"to see" front light recommendation, please
Hello fellow commuters,
It's getting dark and I'm searching for a better lighting "to see" for pitch dark country lanes.
I've had 2x Moon Meteor Auto (Pro 600lm and older 400lm) for few years, both on full beam, one aimed closer to the front wheel and the other aimed further ahead to extend the beam.
It works fine, but it's been few years and I'd prefer to have one light "to see" and keep one of the Meteor lights as a back up.
I'm guessing I'd need something with:
- 800 - 1000lm
- A wide beam angle
- At least 1.5hr of full light before charging
- USB charge
- Is "dipped beam" feature a standard these days?
- Not looking for top-of-the-range lights (e.g. Exposure) but something reliable
What do you use and what would you suggest, please?
Happy commuting everyone.
Comments
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Personally I rate the Ravemen lights, which can be purchased at not crazy prices if you shop around.
I have a CR1000 for under a Garmin mount on one bike, but on the commuter/winter bike I have a pair of PR1600s - I also have a PR1200 which I have passed onto my partner for her winter bike.
I like the PR's as they have a headlight type lens which is meant to not dazzle oncoming traffic as much, and you have a 'full beam' button should you encounter a pitch black piece of road suddenly.
The 1600s also have a wireless remote, and I managed to pair a single remote to both lights, so can change modes, switch on beam etc from the one button.
*Annoyingly it looks like the 1600 may have been replaced by a 2000, which is a reasonable percentage more, and he 1200 is now a 1400, but still has the old wired remote.
Felt F70 05 (Turbo)
Marin Palisades Trail 91 and 06
Scott CR1 SL 12
Cannondale Synapse Adventure 15 & 16 Di2
Scott Foil 180 -
Look at lights that meet the STVZO German standard as they have a cut off designed not to dazzle and more light goes where you need it. https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/stvzo-bike-lights
I bought one of these last year https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Lezyne/Power-HB-Drive-STVZO-500-Front-Light/13KZX It's brighter than my old Exposure Strada even though it has fewer lumens.
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Ah great suggestions, thanks @daniel_b and @veronese68.
I'll look into Ravemen - I'm not bothered about having a remote switch because I never had one and I don't feel I need one (could it be one of those things where once you experience, you won't go back without it?).
Never heard of StVZO so that was useful info. I can definitely see it's advantage in a built up area, I'm not convinced it's helpful in a pitch dark country lane (I guess StVZO could be similar to driving through a single lane with only dipped beam)? I'll look into it more.
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OK StVZO not so much use to you. I have an unusual need in that I ride through Bushy Park which is very dark, the deer are impossible to see, but there are plenty of people walking or cycling in the opposite direction. So something very bright that doesn't dazzle is good for me. I don't understand people riding through there with lights on flash, they must enjoy seeing deer at the last minute that look like they're at a disco.
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The remote switch is a nice to have I guess, when I was commuting on pitch black country roads full of pot holes and debris, I found it very useful to be able to maintain my position on the hoods and toggle through the light settings.
On a previous commute, pre handlebar remote, as the sun started to come up, I was busy adjusting my light to save battery, and managed to smash through a sunken manhole cover - seated.
Buckled wheel, though thanks to it being disk brakes, I managed to ride complete the commute in, and ride the 20 miles back home, though by the time I was back home it was somewhat the worse for wear 😐️
I use a pair of them, one either side of the stem, the one on the left angled down towards the kerb a bit more, the one on the right angled further up, and between the two I get a good spread of light, though I still take it easy on dark descents.
If you remember, would be nice to hear what setup you end up going with :-)
Felt F70 05 (Turbo)
Marin Palisades Trail 91 and 06
Scott CR1 SL 12
Cannondale Synapse Adventure 15 & 16 Di2
Scott Foil 180 -
A quit update -
In the end, I went with Moon Vortex (upto 1000Lm), just because I found a bargain £30.00 online (With some credit I had and a discount code).
Just did my first ride with it. Yes, it's brighter than the previous 2x light set up (600 + 400Lm) even at 700Lm setting. But what I clearly noticed that the oncoming cars initially dip their full beam and then returns to full beam, assuming that the new Vortex emits far too bright light for them. I never had this with the old setup. Selfishly, absolutely brilliant on pitch black single country lane.
The flare is quite wide and has a good spotlight effect right in front of me, which is great for me. But the flare must be quite bright for anyone coming towards me. So I need to think about the light positioning / angle on my handle bar.
I wonder if I can mount the light on the front fork - it's Triban RC500 so it's got a mounting point for front rack. Either a quick release fastener or something like handlebar extender type accessory might do a job to lower the position and hopefully less dazzling for oncoming person, car, etc. (photo as an example):
I wonder how the lighting will impact on left-right spread if mounted this low (shadowing of the front wheel?).
I'll do a quick accessory search on this.
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You can't go wrong with Moon. Of all my lights and I've a few, the ones that never give me any greif are all moon. Still using an old xp300 as a back up light. Currently using niterider lumina 750 or moon vortex 1000 on comutte bike. Also have a exposure joystick on my helmet for dark lanes. Front lights I always point below driver eyeline and towards the kerb, however if I get blinded by oncoming cars I just lift my head up and look straight at the offender, they normally dip pretty quick as the joystick is bright. Your idea should be OK, yrs ago most bikes came with lamp brackets on the forks in that position. Ideally you need the nearside lit for kerb edges and drains. I also use spoke straws 4 on each wheel and they're brilliant when carlights catch them. How you getting on with the control on the vortex, much prefer the older xp300 method of switching.
Too many bikes according to Mrs O.0 -
@oxoman, aye 100% spot-on about Moon lights. All of my lights are Moon (2x Meteors, Comets, Gemini, Arcturus and now Vortex 1000). So simple, humble and reliable; because they've been good, my default is to search for Moon lights first and see what other brands offer.
Vortex setting is a bit different compared to the other ones I have. I'm familiar with double-click to switch solid vs flashing setting, but Vortext seem to reserve the double click for boost (1000mL).
Good shout on angling the light to the kerb, I'll try this on the way home. Thank you.
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I went through a couple of Moons, each lasted about a year. I think that they were the Storm model with the detachable battery compartment. I really liked the lights, and I liked the idea of being able to swap out the battery for longer rides which is why I persisted. I put the premature failure down to moisture getting in due to the joint and have gone back to a sealed system with a Cateye Ampp 800. I now have 3 of these lights so I can carry a spare or even 2 spares (I'm planning on doing some longer audaxes next year), the Cateyes use a fixed bracket so swapping is easy.
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Quick update - got one of these:
Mounted the new light on the left side of mid fork boss (for front rack attachment).
Much less blinding to oncoming person / car.
Bit of getting used to on the shadow caused by the front wheel. There’s a line of thick shadow around 2 o’clock position. Not right in my view and probably good for the oncoming vehicles.
The beam doesn’t go as far ahead as mounting on the handlebar, but nice and bright right ahead so some getting used to there.
Quite nice to have neater handlebar (I used to have 2x lights and a bulky old Garmin). Still have one light on the handlebar on flash mode.
It's been quite wet so the light on the mid-fork gets the spray from the wheel – will be interesting the effect it’ll have on the durability of the light. @davebradswmb thanks for your comment - I'll keep my eyes on the joints.
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