Originally Posted by
Andrey
Very high powered lights create a huge reflective hot spot on the road , blind oncoming traffic and dissipate into the air, not too much projected on the road ahead. My 700 lumens Lyzene Super Drive XL light is not as useful on the road as the shaped beam German Ixon IQ light(1st gen.) on the road only rated at 40 lux.
I like using them both when riding fast at night. Lyzene is on a weakest setting with the round beam to light right in front of me and the IXON IQ light shaped beam adjusted higher and way too forward, so I could see far at fast descents.
The second gen Ixon IQ Premium has a wider beam and even brighter at 80 lux.
My advice get a shaped beam light like the B&M IQ technology and a small LED cheap light to light up the road in front of you or one of those small lights that go on the helmet. Or if money is not an issue get this:
SL A Street-legal Bike Light
It has both shaped beam and round beam patterns.
I don't know, I have a light with a nice beam shape that's low power, and on dark streets it is not enough. The high powered light let's me see way better, and makes me much more visible, however I try to keep it on the low side and only use it on high when on streets with no lights at all or when I will be going downhill fast.
I do wonder why my high powered light doesn't have the same beam pattern as the older light... They're both Cateye...