so bright that they blind you as they go past, that's just dangerous. You are just on a cycle path, why the hell do you need to light up the whole surburb? Then you get some still riding without lights.......

cycle paths are the worst to ride on, specially when they are wet, there is no street lighting for them.

Everyone who cycles regularly on paths know this
You just can't see far ahead of you on those paths - so you need a bright light. There is one near my place that is extremely dark at night - and some pedestrians get around at night wearing dark clothes so you just can't see them. :shock:

I'm tempted to see if the council will install lights for the safety of everyone - especially considering a lot of cyclists use it for commuting.

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Re: How bright is to bright?

Postby clackers » Fri May 17, 2013 5:19 pm

VRE wrote: I don't. I find the Koonung Creek Trail safer than Maroondah Highway when cycling home, even in the dark. Both routes have their own hazards, but I prefer the trail.
I ride the Koonung and often use trail lights. There are sections without lamp posts and some walkers have lights, some don't.

Whitehorse Road is well lit by comparison.

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Re: How bright is to bright?

Postby VRE » Fri May 17, 2013 7:41 pm

clackers wrote:
VRE wrote: I don't. I find the Koonung Creek Trail safer than Maroondah Highway when cycling home, even in the dark. Both routes have their own hazards, but I prefer the trail.
I ride the Koonung and often use trail lights. There are sections without lamp posts and some walkers have lights, some don't.

Whitehorse Road is well lit by comparison.
I never disputed that.

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Re: How bright is to bright?

Postby trailgumby » Fri May 17, 2013 8:00 pm

franjae wrote:I really hate it when some cyclists have lights so bright that they blind you as they go past, that's just dangerous. You are just on a cycle path, why the hell do you need to light up the whole surburb? Then you get some still riding without lights.......
Do you mind if I ask, are your own lights "look at me" lights only, or are they headlights intended to let you see where you are going on an unlit thoroughfare?

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Re: How bright is to bright?

Postby jacks1071 » Fri May 17, 2013 9:40 pm

Red Rider wrote:The light has a 2.1mm DC jack, I doubt Prolite will charge any more than a tener for it judging by the price on the Supernova website and what Prolite are selling the light for.
You're on the money mate, $10 will cover the USB cable. I nearly ordered them but didn't think anyone would want them!

I might even look at including them with the next batch.
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Re: How bright is to bright?

Postby Mulger bill » Sat May 18, 2013 6:50 pm

jacks1071 wrote:
Red Rider wrote:The light has a 2.1mm DC jack, I doubt Prolite will charge any more than a tener for it judging by the price on the Supernova website and what Prolite are selling the light for.
You're on the money mate, $10 will cover the USB cable. I nearly ordered them but didn't think anyone would want them!

I might even look at including them with the next batch.
Seriously liking the look of the Supernova Airstream Deon.

A couple of questions seeing as I couldn't find anything on your site...

A) What's in the box?
B) Will the optics allow the light to used under the bars?

Thanks in advance.
It's a shame your Lucca wheelset runs to 130mm OLN spacing, woulda pulled the trigger on them already :(

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Re: How bright is to bright?

Postby Red Rider » Sat May 18, 2013 7:23 pm

I can answer that Shaun as I just got the Airstream from Deon yesterday. 1 day delivery was awesome and allowed me to use it this morning.

The box in itself is pretty slick, gloss black tin, dense foam inside with cutouts for the parts. The box contains the light, the charger, 2 o-rings for securing to the handle bar, and a spare charging port plug and rubber mount protector (+ manual and other bits of paper).

The light looks just as good, if not better, in real life than the photo's. The build quality is superb.

The optics are specifically designed with the light to be mounted upright as it concentrates more of the light at the top of the beam so as the light is thrown at an angle onto the ground it is spread evenly into the distance. So mounting it upside down would reverse this.

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Re: How bright is to bright?

Postby Mulger bill » Sat May 18, 2013 7:46 pm

Thanks very much Red, I suspected as much about the orientation but wanted confirmation. Still more than a little interested.
I don't s'pose you know a way to make the Lucca hubs work in a 135 spaced Al frame? :wink:

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Re: How bright is to bright?

