Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Your light that lights all nights

Trying to get some opinions on some lights that will last indefinitely. Since sometimes we can be gone a long time and not have access to electricity and often ride much of the night. I have been asking questions on the EL&G forum and they have tossed out a few lights that may be good choices. These are lights that run on commonly found batteries, don't come at the cost a water bottle, and should be bright enough to see the road clearly in unlit areas. Does anyone have experiences with these lights or know of any others that might be better choices?

Please help and and subtract:
Dinotte 200L
Fenix L2D
Cateye EL530
Cygolite Hi-Flux 100
BLT Ultra Doppler DX (my current headlight)
Ixon IQThere's always hub systems I know but I'm not too thrilled about rebuilding a set of wheels that spin wonderfully (and I spent a lot of money on) with an inferior hub just so I can ride a few hours in the night every once and a while.



To chime in first, my BLT has a long runtime and is bright enough to see the road ahead, but I find it is not quite bright enough to see definition such as pot holes vs filled in pot holes or snow patches vs salt stains. I just bought a Fenix and I'll be using the two together for the first time on my February century.

Let us think waaay outside of the box. I read a story in a maritime yacht magazine about a permanently on safety light. Goes for 12 years before dimming to half power. Tritium powered. Man brought it over seas and used it while working on his engine.. Legal state side; he ran it past the Coast Guard. Halifax being in the Maritime provinces you might be able to get one in some port-side shop.

As you said: The light that lights all nights.

Let us think waaay outside of the box. I read a story in a maritime yacht magazine about a permanently on safety light. Goes for 12 years before dimming to half power. Tritium powered. Man brought it over seas and used it while working on his engine.. Legal state side; he ran it past the Coast Guard. Halifax being in the Maritime provinces you might be able to get one in some port-side shop.

As you said: The light that lights all nights.

Woah (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-powered_lighting). But there doen't seem to be any available light that can attach to a bike, more importantly it seems Tritium can't provide the kind of light needed to see what's on the road ahead (would probably be good to be seen). Extremely cool.

I use a Cateye EL 500 ( I think; anyway, the older version of the 530) and a Fenix L2DCE and a blinkie.

The fenix is brighter, lighter and cheaper. However the batteries last 2-3 hrs with rechargeables (maybe mor ewith Li). The light is bright enough for me do do 25km/h or so, which is about all I want to do at night. The beam pattern is perfect, strong central spot with enough side spread to keep things comfortable. I wear it as a helmet light, it is OK but even the 100g or so becomes noticable after a while.

The Cateye lasts much longer - with intermittent use, 30hrs or so (not sure about continuous) using Li batteries. I think it is hard to beat for battery life, especially as you can just pop in a new set of AAs when the others run out. Say they only last 10-15 hrs with continuous use - that's still all night, and you can get a new set from a shop the next day. The only problem is that it's not really bright enough alone; if you're not in an area with street lights you definitely need more light once you get abouve 18-20 km/h. It is a great light for streetlit areas.

The blinkie gets new alkalines every winter and is noticably brighter for it.

The combination works well for commuting; I think for dedicated night riding I'd want something brighter, but if it is an occasional thing I can recommend the Fenix in particular.

Why don't you just get a sidewall generator and be done with it?

Maybe if you could mount the light lower on the forks your existing light would be more effective at illuminating the bumps in the road.

SON dynohub.

I just need to get a dual light setup with mine.

I don't like the beam from the Cateye EL530. It is a round spot that is not very wide. And the light is not regulated, which means that when the batteries are fully charged it draws a decent amount of current from the batteries, and therefore gives a fair amount of light, but as the battery discharges it draws less current and therefore you get less light. Cateye claims a long battery life, but you only get a few hours of decent light with them. I like the triangular beam of the older model, the EL500, much better. I have two of them, and with fully charged MiMH batteries they work just fine for my nighttime brevets.

One light that you may want to add to your list is the Ixon IQ. I have not seen it myself, but I heard good things about it. Regulated, decent amount of light, nice beam shape (from what I heard). If I was in the market for a battery powered light, I would probably get one of those.

Why don't you just get a sidewall generator and be done with it?

I started looking into the Dymotec S12, it's expensive but it's supposed to be very efficient. I don't see how I could properly attach it to my bladed fork though.

