Well, I just thought I'd drop a note about the latest developments with my dual-3W Luxeon array that I've been posting about for a while now. Just yesterday I finally assembled all the hardware I needed to swap the old aluminum bracket for a steel one. The aluminum bracket had broken at the bend due to metal fatigue (bumpy roads!!) so I replaced it with a much stronger steel bracket. The bracket itself was from the cabinet section at the home depot.

Unfortunately, my titanium coated drill bits weren't enough to drill through that steel, so I had to buy a cobalt bit. Then I needed new hardened steel hardware to hold it all together, since the old screws were garbage.

Anyway, everything got put together last night, and I took my newly-illuminated bike for a spin after dark. I can't say that I'm blown away by the performance:

The dual 3W luxeons do indeed light up the road, but are still drowned out by the street lights. Their blue-white light makes it harder to see contrast and holes, compared to the orangish light of the street lights. However, these lights can illuminate street signs over 200 feet away, and are quite bright to oncoming driver's eyes. Great for being seen, which IMO is more important than being able to see, at least on a bike.

So, I would consider these adequate for night time riding on streets, but would not take them on trails and such where the danger of obstacles and stuff is greater.

My next project will probably put quad Luxeons on a trike, though I haven't ruled out other illumination technologies yet. Well, and I need a trike first too.