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15lumens to lit up a road way in front of you, is it enough?

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15lumens to lit up a road way in front of you, is it enough?

Old 04-30-15, 03:32 AM
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15lumens to lit up a road way in front of you, is it enough?

I have search many front commuting lights, it is about 30-100lumens will give you good enough front visibility.
the other reach 300-1200lumens for speed cycling.

have someone tried a lezyne KTV drive front lights?
It has 15lumens on constant mode, will it be enough to lit up the way?
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Old 04-30-15, 06:39 AM
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No, it won't light up the road.

The purpose of this light is to be seen by others.

I find that I need 200 lumens broadly spread to properly see on dark country roads. With rain or if there is a lot of light pollution, 300 lumens or 450 is what I select on my lights.
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Old 04-30-15, 07:15 AM
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Good grief, 15 lumens isn't even enough to look for a real flashlight in my bag.

If I was absolutely forced to, I'd maybe ride with 100 lumens up front, but I'd have to reduce speed. I consider 200 to be bare minimum, 400 to be comfortable.

You can get 400 lumens for < $25 these days, including rechargeable battery and charger.
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Old 04-30-15, 07:23 AM
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I should have noted that I have really good vision and for my age, the pupils open well so I can see very well at night although not was well as my teenager who can see non-illuminated objects in the distance at night that I cannot see. Age is a big factor in how much light you need. 15 lumens is kind of a joke.
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Old 04-30-15, 10:16 AM
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I use the Nite Rider Lightning Bug 3. It's small and only 50-60 lumens, but it's enough for those training rides that are just barely past sunset.
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Old 04-30-15, 10:46 AM
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Originally Posted by mingjae
I have search many front commuting lights, it is about 30-100lumens will give you good enough front visibility.
the other reach 300-1200lumens for speed cycling.

have someone tried a lezyne KTV drive front lights?
It has 15lumens on constant mode, will it be enough to lit up the way?

No. 15 lumens is like one of those bathroom night lights you plug in your outlet.
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Old 04-30-15, 11:09 AM
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Try riding with enough light and you'll see why 15 lumens isn't enough.
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Old 04-30-15, 11:12 AM
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No.
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Old 04-30-15, 09:36 PM
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15 lumens is plenty... if you are a raccoon...

Last edited by dwmckee; 05-01-15 at 07:20 PM.
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Old 05-01-15, 02:50 PM
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NO! 15 lumens might not make it from the bars to the ground and back.
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Old 05-01-15, 05:30 PM
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Originally Posted by davidad
NO! 15 lumens might not make it from the bars to the ground and back.
Well....if you were on a pitch black country road with no street lights, no cars, no house lights, no moon, no bike computer....and you'd had your eyes adapt to that dark for 30 minutes, had a good reflector/lense...then you might be safe to go 5MPH.
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Old 05-01-15, 05:44 PM
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80 lumens (stated) and I can see a small gray dog almost 50 ft away. Just enough time to blink before you are a** over teakettle
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Old 05-06-15, 08:42 AM
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Hi all! you we're right, 15lumens is kind of kitchen cabinetry night lights.. lol
maybe it is suitable for "be seen" lights only which the road condition has good enough road lighting facilities.
me tested a 140lumens flashlight in a morning sunlight and I almost can't detect even the flashlight is on or off.

Originally Posted by tedder
I use the Nite Rider Lightning Bug 3. It's small and only 50-60 lumens, but it's enough for those training rides that are just barely past sunset.
ok thank you, so 50lms will be good enough for cycling home?
I was in a store testing that lezyne 15lm, its bright enough if you see it directly to your eyes, I was think it will also give you a good chance to lit up a road but me only take the rear light one, me only like the design, it is tiny and standing in front of the stem bars.
any recommendation for the same design lights for about $15-20 but brighter?
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Old 05-06-15, 09:04 AM
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Originally Posted by mingjae
Hi all! you we're right, 15lumens is kind of kitchen cabinetry night lights.. lol
maybe it is suitable for "be seen" lights only which the road condition has good enough road lighting facilities.
me tested a 140lumens flashlight in a morning sunlight and I almost can't detect even the flashlight is on or off.



ok thank you, so 50lms will be good enough for cycling home?
I was in a store testing that lezyne 15lm, its bright enough if you see it directly to your eyes, I was think it will also give you a good chance to lit up a road but me only take the rear light one, me only like the design, it is tiny and standing in front of the stem bars.
any recommendation for the same design lights for about $15-20 but brighter?
Shining a light into your eyes does not indicate that it is good enough to see by. I have one light that is 260 lumens, it is OK if you are careful and go slow, and there is no other ambient light like cars coming the other way. One problem is that when you are exposed to a bright car light going by in the other direction your eyes adjust to the bright light, but then it passes and goes away. You need a bright light to help then. On a pitch black location your eyes have time to readjust and you can get by with less, as long as no other light is around. Even a street light will be a problem as you pass away from the light it makes into darkness. With traffic passing in the other direction, 260 lumens is marginal in the short time when your eyes adjust to the darkness. You need to see the surface of the ground to avoid holes, objects etc.