Trying to get some opinions on some lights that will last indefinitely. Since sometimes we can be gone a long time and not have access to electricity and often ride much of the night.

You contradict yourself...



There's always hub systems I know but I'm not too thrilled about rebuilding a set of wheels that spin wonderfully (and I spent a lot of money on) with an inferior hub just so I can ride a few hours in the night every once and a while.




If you are looking to just 'ride a few hours in the night every once and a while', any of the 'normal' lights out there will work - but that is counter to the opening of your post.


Not sure what you mean by 'inferior' hub. Maybe its not a carbon / ti bling with ceramic space technology nitrogen cooled bearings - but for what it does the SON it is state of the art. Along with the Shimano, not far behind. If your performance will be jeopardized by the 'resistance' of the dynohub, you are in another league and should just hire a pace car to follow you around. And why would you even be considering a bottle generator if this is the case?

The SON hubs aren't 'inferior'.
Build an extra front wheel if you don't want to ruin your good ones.


But I'm biased. I'm riding a SON dynohub, dual E6s, although I am investigating homebrew LED options and the Ixon generator lights. Also looking at ways to charge my PDAphone thing... but i don't want to fry it.

I'd love a SON hub at some point but am not in the position where I can spend that much (~$300 for the wheel, then anywhere from $30-150 on the lights) so went for a cheaper route and am supplementing my current Cateye EL530 with a second. I'm also going to replace the LED's like this guy did: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=167551

The better LEDs seem to get about 15-20% more light with the same battery draw and cost about $5 a piece. Mine are in the mail and I'll be sure to update everyone with how it works out.

Also, the longest ride I plan on doing is a 400k, which will be at most one full night of riding so the ~8-10 hour bright period of the EL 530 should be fine.

To chime in first, my BLT has a long runtime and is bright enough to see the road ahead, but I find it is not quite bright enough to see definition such as pot holes vs filled in pot holes or snow patches vs salt stains.

Where do you have the light mounted? I found that where you put the light makes a huge difference. Moving the same light from the handlebar to a mount around mid-fork made it a lot more effective for me.

You contradict yourself...



If you are looking to just 'ride a few hours in the night every once and a while', any of the 'normal' lights out there will work - but that is counter to the opening of your post.


Not sure what you mean by 'inferior' hub. Maybe its not a carbon / ti bling with ceramic space technology nitrogen cooled bearings - but for what it does the SON it is state of the art. Along with the Shimano, not far behind. If your performance will be jeopardized by the 'resistance' of the dynohub, you are in another league and should just hire a pace car to follow you around. And why would you even be considering a bottle generator if this is the case?

The SON hubs aren't 'inferior'.
Build an extra front wheel if you don't want to ruin your good ones.


But I'm biased. I'm riding a SON dynohub, dual E6s, although I am investigating homebrew LED options and the Ixon generator lights. Also looking at ways to charge my PDAphone thing... but i don't want to fry it.

I see what you're saying but I'm not really contradicting myself, I'm just not very good with words. I'm considering doing a 5000km ride this summer, on the ride I probably won't have access to electricity and I'll be riding in the dark just about every night and there will probably be a few all-nighters. Other than that most of my riding is generally in the day but much of the time goes into the night.

My bike is a race bike and I intend to use it for racing at some point and even when I'm on my own I'm training to go faster and further. I've looked into the hub system and there is added resistance even when lights are off and the entire wheel must be rebuilt to replace the hub. Most bottle generators aren't as efficient as hub generators but offer no added resistance during daytime riding. The Dymotec S12 is supposed to be the most efficient I wasn't considering them until I saw this one. I'm just trying to find out what would be the best system for me and others that might be in the same boat.

I'm not a rich or famous rider, in fact just the opposite I just love riding fast and far.



Where do you have the light mounted? I found that where you put the light makes a huge difference. Moving the same light from the handlebar to a mount around mid-fork made it a lot more effective for me.

This makes sense, I'm considering getting a cateye with a skewer mount now.

I think all those lights are maybe 10x brighter than your current model. The fenix will do but you will get sick of stopping to change batteries.
The Ixon looks good on paper.

You need to get some night riding experience on rural roads to determine how bright you need. I spent half a winter playing around with different lights before building a high powered LED system. It gave great light but the dozen AAs needed changing after 3-4 hrs. So I went to a dyno.

