Lights

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
pete75
Posts: 16370
Joined: 24 Jul 2007, 2:37pm

Re: Lights

Post by pete75 »

Brucey wrote:Such lights are meant for offroad use only. I've got one and yes it does dazzle others; of course it does, it has a small, bright, unshrouded emitter.

IIRC you can't buy a dipped beam headlight of any kind for other vehicles (or any bright LED bike light that meets German regs) that has a similarly unshrouded emitter; it is a pretty basic requirement for bright lights that don't dazzle others.

cheers


Isn't it the case that all handlebar mounted lights are easily "dippable" just by swivelling them down a bit with your hand.
'Give me my bike, a bit of sunshine - and a stop-off for a lunchtime pint - and I'm a happy man.' - Reg Baker
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andrew_s
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Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 9:29pm
Location: Gloucestershire

Re: Lights

Post by andrew_s »

If torch-style beams are pointing straight ahead, they have to be turned down to the 100 lumen level or lower in order not to dazzle. Many of the cheap Cree T6 lights don't have a setting that low, which means the only effective way for the rider not to be anti-social is for them to twist the light down on its handlebar mounting.
Unfortunately, only about 1 in 5 riders will actually do so, or have their light aimed low enough in the first place, which is why the lights themselves attract flak, rather than the riders.

Reliability:
One of the reasons that cheap Chinese lights are cheap is that there's no quality control. It's not that uncommon for the lights (or battery or charger) to die after a relatively short time, but most people just put it down to experience, and just get another one without kicking up a fuss.
However lithium batteries can and do catch fire, quite violently, and have caused damage totalling several hundred million. You wouldn't think your light was such good value if it took your house with it when it failed (not terribly likely, but possible).
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andrew_s
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Location: Gloucestershire

Re: Lights

Post by andrew_s »

pete75 wrote:Isn't it the case that all handlebar mounted lights are easily "dippable" just by swivelling them down a bit with your hand.

It depends.
If the mount is loose enough to be easily dippable, it's quite likely that it will also be loose enough to change its aim point every time you run through a pothole or something. Up, down or not moving will depend on the balance point of the light, but if it does move it won't be all that long before the light mount is tightened enough to make dipping awkward.
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gaz
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Joined: 9 Mar 2007, 12:09pm
Location: Kent

Re: Lights

Post by gaz »

Tonyf33 wrote:Myself and many tens of thousands of UK buyers will use our lights with impunity. I'm not as narrow minded as some whom just can't bring themselves to be objective in their opinions...


CJ's Objective Opinion: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=74339&start=15#p649320

Backed up with testing rather than anecdote. Still tens of thousands (anecdotaly :wink: ) of UK buyers continue to use their lights with impunity.
High on a cocktail of flossy teacakes and marmalade
Stewart H
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Joined: 9 Jun 2014, 9:47pm

Re: Lights

Post by Stewart H »

I have one of the apparently antisocial cree lights too, I tilt it well downwards and have not been flashed at by motorists though have had positive comments about its visibility. Thus far it has yet to explode, as for rear lights I have a cateye light that I found on the road in a home made mount and an LED from poundland :)
Phil Fouracre
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Joined: 12 Jan 2013, 12:16pm
Location: Deepest Somerset

Re: Lights

Post by Phil Fouracre »

Thanks for all the info. Looks like you pays your money and takes your choice. Despite being rather beautiful, I'm not sure I can justify 300 quid for pottering around the lanes. Looks like it will be somewhere between this and the cheap imports.
Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity
Bicycler
Posts: 3400
Joined: 4 Dec 2013, 3:33pm

Re: Lights

Post by Bicycler »

On another thread I recommended the Busch & muller Ixon IQ premium as an excellent bright and road legal light. Easily the best I have ever owned,sufficient for all my riding and runs off normal AAs :)
£48 delivered (NIMH AA batteries and charger not included) - http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/ixon ... amp-139355
£56 delivered (with batteries and charger) - http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/ixon ... led-139357
Brucey
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Joined: 4 Jan 2012, 6:25pm

Re: Lights

Post by Brucey »

pete75 wrote:
Brucey wrote:Such lights are meant for offroad use only. I've got one and yes it does dazzle others; of course it does, it has a small, bright, unshrouded emitter.

IIRC you can't buy a dipped beam headlight of any kind for other vehicles (or any bright LED bike light that meets German regs) that has a similarly unshrouded emitter; it is a pretty basic requirement for bright lights that don't dazzle others.

cheers


Isn't it the case that all handlebar mounted lights are easily "dippable" just by swivelling them down a bit with your hand.


well kind of, but even if you do manage to achieve that, it usually still leaves the bright emitter on view and the light spill from that is still very bright, well above what is recommended, or indeed remotely comfortable to be near on (say) a shared use path. There are quite a few such paths near where I live and riders using lights like that are (quite rightly in principle if not perhaps in extent) usually on the receiving end of a fair amount of colourful language (which is freely littered with colourful Angle-Saxon adjectives) from other riders.

