PaulRivers

I recently ordered the new Ixon IQ Premium bike light. If you're familiar with dynamo lights, Busch and Mueller came out with a new Lumotec Premium dynamo light this year, the Ixon IQ Premium is it's battery equivalent.

What's interesting about their lights is that they use a highly shaped beam with a distinct cutoff, just like a car headlight. It's beam pattern also varies in brightness across the beam to give you an evenly-bright beam when it hits the road and not having a hotspot like most round-beam lights do. While people sometimes talk about not wasting light into the trees, the biggest advantage is that my eyes always adjust to the brightest source of light - when that's a hotspot from the light I cannot see around me nearly as well and I end up with tunnel vision, seeing mostly only what the light illuminates directly. With the Ixon IQ there's no hotspot. I could ramble on, but so far, it's pretty amazing.

Here are some pics I took of the light on the bike. In real life, it's not quite this bright, but the even lower exposure pics I took were to dim so I went with this one. This was the best I could do hand-holding the camera, it's a little blurry, and for some reason the camera angle makes the street look shorter than it is, but it gets you the idea -


Here the picture is not blurry, but the bike (and thus the light) are tilted to the side a bit because I put down the kickstand. That's why it appears shorter on the left than on the right -


Here's a pic I tried to take of my Lumotec Cyo - the dynamo version that's the predessor to the current "premium" version from above. Since I had to be pedalling and moving to get full brightness, it's pretty blurry, but you get the idea - the Cyo covers a decent amount of the street, but the new Premium version really covers more -











P.S. Wanted to add some info from what I found.

1. If you order the version of the light without batteries, it also does not come with the plug-into-the-light charger. So if you want to order your own batteries separately (which I did), you'll also have to order the charger. Or, of course, use your own external charger to charge the AA batteries.

2. The mount the light comes with does not appear to fit your average bike handlebars. Apparently it's adjust for "standard" bars or something, but almost all american bikes are "oversized" bars.

You don't actually need to order a second mount (which I did, they listed an "oversized" mount so I thought I needed a second mount). You need to take the light off the mount, underneath the light there's a screw. Unscrew the screw, then you can open up the mount. Inside you change where the mount-strap is connected to the outermost point. Put everything back together, and now it fits on a regular "oversized" handlebar.

EDIT: People pointed out the Phillips Saferide, I ordered one from Amazon and tried it out, but it turns out it wasn't the latest version so I'm returning it and ordering the latest version from Europe. Comparing the two that I have though, short version is that I think it's a tie between the Saferide and the Ixon IQ.

The Phillips Saferide is like riding behind a wall of light, it lights up what it hits very well, but you can't see as well outside of the beam area. It's biggest drawback is battery life - sounds like it's 1.5 hours on high, then additional time on low after that. I've order the v2 one from Europe and I'm going to test it when it gets here.

The Ixon IQ I'd characterize more as like magically lighting up the road without realizing you have a light on. It doesn't bring out the road details as much but it does a decent job at it (good enough for me), it's beam is a little wider and it lets you see outside the beam better. It also has much, much better batter life at 4-5 hours on high. You can see my other thoughts on it here -
https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/...l#post16769343

EDIT 2: A number of people who have used the light seem to have found it to dim as a light. The Saferide is a brighter light that lights up the ground brighter and more clearly. I have found myself with a preference for the Saferide as it puts out a nicer light that also is better at overcoming things like oncoming headlights...unfortunately the saferide. Sigh.

LordMarv

At one point I was seriously thinking about this light, the new IQ Premium battery version, it looked like they have widened and improved the beam pattern. My question to you, do you find the sharp cutoff on the sides annoying, or is it something you don't really notice?

znomit

The beam is wide enough you don't notice the side cutoff.
I really like this light, I have the dynamo version and have done a few all nighters with it. Definitely worth the upgrade from the older version.

corwin1968

I've sort of felt the need for a better light for a couple of years now since I often ride after dark during the warm months. Last week I was riding and came upon an area that was completely unlit and I ran over a chunk of wood in the road. Thankfully I was on my old 80's MTB with about 80mm of trail and a 55mm tire. The chunk of wood just startled me. Had I been riding my "roadish" bike, I would have crashed, no question about it. My current light sucks so bad that I didn't even take it that night and I'm not sure it would have made a difference.

I'm working on selling some "toys" from another hobby and once I have cash in hand I'm going to call the light guru (Peter White) and get something good for my bikes.

ItsJustMe

That looks awesome. Pity it's still using AA cells or I'd order one right this second.

