tatfiend 

Has anyone tried out the Light On! Dynolight headlight yet? If so can you compare the real world light output and pattern to any of the German LED generator lights such as the IQ Cyo or other dynamo lights that are normally considered relatively bright?

Love to see some comparison photos of illumination levels and patterns if anyone has a link to some or can post them here.

Hard to compare based on specs as the Dynolite uses Lumens output while the IQ Cyo uses Lux light level at the brightest part of the beam.

f1xedgear

^^
Hey, tatfiend, good idea starting a new thread on the DynoLight. (Hoping someone other than me would.) As you know, I'm using the DynoLight now and very happy with it, but you also know (I think) that I don't have any comparative experience. So, I'll be watching this thread, too. If I can manage a decent pic or two of the light pattern from my axle set-up, I'll post up. Thanks.

tatfiend 

Thanks to you too. I figured the Dynolight was new enough so that a model specific thread would be more obvious than information buried in multiple threads.

Personally I would like to see both a shot of the illumination pattern against a vertical surface to show beam shape and a shot down a unlighted street or long driveway, with distance markers, to show useful illumination distance. Hard to judge from the single photo on the Dynolight web site. I really like the photos of road illumination that Peter White Cycles has on their web site as they allow direct comparisons between a number of dynamo headlights.

From a web search it appears that the Dynolight is only being sold factory direct so far. Too bad they do not have photos of some of their competition along with the Dynolight.

BTW I talked to the owner by phone yesterday and he indicated that the dynamo taillight will use 3 wide angle LEDs, the two outer ones aimed outward at 45 degrees from center. Claimed that each LED is about as bright as the primary LED used on the Superflash and that the light pattern will be visible over 180 degrees or so. Sounds impressive. They are going to offer a package deal, headlight and taillight, for a slightly reduced price from buying individually.

tatfiend 

Light On! now has a dynamo taillight available. Per the web site it only works with their headlight. Extremely compact unit at about 1/2" high and 3/4" wide. It includes a standlight function too, like the headlight. Per a photo on the web site the taillight has a very wide light dispersion horizontally, close to 180 degrees. I ordered both yesterday so hope to see them next week.

f1xedgear

Excellent. Thanks for the news. I've got my order in for the taillight!

tatfiend 

I got my Light On! Dynolight set mounted and tried out last night. It seems to put out plenty of light and the dark zone ahead of the front wheel is much shorter than my old B&M Lumotec IQ Cyo (not the R version). I need to get to an unlighted road to really see how it performs under worst case conditions though. My neighbor did comment about how bright the taillight appeared to be. I mounted it on a rear plate along with a mount for a Superflash battery taillight directly below so I have provision for both the dynamo and a battery taillight.

I made up my own handlebar mounting bracket for the light using the latest Cygolite headlight mounting bracket set. This provides a "hard" mount which does not allow the light to move like O ring type handlebar mounts do. The light can still be quickly removed and reinstalled without requiring aimpoint readjustment.

Making the mounting plate did require the ability to accurately drill and tap 4 holes in the piece of 3/8" aluminum plate that I used for the project.

f1xedgear

From a different thread, but relevent to this one:

I started using the LightOn! taillight last week. Love it, too. I'm keeping my ol' VistaLite mounted below it ('cause I just like a red blinky on the back), but I'll tell ya, from where I sit looking back, I can't see the thing blinking--it's washed out by the LightOn! taillight. Veery happy.

Jeff Wills

They definitely look nice:
https://lightonlights.com/

plus they're local to me: Beavertown!

They're going to be showing at the Oregon Handmade Bike Show next weekend:
https://www.oregonbca.org/index.php/o...e-bicycle-show
so I'll see if I can get some comparisons.

f1xedgear

In case some of you haven't already seen this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdgNUj4tcgc


Fair review, from my own experience with this LightOn! system. After 6 months of continuous use, I remain very happy with it.

f1xedgear

BUMP

That time of year here in northern hem to talk lights. Brief update on my LightOn! dynolight and taillight after a year's (little less w/the taillight) on-all-the-time use: they're workin' just fine in combo with the SRAM iLight hub. Rebuilt the wheel recently with the hub laced to a Deep V rim (the ol' MA40 rim was cracking and the sidewalls pretty worn; time to chuck it). Anyway, I continue to be very happy with the set up (axle mount for front; rack mount for rear). Absolutely no issues.