My LED dyno setup blows them all out of the water. Slows me about 0.1kph when lights are off under 0.5 when on. 20w halogen equivalent.
For all night riding with more light than you need you cant beat a dyno and an LED light. (http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=186066)

have the Dinotte 200L. It's convenient. You can carry extra batteries with you - but on high beam, each set of 4 will last you about 90 minutes. However, even though this light puts out 200 lumens, I wouldn't recommend riding more than 15 mph on routes that you are not familiar with and are completely dark.

I'd recommend the Dinotte 600L with 2 4cell batteries that each have a 3.5 hour runtime - cost is $399 for that setup:

http://store.dinottelighting.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=dinotte&StoreType=BtoC&Count1=517894923&Count2=435035347&ProductID=19&Target=products.asp

If you really want bright lights and long runtime, then you have to pay for it. The lupine betty 12 is 1400 lumens:

http://www.geomangear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=45&zenid=b70b119a26c49e56ee0a577fffc67ca9

I'm unclear on what your purpose is:

lights that will last indefinitely. Since sometimes we can be gone a long time and not have access to electricity and often ride much of the night."


"just so I can ride a few hours in the night every once and a while."

My recommendation would be the Dinotte 600L with the 200L as a backup.

"The Ixon looks good on paper"

A few people in the NYCC used this on the PBP this summer and were more than happy with it.

Peter White sells them and I found him very open about products based on your "REAL" needs.
There is always the issue of City lighting versus, backroad non existant lighting.

Hope this helps.

Robert

Why pay 800 when you can pay 250?

http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2462

http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2887

http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2850

I chose a second battery pack. For some reason the light came with a male as well as the battery; so I had to have a buddy solder the two together. But for this price you can't beat the value. Better than all 800 dollar systems out there.

...I'm considering doing a 5000km ride this summer, on the ride I probably won't have access to electricity and I'll be riding in the dark just about every night and there will probably be a few all-nighters...

Godwin,
Really, if you want on-demand light sufficient to ride throught the night and are trying to power through 5000 km, unsupported with very brief and unpredicable stops then a hub generator would seem your best option. Just build up a generator wheel for the purpose. Mount you lights low so that you can bring out the relief in the road.

Godwin,
Really, if you want on-demand light sufficient to ride throught the night and are trying to power through 5000 km, unsupported with very brief and unpredicable stops then a hub generator would seem your best option. Just build up a generator wheel for the purpose. Mount you lights low so that you can bring out the relief in the road.

... and if you are electronically inclined, you can probably figure out how to charge a phone, iPod, or GPS from it...

Woah (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-powered_lighting). But there doen't seem to be any available light that can attach to a bike, more importantly it seems Tritium can't provide the kind of light needed to see what's on the road ahead (would probably be good to be seen). Extremely cool.

Carry it in a basket on your handlebars.

Alright, I'm going to order a Cygolite Hi-Flux 100 and see how it goes, so far it looks to be the winner. It lasts 25h on 4 alkaline c batteries (hopefully longer on NiMh) and if I feel like trying to gamble with my novice electronic skills I found this post (http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/archive/index.php/t-182095.html) on candleforums mentioning how to upgrade the led with the same runtime. It's also on sale at price point for $55. Ixon IQ also looks pretty well and depending on how well the cygolite works I may pick one up as a second source of light to replace my BLT.

This makes sense, I'm considering getting a cateye with a skewer mount now.

Where does one buy a skewer mount for lights?

Where does one buy a skewer mount for lights?

For some reason I was thinking cateye made one but they don't. There's mention of someone who makes them in this thread (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=378945).

Nitto used to make a skewer mount similar in concept to the one shown in the referenced thread. There were some rumors recently that they may be making it again, but I haven't seen any vendors advertising it yet.

I have 2 of the Cygolite Hi-Flux 100. It’s a lot brighter and a lot longer battery life then the Cateye EL-500 I replaced with it. It comes with a wide-angle lens so you get a choice of beam pattern. You can also get a helmet mount kit for it.

(2 Luxeon K2's + 1 buckpuck + 8 AA cells) a little work from you = 30+ hours of usable light with the first 10 being very bright at a low cost of 50-60 dollars. So far it has been a good system for me.

