Torch beam not good for commuting

beegee

I find that my torch (if someone told me 40 years ago that I would be cycling around with torch strapped to the handlebars as my main lighting I would've laughed in their face), being a torch, has the wrong beam shape for commuting.

Even though I point it down so far that it is almost useless I still notice that cars, buses, pedestrians act in a way that tells me that they are more confused than normal. I am guessing that it is something to do with the glare from the torch.

Now actually although I like to be seen by these people, I don't really need to cause mass confusion wherever I cycle and I would rather use the light for lighting the ground and whatever I am just about to hit.

So does anyone know where I get a lens to put over the torch to focus the beam so that it has a straight and horizontal cut off ? Or how I can make one that doesn't fall off ?

I searched in the mtb forum for 'beam and shape' I think. It found a match, but it was in a 71 page thread and the seach results didn't say which page the match was found (something for you techies to sort out ?)

Wooliferkins

Why not just buy a decent light?

Greg T

Why don't you attach it to a 5 foot length of garden cane and at 90 Degrees to it - attach that to your helmet (or if you have a powerful bite (and there are many many many highly strung drama Queens here who do) you could hold it in your teeth) and have that protruding in front of you - lighting up that space?

Let us know how you get on.

UndercoverElephant

What exactly is wrong with the beam pattern, in your opinion? Is it too focused, does it give out too much light from the sides, what?

bails87

Do the search again, but choose to display results as posts, rather than topics.

beegee

Wooliferkins wrote:

Why not just buy a decent light?

I have an aversion to spending lots of money on something that might not be good. I've seen reviews of cycle light systems here that cost £250 and they give it luke warm praise. £250 ought to pay for someone to run in front of me with a light. imo. I did pay a lot for a halogen light once and now it is obsolete. I can't even re-use the battery pack from it.

UndercoverElephant wrote:

What exactly is wrong with the beam pattern, in your opinion? Is it too focused, does it give out too much light from the sides, what?

It's not focused enough so that part of the beam goes horizontally or even up even though the centre of the spot is about 20 feet or less in front of me.

prawny

Get something from Busch & Muller they have exactly the beam pattern your looking for, the Ixon IQ gets good reviews and is £75

The big bang is rediculous and £575, but good.

UndercoverElephant

In which case, why not try painting part of the lens with tip-ex? Just the top and side, so you don't feel you have to point it down so far.

I quite like that my torch spills a bit, I only notice it because it's so much brighter than most people's bike lights, otherwise the beam is quite like that of a minewt.

beegee

UndercoverElephant wrote:

In which case, why not try painting part of the lens with tip-ex? Just the top and side, so you don't feel you have to point it down so far.

That sounds good although I think - from my initial experiments using tin foil from the chicken - that I will have to tippex nearly half the lens. I was rather hoping to use the extra light rather than block it. Perhaps I'm a 'glass is half empty' sort of guy.

Greg, excellent suggestion but I try to exude an aura of manliness and coolness when I cycle and I am not sure that the torch on a beam pole would fit in with my self image.

cougie

I think you're imagining it. I dont see why a torch beam would confuse a car any more than normal. When I'm driving - I dont see the beam - just the light - buggered if I can tell if its a torch or bike light.

snailracer

OK if you're into saving money...
Cut the ends off a Coke can to leave a shiny tube, slide over torch and secure with duct tape.
If torch is too narrow or too wide, cut the tube lengthwise to form an adjustable seam, secure seam with more duct tape.
The further the tube projects in front of the torch, the narrower the beam.
Plus, the Coke logo looks cool 8)
If you're really ambitious, you can cut chunks out of the edge of the tube to get a profiled spread of light.

vorsprung

Someone in my club uses tesco torches as his bike light. He has a awning over the top of the light. It's a bit difficult to explain without a picture but basically just put something in the top 180 degrees of the light not over the lense but around it

beegee

snailracer wrote:

OK if you're into saving money...
Cut the ends off a Coke can to leave a shiny tube, slide over torch and secure with duct tape.
If torch is too narrow or too wide, cut the tube lengthwise to form an adjustable seam, secure seam with more duct tape.
The further the tube projects in front of the torch, the narrower the beam.
Plus, the Coke logo looks cool 8)
If you're really ambitious, you can cut chunks out of the edge of the tube to get a profiled spread of light.

Good idea ! Very good idea ! And I'm sure my girlfriend's kitchen scissors sound ideal for doing the cutting . I would have to use Leffe (the 'local' beer) tins instead of Coke.

Oh dear me, I don't seem to have any empty beer tins. Now, how do I solve that problem . . .

UndercoverElephant

beegee wrote:

Good idea ! Very good idea ! And I'm sure my girlfriend's kitchen scissors sound ideal for doing the cutting . I would have to use Leffe (the 'local' beer) tins instead of Coke.

Oh dear me, I don't seem to have any empty beer tins. Now, how do I solve that problem . . .

Does Leffe come in tins over there? It's bottles only over here. Good stuff though.

Wallace1492

UndercoverElephant wrote:

beegee wrote:

Good idea ! Very good idea ! And I'm sure my girlfriend's kitchen scissors sound ideal for doing the cutting . I would have to use Leffe (the 'local' beer) tins instead of Coke.