Postby Red Rider » Sat May 18, 2013 9:13 pm

Mulger bill wrote:I don't s'pose you know a way to make the Lucca hubs work in a 135 spaced Al frame? :wink:
I have nfi what you are talking about but good luck with that :mrgreen:

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Re: How bright is to bright?

Postby iaintas » Sun May 19, 2013 3:03 pm

Well finally got out for a night ride in central qld for some hill repeats. Tested out the light (magicshine 900lm), now to answer the question how bright is too bright? well as bright as a can get thanks, i want to see that kangaroo that hoped infront of me while i was descending, it was a big big bugger, atleast as tall as me. so im going to go for this; 2000lm helmet light to check out things rustling in the bushes, two more magicshine lights, one shining left the other right and another 200lm light on the handlbars shining forwards. If that dont light the buggers up like its a mofo fire ball rolling down the hill i dont know what is. I am sorry mr car driver, just look away for a second and keep driving straight like you would for a truck coming the other way.

Dont whine and whinge that your eyes hurt, im trying to stay alive here, you suckers with 50lm lights shining at your front wheel can collect the kangaroos for me if you want or come to central qld and be my designated "bullbar" if thats what you want......

Rant over!
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Re: How bright is to bright?

Postby MattyK » Sun May 19, 2013 9:15 pm

Glad I don't live in Central Qld... nice attitude.

FWIW the last 200lm on the bars won't even be noticed.

Also if I was coming toward you in my car I'd bet my 7000 lm low beams HIDs wouldn't disturb you. But I sure as heck would add in the 3000 lm high beams to your eyesight.

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Re: How bright is to bright?

Postby Ken Ho » Mon May 20, 2013 9:28 pm

Finding myself in need o a new light fther managing to fry my trusty old one, I nipped out to see Deon to check out the Supernova Airstream he had given me the heads up on. The posts here had me interested. I have been on the verge of buying AYUPs for a bit.
Initial impressions of the package were good and the look of the unit was impressive. Very well made and spiffy to look at. Solid metal casing.
It looks a bit bulky, but as soon as I lit it up, the bulky front made sense. The large reflector and glass throw a huge Clean pool of light that starts close to the bike and goes almost a hundred yards. No hot spots or dead areas.
For comparison purposes, Deon grabbed his AYUPs and we shone them at the chookhouse together. Sorry AYUPs, no competition. The sad ragged light they throw was actually pretty pathetic compared to the Supernova and the battery life is substantially less too. I like the compact design of the AYUPs , but that svelte design does not have anywhere near the throw as the big German unit.
So, I bought them. $199 vs $275. Cheaper and better.
The attachment system is quick and easy. Most lights go for the plastic screw clamp with a flip cam. The Supernova elects to go for a curved metal footplate, with a heavy duty O-ring, which is a snap to attach to any bar.

Honestly, I would prefer a less obtrusive unit, but settling the compromise between light quality, battery life and bulk means I can't always get what I want.
Last edited by Ken Ho on Tue May 21, 2013 7:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: How bright is to bright?

Postby jacks1071 » Mon May 20, 2013 10:55 pm

Ken Ho wrote:Finding myself in need o a new light fther managing to fry my trusty old one, I nipped out to see Deon to check out the Supernova Airstream he had given me the heads up on. The posts here had me interested. I have been on the verge of buying AYUPs for a bit.
Initial impressions of the package were good and the look of the unit was impressive. Very well made and spiffy to look at. Solid metal casing.
It looks a bit bulky, but as soon as I lit it up, the bulky front made sense. The large reflector and glass throw a huge lean pool of light that starts close to the bike and goes almost a hundred yards.
For comparison purposes, Deon grabbed his AYUPs and we shone them at the chookhouse together. Sorry AYUPs, no competition. The sad ragged light they throw was actually pretty pathetic compared to the Supernova and the battery life is substantially less too. I like the compact design of the AYUPs , but that svelte design does not have anywhere near the throw as the big German unit.
So, I bought them. $199 vs $275. Cheaper and better.
The attachment system is quick and easy. Most lights go for the plastic screw clamp with a flip cam. The Supernova elects to go for a curved metal footplate, with a heavy duty O-ring, which is a snap to attach to any bar.