I have heard of people deliberately riding straight at users of such lights, to carry home their point in a way that can't easily be ignored. Somewhat hazardous, but when you are dazzled, that is the only part of the trail which is definitely going to be the trail and not the hedge, or a ditch... :roll: .... All a bit mad but I can't blame them actually; anyone who thinks they 'need' a light like that on such a path is basically delusional IMHO, and if you are repeately blinded by the same f-wit every day of the week it is likely to get you to breaking point sooner or later...

I will own up to having used my light of this type onroad as a main beam occasionally but I usually turn it off altogether if there is oncoming traffic once they have spotted me, which is fine since I would normally have another light on anyway.

I have experimented with a crude cutoff (made from self-adhesive aluminium tape) in the top third of the lens but it still leaves too much spill (from the lower half of the reflector) for use on shared paths. I guess it might be OK on some roads with cars though.

cheers
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bicycler
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Joined: 4 Dec 2013, 3:33pm

Re: Lights

Post by Bicycler »

Maybe dipping a light by hand is feasible for travelling around in the wee hours or down quiet country lanes where there are few other people but is anybody really going to be doing it everytime they meet another person or vehicle on any moderately busy road or cyclepath? I've had so much hassle in the past with brackets which didn't stay put when I wanted them to. There's no way I'd leave them intentionally loose so I could move the lamp around.
oldstrath
Posts: 67
Joined: 21 Feb 2014, 2:00pm

Re: Lights

Post by oldstrath »

I use, and am happy with, a Moon Xpower 600 on road (about £60 from Amazon). I am aware that it is 'anti social' in some peoples' opinions, but having tried to replace it by STVZO-compliant lights I found them unusable. The Ixon Core has a ridiculously narrow beam, makes windy roads close to impossible, and frankly I found frightening. The Phillips Saferide (no longer made) has a marginally acceptable beam for rural riding, but has a pointlessly short run time - in today's cold weather about 45 minutes on high. Other than dynamo lighting I really doubt that any of the STVZO-compliant lights are really recommendable.
oldstrath
Posts: 67
Joined: 21 Feb 2014, 2:00pm

Re: Lights

Post by oldstrath »

Bicycler wrote:On another thread I recommended the Busch & muller Ixon IQ premium as an excellent bright and road legal light. Easily the best I have ever owned,sufficient for all my riding and runs off normal AAs :)
£48 delivered (NIMH AA batteries and charger not included) - http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/ixon ... amp-139355
£56 delivered (with batteries and charger) - http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/ixon ... led-139357

Great. On Rose bikes a one star review pointing out that the battery cover is flimsy, and broke after two weeks., and a very succinct one star review - "Schrott" (junk, in English).

Clearly so much more reliable than those nasty Chinese Ebay jobs.
Bicycler
Posts: 3400
Joined: 4 Dec 2013, 3:33pm

Re: Lights

Post by Bicycler »

Look, hang on. I was giving my personal experience of a light I have purchased, used without problem and am happy to recommend. I cannot comment on random German users' problems (though I notice you conveniently ignored all the positive reviews). I shall do you the courtesy of not trawling the internet for any terse negative reviews of your preferred light :roll:
Last edited by Bicycler on 10 Nov 2014, 7:24pm, edited 1 time in total.
oldstrath
Posts: 67
Joined: 21 Feb 2014, 2:00pm

Re: Lights

Post by oldstrath »

I found the negative reviews because I was considering buying one. I would in fact prefer to use a STVZO-compliant light if I could find an acceptable one - the run time of the Phillips disqualifies it for me, and I thought the ixon iq premium might be it. But the reviews worry me £45 for a light whose battery cover breaks quickly doesn’t soubd great.
pete75
Posts: 16370
Joined: 24 Jul 2007, 2:37pm

Re: Lights

Post by pete75 »

Reading this thread it seems there's a lot of folk about with vitamin A deficiency.
'Give me my bike, a bit of sunshine - and a stop-off for a lunchtime pint - and I'm a happy man.' - Reg Baker
Brucey
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Joined: 4 Jan 2012, 6:25pm

Re: Lights

Post by Brucey »

pete75 wrote:Reading this thread it seems there's a lot of folk about with vitamin A deficiency.


-who said that...? :lol: :lol: :lol:

cheers
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