When selecting a light, one needs to know the run time it provides at the lumen setting you need. This depends on your ride time in the dark. I always like a lot more run time than I need in case I get a flat or something.
I finish long rides on the dark about once a week. And one short ride home once a week. I do 4 hours in the dark very frequently. I want at least five hours run time for that. I have been lost in the middle of nowhere too.
That's when I like my 5:45 run time. I also carry a back up light for more time, and in case my main light breaks. My short rides home are only about 40 minutes. 1.5 hours run time is fine on the small light I use for this. The small light gives me 1.5 hours 600 lumens for the traffic, and about 4 hours at 300 lumens for the dark unlighted bike path. That's fine for me, I do have to see potholes, cats, rabbits etc. The 600 lumens allows me to see a rabbit way over at one side, before it runs into my path on the bike path. The 300 lumens is about the minimum for this. But it works.

Last edited by 2manybikes; 05-06-15 at 09:18 AM.
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Old 05-07-15, 11:13 AM
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Originally Posted by mingjae
Hi all! you we're right, 15lumens is kind of kitchen cabinetry night lights.. lol
maybe it is suitable for "be seen" lights only which the road condition has good enough road lighting facilities.
me tested a 140lumens flashlight in a morning sunlight and I almost can't detect even the flashlight is on or off.



ok thank you, so 50lms will be good enough for cycling home?
I was in a store testing that lezyne 15lm, its bright enough if you see it directly to your eyes, I was think it will also give you a good chance to lit up a road but me only take the rear light one, me only like the design, it is tiny and standing in front of the stem bars.
any recommendation for the same design lights for about $15-20 but brighter?
Shining a light in your eyes in the store is a bad way to judge the effectiveness of a light - and if you can stand to look at it in the store it's going to do you much good when riding.
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Old 05-07-15, 11:37 AM
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The lower the light is to the road surface the brighter it will appear.

I first got the B&M Lyt BN that Brompton was Using , its 15 'Lux' ( lumens or lux you figure out the conversion difference , if it Matters)

https://www.bumm.de/produkte/dynamo-s...motec-lyt.html

It had a 2nd input to be fast to fit at the factory ..

Mine was from a dealer, not from the factory.. Narrow spot was Bright enough at 19" off the pavement
but lacked standlight, so I returned it and Got an Eyc-T instead
all models have standlight and the beam spread is wider..
https://www.bumm.de/produkte/dynamo-s...c-iq2-eyc.html

Last edited by fietsbob; 05-14-15 at 03:39 PM.
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Old 05-09-15, 06:13 PM
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It's enough for your wife's bike if you are trying to collect insurance.
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Old 05-09-15, 06:34 PM
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Originally Posted by sknhgy
It's enough for your wife's bike if you are trying to collect insurance.
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Old 05-12-15, 08:35 PM
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Originally Posted by sknhgy
It's enough for your wife's bike if you are trying to collect insurance.
That's cold!
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Old 05-12-15, 11:07 PM
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Originally Posted by sknhgy
It's enough for your wife's bike if you are trying to collect insurance.
A light (pardon the pun) just went on in my head.

I thought the hand-rubbing, hunched shoulders, shifty eyes and gleeful smirk while I was installing my wife's 15-lumen gift on my bike didn't match that of a happy wife who's simply glad her husband is enjoying his present. Color me disappointed.
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Old 05-14-15, 12:40 PM
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I've got about 900 lumens on the front of my bike, and two red lights plus an outline of the reflective triangle on the rear...
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Old 05-14-15, 12:49 PM
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LED Bicycle Headlights by AviationMetalSmith, on Flickr
900 lumens, not counting those blue-white strips, or the amber marker lights. All twelve volt, Light Emitting Diodes (LED).
LED Bicycle Headlights by AviationMetalSmith, on Flickr
and bringing up the rear^
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Old 06-14-15, 02:01 PM
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I see you have already realized 15 lumens isn't gonna work. I used to have a 40 lumen light when I started cycling. I thought it was good because most people would see me at dusk. When I had to get home after the blue hour a few times, I got kinda irritated that it was me who couldn't see what I had in front of me (especially on unlit parts of the road or on some park alleys I was using to get home faster). That's when I decided to look for something more stable and finally got myself a proper 1000 lumen light. I've rarely used the max setting since it's so damn bright, but it's been a game changer. I feel completely comfortable riding at night in all kinds of terrain, and I also feel the higher setting helps during the daytime with motorists paying more attention to me at junctions. I just don't use the strobe setting because I'm afraid people might get a seizure.

In the meantime, I see a new model of my own light has come up and it's even stronger. I'm definitely recommending this!
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Old 06-24-15, 12:34 AM
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have been LED for years,don't suggest using 15lumen, this is not enough for cycling at night, 1000lm will be better,this item can be USB rechargeable,no need worry battery run out
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Old 06-24-15, 01:07 PM
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That thing is a weapon, literally!
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