noglider 

Shaped beams don't seem important until you get to use one. Then they're really nice. My B&M light is probably closer to 50 Lux, and it works for me.

acidfast7

Most countries have Lux requirement for certain distances and angles in front of the bike. Essentially, just like car headlight specifications.

I found it quite interesting to ride bikes so equipped as the beams are extremely focused. This compared to my experience with bike lights that light everything up.

Currently, I ride in the most urbanised area in UK (15000 people / square mile for the entire city) and use a flashing light to be seen rather than to see.

srestrepo

You say it's interesting and I believe you. My commute is a bit varied in the sense that I leave an urban setting and enter a suburban one (less street lights, lonely darker roads). I'm familiar with how lux works after reading the articles posted here. How would say it's different?

I have an 1100 lumen headlamp but admittedly, I know the beam coming out of my head light is often irritating to oncoming drivers and pedestrians as it is not focused. I'd like to try a cut off beam but wouldn't be sure if it were bright enough. Any thoughts?

acidfast7

This is the BEST website out there for definitions and excellent well-defined testing. And clearly demonstrates why lux is the best way to measure the beam intensity at different positions in front of the bike.

best, but no longer updated as far as I can tell

My lighting experience comes from bike commuting in many areas (Maine, Boston, Texas, Stockholm, CPH, Frankfurt, NE England, the Solent (england) and in Seoul and coastal China.

Unfortunately most of this forum hasn't had access to proper cycling infrastructure (like one would see in Western Europe and parts of "new Asia." Even Eastern Europe is pretty good. Hell, I think most people on this forum are excited to have access to an MUP, even without lighting.

Anyways, check out the webpage I linked above and remember that one needs to light according to their particular scenario. Also remember that blinding a driver and/or oncoming cyclists does no one a favour.

Also, check out what the author has to say about the MagicShine (sounds about right to me.)

Magic****

acidfast7

Also, that Philips SafeRide is awesome. If I was in the countryside, I'm pick up one, but I have no need for it now.

RidingMatthew

I ride a mixture of backroads and no street lights and in the city. I have Cygolite Explilion 850 and I usually run it on steady pulse or just the steady mode equilivant to the steady pulse most of the time in the winter dark months. It is good to know that the light has higher modes if needed. sometimes I use them. I have as a back up a cygolite metro 550 and I believe that it is enough most of the time commuting but I use the 850 most of the time.


if my orfos flare kickstarter would come in I would have 850 in front with that and 400 in the back. If it was run at max or so I understand.

noglider 

Yeah the "steady flash" mode on the Cygolite lights is a really good feature. Which other brands have it? I'm talking about the mode where it is always on, on some fairly high setting, and then there are pulses at a higher setting. This way you can always see, and the flashing gets the attention of others. It's good when you are among a lot of motorists you distrust.

Mr Pink57

I have the IQ-X 100 lux and this light is plenty bright, even compared to some battery powered lights. It wont be out my 1200 Taz, but I dont blind anyone coming at me and all my light is on the road. I do not need to worry about batteries.

rhm

My ride to/from the station takes me over a half mile of the Delaware and Raritan State Park, riding on the towpath next to the canal. I ride it after dark for a few months in the winter and before light all mornings but a month or so of summer.

I rarely see other cyclists but there's one guy who has crossed my path several times in the last year or two. I've seen him before dusk: young fit guy riding fast. I've seen him after dusk, same time, same place: nothing but a blinding headlight. I hold up my hand to shade my eyes and I slow down, and even so, when he gets close, I can see nothing but that light. The ground in front of him vanishes just before we meet, and it takes my eyes a few seconds to adjust.

Now, I don't want to make this out to be more dangerous than it feels. The odds are, if there's something on the ground for me to hit, I'll see it before I go blind. Nonetheless, that moment of blindness is very disconcerting. And that's putting it mildly. To call it annoying, I think, misses the point.

carlos danger

I started out with a Gemini Xera ca 800lm flashlight (with flood lens), very good light but I had to recharge it every day, take out the battery, and also the mount kinda sucked, wouldn't stay in place. Its a very very good flashlight though!

Bought a gemini olympia 2100lm (but probably closer to 15-1600 real), this one is more of a floodlight, quite happy with it.
I usually run it at 1000 or 1500. The mount sucked. So I strapped this on to the bar with 2 hose clamps. done. Now it wont move and no one can easily steal it.

Then I got a Gloworm XS 2100lm (measured) and this one has swappable lenses, really liked this one, the mount was significally better (metal) but still not good enough IMO. This light broke however so its going back to get rebuilt. at around 1500 I feel there is a sufficient amount of light, but 2000 is better of course.

I once ran all 3 of these at max power and that was a blast A bit overkill. But it was almost like daylight.


Now recently I got myself a Lupine Wilma R with the smartcore battery. Now this is at least 1 step above the other ones in build quality. Also the battery has a built in balancing circuit for the 4 cells. The remote seems very solid. Mine only came with the helmet mount and its plastic, so I'm not gonna use it. Instead I will use 2 hose clamps once again so it stays in place. This one is 3200lumen (measured) and I will probably run it at 750 in the day and 1500-2k in the night.