Honestly, I would prefer a less obtrusive unit, but settling the compromise between light quality, battery life and bulk means I can't always get what I want.
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Re: How bright is to bright?

Postby jacks1071 » Mon May 20, 2013 11:00 pm

Mulger bill wrote: B) Will the optics allow the light to used under the bars?

Thanks in advance.
It's a shame your Lucca wheelset runs to 130mm OLN spacing, woulda pulled the trigger on them already :(

Shaun
Nothing to stop you mounting under the bars, the optics are designed to throw light to the ground so the light I'd imagine won't be as good but I'd have to test to see how much difference it makes.

You can mount these on the stem if you are out of bar space (the bracket can pivot 90 degress to facilitate this) - they also make a bracket that allows you to mount them in front of the stem. I didn't order any of the optional brackets in but at the current rate I'll need another shipment of them soon enough.

Lucca - I've emailed Pro-Lite. It maybe possible to install a spacer but I will need to check. We could always cold set the spacing on your frame :-)
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Re: How bright is to bright?

Postby Chris249 » Mon May 20, 2013 11:04 pm

iaintas wrote:I am sorry mr car driver, just look away for a second and keep driving straight like you would for a truck coming the other way.

Dont whine and whinge that your eyes hurt, im trying to stay alive here, you suckers with 50lm lights shining at your front wheel can collect the kangaroos for me if you want or come to central qld and be my designated "bullbar" if thats what you want......

Rant over!
So basically it's stuff you other people, your safety doesn't matter because I'm more important?

I had a mob of roos jump across my trail the other night. That doesn't mean that I have the right to dazzle other people's eyes and make them look away - what about the poor person they may not be able to see because they are looking away from you?

If you are going too fast for your lights then can't you slow down rather than make those coming towards you look away from the direction in which they are going?

My wife and I have both had to start commuting on the roads rather than the bike paths because of the possum burners who think that they are safer because their lights are dazzling us. And no, it is physically impossible for us to look away from people coming towards us with over-bright lights pointed too high AND keep our own eyes on the trail . It's the most basic geometry possible, unless you can work out how to look ahead of you while not looking ahead of you. :shock:

If people are going to ride without consideration for others then how can they complain if car drivers do the same?
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Re: How bright is to bright?

Postby Mulger bill » Tue May 21, 2013 7:20 am

Ken Ho wrote:Finding myself in need o a new light fther managing to fry my trusty old one, I nipped out to see Deon to check out the Supernova Airstream he had given me the heads up on. The posts here had me interested. I have been on the verge of buying AYUPs for a bit.
Initial impressions of the package were good and the look of the unit was impressive. Very well made and spiffy to look at. Solid metal casing.
It looks a bit bulky, but as soon as I lit it up, the bulky front made sense. The large reflector and glass throw a huge lean pool of light that starts close to the bike and goes almost a hundred yards.
For comparison purposes, Deon grabbed his AYUPs and we shone them at the chookhouse together. Sorry AYUPs, no competition. The sad ragged light they throw was actually pretty pathetic compared to the Supernova and the battery life is substantially less too. I like the compact design of the AYUPs , but that svelte design does not have anywhere near the throw as the big German unit.
So, I bought them. $199 vs $275. Cheaper and better.
The attachment system is quick and easy. Most lights go for the plastic screw clamp with a flip cam. The Supernova elects to go for a curved metal footplate, with a heavy duty O-ring, which is a snap to attach to any bar.

Honestly, I would prefer a less obtrusive unit, but settling the compromise between light quality, battery life and bulk means I can't always get what I want.
Thanks Ken, I'm sold :D

Deon, I'll be in touch shortly, do you still accept bank transfer?

Shaun
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Re: How bright is to bright?

Postby rjk » Tue May 21, 2013 8:41 am

Chris249 wrote:
iaintas wrote:I am sorry mr car driver, just look away for a second and keep driving straight like you would for a truck coming the other way.

