vincentpaul

That's what a small group of "dog walkers" said to me when I emerged from around the corner on the multi-user path that winds around the wildlife refuge on my way commute home. They said that they'd seen my homemade 20-Watt halogen head lamp and the 12-volt steady rear LEDs (trailer marker lights from an auto store) from about a 1/2 mile off and thought it strange that the sound hadn't reached them yet. One said that she had considered about calling the police to report the rogue motorcyclist.

pinkrobe

I got that one time when I was riding with the HID helmet-light. I've noticed that with my current light, vehicles must assume I'm a car or something, since they will wait until I get fairly close before pulling out, crossing the intersection etc. I guess that once they see me up close, they realize I'm not running 4 wheels and hit the gas.

vincentpaul

I get the same reaction from cars waiting ahead of me at cross streets. I'm not sure that it increases my safety, because they will sometimes do a little "stutter" start, hesitate, then sometimes pull out in front of me at a disconcertingly close distance when they finally realize that I'm not a motorized vehicle. Regardless, a really bright light at night is a necessity if you're running up and down hills during the rainy winters of the Pacific NW. I have both a 20 watt and a 50 watt light. I only run the 50 watt for perhaps 30-40 seconds each trip. I can hit 40 mph on the downhills and not outrun the light.

rodar y rodar

50 watts? Wow! I have a 20W homebrew and it`s way brighter than anything else I`ve used, but that isn`t saying much in my case. What are you using for a battery? Anybody else use a 50W?

ItsJustMe

Well, a 13w HID isn't far below a 50w halogen for light. I went back to my 20w halogen for a couple of days a few years back when I was making changes to the HID mount, and I definitely missed the extra light.

vincentpaul

The battery is a Panasonic LCR12V7.2P - 12V 7.2AH. I run two lights. The 50W is the backup, downhill and dangerous intersection light. My main light is a 20W halogen. They're both spots, so the reach is outrageous with the 50w. Unless you're hitting 40 mph. On a rainy night, I appreciate it. I only spent $50 on the whole setup. I've lost 15 pounds commuting in the last six months, so I've never worried about the 5lbs. Plus the 12volt opens up the whole world of auto parts. I'm eying a 25x.5w LED motorcycle tail light that's on display at the local auto store. It's eye-popping bright IN DAYLIGHT from 270 degrees. The LEDs are arranged 15 in back and 5 per side. Outrageously bright.

vincentpaul

Well, I run the 50w _very_ sparingly. The 50 watt bulb is a GE 12 degree spot rated at 1200 lumens. It was pricey, something like $18 if I remember. It's unnecessary for most of my ride. But you're right. There are times when you really do need the light. It's way to dangerous to outrun your lights on a bike, especially in traffic and on downhills. I'd love to have an HID. On the other hand, my homebrew lights only cost $75. And the extra weight has helped me lose some weight. ; )

a daylight picture of the lights:

rodar y rodar

Gnarly. I`m running mine on a 12 X AA NIMH pack. Since I`ve already bought the batteries and charger, I may as well stick with it, but if I had to do it over again, I think I`d be better off with a big `ol SLA. My bike is already pushing 40#, so I don`t think an extra three pounds of battery would kill me either. I only get 90 min of good light before mine starts to fade out. I use the battery system to augment my 3W dyno light, so I have some light even after the battery goes.

cyccommute 

I'll have to respectfully disagree. According to Steven M. Scharf, a 13W HID puts out 675 lumen. He doesn't have a 50W halogen, but using the data provided and making some assumptions about linearity of light output (probably not completely valid), I calculate a lumen output of over 1700 lumen for an MR16 50W bulb at 12V. A 50W bulb is going to eat batteries like candy. Overvolting a 20W MR16 to 14.4V gives slightly less output (1550 lm vs 1700 lm) but the burn time would be much longer for an equivalent battery. The same overvolting a 50W MR16 would give around 3500 lumen Holy Smokes!...literally

vincentpaul

If you have twin lights (in my case 20w and 50w), the 50w serves the same function as the brights on your car. You only need them occasionally. I'd hazard a guess that 95% or more of my usage is at 20w. The battery I'm using serves to run my rear LED and front lights for approximately 2 1/2 hours per charge.

diff_lock2

Yeah but even if you use the 50w in bursts the high current draw will further eat up the charge in your batt pack.

I think for lighting the only way to go is lithium. And I run Nimh...

My charger does Li ion and poly. And up to 5 cells in series.

Bikepacker67

Did you go "VROOM VROOM!" as you pedaled by?

vincentpaul

Just rang the bell....it's amazing how many walkers thank you for that. I've had several tell me how much they hate other bikers. Fact is, there really are a lot of rude bikers out there. They forget that pedestrians have right of way, even if they're in one of "our" bike lanes or on the shoulder of a road.

vincentpaul

Well, since I don't bike for more than 3 hours a day, it hasn't been a problem so far.