Cateye Lights

curlyrobert

OK, I need some good and relatively cheap commuting lights, generally on well lit roads with about 3 miles of pitch darkness

I do about an hour a day so rechargable would not really be a big priority, a flashing light will go on forever.

So it is between a few Cateye:

Front:
EL600RC or EL530

Rear:
LD1100 or LD610

any comments would be helpful and reasons too...!

Thanks

alfablue

Those Cateye front lights are over priced, underpowered, have brackets that break (sometimes resulting in losing your light under a truck), have batteries that overheat and melt the casing during charging, and warranty "support" from Zyro is absolutely awful! Apart from that, great lights

Look for threads about Fenix LD20 or L2D CE torches with Lockblock mounts - cheaper, much brighter, more durable, more reliable, run on 2 AA's.

Or Tesco £10 LED torches.

Both much better options and will allow you to genuinely see on the unlit part of your ride.

For a rear light it is very hard to beat the Smart Superflash 1/2 watt, VERY bright, about £11.

AndyManc

curlyrobert wrote:

OK, I need some good and relatively cheap commuting lights, generally on well lit roads with about 3 miles of pitch darkness

I do about an hour a day so rechargable would not really be a big priority, a flashing light will go on forever.

So it is between a few Cateye:

Front:
EL600RC or EL530

Rear:
LD1100 or LD610

any comments would be helpful and reasons too...!

Thanks

Your 2 rear light choices are both good, I have them, I also have the Smart Superflash 1/2 watt, ..... it's cheap (Wiggle) and very bright + it's got a clip for helmet/rucksack .

I don't like cateye fronts though.

downfader

I have the 610 rear and really like it. Nice and bright, stuck it on the seat post of the kona.

I went for the 520 front like as it takes 4 AAs and isnt rechargable in the light itself. It seems birigh enough for urban areas, doesnt flash though. I might upgrade later, nothing wrong with tryin g out several lights imo.

Rich158

I had the double shot EL600, and it was underpowered on dark country lanes. Fine in towns though if all you want it is to be seen rather than lightin your way. they do run for a long time on one charge though

nwallace

I tried the 610EL in proper dark the other week, total rubbish though the low battery light did come on a few days later on the way home from work by which time it was failing to leave a mark on the pavement.

One idea I do like the sound of is the twin fenix set up, to use the automotive auxilluary lamp terms one with Driving beam (Orange Peel reflector) and one with Spot/Pencil Beam (smooth reflector) This should allow the equivalent of a main and high beam set up. Though not yet owning a Fenix set up I don't know for sure if this is how it will work.

I keep coming up the the daft plan of fitting a Hella Comet 550 with Driving lens to the front of my bike, it's gone from a serious dynamo running and H3 bulb to a butchered Cat Eye unit replacing the bulb.

For tail lights you want viewing distance, angle and redness.
I've noticed that on some cars (possibly with modified bulbs) tail lamps are as bright as brake lamps. (This is not a good thing)

AyrshireBacon

I've got the 1100 on the rear and am very pleased with it, especially in double "Knight Rider" mode (if only it made the correct sound effect). My missus passed me on the way home the other night and said she could see it from a very good distance.

No problems with the bracket, although I've got it up near the seat and it's tricky to get in - unlikely to jump out on it's own.

galaxyboy

I've got the 530 front 1100 rear. I used them last autumn/winter and still using them now. I change the battery's every month or so. Commute is around 1.5 hrs per day - well pleased with them.

scoobers

I've got the 1100 on the rear, it's very bright.
http://cyclexpress.co.uk/brands/Cateye.aspx has very good prices on all Cat Eye lights

cougie

That is a good price for the cateye - but i have it and its not as bright as the Smart Half Watt Superflash. You can pick those up for £11 - so I'd get two of those and then if a light fails - you're still covered. With the cateye - if that breaks/falls/fails - you're stuffed.

Another vote for teh Fenix too - great lights and will be fine for the unlit bit too.

addicted to Langbar

+1 for the tesco lights. I have had an EL530 for a year or so which is fine for urban use, but it totally useless for proper country dark lanes and streets.

The tesco lights are incredibly bright and I turn them on when the street lights run out and turn off the EL530. As the tesco ones have a very focused beam I have a 2C one on the handlebars and a 2AA one on my helmet as you can sometimes lose the sweep of corners with just the handlebar light. Not sure how long each set of batteries will last but there are other threads that will probably cover that -

http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopi ... ee&start=0

But at £12.00 and £10.00 respectively, definitely worth a try although you will have to work out a way of mounting them. Cable ties are fine for the helmet, but the handlebar one is a bit wobbly tied onto an old light mount, but that may be down to being bounced around due to the lack of repairs by Leeds City Councils highways department.

ride_whenever

I've got an old cateye up front (which i wouldn't recommend) and a trek light that i got free (which i wouldn't recommend paying for) on the back i have a cheap red led light, the matching trek rear light (which is pretty good actually) and an EL1100, this is awesome. Yes it isn't as bright as a smart superflash, but you can still see it from miles away and is more than bright enough for people to avoid you.