LeeG

same here, I wish the headlight beam was tighter and not as wide.

ururk

How well does it light up when traveling slowly (5-10mph)?

f1xedgear

^
There are several places on my commute (an MUT) where I have to slow down to maneuver through crossing gates (in full on dark). I have no problem seeing stuff with this lamp. (Mine is mounted on the axle.) I don't use a bike computer anymore (I couldn't see it anyway), but experience tells me that the light's 100% (or close enough) before 10mph.

f1xedgear

Well, this is cool: a battery pack, head- and tail-light generator system.

Way too pricey for me now, but when/if my current Light On! dynolights fail, I'll definitely give this my first consideration.

Juha

USD425?! And I thought the new Busch & Mueller Luxos U was expensive at €179... USB charging, buffer battery, standlight and a beam shape that adapts to your riding speed.

unterhausen

considering the luxos u has charging for a very small amount over what the charging alone used to cost, I think it's a bargain.

I am not interested in a light with symmetric beam any more. Too much wasted light

tdister

I like the battery pack addition. I've been wanting to build that something very much like that system to go with my Supernova set-up. I want to be able to charge my phone plus have full light power while stopped instead of the wimpy stand-light function it currently has. Has anyone done something like this on their own?

If the Light On system had a low beam with a cut-off I would probably get over the sticker shock and find the funds for it.

f1xedgear

Huh, five years. Well, my update is simple enough: the LightOn! Dyno head and tail lights, plus SRAM D7 iLight hub, have been flawless, failure-free, and perfect (for me) over the past five years of always-on running.






I’ve wanted dynolights for my favored weekend-riding FG, so I decided to “upgrade/update” my cyclocommuter by purchasing the latest version of the LightOn! lights and “retiring” the older dynolight system to the other said FG (for which I just built a new wheel with another iLight hub—which, apparently, SRAM now calls just "D7").

My new LightOn! system has arrived.








and been installed per helpful videos DynoLight - YouTube and DynoLight Tail Light - YouTube.

So far, so good

bikemig 

I would hope that it is flawless for a system that runs over $600. That is a lot of dough given there are very fine alternatives that cost a heck of a lot less.

f1xedgear

Here's what I paid for the new Dynolights and new dyno wheel:
- Lighton! Dyno head and tail lighting system, $285
- SRAM iLight 36h hub, $63
- Spokes/nipples, $36
- Rim, $33
TOTAL $417

I hoped for good performance when I bought my first LightOn! dynolight five years ago. I believe I got that and more. I don't hope for flawless performance from my new LightOn! system, I expect it.

f1xedgear

While waiting to get the turkey in the roaster, I'll post an update on my use of the latest version of the LightOn! dynolights for anyone interested.

After two months, the head and tail dynolights perform to my expectations. I had some questions that I asked LightOn! Answers came promptly:

1. Did you alter the headlight lenses so that the beam pattern is different? The beam looks more focused. Maybe that's because I have the light crown-mounted now (horizontal), rather than axle-mounted (sideways)?

The beam is tighter. Not so much because of the lensing, but because the LED emits in a tighter pattern. As compared to the previous version’s LED.

2. Do both lenses on the headlight now stay on when in "low" mode? With my older headlight, "high" used both lenses, "low" used one lens. The difference between "high" and "low" is less with this light, I think, but "low" is still low enough to be appreciated by MUP users when I come up on them.

Both LED’s are on for low and high.

3. Different capacitor? The stand lights are brighter and stay brighter longer, which is great.

The stand light is brighter from improved LED performance and an improved circuit design that charges the ultra-capacitor to a higher level.






and my old LightOn! system on my fun FG:

fietsbob

Rather hard to compare without having Both in the same place, I have an Edelux 1 & a B&M Eyc, come on by with the other set-up.