MAK

Hello,

All pretty simple (I think).

1. Is there an equivalency chart regarding lumens and candle power? I see that most manufacturers use lumens but some are still sticking to candle power. I assume that watts aren't a fair measure as other things such as bulb, reflectors, etc. come into play.

2. At what point (lumens) does a light go from "be seen" to "see"? I'm on roads and not mountain trails.

3. Since I don't carry a laptop and wouldn't want to carry around a recharger brick, can you suggest a good light that uses replaceable AA or AAA batteries? Can the rechargeable batteries in the USB lights use regular AA or AAA batteries while I tour? (Okay this is Q4 but it's related.)

Thank you.

linnefaulk

Welcome. A lot of your lighting questions can be answered here, The Bike Light Database - Bike Light Reviews, Information, and Suggestions

fietsbob

just to go to the 'I got one of these and It works well' kind of reply, B&M Ixon IQ2 headlight
Busch & Müller: IXON IQ
the batteries are standard AA format, but there is a plug in charger, to recharge them in place .

with their 'wall wart' charger... the newer 'Premium' is brighter.

Crazydad

I was looking into this too and found this on Cateye's site. Very helpful visual representation. I ride in the early mornings (still dark) on well lit route and just have the Jido so I can be seen. I am now looking for anew light since last Tuesday I was hit by another bike going the wrong way with no lights on. It happened at one of the sections the street lights are blocked by trees, so I never even saw the guy. Completely snapped the head tube off my bike and knocked me unconscious (thankfully I was wearing a helmet). I want something that will light up the road for hundreds of feet.

https://202.215.251.86/data/resources/hl_chart14.pdf

PaulRivers

Yes, if it's for road use, either the B&M Ixon Iq Premium (the premium part is important, the previous non-premium one was a lot dimmer). Or the Phillips Saferide. Depends on how much battery life you need - the Saferide is a little brighter and a nicer color temperature, but the battery life is slightly less than 2 hours. The Iq premium is 4-5 hours of battery life. Both take AA's. Both use a shaped beam that puts light evenly on the road where you need it, and so you can see well.

I own around $1500 in lights, and either of these are around $150 and I prefer them to any of my other lights.

It's very hard to get a pic that's truly representative of what the light looks like at night, but this pic illustrates the beam pattern:


Another - more expensive - option is a dynamo light. Same beam pattern, but powered by the front wheel turning rather than batteries. I use one on my winter bike and commuting bike, as it's much nicer to simply not have to worry about batteries at all. (Though it's definitely more expensive to get a dynamo light).

01 CAt Man Do

#1 ; there are mathematical formulas for conversion but truthfully unless you have all the needed variables for the lamp in question you're back to square one.

#2 ; This is subjective and a matter of opinion. A lot depends on the choice of optic or type of reflector and visual acuity of the rider. I can get by and see fairly well with 150 lumen when used below 15mph but to be comfortable I prefer twice that. For down hill at speeds 20mph or more I want at least *500 lumen ( *with the goal of being able to see at least 100 ft. ahead of me. )

#3 ; The B&M Ixon IQ Premium sounds like a winner to me but not cheap. DiNotte also has an AA version of their XML-1. The XML-1 will work with standard Lithium AAs', not sure about the IQ Premium.

@Crazydad; That's some story. So the other guy didn't see your light? I guess that proves your light was crap or the guy was high on something. I think you need a better light AND a flasher. Use a good steady light to see and the flasher to be seen.

I'm dying to know....what happened to the other guy?

ItsJustMe

FWIW I just had my first ride with an Ixon Core IQ2-50. I find it adequate, but only barely. It's not great. Maybe I'll get used to it, but it didn't feel comfortable. I very much like the beam pattern but I'd like about twice the light output.

Again, maybe I just need to get used to it.

J.C. Koto

Is it too late for you to exchange the lamp for the 80 lux Ixon IQ Premium?

gsa103

Some manufacturers quote the maximum rated LED lumens, which is different that what the light actually puts out (the $30 1000+ lumen lights are notorious for being over-rated). Anything below 200 lumens is really best as a "be seen" light.

ItsJustMe

Probably not worth it. I'd have to ship it back to Germany. I guess I should have done some research, I thought this was the brightest one they had already.

If I decide I need the upgrade I'll just buy the Premium and sell the other one on eBay. I'll probably get enough to make it a better deal for me than paying international shipping.

PaulRivers

I've read that the IQ Premium will run for something crazy like 24 hours or something in someone else's review on youtube if you use lith-ion AA's.

Having owned the previous verison of that Dinotte light, and also the Ixon Iq Premium, the Dinotte is definitely smaller, but the Ixon Iq Premium is a much much better light for actually lighting up the road.

However, after more use, I'm torn about how exactly to describe the Ixon Iq Premium. Still love the beam pattern. Still love it's "light up the road without seeming to" feeling. It...how should I put this...so far, it lights up everything I actually need to see on the road. But it doesn't always feel like it lights it up. It has something to do with the color temperature of the light, or the color distribution the light throws out. So far it lights up anything I need to, but it only gives you like 90% of that feeling of confidence that it's clearly lighting up the road in front of you.

