Those LED-based headlights?
 

So I got a one of those handheld flashlights (not for biking) that has a cluster for bright LEDs and it works pretty good..

The question: Are there lights for bikes using that same technology but could be cheaper and even work as well as those expensive and heavy rechargable sytems? -- the ones with the dual headlamps and batteries that go in your bottle cage...

thanks

Depends entirely on what you think "works as well as" means.

Didn't CatEye come out with a really bright version of the LED lights? Opticube or something....

I just bought one of those Cateye lights with opticube led technology from Nashbar. They have them on sale right now. I will try to test it this weekend and let you know the results.

cool! i'd like to hear the results... if i can get away with not spending like $100 on a light system that'd be nice.. :)

The "really bright" LED headlights are still on their way. If you search the Forums for lights, you will find many threads on this subject. For a nice comparison of one (high end) manufacturer's LED versus their halogen versus their HID go to Lupine's site. Move mouse pointer over thumbnails to see the various lights in action.

--J

I tried a Cateye 9-lite (Nashbar, cheap, looks like a Norelco razor, 2 C batteries I think.), vs my old heavy waterbottle-based NiteRider. The LED didn't light the road up at all unless it was pitch dark, and I'd consider it only for a "Hey here I am" light for drivers.

The 10w NiteRider is like the sun in comparison.

Good luck!

This NiteHawk claims to be as bright as 10w halogen.

The LBS thinks the LED lights are great. Maybe they are if your on a street with street lights.

The LEDs are as good as the old gen sets that ran offer your wheel.

If you ride off road or on a street that does not have street lights they are not enought light to ride with any speed.

LEDs is getting better...but not yet at the point I want one on a dark street.

My NightRider can make cars dim their lights. I can see and be seen for a long way.

Cheers

I've had one of the cheaper CatEye LEDS (EL-110 I think) for a year or so now.
The battery life is great (on 4 NiHM AA batteries, I can go months wi/o recharging, using the light maybe a couple hours a week), but the brightness is not very impressive. The beam is very small, and barely visible under streelights. If it gets really dark, I can kind of use it to see the road, but I have to aim it close to the bike and go slowly. However, it's good enough to be seen by cars, and I've found it adequate for riding on well-lit city streets.

I'm not sure how the brighter CatEyes compare.

I was looking at the Cateye EL500 (the new Optitube thing) for a while but decided on the Nitehawk Emitter. The deciding factor, price. Nashbar had them on sale for $45 plus another review from some other rider that used it.

I use it on my commute back from work. My route has a lot of street lights but there are a few spots that get too dark and this light works just fine for this situation.

I don't think those Cateye and similar LED lights are worth the money. I had the Cateye EL300 (5 LED opticube) and that thing had a goofy small spot about 6 inches in diameter and not scatter light that was not adequate for city riding not alone on pitch dark roads; I had a Zefal Halogen that was better then that light.

I think that LED's are rapidly improving and the Nighthawk might be the first "see the road" LED light to come out; but it's medium priced at only $75 and runs off of just 4AA batteries, and the battery pack won't take up a water bottle cage since the whole thing just sits on top of your handlebar. I have not seen this light in stores yet so I haven't been able to test it to see how good it really is. The LED's are great for long battery life as Raiyn discovered and the bulbs will virtually last forever.

I use a Cygo Metro that cost only $48 and has 2 beams: 1 6 watt flood and 1 6 watt spot for a combine total of 12 watts. The light will run for 5 hours on one beam or 2.5 hrs on both. It uses 6 D batteries instead of a strictly rechargeable system, though you obviously could buy rechargeable D bats. I found this light to more then bright enough for me; I ride in the city with just the flood only, and only use both beams when I'm on pitch dark country roads or bike paths; and I never have to worry about overriding the beam(s). The battery pack hangs off the frame not in a water bottle cage.

The name "Opticube" refers to the optics in several models, whereas the flagship "Luxeon" model is specifically the HL-EL500. (The 500 does have an impressively tight beam, so I guess they can crow about the opticube thing, for what it's worth.) If you want/need more lumens you can easily build your own LED array for less money per emitter, and do funky things like switch/dim each emitter manually.

Apparently lights are like religion on this forum: everybody thinks they've found The One True Headlight or something.

I see the light!!!!

NiteHawk makes two models of the Emitter; Digital and a nonDigital. The one I bought is the nonDigital from NashBar for $39 US (on sale now) type. It has only two beem intensity modes (low and high) and the Digital has eleven as well as blinking.

The nonDigital goes for about $49 US and the other I can't remember - $99 CAD.

