Originally Posted by
PaulRivers
You left out the high mode which is 750 lumens for 1:50.
I haven't used it but I am very skeptical of that claim, dynamo lights are designed to have a lot of throw and 300 lumens isn't to far away from the amount of light the latest dynamo lights put out.
I do like the sounds of the LED color output (neutral white) on the bt20. A lot of other lights use cheaper bluish/purplish output led's whose lumen output is higher but real usefulness is lower. My Phillips Saferide has a similar led that's very very nice to ride with at night because the color temperature is similar to night time colors.
I also wish they just made a double-sized battery pack so one didn't have to swap packs out. And...that you could plug in the pack and recharge it without removing it from the bike. It saves a lot of time if you ride in the dark regularly to just leave the batteries plugged into the charger on the bike.
Paul,
I do not use the 750 lumen output and have not measured the run times; however, Fenix's published times are based off inferior batteries than the Panasonics that were used for the times that I listed. The times I listed are actual measured runtimes usings 3400AH Panasonic 18650 batteries. I probably would get 2:20 on the 750 lumen setting but this is a pure guess. I only use the 450 lumen setting at high speed on demanding descents' otherwise, I am happy on the 300 lumen setting.
I have literally ridden with thousands of randonneurs at night. Not a single dynamo setup throws as much light as my setup does at the second lowest output setting (300 lumens); additionally, the tone of those dynamo lights is very white and harsh to my eye. I find eye fatigue to be an issue for me on long rides at night. As a "fast randonneur" throw is essential to me and the dynamo light just don't cut it
yet especially in rolling terrain where my downhill speeds quickly outpace the throw of dynamo lights. Period. You can chose not to believe my claim. I have not ridden with a single dynamo equipped rider who will descend full speed at night-they are always on the brakes unless they are on my wheel (using my lights). Again, you can accept this observation or not. Also, there were relatively few dynamo setups in the 80H vendette groups at PBP. Why? I have not seen any objective comparison data; so, your skepticism contradicts my direct experience and observation. I know a day will come that I switch to dynamo lights but not now. If I do the TransContinental or TransAmerica, I will accept the convenience of dynamo lights especially the ability to charge other devices.
I wish Fenix would sell the empty battery case separately. What a pain. I had to buy three complete lighting systems in order to have the three packs for PBP although I only needed two packs, I wanted a spare just in case I was slower than planned. The connector that Fenix uses is a bit odd too. I usually just carry two packs. Unplugging at a control takes maybe 15 seconds. Not a big deal but not the perfect lighting solution either. I am constantly looking for better lighting but right now, the Fenix BT20 best meets my needs.
Since I have three sets of the Fenix BT20, let's do a night brevet together next year. We can mount a set on your bike and you can switch back and forth. I will do the NJ 400K and 600K.