I'm a little torn...I don't know of a light that does a better job, usually the hotspot is a problem with other lights for feeling like you can see everything. What I like about the Ixon is that you can still see fairly well outside the beam. It doesn't give you the tunnel vision. Still a little torn though...waiting to see what the new light from Specialized is like:
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/ftb...pert-headlight

It claims "True vehicle lighting for your bicycle. The super-wide and super-bright beam pattern puts light where you need it to see and be seen, day or night.". But no way to tell if this is just marketing b.s., or if it uses a genuinely well shaped beam with a cutoff.

"ItsJustMe", you might want to keep an eye on it. It's officially announced, but not officially available (site says out of stock). It's uses lith-ion, and I know you were looking for a light that uses lith-ion. According to this site:
https://enduro-mtb.com/en/news-new-pr...ng-up-to-27-5/

The more expensive Expert version puts out 1200 lumens.

The light comes in an Aluminium housing with internal lithium batteries which can be charged by USB. The Customer has the choice between the the 3 LED model Flux Expert and the smaller 1 LED model Flux Elite....The Flux will be in the stores from autumn 2014. We don’t have the final pricing right now but it will be around 275$ for the Expert- and 175$ for the Elite-Version.

PaulRivers

Owning an IQ Premium, and seeing the beam shots on the Peter White site, I would caution against doing that. I think that the one ItsJustMe has has the same light intensity, but with a less-wide beam than the IQ Premium. I don't think it would make the light brighter, it would just give him a wider beam.

Only other option I haven't already written a comment on is he could buy 2 of them and run them together.

That's what this guy did with his Premium lights:



B&M Ixon IQ and Ixon IQ Premium Review - YouTube

(Obviously it's more hassle to have 2 lights, just mentioning it, don't jump at me about it lol - I would also prefer just to have 1).

noglider 

I have this light and have used it a fair bit in NYC where streets are well lit. I haven't yet needed it to light my way. Please tell us, what speed do you reach when you feel the light is inadequate?

mrbubbles

Charging 4 AA batteries is a PITA (and that guy has two sets of 4 AAs to charge). China 2 XML specials are easier to charge, brighter, and cheaper.

MAK

Thank you everyone for your "enlightening" responses. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

Mike

Crazydad

I am definitely getting a much better light as soon as I can (and before I do another morning ride). As for the other guy, I really don't know at this point. I do know he was the one who called the EMS and at least stayed there for a while. Beyond that, i do not know. I am waiting for a copy of the accident report so I can at least find out who he is and see if he is ok.

Here is a picture of my bike

Garfield Cat

What is it that you couldn't resist?

PaulRivers

No it isn't at all - the batteries charge in the light, just like any other light that plugs into a charger. In other words there's no need to remove the batteries from the light to charge them, you just plug in the charging cable and they get charged.

AA's in either of these lights work exactly the same with charging as lith-ion (plug the light into the charger and they charge), with the additional advantage that you can change out the batteries for for fairly cheap new batteries.

PaulRivers

Lol, I'm pretty sure it's "enlightening".

Garfield Cat

I thought it was both the play on words and also a type of post that gets everyone to chime in. Both are irresistible.

ItsJustMe

I'm getting used to it now. It's actually fine for current conditions.

Right now I'm riding on the road bike on all decent, paved roads where I know every hazard. I'm a bit concerned that it may not be sufficient come wintertime, because then I'm on gravel roads and potholes easily large enough to cause an uncontrolled endo on a descent can appear overnight. On those conditions, I really want really bright lighting that reaches 100 feet or so.

Maybe I'm wrong about winter. For now it's very good.

It could be that I'm just so used to having a LOT more light than this (with my $25 eBay light) that I need time to get comfortable with it.

I do love the pattern. If I had a choice I would prefer one about twice as bright, with the option to drop back down in brightness.

I'd go with the IQ Premium at 80 lux, but it uses AA cells, which really die at low temps (IE -10*F and lower).

intransit1217

Glad I dropped in here. I think I'll take my bike out in the dark tonight and park it against a curb with the lights on and walk away so I have some Idea of what others see or don't see.

intransit1217

Glad I did that. I can be seen from the front for a decent distance. the cygolite is pretty bright in that position, horribly dim in it's dim setting. My rubber band style tail light can be seen for a lesser distance partly due to having it high on the seatpost at the moment. Also, neither light can tell the motorist exactly what I am. I'm thinking a pair of brighter rears hung on the panniers will help the rear be more visible.

As far as me being able to see ahead, 75 ft is about the best in pitch dark. I may up to a brighter front with more distance. But first, how much am I really going to be riding at night.

noglider 

@ItsJustMe, I just saw the video where the guy uses two of those IQ lights at once. It makes a huge difference, more that I expected. Something to consider. And I think we will get used to not having gigantic amounts of light. If the light limits me to 15 or 20 mph, I'm OK with that.

MAK

Yes, I thought that my strange sense of humor was getting me in trouble again.

Just to clarify...I asked about lights that use batteries because I enjoy a week long cross state ride once or twice a year and although I don't need the light often, being able to carry a pack of AAA batteries is easier and more convenient than a brick recharger or even a lithium rechargeable battery. On those rides I'm looking at dawn and dusk riding and the rare night ride to the "home base" or ride camp. I own a three beam Cygolight that I can use at other times at home but prefer a smaller and lighter self contained light for traveling.