Oh dear me, I don't seem to have any empty beer tins. Now, how do I solve that problem . . .

Does Leffe come in tins over there? It's bottles only over here. Good stuff though.

Undercover, thought you would be on the Belhaven..... is that not out your way?

UndercoverElephant

Wallace1492 wrote:

Undercover, thought you would be on the Belhaven..... is that not out your way?

Absolutely! Love the stuff, except for Belhaven Best, which ironically is the worst they make. Their 80 /- is one of the best you can get.

snailracer

snailracer wrote:

OK if you're into saving money...
Cut the ends off a Coke can to leave a shiny tube, slide over torch and secure with duct tape.
If torch is too narrow or too wide, cut the tube lengthwise to form an adjustable seam, secure seam with more duct tape.
The further the tube projects in front of the torch, the narrower the beam.
Plus, the Coke logo looks cool 8)
If you're really ambitious, you can cut chunks out of the edge of the tube to get a profiled spread of light.

Further refinement...
Shaping the can into a slightly flaring cone further narrows the beam (somewhat counterintuitive, I know).
I would imagine a narrowing cone would spread the beam, but I haven't tried that out myself (yet).

geordiefella

exposure strada has the exact right beam pattern for the road. perfect.

rhext

A variation on the coke can theme, but try a piece of plastic from (eg) a milk container (cut a flat piece and then wrap it round the light tightly and duck-tape it in place. It'll limit the main beam's spread, but the light spill will shine through and you'll be more visible from the side! (funnily enough, a reader's suggestion in a rival MTB magazine this month...not tried it myself so no idea whether it will work or not, but it would seem to be worth a try).

CarlosDSanchez

You are right about torch beams being no good for commuting, especially these deal extreme ones everyone raves about. They are for off road and trail riding really, but on road are the equivalent of driving around with your main beams on the whole time. I use an edelux which is dynamo powered and gives off a similar beam to a moped using a dipped beam. It's powerfull enough for fast downhills on country lanes and the beam cuts off below eye level so you don't dazzle on comming traffic. The optics are the same as in the b & m ixion which is battery powered.

UndercoverElephant

CarlosDSanchez wrote:

You are right about torch beams being no good for commuting, especially these deal extreme ones everyone raves about. They are for off road and trail riding really, but on road are the equivalent of driving around with your main beams on the whole time. I use an edelux which is dynamo powered and gives off a similar beam to a moped using a dipped beam. It's powerfull enough for fast downhills on country lanes and the beam cuts off below eye level so you don't dazzle on comming traffic. The optics are the same as in the b & m ixion which is battery powered.

That's a pretty wide brush you're painting with. If you look at the DX website, all of the torches have a beam pattern shot, and there is a very wide variety of patterns on display. Add to that the fact you can buy various mirrors from them too, and you have quite a wide variation of patterns.

My DX torch has a similar sized central beam to a NiteRider Minewt USB (owned by a guy in the office). It provides at least twice the power, and cost 1/10 th of the money. They both spill around the edges of the central beam, mine more so, as it has a textured mirror. That is a relatively small amount of light compared to the central beam, and is quite useful for spotting things to the sides of you. I point my torch so that all of the central beam hits the road ahead, I don't blind anyone, and I can see at high speeds.

Perhaps it's not the very best bike light, I wouldn't claim it was, but it is very good for my purpose. Did I mention it was less than a tenner?

shouldbeinbed

beegee wrote:

Wooliferkins wrote:

Why not just buy a decent light?

I have an aversion to spending lots of money on something that might not be good. I've seen reviews of cycle light systems here that cost £250 and they give it luke warm praise. £250 ought to pay for someone to run in front of me with a light. imo.

I think thats part of the problem with reviews - they focus on VFM as much as raw performance and at £250 for a light they may be absolutely great but get a lukewarm review because they're not that much better than say a £100 system and maybe the reviewer wants the running torch bearer for that money too.

One caution I would suggest with cutting cans is bend the cut ends over to blunt them off. No fun accidentlly sticking your hand, and probably not easy to explain to the cops if you hit a Ped with a razor sharp metal tube poking out the front of your bike.

rather than go to the heath robinson faff tho. Polaris Lunar range - £25-£50 are more than decent lights to get you seen and see in all but proper darkness imo.

snailracer

shouldbeinbed wrote:

...
One caution I would suggest with cutting cans is bend the cut ends over to blunt them off. No fun accidentlly sticking your hand, and probably not easy to explain to the cops if you hit a Ped with a razor sharp metal tube poking out the front of your bike.
...

The sharp edges can be made safe by edging them with duct tape :idea:
EDIT: but don't cover the Coke logo!

Tyredocter

SJS Cycles do a bike light that can be used for a torch. Why not get the fab light range from Knog at allterraincycles

UndercoverElephant

Tyredocter wrote:

SJS Cycles do a bike light that can be used for a torch. Why not get the fab light range from Knog at allterraincycles

Because Knog lights are weak as pish? They may be fine in the city, but on an unlit road?