I don't know. Ask slvoid. The other key variable is low temps. at 5F, a NiMH battery will operate at 35% power and life while a LIIon will be at 92%. It's a sharp curve, and above 50F, they are the same. So if ride in cold temps, may want to spend a few more bucks. Other key variable is Liion last 3 years from date of manufacture, and NiMH last about 5 years. Similar to a car battery. Even though they are the same at about 500 recharge cycles, unless you ride a lot at night, you might be caught by the lifetime limit before the recharge limit.

The Li Ion has a much lower self discharge rate during storage. I have one that is rated about 10% loss a year. NiMh can be 10% loss the first day. You need to keep NiMh charged to get the rated life out of it.
Some light systems say once a month all year. The Li Ion has less memory problems too. Even though NimH is not too bad and can be retrained. The Li Ion is more $$.

12 volt or 6 volt whats the difference?

Depends on the current... Generally 12V is more flexible to work with.

basic terms. whats better?

I bought a cateye HL-EL500 and I received it yesterday. I went out on my ride, and I have to say I am very disappointed. I think LED lights have a way to go before they are viable stand-alone solutions. It's not great for seeing the road, and it definitely is bad for being seen given the focus.

After this I have half a mind to up and buy a 30W MR16 HID...
I'm not kidding.

I don't think you should judge all LED's by that cheap CatEye. I've got the Dinotte 5w, and I love it--it's very bright, never requires a bulb replacement, is economical to run in that 4 new NiMh batteries can be purchased for ~$10, and can use alkaline AAs, available at every convenience store, in a pinch. It's also got the best mount I've ever seen--extremely secure, but simple as can be to remove or switch to another bike. What's not to like? Ok, it could be cheaper, and it could have better runtime. But the latter problem is solved by carrying an extra set of cells in an extra holder. Makes a swap a matter of seconds.

I honestly have no desire to upgrade to HID. I just don't need more light for road riding than the Dinotte and a very small flashlight (usually a FireFlyIII) mounted to my helmet.

Jack

Who am I kidding, I could never afford an HID setup anyway...

I've narrowed down my DIY light setup choices to one or two options, I will order by tomorrow and post a review.

Cateye HL-EL530
 

I just saw this for the first time on ebay. Its not on the cateye websight (hmmm.). The ebay ad claims 50% more output than the EL500. This is getting interesting.
Anyone know anything about it or have one?

Bob

Um... a link would be nice.

'll settle for a vague description.

i jogged with a friend a few years back and she has these little red blinkers that you could button to your clothes. ive been looking but cant find them anywhere. any ideas?

New forum member needing information
 

Hi, I am new to this forum, and just got serious about bike commuting.

My commute is about 3 miles oneway, and I have been biking to work with a backpack on my back for about a year on a cheap Walmart fat-tire "when the environment allows" (dry, light). Getting serious now I just bought myself a new Trek hybrid and put on the fenders and the rack, and a pannier is on its way. Rain cape and lights are the next on my list.

I do have the Bell NightTrail set bought from Walmart for cheap ($12) two years ago and I used it lightly for a few months on well-lit streets when I was in Madison downtown. The Bell headlight has poor housing but it works, with a xenon bulb (what is it?) plus two LEDs. I am thinking of possibly getting better lights for the less-well-lit streets I ride now, and have been eyeing the Princeton Tec EOS/Blacburn Mars 3.0 pair after reading online reviews. I almost made the purchase but wondered whether I would really get better lighting out of this pair compared to the Bell set, as no one cared to put the cheap Bell set in their comparative testing and Bell doesn't care to spec what they sell.

Thanks very much for your attention. Any information will be greatly appreciated.

anyone have any opinions of this light....?

cateye LD100 safety light

my opinion? expensive

hi

I've used it off and on - it straps easily to helmets, packs, chainstays, etc.
I wouldn't use it as my only red blinkie... but it works great as a secondary.
Still on the first battery - 2 years and counting.

*rubs eyes*
I've read this thread....still unsure about exactly what it is I should get. Got a couple of scenarios :)

For the most part I do not ride in the dark, but as winter approaches, I'll need something for some visiblity (In my area it starts getting light around 7-730 in the morning and dark around 5 in the evening (December)).
There are two possible roads for me to travel on, one is extremly well lit (But super busy) and the other is 'so so' for the most part (a few areas of no lights, but also very little traffic).

I currently have a small flasher for the front (hey, look at me!) and a red blinker in the back. I've been thinking about getting more lights, but I have a few requirements.
-Can't be too expensive, my paycheck will not allow me to afford those $100+ lights:(
-Must be able to remove easily (transfer between bikes).