Light output is roughly equivalent of 4-5 Cateye el500s when I compare the two.

snip
(2 Luxeon K2's + 1 buckpuck + 8 AA cells) a little work from you>
snip

I would LOVE to know how to put this together. Any chance you can point us to a link for build instructions?

Gillett

The Cygolite I ordered is comming tomorrow (pretty quick!) and I'm planning on doing my February century either tomorrow or Saturday depending on when it arrives. So I'll be able to compare the BLT, Fenix and Cygolite and let you guys know the results.

Well I got the cycgolite today (a little too late to go on a ride however) but the thing comes with a mounting bracket that would hardly fit around my chainstay. I'm not quite sure what to do with the thing now.

Yep.. now you got that light that you can't mount on your bike... it seems useless doesn't it? And now, you wish you were rich or famous so that it wouldn't take such a sting out of your wallet. That dinotte 200L sure is easy to get on the handlebar in about 8 seconds (as long as you know how to stretch a rubber band.) I think the "mounting kit" on the dinotte 200L is about as easy and versatile as it comes. It's just an "O" ring. You can move it from one bike to another in less than 30 seconds.

Anyway, I hope you can send it back or find an aftermarket mounting kit. Otherwise, go Dinotte. Or... just breakdown and get the Schmidt SON. I've decided that if I'm going to get a new component for my bike, just go with simple and proven... don't try to save a few bucks and not know exactly what you're getting.

I've researched this lighting stuff alot. I've come to the conclusion that the Schmidt SON dynohub with the E6 lights are the best. And for my money, the dinotte products come in second. If you don't want to rebuild wheels and have the slight drag of the dynohub... then you go dinotte.

Yep.. now you got that light that you can't mount on your bike... it seems useless doesn't it? And now, you wish you were rich or famous so that it wouldn't take such a sting out of your wallet. That dinotte 200L sure is easy to get on the handlebar in about 8 seconds (as long as you know how to stretch a rubber band.) I think the "mounting kit" on the dinotte 200L is about as easy and versatile as it comes. It's just an "O" ring. You can move it from one bike to another in less than 30 seconds.

Anyway, I hope you can send it back or find an aftermarket mounting kit. Otherwise, go Dinotte. Or... just breakdown and get the Schmidt SON. I've decided that if I'm going to get a new component for my bike, just go with simple and proven... don't try to save a few bucks and not know exactly what you're getting.

I've researched this lighting stuff alot. I've come to the conclusion that the Schmidt SON dynohub with the E6 lights are the best. And for my money, the dinotte products come in second. If you don't want to rebuild wheels and have the slight drag of the dynohub... then you go dinotte.

Frustrated that I didn't know I wasn't going to be able to mount the light right away but I ordered a mounting piece which I would have had to order for my other bike anyway. Otherwise, so far I'm pleased, it comes with a bento-box style battery bag which I can use to keep things like maps or whatever in, it as an easily mounted switch to change the beam an I should be able to upgrade the led to make it much brighter than it currently is (which seems to be bright enough anyway).

The dinotte's a good light but I'd only be able to get 30mins at a time if I didn't have access to electricity for charging batteries and dynohub systems are great but just not for me. Money is not my biggest concern, I would have paid a lot more for a light if it was a better choice.

...dynohub systems are great but just not for me...


Why?
I've read through your blog... seems that you would be an ideal candidate for a hub system.


And only 30mins on the Dinotte? Really?
A Cygolite? OK, I guess. A friend has one for commuting. I wasn't all that sold on them quality wise. Last thing you want is to be a hundred miles from home and have to question your gear.

30 minutes on a dinotte, huh? I've never had mine run less than 90 on high power. Of course, that's with 2000 mAh Ni-MH batteries. I've gotten 2 hours out some 2900 mAh Ni-MH. I've never run it with alkalines. I've seen the cygolite... it comes nowhere near to "lighting up the night." You'll be OK as long as you keep the speed under 10 mph on totally dark roads or trails. With dinotte 200L I'd say you're safe at up to 15-18 mph. The 600L or the Schmidt dynohub... those lights "light up the night."

