New lights from USE

JohnInStockie

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 10, 2006
1,048
1
Stockport, SK7
For those of us that have to ride in the dark in winter traffic, USE have just released some new lights which look very impressive indeed.

The front light is here and it has 4 LEDS combining to give off a massive 960 lumens, and the inbuilt LiPo battery can maintain that for 3 hours.

The rear light is here, and is a massive 240 lumens, by far the brightest rear red LED in existence I think, and definately brighter than the Dinotte 140L. The only downside I can see to this one is that it has no apparent side illumination, but then so long as the people directly behind you see you ....

With these on, it would be motorbike level of light surely, pretty amazing, and British!!

John
 

Mussels

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 17, 2008
3,207
8
Crowborough
Nice but apart from the price the back light gets it's power from the front light, another wire running the length of the bike is something I don't need. It looks like the rear light is only designed to be mounted to the seat tube so that's me out as have luggage.
 

JohnInStockie

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 10, 2006
1,048
1
Stockport, SK7
Nice but apart from the price the back light gets it's power from the front light, another wire running the length of the bike is something I don't need. It looks like the rear light is only designed to be mounted to the seat tube so that's me out as have luggage.
I have the Dinotte 140 rear light, which whilst highly regarded and very very effective, does have the separate battery which I find annoying. I would rather have the wire than have to remove the light and then remove the battery separately, but I guess thats a personal choice.

I agree with you about the seat post mounting thing for all rear lights, you would think that by know a standard additional rack fitting would have been fabricated by someone, one that could accommodate all of these seatpost mounting lights!! :rolleyes:

I use panniers to get around this problem.

John
 

halflife

Pedelecer
Jul 12, 2008
33
0
Looks like a fantastic bit of kit. Better than having a heavy battery hanging from the frame. The only downside as already mentioned. Who has over £300 to spend on a light:eek:
 

JohnInStockie

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 10, 2006
1,048
1
Stockport, SK7
Looks like a fantastic bit of kit. Better than having a heavy battery hanging from the frame. The only downside as already mentioned. Who has over £300 to spend on a light:eek:
Yeah that is the downer, but then again, I suppose it depends on how much you value your lights on a dark winter night :( The good news about all this is that the prices are coming down as the technology improves. This light is on a par with a Lupine Edison 10 or a Busch and Muller Big Bang, and yet about half their price, so although dear, it is relatively good value.

Is nice to be able to light up the road like a car. :rolleyes:

John
 

seeker

Pedelecer
Jul 1, 2008
66
0
Seriously!?!

For those of us that have to ride in the dark in winter traffic, USE have just released some new lights which look very impressive indeed.

The front light is here and it has 4 LEDS combining to give off a massive 960 lumens, and the inbuilt LiPo battery can maintain that for 3 hours.

The rear light is here, and is a massive 240 lumens, by far the brightest rear red LED in existence I think, and definately brighter than the Dinotte 140L. The only downside I can see to this one is that it has no apparent side illumination, but then so long as the people directly behind you see you ....

With these on, it would be motorbike level of light surely, pretty amazing, and British!!

John
John,

Please tell me there's some kind of typo on that price tag? :eek:
 

seeker

Pedelecer
Jul 1, 2008
66
0
Yeah that is the downer, but then again, I suppose it depends on how much you value your lights on a dark winter night :( The good news about all this is that the prices are coming down as the technology improves. This light is on a par with a Lupine Edison 10 or a Busch and Muller Big Bang, and yet about half their price, so although dear, it is relatively good value.

Is nice to be able to light up the road like a car. :rolleyes:

John
Just looked at the price of those other lights. Has the world gone mad!?! How can a light cost that and not require a radiation suit?:eek:

Does one really need to harness the power of the sun on their bike, and pretend to be a UFO

I guess 'cave cycling' must be really taking off :D
 

JohnInStockie

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 10, 2006
1,048
1
Stockport, SK7
Yeah it can seem mad Seeker, I thought so too a couple of years ago.

I try to ride through winter, and come early December when its pitch black at 6:45am and at 5:45pm, I couldnt see the road in front of me virtually at all. I tried a number of variants of Cateye and others, and they were adequate for letting others see you on the road, but you simply cannot see the road surface itself with them. You just cannot see if the dark stripe 20' ahead is a re-tarmacc'd road surface, just a puddle, a gaping hole, a speed bump or tree branch.

99% of the time its just retarmacc'd road, but a couple of times for me it was the tree branch (ouch!). I decided that I wanted to both see the road surface almost as clearly as I could in a car, and I wanted other to have no doubt that I was there.