Dont whine and whinge that your eyes hurt, im trying to stay alive here, you suckers with 50lm lights shining at your front wheel can collect the kangaroos for me if you want or come to central qld and be my designated "bullbar" if thats what you want......

Rant over!
So basically it's stuff you other people, your safety doesn't matter because I'm more important?

I had a mob of roos jump across my trail the other night. That doesn't mean that I have the right to dazzle other people's eyes and make them look away - what about the poor person they may not be able to see because they are looking away from you?

If you are going too fast for your lights then can't you slow down rather than make those coming towards you look away from the direction in which they are going?

My wife and I have both had to start commuting on the roads rather than the bike paths because of the possum burners who think that they are safer because their lights are dazzling us. And no, it is physically impossible for us to look away from people coming towards us with over-bright lights pointed too high AND keep our own eyes on the trail . It's the most basic geometry possible, unless you can work out how to look ahead of you while not looking ahead of you. :shock:

If people are going to ride without consideration for others then how can they complain if car drivers do the same?

sorry mate, i am not going to give up my lights because you whinge and complain, my lights keep me safe on night rides on trails.

the issues i have are dogs at night, assorted wildlife on the trail, and dam ninja pedestrians.

the most trouble i have is with the ninja's black clothing in the middle of the night, my lights stop me running over them, i have had many near misses with those idiots.

i dont mind running them over if you can figure out a way of me not coming off the bike and injuring myself.

once you figure that out i will gladly go for a less bright light, but until you do bad luck, just look at the side of the trail till i pass.

or get yourself instantenous changing photochromatic lenses in you glasses

if you cant get those, i suggest a welders mask with the flip down lenses

:) :lol:
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Re: How bright is to bright?

Postby Comedian » Tue May 21, 2013 9:24 am

Ken Ho wrote:Finding myself in need o a new light fther managing to fry my trusty old one, I nipped out to see Deon to check out the Supernova Airstream he had given me the heads up on. The posts here had me interested. I have been on the verge of buying AYUPs for a bit.
Initial impressions of the package were good and the look of the unit was impressive. Very well made and spiffy to look at. Solid metal casing.
It looks a bit bulky, but as soon as I lit it up, the bulky front made sense. The large reflector and glass throw a huge Clean pool of light that starts close to the bike and goes almost a hundred yards. No hot spots or dead areas.
For comparison purposes, Deon grabbed his AYUPs and we shone them at the chookhouse together. Sorry AYUPs, no competition. The sad ragged light they throw was actually pretty pathetic compared to the Supernova and the battery life is substantially less too. I like the compact design of the AYUPs , but that svelte design does not have anywhere near the throw as the big German unit.
So, I bought them. $199 vs $275. Cheaper and better.
The attachment system is quick and easy. Most lights go for the plastic screw clamp with a flip cam. The Supernova elects to go for a curved metal footplate, with a heavy duty O-ring, which is a snap to attach to any bar.

Honestly, I would prefer a less obtrusive unit, but settling the compromise between light quality, battery life and bulk means I can't always get what I want.
How old were the ayups? Also, ayups don't switch off when the battery goea flat like the chinese lights.. they get dimmer. The new ones are 40% brighter than the old ones, and the upgrades are cheap (they give the old ones to school mtb programs).

I just bought some a month or so back. We compared them to the usual 1000lm magic shines, and much to my work mates shock they were actually brighter, and around half the weight even with the epic battery pack.

So, a month into ayup ownership and I'm stoked. I've got a set of lights that mount beautifully and are unobtrusive, they are as bright or brighter with better throw than my magic shine, plus I only have to charge them after 3 days riding instead of nightly.

Plus, mine are made right here in Brisbane. Yes they were expensive, but I'm happy.

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Re: How bright is to bright?

Postby jasonc » Tue May 21, 2013 9:39 am

Comedian wrote:So, a month into ayup ownership and I'm stoked. I've got a set of lights that mount beautifully and are unobtrusive, they are as bright or brighter with better throw than my magic shine, plus I only have to charge them after 3 days riding instead of nightly.
still get ~4 mornings out of my magicshine battery. I'd say yours was cactus

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