I've been thinking of purchasing a Cateye HL-EL500 ($40) for the front or 2 Cateye EL 300s ($20 each) for the front.
For the back, I think my blinker will do fine, but I plan on getting some of those Cateye LD100 safetylights to attach for better visiblitily.
Course...reflective tape as well :)

From people with experience with these types/conditions: Would that be a cheap solution? I know I'm not going trail riding at midnight with this setup. I just want to be seen a bit more, and see a lil better :)

Thanks

Don't use the Cateye LD 100 lights, they hang by a bungee cord. LED taillights are all very directional, they need to be aimed and fixed solid to horizontal and aimed straight back. Any lights that are not, or that move as you ride, lose 90% of the power and the usefulness. Buy the Cateye TL-LD 1000 not 100 (extra zero at the end !) It's around $25 ish. It also has side pointing LEDs and can be seen from almost in front of the bike. There are lots of similar lights, but this one is better. Don't be cheap about being seen from behind.

For the front, it depends on how long you need the light to work for. The Handlebar LED lights don't let you see the ground very well. If you only need a couple of hours run time you can get a Halogen rechargeable light on sale from Performance or Nashbar for around $75 to $100 depending on the time of year. You will get much more light and can see the ground better. Most have quick release brackets for the light head, you might have to get other brackets for other bikes or maybe not, it depends on the exact light you find.

New BatterySpace 20w Dual Halogen
 

just arrived. The Vendor's store/item listed here:

https://www.batteryspace.com/index.a...OD&ProdID=1369

I'm commuter... about 30mi round trip daily plus many New Mexico weekend &
club rides. I went through all the LED lights trying to avoid more expensive HID/Halogen
setup, w/little satisfaction (cheap is sometimes expensive), then bought Alias 10w Halogen,
Part # 3026 from Planet Bike:
http://www.planetbike.com/highpower.html#
which I used for about 7 months until light was stolen w/bike a few weeks ago.

The Alias was more than satisfactory: light mount was flexible in positioning,strong
and very well made. Safe charger for NiMH battery pack. The 10w spot beam was
excellent, even on unlit roads. Only gripes:
a) advertised 2 1/2 burn time was not enough... too many times I finished night rides
w/battery gone. And burn time closer to 2 hrs.
b) Planet bike had no hardware for light<>battery pack extension, which was
too short to carry battery on belt or in pack. I made one up w/few things
from Radio Shack, but it cost about $20.

Ok, so bike/ight was stolen, I got new bike & I shopped lights... @ bike shops,
Google, Nashbar etc. for several evenings. I Decided to take a chance on this
BatterySpace light. I had email conversations w/one of their techs prior to
purchase, he was responsive and helpful. And their articles seemed professional
and informative. This light, @ $129, nothing else really close for that price. What
really sold me was 4 hr burn time for 15w. They sell bulbs for $2.99, so I bought
additional 10/12w flood and spot since the 10w was good enough before. I assume
that's going to jump burn time running 1 lamp a good bit above 4 hrs. I'll let u know.

So I unpacked it all today... a few problems.

- No battery pack case
- Charger connection to battery is blk/rd aligator clips, not dual pin
connector the light requires. In other words, I can't charge it.

(sigh).

I got on the phone, tech guy was responsive & helpful... he asked me to email
photograph which I did: said he suspected they sent me wrong charger. I'll
let you know how that goes. He said he would mail out the battery pack
(belt/handlebar) case.

So I thought by chance battery may be charged, and indeed it is. I'll take it out
for a spin after dark and report back.

Initial impressions:
- the dual headlight enclosure is aluminum... seems strong & well made.
Handle bar mount is 2 thumbscrews, seems solid enough. (The Alias mount
was a bit more secure IMO).
Right now, I'd give build quality +/-8.5, design 7.5.
- Documentation was near nil... nothing for the charger!!! The charger appears
to be made by batterspace from other components they sell, tied together in
moderately thick 2 piece shrink wrap black plastic. I kind'a like the Alias
hard plastic enclosure a little better now. :( I have a concern wiring could
be yanked out of battery w/fall or accidental (something).

I'll reserve judgement on this until bar/belt case arrives and I use it a bit.

Ok, I'll update impressions of light after couple nights of riding, along w/response
and action by Batteryspace to straighten out charger problem.

FWIW, I bought several other items from them:
- I have a (name brand, forgot the name... label has long worn off) 3 mode,
flat light that came w/adjustable & robust elastic strap which can easily
go on arm/wrist/ankle (I attach it to rear of back pack) and makes a
good tail light. It takes 2 2032 disk batteries, which go for $4.99 a pop
in Walgreens. I use 'em up on average every 2 weeks.