I'm thinking I'm going to have to order a dyno version and wire it up to LiIon cells myself.

PaulRivers

1. It's kinda weird - on my home monitor the sides are somewhat visible. On my work monitor, the sides look dark and almost like you cannot see them.

One of the things I've always loved about B&M's shaped beam lights is that their shaped beam doesn't negatively affect my night vision (at least night vision in the sense of being in the city where there's always indirect ambient light). So unlike with every round-beam battery light I've had, with these lights I can see the areas outside the beam of the light as well with the light on as with it off.

I'll see if I can post another pic tonight that more accurately depicts how it looks on other monitors.

2. On my older Cyo, what you're describing was an annoyance. I think "annoyance" is the proper word as well - I still thought it was a great light, but it was annoying that the beam was not wider.

On this light from above - so far I find it to be a total and complete non-issue because the beam is so wide that you don't even notice the side cutoff when riding. You'll notice with my bike in the middle of the street, the beam covers the entire 2 lane street, plus some of the shoulders.

Bottom line - so far I really don't notice it in real life. :-) Both because the cutoff doesn't look as overdramatic in person as it does in these pics on my work monitor (if there's any ambient light, I can still see outside where the light lights up a little - something that wasn't the case with my non-shaped beam lights), and also because the beam is so wide there's really no need to do so.

PaulRivers

Cool. :-) I think this one is the best bang for your buck model (Ixon IQ Premium) - anything cheaper and it's either not as bright or the beam pattern isn't as wide (though to be fair, I've used my Cyo with a narrower beam for a long time without it being a problem, the narrower beam was annoying but it works fine and I just slowed down a bit more around corners).

There's a more expensive model but it costs 2-3 times as much for only 10 lux more, and it's battery pack is still nimh not lith-ion - an odd choice. I definitely don't think it's worth it.

One thing I will say though, I think it's predessor the Ixon IQ (not premium) model, though cheaper now, was worthless. That was my opinion. I owned one, and resold it on ebay because I found it useless. I personally don't think anything less bright than a Cyo (60 lux if I remember right) is useful.

I will say that the Ixon IQ Premium using nimh batteries, long term, is definitely the way to go for long term cost. When the batteries start losing to much capacity, you can order new ones off amazon for $10. In contrast, when my lith-ion batteries started to go it cost $50-$70 for a replacement for my Dinotte lights, and Light&Motion batteries are even more expensive.

Another thing is that nimh batteries die the more they're used, but lith-ion batteries die from both being used and just time going by. I think my Dinotte lith-ion batteries showed reduced capacity enough that I noticed after around 5 years, and I was hardly even using them. Annoying.

P.S. I actually ordered mine through Harris Cyclery. I tried Peter White first, as he's the one who lists them out on his page, but ordering through him was to much of a pain. His website says he doesn't always see all email, so you should call. When I called I got his answering machine, saying they're in the shop during the day so to leave a message. I didn't get a call back until the middle of the next day, and then I was in a meeting so I couldn't take it. I could have left another message...then waited for another callback...hoping I wasn't busy at the time...but while I had to fill out a special form with Harris Cyclery to get it order, I didn't have to go through all the other hoopla.

PaulRivers

Ha, I remember your other posts, so just posting something for consideration.

1. If you're going to get the dynamo version anyways, just get a dynamo front wheel already! (I don't actually how much an external lith-ion battery pack costs - how much have you seen? I know my Dinotte ones were $50-$70 for a replacement. That's a large chunk of the way to just buying a good dynamo front wheel, which is around either $135 or $215 depending on Sanyo vs Shimano front hub. I assume there's cheaper lith-ion battery packs?).

2. You've probably done the research, but is that actually possible? I know there's something weird about a dynamo putting out AC power, not DC power like a battery does, just wanted to mention it, not sure if one can simply hook a battery up directly to the battery light.

3. The Ixon IQ Premium does have a front port for charging the light without taking the batteries out. I don't have the charger yet, but I will have it soon. Unfortunately - it's not micro usb. It's one of the round styles that comes out of a wall plug. I could let you know what the wall plug says it outputs when I get it. I could also see if the light stays on if it's plugged in (could be useful), or if it turns off when it's plugged in and charging (useless in that case).

4. I know you've mentioned they sell the more expensive 90 lux version where is has a separate head unit and battery pack. I know you mentioned the battery pack is nimh, though. Don't know if you can order just the light head with the newer version? It's overpriced at $268 (in my opinion) with the nimh battery pack included, wonder what the cost for just the light head would be. At least that would definitely be designed to take battery power.