So I bought last year 3 LED (720 lumen) version for £270, and a rear Dinotte 140L (140 lumen) costing £95. I know those are big numbers for what is effectively a bicycle, but remember that this is also acting as a car replacement for me, so I also try and factor in how much I would spend on my car (how much do complete new front and rear light housings cost for a car - you wouldnt have much change from £500 on most modern cars).

If I was leisure riding only, I would not have consider spending this kind of cash (unless it was for regular off-road night runs through a forest (like the Dusk till dawn run) - which I actually do like the sound of doing :rolleyes: )

John
 
Last edited:

Nick

Pedelecer
Nov 4, 2006
152
0
I quite agree, John. On unlit country roads you need to see where you're going, not just be seen. You need a bright light when the road is wet, with cars behind and coming towards you making most bike lights all but useless. I have two Dinottes at the front (one on my crash helmet, one on the bars) and the rear Dinotte and wouldn't ride with anything less, and wouldn't grumble with more.
 

Kenny

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 13, 2007
383
111
West of Scotland
Exposure maxx Battery life ?

The Exposure Maxx D is finally in stock. I know they are very expensive at £300 but as I do a lot of leisure runs in the West Coast of Scotland, it is very easy to get caught out by early darkness at this time of year.

If I thought this light would last for many years then the cost wouldn't be quite so scary. So here's my query,do small Li-PO batteries have the same characteristics as large e-bike ones in that they'll deteriorate every year regardless of how much use or are they lightly to last longer.

There's plenty lot information about how good these lights are but I can't find anything on there expected life span.

By the way if ever your cycling in Scotland forget the Highlands and try cycling round Arran (60 miles) - absolutely stunning scenery.

Ken
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,760
30,348
So here's my query,do small Li-PO batteries have the same characteristics as large e-bike ones in that they'll deteriorate every year regardless of how much use or are they lightly to last longer.

Ken
Small Lithium batteries can sometimes last a very long time, the smaller the better. I have an early lithium battery in a minidisc player that's now nearing ten years old and still giving over 70% of it's original running time. It has always been regularly charged every two to three months though, even over periods when it's not been in use

Obviously I can't say for certain with a current LiPo, but the indications are far more hopeful than with the larger batteries.
.
 

Kenny

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 13, 2007
383
111
West of Scotland
Small Lithium batteries can sometimes last a very long time, the smaller the better. I have an early lithium battery in a minidisc player that's now nearing ten years old and still giving over 70% of it's original running time. It has always been regularly charged every two to three months though, even over periods when it's not been in use

Obviously I can't say for certain with a current LiPo, but the indications are far more hopeful than with the larger batteries.
.
Thanks Flecc

That's encouraging. As I say there's very little information about the lifespan of these super bright lights, probably because they've only only been available for the last couple of years.

Having the convenience of a very bright light without the hassle of a separate battery pack is very appealing so I may treat myself for Christmas. :)
 

tillson

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 29, 2008
5,249
3,197
Do you know what voltage the Exposure Redeye rear light requires? It is now down to under £30 so might invest in one. Apparently, it plugs into the MAXx-2 front light (so I assume that it is the same voltage as that), so does not come with a battery. I don't have a MAXx-2 so I was wondering if I could tap into a battery that I use to supply an LED front light of a different brand. I do like the Idea of plenty of red light at the rear in low vis conditions.
 

Mussels

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 17, 2008
3,207
8
Crowborough
I have found that the lithium battery in my smart phone didn't last well at all, I had to replace it after 10 months because it was almost unusable. Maybe they don't cope so well with the repetetive high drain that the phone required, unfortunately similar to lights.
I have invested in decent Cree lighting but gone for one that takes AA rechargeables as these are cheap enough to be treated as a consumable. 3 AAs get me about 3 hours of very bright light.
 

bode

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 14, 2008
626
0
Hertfordshire and Bath
I have a pair of lithium batteries (alternating) for my digital camera which are still showing no signs of decline after five years, whereas in the same period my wife has been through several sets of at first NiCad, then NiMH rechargeable AA batteries in hers.
 

SEATALTEA

Pedelecer
Jun 18, 2008
137
0
I have been amazed watching over the last few months what people are willing to pay for lights.

Lights fitted with the SSC P7 900 Lumens LED from these people Seoul Semiconductor, Inc are available from £25+ delivered from various far eastern suppliers.

They will run from a variety of sources, most often the lithium 18650 rechargeable battery (£5 for two and £5 for a charger).

Have a look at how bright this LED is when fitted to a Maglite SSC P7 Maglite against hotwire & led throwers. Beamshots!

