OneLessFixie

(Cross-posting to the lights/gadgets forum)

Well, I took the plunge and picked up a dyno wheel and a shiny new Busch & Müller Lumotec IQ Premium Cyo T Senso Plus. I've only ridden with it in the pitch black once and people mistook me for a motorcycle or a car - it's that good. Trouble is, the front tire casts quite a shadow. I understand that if that's the case, the light is aimed too low and drivers won't be able to see the LED daytime running lights at the bottom. Also, since the wheel has to turn for the light to be on, that makes aiming it a bit more difficult. Does anyone have any suggestions/tricks?

Thanks in advance.

no1mad 

Put the bike on a repair stand in order to spin the wheel freely.

ETA: Actually, the other thread got a really good reply.

noglider 

You can reach it and adjust it while riding, right? Tip it up or down as you need it. Eventually, you'll find a position where you can leave it. You probably want the top of the beam to be about 50 feet ahead on the ground, depending on how bright it is. Don't worry about the tire's shadow. Only you see that.

TransitBiker

I have mine aimed like a car headlight. Once you have the capacitor charged, you should be able to stop & aim it, making minor adjustments till you find which angle works best for you. I fiddle with mine when it looks like I've bumped it. The mount on mine needs straightening, it's off to the left a bit. The lamp itself can find its way down if you're often on stretches with many jarring bumps, so keep that in mind.

- Andy

fietsbob

Mount it high enough Up.

My Headlight is at 32" off the ground , mounted a bit above the Hoop of the suspension Fork ..

I had a E6 in the picture, now I have an eDelux , which uses the same reflector design, beam pattern, [ B&M makes their IQ2 reflector for Schmidt. ]

WB Bicycle Gallery: Robert Clark's Koga Miyata WTR

I just barely have a hint shadow of the Tubus rack hoop in the bottom near side of the lit area , not significant. the rest of the lit area is un obstructed

tsl

I use this method to aim my dynamo headlights:

1. Loosen the light mounting bolt, just enough so I can move the light with my hand, but not so much little bumps will move it.
2. Ride the bike after dark.
3. Reach down and aim the light so I can see the pavement a reasonable distance ahead of me.
4. Stop and tighten the bolt.

For me, a reasonable distance is 5 seconds with 3 seconds clearly and fully illuminated. As something I can time to comes into view, I count pedal revolutions. At my typical cruising speed and typical cadence of 90 RPM, I want 7-8 revolutions before I get to my target.

As for the tire's shadow, if I didn't see something by the time it's in the tire's shadow, then either I don't have the light aimed properly, or I'm not paying attention

kickstart

I have a B&M Cyo light coming in the next few days, and was giving much consideration to the question of how to aim it. My solution was to make a light mount that's adjustable while riding

Its just a spring loaded scissor mount adjusted by a threaded rod that allows about a 10 degree range of adjustment, which works out to a 20' change in elevation at 100', or 5' at 25'.

Tested with a mag light it works great. Pulling the elevation adjustment knob also raises it without changing the adjustment, effectively allowing me to "flash" a high beam.

randomgear

Kickstart: very ingenious!