5. Unfortunately (wait, what am I saying? fortunately it's finally spring!) I cannot test how long nimh batteries would last in the very cold because it's no longer cold here in Minnesota :-), but keep in mind that the light is supposed to run for 5 hours on it's AA nimh batteries. Even if you lost 50% of the their capacity in the cold, they would still run for 2.5 hours, or 2 hours assuming the runtime is optimistic. Sanyo eneloops are rated around 2,000mah capacity, the Sanyo Enelopp XX's are 2,500 I believe.

I know lith-ion are "better" for cold weather, but per a couple of threads I found in a quick search -

#092 - I don't get much battery life in my transmitters when they are cold. What kind of batteries should I be using this winter?

Cold weather AA NiMH performance

Like this posts says this -
It is finished discharging and my IR thermometer said the freezer temperature was 6.7 F, last time I checked it said 5F. The 24 hour frozen eneloop AA discharged while inside the freezer to 0.9 volts had 1390mah capacity. That is almost 85% of the one I discharged last night at room temperature(1637mah). I'd say at .5C discharge, that is very good performance, especially when sanyo only claims the old eneloops to be good to -10C and my freezer is essentially -20C. In five or so minutes, the at rest open circuit voltage recovered to what is in the picture.

This is the info from the other link -
At room temperature:
NiMh 4:02
Lithium 6:01

At 5 deg F cold soaked for one hour.
NiMh 2:52
Lithium 5:45

At 5 deg F cold soaked for 16 hours:
NiMh 2:46
Lithium 3:19

So at 6.7 degrees Fahrenheit, they still retain more than 50% of their capacity. Going from a 4 hour capacity at room temps to a 2:46 hour capacity at 5 degrees Fahrenheit still gives you far more than the 2 hours of runtime you were supposed to get (but definitely didn't get) out of the Phillips Saferide light you tried. :-)

fietsbob

Looking at your top picture ... Did you know? B&M makes a rubber stick on glare shield

for the top of their lights so it doesnt shine up at your eyes like that?

PaulRivers

Thanks for the mention - I actually ordered it and have it, just didn't get around to putting it on yet. :-)

P.S. They also make a mount to mount the light using the front brake bolt - going to try that out to, hopefully avoid the light annoyingly hitting the cables on the handlebars.

fietsbob

I have one of those bracket clips for my front pannier rack ..

hartsu

In this case it is possible, it is mentioned in the installation manual.

"Connection to rechargeable battery
If you connect the headlamp to a rechargeable battery (entirely at your own risk)
make sure to observe correct polarity, i.e. "plus" to the earth inlet and "minus" to
the current inlet. Maximum brightness is obtained at a voltage range between 7.2 and
7.5 V (7.5 V must not be exceeded)."

I have one bike that does not have a dynamo (yet), so I need to use rechargeable batteries.
DIY battery pack 2x18650 Li-ion = 7.2V

corwin1968

Any thoughts on the new Ixon Core? I looked at Harris Cyclery's website and didn't see the IQ Premium but they have the Core. Their prices are a bit better too.

PaulRivers

You wouldn't happen to have a link to the manual would you?

If that's the case that's definitely very interesting...thanks for posting that.

gecho

I kind of like that it takes AA batteries, as additional lithium packs can be very expensive. Its a shame more lights aren't like the Lezyne ones that use relatively inexpensive 18650 cells. I decided to get the premium and separately ordered a few sets of 2000mAh Eneloop low self discharge nimh batteries along with a smart charger.

hartsu

https://www.bumm.de/fileadmin/user_up...ungen/175q.pdf

fietsbob

above post is about the wired Cyo.. not the battery ixon one


You may have to copy and paste text to translate Busch & Müller: IXON IQ



Any thoughts on the new Ixon Core?

form your own after reading ... https://www.bumm.de/fileadmin/user_up...0/180_core.pdf

PaulRivers

I owned (and sold after a few uses) the previous model of the Ixon IQ that was rated at 50lux (just like the Ixon Core). In my opinion - it was useless (useless as in I personally couldn't find a use for the light on my bike). Anything less bright than the Cyo, I felt (having used it several times) was just to dim. The Cyo (60 lux) was the first shaped beam light that I thought was bright enough.

According to the Peter White site, this is the beam pattern for the Ixon Core -


While this is the much, much wider beam pattern for the same reflector used in the Ixon IQ Premium and Cyo Premium -


It's much wider.

I mean obviously someone buys the Ixon Core, but I personally wouldn't recommend it based on the beam shots I've seen and my previous experience with the 50 lux model before.

