Well, then we see it differently.

You probably don't want to ride here at night because you'll just be offended by my light that everyone else tells me is great and how well they could see me. There are enough car/bike collisions around here already and I don't plan on being part of that statistic.

Unfortunately, I encounter quite frequently cyclists with poor judgment who don't have sufficient lighting.

J.

Except those same laws restrict maximum brightness. I've tried some German lights, and though the beam pattern is nice, they're not bright enough for my rides. For the few days I used them before returning them, I had to ride the brakes all the way down the hills with rough road that are on my route. With cheap eBay lights (600 or so lumens) I can bomb them full speed.

I use a circular pattern light, but it's very spotty, then fix a beam widening lens on it. The result is a moderate cutoff when I aim it properly, and a ton of light on the road.

I live in a rural area so I know people I see driving on the road, and I've asked a few of them later if my light bothered them, and nobody was bothered.

The EU laws don't restrict maximum output, just output above of a specific focal plain. The new B&M IQ-X dyno light is about the equivalent of better 500 lumen battery lights, and matches the usable light of my 1200 lumen battery light at 150' and beyond.
Now that the new EU standards allow battery lights, I suspect we will see significantly brighter battery lights that function like true headlights.

I too desire bicycle lights that can stand with other vehicle lights on the road, I'm just not willing to do that at the expense of others ability to see the road. Fortunately with a combined output equivalent of 1700 lumen between the IQ-X, and Specialized flux expert I have all the light I could possibly need for any condition, and do it responsibly.

Yes, I see poor judgment at both ends of the spectrum, especially at the inadequate end.

Thankfully, with some thought and effort its possible to not be either "that guy".

There are no laws restricting maximum brightness.

StVZO only requires that when the middle of the beam is aimed to reach half the mounting height 5 meters from the bike, at 10 meters 3.4 degrees above the brightest spot must not measure over 2.0 lux.

E-code HID projection headlamps in cars are astonishingly bright in spite of a being allowed only 1.0 lux at that inclination and 25 meters.

Which ones? Newer ones with better reflectors put twice the light on the road with longer run times.

Oh come on, doesn't that effectively restrict output?

Well there are, depending on where you live. However most are worded such as to not apply.

In the UK a law in the 1980s addressed it...but those limits are stated in electrical wattage and not lumenosity or flux....which well a 55W incandescent headlight from the 80s is magnitudes less bright than a 55W LED array or HID.

No.

Replacing my 1998 Audi A4 US DOT headlights with 1999 E-code European parts satisfying those restrictions subjectively put at least 3X more light on the road in spite of the sharp cut-off and using the same bulbs.

It does mandate larger reflectors and housings (~2 inches in diameter not walnut sized) to provide both brightness and beam control.

Well, in any case, I've sunk several hundred dollars in the last 12 years into trying out various "wonder lights" from Germany and other EU sources, and my favorite light remains a $30 eBay special over all of them. Either the light was too dim or the runtimes were too low (I won't ride with anything that doesn't put the equivalent of 500 lumens on the road and run for at least 3 hours with that output).

At this point I'm really not inclined to waste any more money trying to replace a light that I love and that doesn't bother other road users.

I used to have the light that dim posted in #53 for quite a while. One day it suddenly shut off during the ride. It didn't break, just the charge was running out. After recharging, it's on again, but I didn't want to risk it shutting off without warning. It didn't go dimmer and dimmer first, just went from normal bright to completely off. The light itself was great, and very lightweight. Now I just use super bright flashlight that runs on 18650s, so that I can replace the batteries easily. By the way, wonder if anyone want to try this for 88 bucks: (let us know how bright it is if you do :))

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/ODAwWDgwMA...cAAOSw8lBTn5gx

Great 6 Cell Battery Pack for your T-6 or Dinotte lights.

Heavy Duty Cable Connector

4-6 Weeks to arrive. I now have 4 of them. Planning for century nite rides.

http://www.gearbest.com/chargers/pp_180249.html

Can it be used for the Chinese light that runs on 4x18650? If so, brighter or lasts longer or both?

No,

LED light circuits are designed to produce maximum brightness at the design voltage. They get dimmer if the voltage is dropped, but excess voltage not only doesn't help, it can overload and damage the circuit.

It's sort of like playing blackjack. 21 wins the hand, and getting close below that is OK but not as good. However 22 is bust.

I see you puny little battery pack and raise you with one thats 3x the capacity...
http://www.kaidomain.com/product/details.S024616

Yes, its the same voltage as a 4x18650, so will run just as bright for longer. The typical 4 cell packs are 2s2p (2 series 2 parallel), but you can get 2s, 2s3p, and 2s,4p packs that will have relative capacities of half, one and a half, double. Factor in the fact that often the cells that come with the cheaper lights are only half the rated capacities and you might end up with 4x the runtime from the battery pack below.
http://www.kaidomain.com/product/details.S024616

Also the Europeans don't allow flash or strobe mode on front or rear lights which is handy in the daytime.

Yes, not a problem. Chinese lights that run on 4x18650 are what's called 2S2P - two sets in Series of two cells in Parallel. Total is around 8 volts (7.4 to 8.4v depending on whether they use nominal or peak voltage - same thing either way).

This 6 cell pack is 2S3P configuration - two sets of THREE cells in parallel. Same voltage. Longer run time because three cells gives you more mAH.

I use a 6 cell pack in the dead of winter when I need longer run time and the cold saps the cells power.

Yes, that is why I bought them.

Longer Run Time

Note that there are a few 4x18650 lights that run off 4p packs (4.2V).

Goodness, that looks downright menacing.

I rode with someone who had lights like that on their motorcycle, they were no better than the fog lights on my motorcycle. All show no go, super bright up close, but no throw at all, only good for slow speed technical riding.

Thanks for the answers about the 6 cell pack used for the Chinese 4x18650 lights.

Perhaps a related question: all things being equal (number of LEDs and batteries), are those super long flashlights on 3x or 4x 18650's likely more powerful (brighter) than the stubby flashlights running on the same number of 18650's? (I have a stubby one which is very bright, but never tried the long type). Example:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=513024http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=513025

that's what I was thinking too especially after reading they claim 12,000 lumens! Probably a lot closer to 620 lumens, which isn't shabby but it would take up a large portion of your bars, plus being generic the worry would be how reliable will it be, and doubtful if there would be any warranty or customer service.

There is this light now on sale; see: https://www.biketiresdirect.com/prod...f79ca-71332101

I don't see how length would affect anything unless it influenced the design of the reflector.

while overall length mostly reflects the orientation of internal batteries, the length may also affect the light. A longer design might allow more room for a deeper parabolic reflector, thereby making for a more concentrated beam, also with the emitter deeper, a bit less light escaped unfocused out the sides.

Thank you. That's what I was trying to say.

Help!

I want to attach this http://i1045.photobucket.com/albums/...pskbsrrfnp.jpg on the opposite side of the Garmin interface http://i1045.photobucket.com/albums/...psjlx9mazb.jpg so I can mount a headlight that has a GoPro-style mount.

Besides the Light and Motion headlight, are there other headlights that have the GoPro-style mount? Thanks guys!