Feltup

I have an EL410 and a Fenix L2D. The EL410 is about as bright as the fenix on its lowest setting and allows very slow riding on unlit roads. The Fenix on max or turbo allows fast riding on unlit roads but munches batteries so you need to take spare rechargeable ones.

The Fenix doesn't have side visibilty as such but on unlit roads it is bright enough to allow cars to spot you from a fair distance away, i.e. the beam will be bright enough to alert a car in the side road before you or they get there by a few seconds.

I like having both with the fenix on low in town along side the cateye on flash and then max it out of town. The cateye is a good back up for when the Fenix dies and you have forgotten the spare batteries.

coffeecup

you can get the EL530 and the LD1100 as a set at wiggle for £47

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

the LD1100's really bright and lasts for ages. I've got them on my commuter and my folder. Excellent light!!!

I use rechargeables in the EL530 cos it doesn't last anywhere near as long. (Maybe cos I'm using crappy rechargables??) I don't know what the 40hr backup is that they claim to have?? It'll last close to the 10hr mark and then there doesn't tend to be much warning and it goes almost completely. Seems to be an all or nothing type thing. But if you keep charging the batteries every few days it's a great light.

oh and watch the switch on the EL530. If you toss it into your bag it can switch itself on pretty easy.... then when it comes home time you've no light!! :shock:

Surf-Matt

I've got the LD610 and think it's brilliant.

Super bright and easy on batteries (AAAs)

Feltup

coffeecup wrote:

I use rechargeables in the EL530 cos it doesn't last anywhere near as long. (Maybe cos I'm using crappy rechargables??) I don't know what the 40hr backup is that they claim to have?? It'll last close to the 10hr mark and then there doesn't tend to be much warning and it goes almost completely. Seems to be an all or nothing type thing. But if you keep charging the batteries every few days it's a great light.

Rechargeables hold high power almost up to the end of their charge i.e. they stay bright and then dim very fast.

Alkalines tend to hold high power for say 50% of the time and then gradually fade in power.

Northwind

The 610 rear is very good, it's not just bright, it's also got really good wide visibility, which is where some rear lights really fall down. But I've never seen a cateye front light which is much good for anything other than just being seen.

(the tesco lights on the other hand make lots of light, very effective, but they're not all that visible)

downfader

So has anyone upgraded a cateye with a 3w led? I know people do it with torches, chage optics, etc, but is it workable with cateyes?

Just wondering how my 520 front light would cope with a "cree" or other higher wattage led..?

cougie

Easier just buying the MTE P7 I think.

pud77

downfader wrote:

So has anyone upgraded a cateye with a 3w led? I know people do it with torches, chage optics, etc, but is it workable with cateyes?

Just wondering how my 520 front light would cope with a "cree" or other higher wattage led..?

I've recently upgraded the led in my Cateye el530 from a LUX-1 to an SSC P4. I got the information from Candle Power forums, the thread is below ...
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=167551

The led was bought from Deal Extreme for £3.25 delivered. Link below ...
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2026

The el520 can be modded exactly the same as the el530. The light output is much brighter with a wider spill. Well worth it for a few quid

simon_e

I have a Cateye EL320 and a mate has the 530. Both have a narrow, defined spot with not much spill beyond it. OK for lit streets (though side visibility isn't great) but genuinely piss-poor on dark lanes. 4 x 2500mAh AA last quite well, I use a neat little charger from Battery Logic.

Looking at Hope Vision 1, Nitirider Minewt (have ridden with the latter) or, if a kind benefactor slips me a few notes, a pair of AyUps. A friend has these and they are very impressive, but they require a dedicated Li-Ion battery pack.

Cateye TL600 on the back works very well, it's very bright and the 2 AAAs last ages. TL610 is reputed to be even better.

I'd suggest you replace Cateye's cheap'n'nasty Flex-Tight band with the SP5/SP6 (rear) or H31/H32 QR (front) brackets.

Bodman

curlyrobert

I have a EL530 that I've used about half a dozen times, that I don't have a need of anymore, as its not suitable for the dark lanes that I use. If your looking to keep cost down then I'd be happy to let you have it for a reasonable offer.

Bodman

Clever Pun

I'm on my 2nd cateye singleshot plus.... it's just too much for the bracket to take... I suspect I might just get my money back on it and get another type

it's great except for that quite massive failing