30 minutes on a dinotte, huh? I've never had mine run less than 90 on high power. Of course, that's with 2000 mAh Ni-MH batteries. I've gotten 2 hours out some 2900 mAh Ni-MH. I've never run it with alkalines. I've seen the cygolite... it comes nowhere near to "lighting up the night." You'll be OK as long as you keep the speed under 10 mph on totally dark roads or trails. With dinotte 200L I'd say you're safe at up to 15-18 mph. The 600L or the Schmidt dynohub... those lights "light up the night."

I've done my share or night riding with a light dimmer than the cygolite, I know what I'm up against. I use rechargeables most of the time but I'm not going to be able to when I've been on the road for several days. A led upgrade should make this light much brighter.

if you want serious lighting, go with a dynohub (new ones have less drag, aren't "sidewall" style) & a schmidt E6 light, or maybe two.

that's what i'm doing anyway. for long brevets, and general long rides, i don't want to ever have to worry about batteries (or that a car can't see me). plus batteries fill up land-fills way too fast!

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/dynohubs.html

I've done my share or night riding with a light dimmer than the cygolite, I know what I'm up against. I use rechargeables most of the time but I'm not going to be able to when I've been on the road for several days. A led upgrade should make this light much brighter.

Why not use the cygolite as a backup instead of your primary light?

Why not use the cygolite as a backup instead of your primary light?

Because so far I haven't been able to find another light that will run at 100 lumens (after upgrade) on alkaline batteries for more than a few hours.

My original point starting this thread was that I am planning on doing a 3000 mile ride later this year without access to electricity and will involve a good amount of night riding. Other lights I have seen are better and I wish I could use them for this but they wouldn't last more than a few days at most then I would be completely in the dark.

My original point starting this thread was that I am planning on doing a 3000 mile ride later this year without access to electricity and will involve a good amount of night riding. Other lights I have seen are better and I wish I could use them for this but they wouldn't last more than a few days at most then I would be completely in the dark.

My last post in this thread and I'm un-subscribing.

Why are you overlooking a dynohub?

My original point starting this thread was that I am planning on doing a 3000 mile ride later this year without access to electricity and will involve a good amount of night riding.

3000 miles without electricity? Where are you going?! Are there stretches of 3000 miles on this planet that have no electricity and are still accessible by bike? If so, you wouldn't catch me riding there without a Schmidt SON dynohub and at least two backup lights! This sounds more like a tour than a long distance ride.

Remember, no electricity means pitch dark. With a light that only puts out 100 lumens, I don't think you need to be concerned about how fast your wheels spin with the current hubs. How fast are you planning on riding during the night?

More power to ya! I hope to hear your trip report.

My last post in this thread and I'm un-subscribing.

Why are you overlooking a dynohub?

Because I'm admittedly being stubborn about it, if I have to I'll do it but since most of my riding will be during daylight hours I'd rather take my good racing wheels and not have the slight drag of the dynohub when I'm not using it. I don't see why everyone gets so offended by this topic, I don't make fun of others for not using racing bikes and equipment, I'd just rather do it this way you guys can do it your way. If I remember correctly there were plenty of riders in the PBP this year not using dynohubs and they rode through the night.

Of course homes and businesses along the way will have electricity, but I'm not stopping there, I'll be stopping for 6 hours max a night in a bivy. Please stop replying to this thread unless you have something constructive to add. I'll update when I finish the upgrade on my hi-flux. Thanks to all who were helpful!

I don't think anyone's offended. It's just that you seem to want a light that will last forever, provide tons of light, not cause any drag, and will be perfect for 5000 mile rides and also criterium racing. And also that you went to a long-distance forum and promptly started insulting the Dynohub, considered the ne plus ultra of lighting by many/most randonneurs.

So we can't decide whether to try education or ridicule. :)

Because I'm admittedly being stubborn about it, if I have to I'll do it but since most of my riding will be during daylight hours I'd rather take my good racing wheels and not have the slight drag of the dynohub when I'm not using it. I don't see why everyone gets so offended by this topic, I don't make fun of others for not using racing bikes and equipment, I'd just rather do it this way you guys can do it your way. If I remember correctly there were plenty of riders in the PBP this year not using dynohubs and they rode through the night.