How I ordered mine was I called Harris Cyclery, then they told me to submit my request using this form -
https://securecart.net/page.cfm?doma...AEBCF21821B4AF

Keep in mind if you're thinking about ordering one that:

1. You should probably order the "oversized" mount along with it -
Busch & Müller IXON Handlebar Mount for Oversized (31.8 mm) Handlebars - Harris Cyclery bicycle shop - West Newton, Massachusetts

Because the "regular" sized mount the light comes with doesn't fit on any of my 4 bikes.

2. You only get the plug-into-the-light charger if you either order it separately or order the light+batteries+charger.

3. Apparently if you do order the charger, you'll also need the adapter for US wall sockets -
Busch & Müller Plug Adaptor for IXON Charger - Harris Cyclery bicycle shop - West Newton, Massachusetts

4. They don't seem to list it on their website, but they sent me the glare shield with my order, and I think it's worth it as well.

5. You might consider the fork crown mount, though it's not necessary -
Busch & Müller IXON Fork Crown Mount - Harris Cyclery bicycle shop - West Newton, Massachusetts

Sorry if that seems like a lot. The short answer is that while so far I've been delighted with the Ixon IQ Premium, when I owned the previous Ixon IQ that was 50 lux (like the Ixon Core) I was very unimpressed and resold it quickly because I didn't like it.

noglider 

Those beam pictures are incredible. I am so impressed.

I agree that using a dynamo beats the pants off using a battery. Once you try it, you'll understand. I have one bike with a hub dynamo and two bikes with old bottle-type dynamos.

PaulRivers

Hmm, that's interesting, but what do they cost? In a quick look on amazon, if I skipped past all the "fake batteries" ones, it looks like Panasonic sells them $20 for 2, so $40 for 4. It's $10-$15 for 4 Nimh AA's...

I agree it's still less to pay $40 for replacing rechargeables than it would be to pay $70 like I was looking at for a 4 cell Dinotte replacement though...

PaulRivers

Thanks for posting the link! That looks like the older Cyo, not the newer one, but it does seem extremely unlikely it would have changed...

PaulRivers

...that's because we were talking about whether it was easy to wire an external battery pack up to the wired dynamo Cyo, not that battery Ixon Iq version...

About the Core, see my other response from above. I wasn't impressed in any way with the older Ixon IQ that was only 50 lux (same as the Core), so I personally am not a fan.

PaulRivers

Yeah, I waited until spring to order the light because I wasn't sure if it would actually be good enough. If it wasn't, I was completely prepared to turn around and return it. I posted this thread because I found it really impressive - thanks. :-)

However personally, while I think "beats the pants off" about it's highly shaped beam vs the traditional round beam, I wouldn't go quite that far about the dynamo. I love dynamo's - you may recall me previously in battery vs dynamo debates talking about all the numerous advantages to having a dynamo. I have two dynamo front lights myself - one on my winter bike, and one on my summer commuter.

For winter riding dynamo continues to be the way to go - no battery issues, and any reduced rolling resistance or bike "feel" is laughably minor compared to putting even the best studded tires on my bike, as well as the roads being covered in crap.

But for summer riding, I've been really itching to commute to work on a racier bike. It's not about "real" speed - it's just about the fun factor. Well...and as we know, when it's more fun you go faster. I really enjoy the fast responsive feel of some bikes, and if you put a heavier wheel (like with a dynamo) you lose that feeling (even though it makes an insignificant practical difference in your actual speed).

I'm debating whether to buy a racier bike and use the above battery version of the light on it instead of the dynamo. Dynamo's are damn convenient, but it's not *that* much work to be able to plug the light in for charging in the garage when I get home (don't even have to take the light off the bike).

Fortunately, they now make basically the same light in both battery and dynamo versions so there's a choice.

fietsbob

I have made up battery packs , but it seems the inclusion of voltage regulators in the headlights makes doing that
even to my old E6 no go .. was fine with old simple Union Flange base bulb halogen head lights . just not a super bright output

Inoled is made around using a external battery pack (or dynamo powered). Inoled lights from Peter White Cycles

a way to put the battery in your coat-pocket would make it work better in the winter cold .. battery kept warm .

gecho

I ordered 2 packs of 8 from Dell in Canada for $38 + tax which was half their regular price. Dell's US site doesn't appear to sell them but I see them on amazon.com for $25 for 8, might be cheaper elsewhere. I haven't used them before but eneloops seem to be a popular battery among battery enthusiasts. I had to laugh at one of the selling features: "Come pre-charged from a solar power source".