Dynohub & Light for low speed riding?
#1
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Dynohub & Light for low speed riding?
I have a Cygo-Lite Rover II light of about 250 lumens on super high. A low speed the low setting is adequate. Another nice feature about the light is that it illuminates a two lane road not just a narrow section of it.
I've been thinking about getting a dynohub and light but there's one problem that I can foresee. A lot of my night time riding is at little more than walking pace along very twisty and narrow (single-track) trails in forest preserves that are shortcuts for me.
I've consider a Cygo-Lite Centauri 1700 or the Cygo-Lite TridentX Xxtra 1300 as a new light. However with a dynahub and light I wouldn't need to worry about batteries.
So a dynohub and light for me needs to be bright enough to ride single track in a forest at night and yet have a long reaching and wide beam to use on two lane roads at night at speed. Can any one here recommend such a combination that either they or a friend of theirs has used? I REALLY do not want to go to the expense of experimenting with dynohubs and lights but want to by something that'll work for me the first time I buy.
Cheers
I've been thinking about getting a dynohub and light but there's one problem that I can foresee. A lot of my night time riding is at little more than walking pace along very twisty and narrow (single-track) trails in forest preserves that are shortcuts for me.
I've consider a Cygo-Lite Centauri 1700 or the Cygo-Lite TridentX Xxtra 1300 as a new light. However with a dynahub and light I wouldn't need to worry about batteries.
So a dynohub and light for me needs to be bright enough to ride single track in a forest at night and yet have a long reaching and wide beam to use on two lane roads at night at speed. Can any one here recommend such a combination that either they or a friend of theirs has used? I REALLY do not want to go to the expense of experimenting with dynohubs and lights but want to by something that'll work for me the first time I buy.
Cheers
#2
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How slow exactly? Dyno lights tend to tail off between 5-8kph. Put a half good light on your helmet and you'll be fine.
#3
apocryphal sobriquet
I can say although I love the B&M IQ Cyo Premium I have now I would definitely NOT recommend it for any kind of twisty riding, singletrack or otherwise. The problem with this headlamp is the sharp horizontal beam cutoff works very well when travelling forward or taking normal turns on a city street but fails to project the beam into the turn when taking sharp or windy turns.
For riding singletrack I'd be wary of any headlamp with a sharp horizontal beam cutoff which includes pretty much all StVZO headlamps since, IIRC, they require the sharp cutoff.
For riding singletrack I'd be wary of any headlamp with a sharp horizontal beam cutoff which includes pretty much all StVZO headlamps since, IIRC, they require the sharp cutoff.
#4
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I have a dyno setup on my mountain bike. It's a Supernova Pure, so not the best light, but I don't think it's suitable for slow singletrack. I've never had any trouble because of the cutoff. Problem is that I don't ride fast enough to keep it lit. I always ride with a battery light and a helmet light. One or the other would be fine.
My IQ-X has caused me problems on twisty road descents. Some people that are a lot better than me at descending mtb's in the dark might not like that, but I tend to be a lot more upright on the mtb than on a road bike. My backup handlebar light, the Cygolite Expillion has a somewhat sharp cutoff. It's a lot fuzzier than the IQ-X though.
Another edit: mountain bikers that use them seem to love their k-lites. No cutoff. Expensive.
My IQ-X has caused me problems on twisty road descents. Some people that are a lot better than me at descending mtb's in the dark might not like that, but I tend to be a lot more upright on the mtb than on a road bike. My backup handlebar light, the Cygolite Expillion has a somewhat sharp cutoff. It's a lot fuzzier than the IQ-X though.
Another edit: mountain bikers that use them seem to love their k-lites. No cutoff. Expensive.
Last edited by unterhausen; 05-03-17 at 09:52 AM.
#5
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I've been riding with dynamo powered lights for a few years now. It works well for me and I suspect it will work well for your low speed riding. Get a light with a wide beam. There are various beam designs from B&M.
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
#7
Banned
there are many LED lights that are not focused with a cut off , upper beam
( eDelux uses B&M patented IQ Reflector design, a benefit on the street )
the placement of the LED in the center of multiple reflectors can light up a lot of area..
I'd consider having 2 headlights, 2nd one Battery powered..
There are some pretty serious off road torches out there.
https://www.niterider.com/product/pr...enduro-remote/
....
( eDelux uses B&M patented IQ Reflector design, a benefit on the street )
the placement of the LED in the center of multiple reflectors can light up a lot of area..
I'd consider having 2 headlights, 2nd one Battery powered..
There are some pretty serious off road torches out there.
https://www.niterider.com/product/pr...enduro-remote/
....
Last edited by fietsbob; 05-07-17 at 12:07 PM.
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