Commuting - Cateye Head Light

Hello,

Im fairly new to commuting and will be riding alot at night because of my weird hours (taxi driver). Today I went down to my local bike store and bought a BASTA combo which seems good but I wouldn't mind better. I have been having a look on eBay at the CATEYE head lights and from the pictures they seem like good lights. I own a GITANE ROCKS T-1 mountain bike and im not sure off the handle bar diameter so I dont really know which CATEYE head light would fit. Would someone be able to give me some clues on which light I should buy that is really good and that would fit my handle bar diameter.

Kind Regards,
Pete

Any of the Cateye head lights should fit on your handlebars. If you have a 31.8mm diameter at the stem they may not fit right next to the stem but will fit further out.
What headlight are you looking at. Most of the Cateye LED lights are not sufficient for riding at night unless you are on well lit streets. The Double Shot and Triple Shot are the exception. These are brighter than most halogen lights and nearly as bright as some HID lights. The units with integrated battery packs that use AA or AAA batteries are good for a secondary light or to make yourself more visible under street lights.
Craig

I have been having a look at the CATEYE HL-EL 510 or the CATEYE HL-EL 500 which seems a bit too bulky. Which one would you recommend between these 2 head lights?

I have been having a look at the CATEYE HL-EL 510 or the CATEYE HL-EL 500 which seems a bit too bulky. Which one would you recommend between these 2 head lights?

this or this

The 510 has a high/low power setting whereas I don't think the 500 does (according to Cateye's info at Cateye.com). So that could be a point to consider.

Which Basta do you have now, btw? Basta Comet IV is very reasonable light for AA-operated 4-led light... it actually provides some riding light, more than just to be seen. At least here it's way cheaper than any of the comparable Cateyes. Cheap price is evident in build quality though: my Comet died because I dropped it once.

--J

Which Basta do you have now, btw? Basta Comet IV is very reasonable light for AA-operated 4-led light... it actually provides some riding light, more than just to be seen. At least here it's way cheaper than any of the comparable Cateyes. Cheap price is evident in build quality though: my Comet died because I dropped it once.

--J
How fast is the blink mode on the Basta? I have a Trelock which only blinks every second or so which is not eye catching enough for me. I'd like something with a fast strobe. Thanks.

I seem to remember it was a bit slowish for my taste too. Definitely not a fast strobe, but I'd say faster than the Trelock frequency you describe. It's also a bit bulky for backup light (which was my primary use), as it takes 4 AAs. I bought an el-cheapo 3 led, 3 AAA light to replace it, with a nice strobe effect.

--J

Another addition to this old post. Concerning the HL-EL 500. I've had mine for over a year now. Last year while riding at night the thing slipped out of the mount and went flying off onto the road. The whole time the light remained lit Same thing happened this week as it took a couple of bounces on the pavement. My heart sank as I watched it bounce. The light went out and would'nt light up. Later at home while messing with it to see if I could fix it, thinking it was ruined. I popped the top off and re-mounted it tightly and it started working again. Phew! My light was saved. Bottom line: this is one tough light as far as durability. At least the one I have is. But I'm still going to upgrade to a better,brighter light. But for the $$ its been a good light.

As another poster has noted, neither of these cateyes are bright enough for you to actually see at night. They're excellent for "be seen" purposes. How much runtime do you need, and what's you're planned budget? There is a halogen mod that I posted earlier that might suit your needs better, and for less.

As another poster has noted, neither of these cateyes are bright enough for you to actually see at night. They're excellent for "be seen" purposes.

I disagree. I commute with my EL500 and have no problems.
I've been telling myself I'll add a helmet light to my setup for two years now, but haven't felt sufficiently motivated to spend the money. My commute is about 11 miles on bike trail, with another 3 on the road.

Does it light up the trail like a HID light? Of course not. But it's definitely bright enough to see what's coming, both in terms of what's on the ground and who's on the trail, far enough out that I can ride full speed. It's also nice to be able to keep an extra set of AA's in your kit so you don't get stuck doing a blackout ride.

I find the EL510 bright enough for suburban/urban riding. I do use it in combination with a smaller Cateye EL135 light on flash mode.

I use the HL-EL530 for rural commuting. Having very little ambient light to over power, it works fine for my predawn riding. The less ambient light available, the less light you need to see or be seen. This light is more than sufficient for this purpose. I also use a helmet light, but I would use it with any 'bar mounted headlight. I want light where I'm looking, rather than just where the bike is pointed.

The FlexTight mount on the 530 is more than big enough to fit any handlebar diameter.