Of course homes and businesses along the way will have electricity, but I'm not stopping there, I'll be stopping for 6 hours max a night in a bivy. Please stop replying to this thread unless you have something constructive to add. I'll update when I finish the upgrade on my hi-flux. Thanks to all who were helpful!

well i guess my unsubscribe didn't stick.

i guess my problem is that you posted asking opinions, and i don't really see anyone recommending the cygolite throughout the thread. (maybe 1 person? not sure).

yeah, you can ride anyway you want, and true - plenty of people rode PBP with battery lights. i'm sure plenty of people rode it on bling carbon bikes and fast racing wheels too. but PBP is an event, not a solo, self supported endeavor (as i think you are undertaking). it has drop bags for batteries and backups, shops along the way, rest stops, and 3000? 5000? other riders out there with you on a well marked course.

so what are you doing? hopping from town to town in which you'll buy new batteries or recharge your spent lights, or traveling light and fast without access to power, sometimes through the entire night, sometimes for several nights in a row?


you also don't really seem to understand the 'drag' from a dynohub. its not really there, you don't have to build it with 40 spokes, and it can be built on any rim you want.

you seemed to ask for a light that would run indefinitely with little access to electricity.

the way i see it you have 2 choices:

change batteries or recharge batteries
generate your own power





i guess i'm not offended by your choice, i'm offended by the fact that you seemed sold to do what you want, despite the fact that people have given you some good ideas based on what you posted you were trying to do (and people who posted here have lots of long distance experience)

i'm not a SON snob. i ride with bat lights around town. when i do centuries that might run into the night or longer events i equip with the schmidt...



if you were sold on the cygolite - why not just buy it then post a review about it after you night ride test it? why ask for people's opinion then just ignore it?

i'm curious to see how your set up works. good luck.

I don't think anyone's offended. It's just that you seem to want a light that will last forever, provide tons of light, not cause any drag, and will be perfect for 5000 mile rides and also criterium racing. And also that you went to a long-distance forum and promptly started insulting the Dynohub, considered the ne plus ultra of lighting by many/most randonneurs.

So we can't decide whether to try education or ridicule. :)

Woah, I sincerely never meant to insult the dynohub, sorry I gave that impression. I know how valuable a tool it is to many here I'd just rather not use it myself if I don't have to. I guess I could have worded things differently, basically I wanted to find out the latest/best technology available to randonneurs like those doing the PBP. Very sorry I gave that immpression.

well i guess my unsubscribe didn't stick.

i guess my problem is that you posted asking opinions, and i don't really see anyone recommending the cygolite throughout the thread. (maybe 1 person? not sure).

yeah, you can ride anyway you want, and true - plenty of people rode PBP with battery lights. i'm sure plenty of people rode it on bling carbon bikes and fast racing wheels too. but PBP is an event, not a solo, self supported endeavor (as i think you are undertaking). it has drop bags for batteries and backups, shops along the way, rest stops, and 3000? 5000? other riders out there with you on a well marked course.

so what are you doing? hopping from town to town in which you'll buy new batteries or recharge your spent lights, or traveling light and fast without access to power, sometimes through the entire night, sometimes for several nights in a row?


you also don't really seem to understand the 'drag' from a dynohub. its not really there, you don't have to build it with 40 spokes, and it can be built on any rim you want.

you seemed to ask for a light that would run indefinitely with little access to electricity.

the way i see it you have 2 choices:

change batteries or recharge batteries
generate your own power





i guess i'm not offended by your choice, i'm offended by the fact that you seemed sold to do what you want, despite the fact that people have given you some good ideas based on what you posted you were trying to do (and people who posted here have lots of long distance experience)

i'm not a SON snob. i ride with bat lights around town. when i do centuries that might run into the night or longer events i equip with the schmidt...



if you were sold on the cygolite - why not just buy it then post a review about it after you night ride test it? why ask for people's opinion then just ignore it?

i'm curious to see how your set up works. good luck.

Sorry I really made a mess of this. I also asked a couple or other forums their opinions on the matter at the same time and someone in the electronics forum mentioned the hi-flux, I looked into it and it seemed good. I didn't ignore anybody's opinion I actually looked into every light and system mentioned including the hub system and decided before I did that I wanted to explore the new led technology. I wasn't looking at a light that would last forever, just all night, lights like the dinotte can't do that. I was looking for a light that I would have to change the batteries frequently, just not that frequently. I'm not even sure I'm going to do this ride, I'm moving from Halifax to Calgary late this summer and thought I might try getting out there by bike. I'm going to be training hard and trying a lot of different equipment before then. I have a couple of people who might be riding different parts of the way with me but most of it will be solo. I know it's risky and a little crazy but I like it that way.