I think around 7-800lm or so is the minimum usable, and at 1500 it starts go get good. 2000 is really good and now you can go really fast, and obviously 3200 will be better than 2000. Maybe a bit overkill.

SunChaser

Is there any light which can change the brightness automatically and seamlessly based on your speed? Provide enough visibility and save battery.

FBinNY 

To my knowledge NO. As far as I know, they don't even have this feature in cars.

52telecaster

+1. my light is 30 lux and i see fine with it. but then i am not going 30mph either.

GeneO 

Garmin UT800 can if you have it paired with a compatible Garmin cycle computer (it gets the speed data from the computer).

noglider 

Which light do you have? I can't find the model number of my B&M light, but I will look at it tonight.

Kedosto

If you're REALLY encountering 6-12 deer a night and 4-5 bears a week all while riding at 25-30mph, you should seriously consider whether such activity is safe or sane. There's no headlight, no matter how bright, that would reduce the risks associated with such activity.


-Kedosto

79pmooney

I've gone to progressively brighter lights because I end my ride with a 1/2 mile gentle descent in darknee that has two "bumps" or rises ahead of me. When a car goes over those bumps, I am liking straight into their headlights. I want a light bright enough to see the unpainted road edge (there is no centerline stripe either) and stay out of the ditch. Each breakthrough with brighter car headlights has me out looking for the nest generation bike light.

I rode without a headlight for almost 30 years after I hit an opening car door while using a generator light. Realized that drivers don't "see" lights that weak but that they gave me the illusion drivers might. Used the French leg light for those years; a light I didn't see but was very obvious to cars. 1995 I started a 15 mile commute. With the then relatively new halogen car lights becoming prevelant, I needed a light so I could see. Got the halogen NightRider. Upgraded twice to the present light and cars went through two more still brighter upgrades.

The Serfas I purchased most of 10 years ago still works. Not ideal; not a well defined beam pattern with sharp cutoffs, but quite reasonable illumination at the 3 setting and plenty for that last 1/2 mile on the 1 or 2. (And a ridiculously reliable light. I have yet to replace anything and the battery still holds a charge. Mount still works after hundreds of on/offs and bike swaps. I believe my Serfas is 350 lumen and a less impressive LUX with its splayed pattern. Not a great light for total darkness rides as the 1 and 2 settings are battery killers and have run times of minutes.

Ben

twodownzero

Americans do not use "Imperial" measurements. If you're going to rant, at least know the meanings of the words you use.

fietsbob

There is a one-up-man-ship going in the German light companies but they also collaborate.. Schmidt E-Ddelux, now in version II,

Puts a Reflector design in their lights, supplied from Busch & Muller.

fietsbob

Nite rider bike lights ... here is your bright torch https://www.niterider.com/product/pr...enduro-remote/

Leisesturm

If you are going to beat down posters for honest mistakes of terminology, at least do it within the 90 day statute of limitations specified in the TOS.

52telecaster

axa pico 30

SylvainG

CatEye does it. They call it HyperConstant. My CatEye 800 gives out a constant 200 lumen beam (low) + 800 lumen pulse. Should last 7 hours according to the doc.

PaulRivers

The brightest light with a cutoff that I know of is the Lupine SL A4:
B&M Ixon Space - cutoff, built in lith-ion battery, 150 lux (not lumens)

Light and Motion also makes a lot of light that have a semi-shaped beam that puts less light upward but without the strict cutoff, and uses close to neutral-white led's which are easier on oncoming traffics eye in terms of not blinding them.

If you've seen those cars with "bluish" headlights that are very annoying if they're driving towards you, a lot of led lights are light that. Neutral-white led's are pretty close to the regular halogen headlights you see in cars.

PaulRivers

If you're riding with no external light (or just moonlight), and a light with a decent even beam pattern, you can easily be just fine with a 200 lumen light. I've done it myself. It's really great.

But people are not usually riding like that, so you have a number of factors:
- Intense light sources. Oncoming car headlights, street lights, etc. Your eyes will adjust to the most intense light source. Bright intense street lights that leave large dark areas are the worst. Your pupils are getting smaller to handle the intense light source, so your light has to put out a lot more light to see.
- The beam pattern on your own light. If it has a hotspot, or only illuminates the area right in front of your bike, again your eyes will adjust to the brightest most intense light source.
- Color Temperature of the LED: They come in different color temperatures, and blueish is the cheap, but our eyeballs don't really like overly blue light. Close to neutral-white has been the best for me.

I've used a light combination that was bright enough to reproduce daylight. I took a Light and Motion Seca 1400 (wide beam), put it on medium. Also used a Light and Motion Seca 900 (Narrow Spot Beam), put it on high. I think that makes it about 1400 lumens? It lit up everything. Unfortunately it blinded the heck out of any oncoming traffic as a bright wide beam mountain biking light is apt to do.

It's not just lumens. If you have a bad beam pattern you'll never be able to get enough lumens.