B&M Luxos B - First commute
 

I took my first ride this morning with my new B&M Luxos B. I'm powering the light off a Sanyo dynamo hub from Peter; the light's from Harris.

If you're thinking about this light, but you're on the fence, it's time to get off the fence. This is an amazing light. I tried to take a picture of the beam on the ride in, but it just wouldn't come out. The beam is every bit as good, if not better, than the pics on the B&M website.

Near field illumination is exceptional. If you look at pictures of the light, you'll notice the lens wraps around the side of the light housing. This is a completely different take than the flat lenses of the Cyo line of lights. This wrap-around feature lights up the sides of the bike and provides an extra level of visibility and safety. I didn't think I needed this, but riding with it makes a huge difference in the way the road presents itself at speed. This particular innovation alone is worth the investment.

Distance illumination is also truly outstanding. I own an IQ Cyo Fly, a Cygolite Expilion 350, and a Cyo R. The Luxos far and away provides better roadway and signage illumination than any of them. I've ridden the route so many times, I've memorized all the potholes and rough spots. Nevertheless, I felt that, at speed, the light's illumination of roadway obstacles at 30 feet was as good, if not better, than the halogen beams on my car making for a safe "see and be seen" commute.

I don't need the USB charging features of the Luxos U, so I went with the B. The only feature of the U that's not on the B that might be handy is the Panorama 90 lux mode. Still, the B is a great light; pricey, but cheaper than a visit to the emergency room.

thanks for the report. If I hadn't been such a spendthrift lately I would already have one.

Good review!

If you're looking for USB charging, I'd check out the clean "The Plug II" from Tout Terrain.

http://www.en.tout-terrain.de/access...-power-supply/

Luxos U has usb charging at a $75 premium to the Luxos B, that's a reasonable price if you want usb charging. Also reduces the complexity of the system. The luxos U also has high beams and other features which look attractive to me.

Any beam shots? I've been tempted to try the Luxos, but I'm spoiled by my Philips SafeRide 80.

Example:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8059/8...430fd93518.jpg

This is the best I could do. This is a pretty dark street around the corner; there are no streetlights and most people had their lights off. It's a little blurry because of the low light conditions, but you can see the Luxos lights up the street pretty nicely. Any light in this pic is a result of the Luxos.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=294448

Looks pretty good. Do you have the Luxos mounted at the fork crown?

Mounted on the front rack:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=294468

Lamps mounted this way, on my bikes, sooner or later got destroyed. Incidentally, what is the size of Luxos? I ended up putting together a cage on my bike where a lamp sits protected. Originally the cage was made for Bisy and now there is a Cyo there. Someone mentioned elsewhere that Luxos is much bulkier than Cyo and your photo confirms that qualitatively. My personal interest is whether Luxos would fit into my cage.

I still have a Cyo with day illumination lying around and waiting for a try out. The technology moves faster than I can process it.

Paying attention to this thread. I've really been wanting to replace my symmetrical beam headlight with a shaped beam. My first choice right now is the Saferide using batteries (about $130 from a German vendor), or spending about twice as much on a dynamo system, but I haven't found a light where the reviews are as nice as with the Saferide. Of course, I haven't seen any of them in action, so for all I know I might be happy either way. I'm staying tuned for now. :)

Great review and much better pics than I can manage. Looks like another excellent dynamo light option.

I've been using the Supernova E3 Pro Asymmetrical (Terraflux) lens with an Alfine dynamo and have been tickled pink with the setup.

Looks very nice. I've got an IQ Cyo and I've been pleased with it since the day I bought it. It's nice to see B&M constantly upping the ante on generator powered LED lighting, bringing them up to par with the battery powered systems out there. From the specs (just as a reference) the Luxos-B looks to be 10 lux brighter than the Cyo-N, and their new reflectors cover a wider swath of roadway. :)

Being a complete cheapskate, I probably won't be upgrading any time soon, but the Luxos B looks interesting
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/b&m-hl.asp

I have an older IQ Fly and am suitably impressed compared to other dynamo headlights. In fact, were I buying a light today, the IQ Fly would be my bottom line.