Woah, I sincerely never meant to insult the dynohub, sorry I gave that impression. I know how valuable a tool it is to many here I'd just rather not use it myself if I don't have to. I guess I could have worded things differently, basically I wanted to find out the latest/best technology available to randonneurs like those doing the PBP. Very sorry I gave that immpression.
No worries, mate, it's all light hearted as far as I'm concerned.

FWIW, I do believe the Schmidt hub to be cutting edge/state of the art/etc. despite the fact that generator hubs have been around forever and have a "bike-boom junk" reputation in some quarters. The Schmidt hub really is of tremendous quality (I'd compare it to the best from Campy, etc.) and doesn't add enough resistance, with the light off, to be felt. (Bicycle Quarterly did a test wherein they found that Schmidt 20 slowed a rider by an average of one tenth of a kilometer per hour. I can still ride with the same people I always could.)

By the same token, I can understand why one would not want to equip his racing bike with one, as it doesn't fit the look. But...if you are going to take your racing bike on a multi-thousand mile tour without ready access to electricity, you had better get used to the idea that you're going to have to add all sorts of uncool crap to it -- or get a second bike.

+1 to Six jours

I think this is more of an image problem than a drag problem.

Besides, you're doing this ride to see if you can do it right? Why not see if you can do it with less than 2 watts of power sucked out of your legs during the day and 6 at night? It will solve all your lighting problems, and some people have figured out how to wire them up to a cell phone and laptop charger.

+1 to Six jours

I think this is more of an image problem than a drag problem.

Besides, you're doing this ride to see if you can do it right? Why not see if you can do it with less than 2 watts of power sucked out of your legs during the day and 6 at night? It will solve all your lighting problems, and some people have figured out how to wire them up to a cell phone and laptop charger.

here's my old 'racing' style ride, certainly had an image problem with it:

http://www.mikebeganyi.com/webimages/cockpit.jpg

http://www.mikebeganyi.com/webimages/skewer.jpg

:D

+1 to Six jours

I think this is more of an image problem than a drag problem.

Besides, you're doing this ride to see if you can do it right? Why not see if you can do it with less than 2 watts of power sucked out of your legs during the day and 6 at night? It will solve all your lighting problems, and some people have figured out how to wire them up to a cell phone and laptop charger.

Agreed, it is a big part and I know how stupid that is although if it were all image I wouldn't be toting a Carradice. I also feel slicing and dicing my good set of wheels would be tragic (sorry for the choice of words). I might do it with my older set at some point but I want to see if it can be done without doing that first. I also know how the littlest thing like knowing there is a slight added drag can make my mind feel like quitting (if that makes any sense).

Lighting seems to be a hot topic right now, there is a heated discussion (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=384641) going on in the electronics forums right now.

Agreed, it is a big part and I know how stupid that is although if it were all image I wouldn't be toting a Carradice. I also feel slicing and dicing my good set of wheels would be tragic (sorry for the choice of words). I might do it with my older set at some point but I want to see if it can be done without doing that first. I also know how the littlest thing like knowing there is a slight added drag can make my mind feel like quitting (if that makes any sense).

Lighting seems to be a hot topic right now, there is a heated discussion (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=384641) going on in the electronics forums right now.


to each his own...

but you don't need to slice and dice. mail your good wheels ahead. build a new front wheel for the dyno.
added drag? add or remove a water bottle? use aerobars? don't get a good nights sleep? ride on the tops and not the drops? lose 5 pounds? run at too high or too low PSI? run into something in the night and lose your wheels... etc.

jan heine did pbp in 50 hours this year, with fenders, a handlebar bag, a dyno, and he was on an old steel frame.

seriously though - write up a full review of your tests. post some beam shots. share how it works.

check the latest issue of BQ... riders who used battery lights for PBP were 3 times more likely to switch to generator lights if they could do it again...

and PBP is 1200k. you are planning 3000 miles.

write up a full review of your tests. post some beam shots. share how it works.


Will do.


lose 5 pounds?


Won't do ( I weigh 125 (: )

I'm keeping my awkward mouth shut until I have some results to post. Thanks guys.