I just bought one of the "Opticubes" from Nashbar. Not sure what model but it was about $20. Anyway, I'm intending to use it so I can be seen better just in case I'm caught out a little late with the days getting shorter. It has a flash mode that should be good for this.

rgarza28, can you tell us about the Emitter? How narrow is the beam? Can you compare it to a halogen light? Would you use it in pitch black on a road you don't know?

Thanks.

Use it in pitch black on a road I didn't know, yes at slow speeds (10-12 mph). It gets washed out in the street lamp, but hey I got a street lamp lighting the area.

The beem is round, focused and white with a little scatter around the edges. The size of the beam on the road depends on where you aim it. Closer to the bike the smaller the spot. I got mine about 12-13 ft in front of me and it has a spot of about 2-3 ft wide. These are guesstimates. I'll take a closer look tonite and repost the results.

Nite Hawk as a website that gives you an idea of the size, here is the link:
http://www.nite-hawk.com/bikeemitter.html

All i can say is that it lights the area in front of you and that's all. I imagine the Halogen lights to the front and sides as well.

Halogen is the best of both worlds, very bright and reasonably priced, like in the one I just ordered: CygoLite Explorer NiCad 25W
www.citystop.com

Corsaire

Ok, it's dark and I went outside to do some measuring and this is what I came up with for the NiteHawk Emitter light.

Center of beem is 5.5 yrds in front of the bike. The spot is an oval shaped that is 1 yd wide by 3.25 yds long with an outer ring that's about 1 yd thick.

Hope this helps. Remember that I ride home with primarly street lights with some dark corners. With this light I can see the road and people can see me as well. It lights up the path well and I'm taking it easy on the way back.

Hope this answers some questions.

Ray

Brightness is important, and so is seeing the road.

Ok BikeForum janitor or monitor; I click on the sponsored link for super bright xenon bulbs and there all for cars! Isn't this forum about bicycles?

It sounds like the Emitter is still not as bright as even a 10 watt halogen they supposely said it's equivelent of. A 6 watt flood on a Cygo sounds brighter, with about a 5 foot diameter beam about 4 yards in front of you (depending on how you aim it of course), with scatter light that illuminates 45 degrees to each side from the center of the beam. The 6 watt spot light is aimed 5 degrees ahead of the flood and that beam is about 2 feet wide x 3 feet long-an oval shape with no scatter. If any LBS here in my town ever get this light to sell I'll compare them at night with the Cygo to see for sure.

Battery life, bulb life, budget, size and weight are also important. Everybody's got their own requirements. Not having any problem "seeing the road" with LEDs, myself.

Thanks a lot Ray. It does help a bunch. :)

I had a 5w halogen from NiteHawk and returned it. The light of the Emitter sounds a bit better, but the halogen, with the heavy battery, wires, shorter battery life and no dimmer option was overkill as a "be-seen" light and not enough (or barely enough) as a "see-the-road". And the Emitter is cheaper!

Thanks again.

I finally tried my led light(Cateye 120, 1 led). The light output reminds me of the old standard bulb battery operated lights from the 80s. I was a little dissapointed with it. I would say it's usable at slow speeds but forget about going fast unless you buy several light units due to the dim narrow beam. The 3 led light models may be better. Maybe I should have bought the flashlight holder they sell and a halogen flashlight.

A single white old-fashioned LED? That's kind of a last-resort light. Your batteries will last forever, though. Bring it camping. You'll need 20 of those to approach an EL500, at the other end of the Cateye range, so there are a lot of other options.

Yum, I love brussels sprouts.

How can anyone love brussel sprouts. Ewwww.

I should have bought one of the higher price models. It doesn't pay being cheap sometimes.

I've been using the CatEye EL-300 for about a year for commuting, and like it quite well. It casts a beam that lets you see the road and potential hazards, as long as you're not moving TOO fast. Also lets you be seen. Also works well as a back-up for brighter halogen lights if their batteries go down when you're away from home.

On the road and trail I like halogen lights. DarkEnds makes some decent systems, I think. I have a 20-watt flood on my road bike and a 12-watt spot beam and 20-watt flood (32 watts on high!) on my mountain bike. These lights are like car headlights! Riding at night with this much light is a real treat, especially on dark woodland trails.
Steve

I love brussels sprouts AND broccoli - my two favorite vegetables.

I'm starting my own luxeon head/tail light project for fun. 3 headlights with 3 different optics, and one bar-end orange light, controlled by 1 or two drivers. Flexible and lots of fun.