Electric Bikes Conversion Kits EMTBS eRoad/Commuting What's New?

Lights (again, sorry)

steve.c

steve.c

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 16, 2011
302
42
73
Exeter Devon
Hi. Try this one a Cree 502B ?? I know some people will say its a torch but it's brilliant on my bike. I live in Devon and have to ride 10miles to work & then back again and through very narrow unlit lanes and believe me this light is good and at a 1000 lumins it lights the whole road for 50mtrs ahead and with an intense middle section??? it does it for me and at £25 is good value and it's all alloy.
 
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amigafan2003

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jul 12, 2011
1,389
139
I run two Shining Beam S-Mini flashlights on my bike mounted with twofish lockblocks (one xml for flood and one xpg for spot).

Results for By Manufacturer:ShiningBeam

Much better quality than the Deal Extreme/Ultrafire rubbish.

Budget for some reasonable 18650 cells and an XTAR WP2 charger (I used PILA IBC personally but will soon be selling that due to now having a hobby charger).

I do like flashlights though - I think if it was for bike use only I'd get something like:-

Magicshine MJ-808E Front Cycle Light - Huge 1000 Lumens Std Battery | eBay
 
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steveindenmark

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 10, 2011
406
2
I use the Hope Vision 1 and live way out in the countryside in Denmark where we do not have light pollution. At 5am when I go to work it is black, black, extremely black.

I ride along unli country lanes and tracks and the Hope Vision 1 is excellent. It has a great beam and is very tough. It was worth every penny and is also easy to take off the bike so you do not have to leave it on all the time-

Steve
 
billadie

billadie

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 27, 2010
289
48
Tewkesbury
I have recently bought a B&M Ixon IQ for £79 from Dotbike, including 4 recargeable AA batteries and charger. It is generally wellmade, but a bit fiddly to attached bracket to bar.

This delivers a uniform bright rectangle of light up to 12 foot away when mounted on the handlebar.
I use it for my 12 mile each way commute along the A38. About half the distance is unlit and the surface is not good in parts.
The Ixon provides a good view of the road within the `braking zone'. It is a see by bike light not a torch or a see me light. I would recommend it for commuting.

Bill
 
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johnc461165

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 19, 2011
546
22
WN6
Hi, I bought two 25 led lights from Asda mounted them on a bracket they are ultra bright and cost £3 each. They make great headlights.
 
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eddieo

Banned
Jul 7, 2008
5,070
6
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tangent

Esteemed Pedelecer
Mar 7, 2010
299
0
I bought one of these last week for £7.94 + £2.94 delivery. The price on ebay is currently wrong and I have informed the seller.

eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace

It came in about 2 days and I ran it on AAA batteries. At maximum brightness it is very bright for about 1 hour and then slowly fades away. I have just taken delivery of a 18650 battery and charger from the same vendor and a rundown test with this lasted about 2 hours at maximum brightness. By this time the 18650 was done to about 3V. Another 0.5 hours and it was down to 2.8V, dimmer but still usable.

The torch mount is just rubber and you jam it into place. Looks a bit primitive, but seems to work.

On full brightness, this really lights up the path in front, even on wide beam mode. Even on dim mode it is brighter than my existing 1W LED light. I would not use this on flash - it is just too dazzling to pedestrians and motorists. I will continue to use my existing LED on flash, with this as a backup and bright headlight for the darker parts of my commute.
 
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steveindenmark

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 10, 2011
406
2
I use a SMART light, similar to the smart light shown in the thread.

It is excellent, especially on flashing mode.

At £13.99 that Smart light is an excellent buy.

Steve
 
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Haku

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 20, 2007
339
4
Gloucestershire
steveindenmark said:
It is excellent, especially on flashing mode.
Click to expand...
I wish they'd ban lights that only flash full on - full off, as a cyclist and ocasional driver I detest them, especially front lights, they can make it very difficult to judge where the cyclist is from a distance.

I did see recently someone with a back light that flashed between 50%-100%-50%-100% which wasn't too bad, but I've only ever seen one person with that type of light.
 
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eTim

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 19, 2009
607
2
Andover, Hants.
Haku said:
I wish they'd ban lights that only flash full on - full off, as a cyclist and ocasional driver I detest them, especially front lights, they can make it very difficult to judge where the cyclist is from a distance.

I did see recently someone with a back light that flashed between 50%-100%-50%-100% which wasn't too bad, but I've only ever seen one person with that type of light.
Click to expand...
That's why the general advice is to have a flasher and a steady light, the flasher is to draw attention to the fact that you are there and the steady light is to aid other road users in judging your distance and speed.
 
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tangent

Esteemed Pedelecer
Mar 7, 2010
299
0
eTim said:
That's why the general advice is to have a flasher and a steady light, the flasher is to draw attention to the fact that you are there and the steady light is to aid other road users in judging your distance and speed.
Click to expand...
This is what I do. Low power LED flashing plus brighter steady light. My new light is superb by the way - much better with the 18640 battery than the AAAs and incredible value at less than £8. These CREE LED lights are by far the brightest bike lights I have owned, much better than the older halogens.
 
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fatboytrig

Pedelecer
May 3, 2011
56
0
In the end I got this one
eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace

which, for £5 is not bad but does not spread light at all, it spots right down. still VERY powerful and good to get yourself noticed

then there's this one:
eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace

This one is fantastic! its spreads light nicely across the road and in pitch black, down country lanes e.t.c. it is the best torch I have ever had and for £20 you just can't go wrong.

Both arrived the other day.

I will, however, I think, purchase a great big crazy eye burning 3000 lumin muvva at some point. I think I saw one for about £30...

thanks to everyone for their help and advise.
 
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FJJ

Pedelecer
Feb 7, 2011
76
0
West Lothian
I've got a Magicshine MJ-838 - think it's about 200LM. Gives a very bright light, has a battery pack consisting of two 18650's in a pouch which clips onto the handlebars - the light head is attached using an O ring. My commute is 7.5miles mostly on a canal towpath which is either poorly lit or unlit and it does the job perfectly. Mych better than my Cateye Singleshot that I was using last winter and it was much cheaper at around £45 with charger and batteries. Generally the battery indicator has just turned blue (50%) by the time I get home with it on flashing for the journey in to work (at the moment it's in daylight) but on 100% for the way home as it's completely dark.

I carry a BS approved halfords light that I have on flashing to attract attention / comply with the lighting regs.
 
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eTim

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 19, 2009
607
2
Andover, Hants.
Just a quick update on this rear light which I've owned for 3-4 weeks now:

Buy Smart Lunar R2 Rear Light at Tredz Bikes. £13.99 with free UK delivery

It's started to go wrong, it's been through alot on the back of the Haibike and last weekend the bike was particularly muddy so the bike was washed and so was the light, I went out last night with the light on the disco setting and after an hour of offroading it was stuck on the slow flash, I could't turn it off. When I got home I opened it up to get the batteries out which seemed dry, put the batteries back in and couldn't switch it on, when I shook the light a few drops of water came out, so it's got water inside and it's currently drying out over a radiator.

I've read a couple of reports about water ingress into SMART lights, I'm guessing this has happened here, looks like I'll need to find my receipt and take it back for a refund...........

So what other very bright rear lights are there (that are as convenient as the SMART, AAA batteries, clip on)?
 
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