So I ordered BatterySpace's 2032 LIon & charger for about $10. Listed here:
https://www.batteryspace.com/index.a...OD&ProdID=2421
Again, instructions/documentation a little better but as others have noted appears
to be written by non-native speakers... eg:, it's approx 100% unintelligable.

Instructions indicated charge time 1.2 hrs per battery (2.4 for 2 of 'em). This
charger got 'em both ready in about 40 mins. Charger seems just a tad flimsy,
but not too bad. There is warning against overcharging even though this is
supposed to be a "smart" charger. I asked tech guy about this when calling
on other stuff, he said a couple hours extra in the socket won't hurt but
try not to leave it in overnight. :( Since there's warning in instructions not
to use charger in room w/carpet (presumably fire hazard warning), I think
I'll take that to heart.

Regardless, batteries charged right up and light works like new Energizer
2032s... so even if I only get 6 months out this rig, still damn good deal
for me.

Charger was supposed to come w/1 battery so I ordered 1 extra. Batteryspace
included 3 extra (4 total) at no charge.

- bought charger & 2 batteries for my Nikkon point and click:

https://www.batteryspace.com/index.a...ROD&ProdID=910

Instructions a little better, still not quite up to par. This charger seems better
made than 2032. Batteries charged right up in 3hrs <, as Batteryspace said.
These things cost +/- $10 a piece @ Walgreens, so again... won't take a lot
of recharges for this thing to pay for itself. And if burn time for these things
even close to what Batteryspace claims, I'll get at least 25% more pics per
battery out of these things.

thanks. i will get one and let you guys know what i think

Thanks for the advice 2many....I just saw on Nashbar they have a Nite Hawk Phoenix (SE) 10w Light System (link!) for 50% off, which throws it into my price category. Considering that one now, definitly more powerful, and the run time is within my needs :)

That Nite Hawk Phoenix (SE) looks like a good light for the price. The automatic charger is a nice benefit at that price.

Possum detector

Jun 05 I T boned a possum on a gravel road. This was at 10 mph. Had a Cateye EL 500 mounted on fork.Great light but not enough side spill for me to see this critter. So I started looking at other lights. Some good LED lights out there. Blackburn X6 looked good. Spot and flood. Too many $. So I bought 6 Luxeon 3's from Lumileds @ $3.65 ea. Some L2 optics from Finland. I designed this light. Its made of Poplar! Why? Because wood is easy to shape. The heatsink is 1/2 of pentium with an air duct
like an A7. The optics are 5 deg spot and an oval 5 deg tall X 20 deg wide. The idea is oval beam to light both sides of road and spot for serious speed. Both are dimmable for traffic. It will use 10 AA cells and
6 hr duration at 100%. Probably much more when dimmed some (City). Shape was an evolution to make it look different than the average light. Each side is adjustable up/down. I think I can beat the $200 blackburn for about $60. Its in progress and my Hungarian friends who are making driver electronics are smart. Smart enough to not work so hard..HeHe This will be a great light system.

pft!!
a real man just runs strings on it to pull out the pertinant information
anything else can be found with vi, you can read raw code right?

Question for folks with the CatEye TL-LD1000 - I know it comes with a seat post connector (see that in the pictures), but does it come with a connector for a rack? I can't easily put one of these on my seat post, what with my bag under it and a cable lock already mounted there....so I want to move it back to the rear of the rack. That's an awefully thin tube back there, and it's angled different from the seat post.

Do they come with additional connectors? Or any ideas?

thanks

The LD1000 will attach to any US-type two-hole reflector bracket. It comes with a coarse-thread screw for that purpose. If the bracket is not very thick, put a washer under the head of the screw so it doesn't go into the light too deep (causing a bulge in the wall of the battery compartment).

Besides the screw, they also come with a belt clip (not a good idea for an LD1000 because aim is critical) and a seatpost-mounting bracket.

LD1000's are a rear-heavy light, and may bend or break light-duty reflector brackets over the course of time. They are also very directional, so they must be mounted rigidly and aimed just right if you want them to be effective. Here's a bracket I rigged for an LD1000 that I was giving away:

http://www.mechbgon.com/visibility/bracket.jpg

This bracket is made of parts from two nylon reflector brackets, and it allows the light to be angled just right. If you're a good customer of a local bike shop, ask them to do you a favor and help cook up a good strong mount for your LD1000.

After some searching, I haven't found any information on which lights come with handlebar mounts that allow you to attach a light to the carbon flat-top handlebars (specifically, the FSA Kwing). Any suggestions?

Are you looking for a "see-me" light, a small basic one? Or do you want a powerful show-me-the-roadway light?