lights

linsen

As the weather gets a bit dreary and the nights are drawing in, may I please ask what sorts of lights you all use? I have one dark bit of road on a longish commute (12 miles) so I need a good but preferably not too heavy one.
Cheers

STEFANOS4784

I ride on an unlit railway path at night and I use a Fenix L2D CE Q5 (Orange Peel reflector) torch with a Twofish Lockblock mount. It takes 2xAA NiMH batteries to give 2.5 hours on turbo, or 4.5 hours on high, which is bright enough for riding at speed in these conditions. They cost £37 (£5 to £7 for the mount) and I can easily take spare batteries for extended riding. The Fenix is the brightest light available under about £100. You need a good light to be able to cycle at any speed and to spot potholes or debris before you hit it. I use a Smart 1/2 watt Superflash on the rear (£11, 2xAAA, 40 hours), also very bright.
Alfablue posted this in road beginners and a lot of people seem to echo his thoughts, hope this helps

Dudu

Cateye ABS on NiMH batteries. One 10W spotlight or 10W spot- and 10W floodlights with one turned off (except when needed to frighten/wake up drivers). Plus Cateye EL530 as backup.

Two Cateye TLLD600s on the back (bolted onto rack bosses on the seat stays) on the back.

ChrisLS

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Catey ... 360031622/

...this one...really, really good best I have used so far...(in nearly 25 years) 8)

Nick6891

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Catey ... 360025771/

jeepie

Definitely the Fenix. I am constantly amazed about the amount of light it produces! I've never seen anything like it in my life and so cheap too. Big thanks to the forumites for recommending it to me, so now I can do the same:

Fenix L2D CE Q5 + 1

Nick6891

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Catey ... 360025771/

Kieran_Burns

ChrisLS wrote:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Cateye_EL610_Single_Shot_Plus_Front_Light/5360031622/

...this one...really, really good best I have used so far...(in nearly 25 years) 8)

Oh Thank God. I've just bought that

gabriel959

I have seen that Fenix light, problem is that it doesn't come with a bike mount so it's not really practical.

jeepie

Lockblock mount can be used with the Fenix. It's solid!

http://www.thephotonshop.co.uk/page63.htm

linsen

thank you for your suggestions - I'll do some research and money-finding! Anything to avoid the bl**dy car and queues!!

alfablue

Dudu wrote:

Cateye ABS on NiMH batteries.

I had one of these (earlier in my bike light enlightenment). They were okay, but one of the lamps fell off the bar mount and I lost the tiny spring needed to lock the lamp to the mount. On post-mortem I found that the bolt holding the mount to the lamp body was secured inside the lamp by a simple square nut - no shakeproof washer, spring washer, threadlock or nylock nut, it was inevitable it would fall apart. To add insult to injury, Zyro, the distributors, literally ignored the part of my repeated emails that asked for the spring under warranty - it was weird, they kept replying that I could buy one, but wouldn't even engage in my questions about why they wouldn't honour the warranty. In the end I gave up and paid them the £4 for the tiny spring (literally just 5mm long). It taught me 2 things: 1) Cateye design and build quality is poor, 2) Warranty support from Zyro is just in the imagination!

I am sure other owners have been luckier than me. Anyway, after the Cateye, Electron, Vistalight Halogens I moved on to Dinotte (a revelation at the time), and now Fenix L2D CE Q5. Unless you see this light you won't believe what is really possible for under £40 with 2 AA batteries. Unless you spend £100 upwards on something like a Dinotte 200L or maybe a USE Exposure Joystick, you will not beat the Fenix for performance, cost or runtime. Oh, and it weighs about 100g!

gabriel959

Can anyone post a piccie with the Fenix installed on a bike so I can see how it looks like. It looks good I have to say

AndyManc

I have 2 of these ............ ( great lights and half price )

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Smart_3_LED_Front_Light/5360014164/


and 2 of these ...........

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Blackburn_Mars_30_LED_Safety_Rear_Light/5360020250/

alfablue

I am not where my bike is right now, but I found this picture showing the Fenix L1D in a Lockblock, the L2D is longer (by the length of an AA battery).