The beauty is you can just buy the led and with a little knowledge retro fit it to your existing lamps.
 

JohnInStockie

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 10, 2006
1,048
1
Stockport, SK7
I have been amazed watching over the last few months what people are willing to pay for lights.

Lights fitted with the SSC P7 900 Lumens LED from these people Seoul Semiconductor, Inc are available from £25+ delivered from various far eastern suppliers.

They will run from a variety of sources, most often the lithium 18650 rechargeable battery (£5 for two and £5 for a charger).

Have a look at how bright this LED is when fitted to a Maglite SSC P7 Maglite against hotwire & led throwers. Beamshots!

The beauty is you can just buy the led and with a little knowledge retro fit it to your existing lamps.
I dont think its such a big deal. My front light is 720 lumens from 3 leds, which is the same as 3 of the cheap ones.

From what I have read on this forum though they are not in the same class, you get what you pay for with the USE lights, they are solid, reliable, easy to use and have an excellent beam pattern, you simply couldnt design them better or more practical, whereas the cheap ones are just that, albeit very bright.

I suppose its a bit like a persons choice in bike, you can choose cheap, ugly, questionable quality but effective, and save yourself some money, or you can spend more for the piece of mind and quality and suitablity for purpose.

At the end of the day, if your commuting, then just look at the cost of replacing motorbike or car light mounts and fittings, as thats what youre really comparing against.

John
 

Mussels

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 17, 2008
3,207
8
Crowborough
I dont think its such a big deal. My front light is 720 lumens from 3 leds, which is the same as 3 of the cheap ones.

From what I have read on this forum though they are not in the same class, you get what you pay for with the USE lights, they are solid, reliable, easy to use and have an excellent beam pattern, you simply couldnt design them better or more practical, whereas the cheap ones are just that, albeit very bright.

I suppose its a bit like a persons choice in bike, you can choose cheap, ugly, questionable quality but effective, and save yourself some money, or you can spend more for the piece of mind and quality and suitablity for purpose.

At the end of the day, if your commuting, then just look at the cost of replacing motorbike or car light mounts and fittings, as thats what youre really comparing against.

John
You are not comparing with motor vehicle lights at all, they require particular beam patterns using set power lightbulbs and the housings are very complex so they work with the rest of the vehicle. A bike light is a torch stuck to the front of the bike.
High performance LEDs (not legal for use as motor vehicle headlights) do need a good quality housing that dissipates heat well but this is not in the same league as motor vehicle light design. I found that the cheap end LED lights were very poor but getting a known LED in a cheap Chinese torch gave good results for a lot less money, most people commuting don't need downhill offroad competition quality.
I got a Cree Q5 LED in a cheap bike light with a fairly focussed beam, it is perfectally adequate for 30mph down an unlit lane and lasts plenty long enough for my commute. If I was riding through forest and possibly a long way from civilisation then it would not be suitable, I looked at £200+ lights and the extra money got me better reliability and a bigger battery pack which aren't essential and certainly not worth an extra 200 notes.
 

JohnInStockie

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 10, 2006
1,048
1
Stockport, SK7
You are not comparing with motor vehicle lights at all, they require particular beam patterns using set power lightbulbs and the housings are very complex so they work with the rest of the vehicle. A bike light is a torch stuck to the front of the bike.
High performance LEDs (not legal for use as motor vehicle headlights) do need a good quality housing that dissipates heat well but this is not in the same league as motor vehicle light design. I found that the cheap end LED lights were very poor but getting a known LED in a cheap Chinese torch gave good results for a lot less money, most people commuting don't need downhill offroad competition quality.
I got a Cree Q5 LED in a cheap bike light with a fairly focussed beam, it is perfectally adequate for 30mph down an unlit lane and lasts plenty long enough for my commute. If I was riding through forest and possibly a long way from civilisation then it would not be suitable, I looked at £200+ lights and the extra money got me better reliability and a bigger battery pack which aren't essential and certainly not worth an extra 200 notes.
I think we will have to disagree on this one Mussels. In my view the spread of the beam, the duration of the battery, the power of the beam, the quality of the light (i.e. finish, waterproofing, ease of use, usage options) all make a difference. I'd tried a number of lights, and I wasn't satisfied with any of them.

I ride in traffic at night, and I want to see clearly where I am going, and to be seen. You cant do that with less than say 500 lumens and a decent beam pattern (focused and spread).


I got a Cree Q5 LED in a cheap bike light with a fairly focussed beam, it is perfectally adequate for 30mph down an unlit lane
Really??? ... you must eat a lot of carrots :rolleyes:

John