The L2D is shown here as a helmet light

gabriel959

Also, can anyone tell me what are the differences between the smooth beam and the long one? Which one is better for commuting?

gabriel959

alfablue wrote:

I am not where my bike is right now, but I found this picture showing the Fenix L1D in a Lockblock, the L2D is longer (by the length of an AA battery).
quote]

Thanks a lot for that

alfablue

The Fenix in use:




show me a Cateye that can do that (or any light for £37).

alfablue

gabriel959 wrote:

Also, can anyone tell me what are the differences between the smooth beam and the long one? Which one is better for commuting?

There is not a huge difference, the orange peel beam is nicer, less of a hot spot and a smoother transition, but the smooth is fine, and gives greater throw, probably the orange peel is the best choice to start with (I have one of each but girlfriend is "borrowing" one).

linsen

wow that is impressive! I like the idea you can use it as a torch too - not that you couldn't with any bike light I suppose.

gabriel959

For some reason or another I can't see the pic!! Could you post it somewhere else?

Cheers,
Gabriel

alfablue

linsen wrote:

wow that is impressive! I like the idea you can use it as a torch too - not that you couldn't with any bike light I suppose.

Yes, it is very good in that respect. I was touring with a tent last month and the Fenix was good as a tent light, on low power (it has 4 power levels) and the accessory diffuser fitted, hanging from the lanyard. I also have a headband so then it becomes a head lamp. My son is in Australia at the moment using his with the red filter seeking out snakes and crocs at night in the rain forest (I really wish he wouldn't!!!).

alfablue

gabriel959 wrote:

For some reason or another I can't see the pic!! Could you post it somewhere else?

Cheers,
Gabriel

Oh - I don't know why that is. It appears on this thread http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopi ... ight=fenix

Have a go there

AndyManc

Pfffftttttt , a WHITE house , SNOW , ..... a firefly in a jam jar would cast that amount of light in those conditions :P

alfablue

AndyManc wrote:

Pfffftttttt , a WHITE house , SNOW , ..... a firefly in a jam jar would cast that amount of light in those conditions :P

Yeah, well, I think you might be exaggerating a teeny weeny bit. In any case any photo is going to differ with the exposure used. Beam shots only really make sense when used to compare two or more lights under the same conditions and exposure. But I assure you, this is the performance that I get on the bike path (look at the dark red door, that ain't reflecting much light, but it is still well illuminated). It will illuminate objects 50 metres away very well. This is not my picture by the way, I have done some beam shots but I can't find them at present.

doog442

ive got this

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/-_-/5360026001/

this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Smart-Polaris-F ... B000VKFC8O

and this headtorch

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/3342540072497

the headtorch is excellent for running off road at night so im hoping it will be ok for the bike as i have a 3 mile unlit , offroad section on the commute

beegee

I agree that the problem with really bright lights is that they can dazzle oncoming vehicles. Do any of these lights have a flat cut off so that they can focus all the light onto the road ? Also I believe that Cycling Plus has a review of lights in the October issue (out on Sept 12);

alfablue

Wow - this Aussie has gone Fenix mad! Four on his bike, hundreds of pictures, including "The Fenix Kid"



(he is using the slightly less powerful Rebel version not the latest Q5)

alfablue

beegee wrote:

I agree that the problem with really bright lights is that they can dazzle oncoming vehicles. Do any of these lights have a flat cut off so that they can focus all the light onto the road ? Also I believe that Cycling Plus has a review of lights in the October issue (out on Sept 12);

Yes, I am careful about this, I make sure the Fenix is aimed carefully when on the road, it is just a round beam. I think the only lights that are going to have a flat cut off (top of the beam I presume you mean), will be those with specifically designed lenses.

Nick6891

i seem to find bike lights are not bright enough to put car drivers off, but i do still have mine aimed direct onto the road

gabriel959

I am going to get this fenix light when winter comes then. It will be paired up with a Blackburn Quadrant on my Giant SCR2 as front lights.

Cheers