Chris Pringle

Given that LED technology is improving so quickly, I am curious to know if there are any randonneurs out there that have opted for battery-operated light instead of dyno hubs (i.e. on a new build)? If so, what light or flashlight (brand/model) are you using giving you the opportunity to ride overnight? What runtimes are you getting before switching batteries? Thanks!

thebulls

I use a battery-powered helmet light as an auxiliary light in addition to the main Schmidt/Cyo dynamo pair. The helmet light is bright enough that it could be used as a primary light if you wanted, 40 lumens for 8 hours on a single CR123A battery--4Sevens Quark Mini 123, now renamed to Mini ML, see https://www.foursevens.com/product_i...oducts_id=2856. Weight is 62 grams with battery and with a mount to velcro it to your handlebars or helmet. They're only $40 and they're so light that I bought a second one as a backup to my backup. Basically, the light itself is only 17 grams, so if you're going to carry an extra battery, you might as well carry it in a handy-dandy almost-weightless "battery holder" flashlight!

The backup to the backup came in extremely useful on a fog-bound descent from Wolf Gap in West VA. With visibility of only about 6 feet, I couldn't see either side of the road. So I pointed my helmet light at one side of the road, attached the backup light to my handlebars and pointed it to the other side of the road, and of course the Cyo was pointed down the middle. With the lights set this way at least I could see well enough to stay in the center of the road. But descending a thousand feet at an average 6.3 percent grade sure leaves your hands trembling!

10 Wheels

I have this one.

20 hour run time on 4 AA's. 3 year warranty

https://www.biketechshop.com/busch-an...es-p-2366.html

https://handsonbike.blogspot.com/2011...ht-review.html

anotherbrian

I now use a "Zebralight H600 Cree XM-L 750Lm Headlamp 18650" as my primary light when I want to go ultralight (I have a Shimano hub/Supernova E3 Triple if I'm not worried about weight/resistance). With a single 18650 cell (I've been using 3100mAh), I can get > 8 hours at 170Lm, which is enough light for me to ride up to ~20mph. The light has a bunch of different brightness levels (from 750Lm all the way down to 0.1Lm), though I do find they are difficult to cycle through if wearing full finger gloves.

I started out with the AA-battery version of the light for ultralight backpacking (H51, maxes at 200Lm, minimum 0.2Lm) and quickly started using it as my secondary light/headlamp on the bike. At 0.2Lm I could leave it on full time and it would illuminate my computer and route sheet, and then I could click it up to 200Lm to light up street signs, or see through corners ahead of the bike-mounted dynamo light. The run time on the AA-battery version was fine for double centuries where I knew I'd only need the light for a couple hours (max run time is ~1 hour at 200Lm).

When I saw the run time for the 18650-based light, I bought one to experiment with, and couldn't be happier. You're not going to find an 18650 cell in a convenience store, but it is easy enough to carry a spare. They're slow discharge as well so you don't need to fear them going dead while sitting in your bag either.

Just weighed both lamps; 18650 light weighs 3.7oz with the headband, spare battery (AW 3100mAh) weighs 1.6oz. AA light weighs 3.05oz and spare battery (Sanyo Eneloop) weighs 0.9oz. The 18650 batteries are expensive (~$20 for whatever is the latest and greatest capacity vs ~$2 for a AA Eneloop), but they're amazing on the power density.

I bought the first Zebralight from the manufacturer (www.zebralight.com) and got the 18650 version from Amazon.

RoadTire 

Stop over to https://budgetlightforum.com for more info on flashlights, bike lights, mounts, and such. 26650 "C" size batteries give considerable run time, and lights with 3 or more brightness settings will let you choose your brightness / runtime compromise. 18650 batteries have some pretty awesome run times also in a smaller package. High end 18650 and 26650 batteries run from about $6.00 to $15.00.

Dedicated "bike lights" sometimes have a regular 18650 battery in a proprietary plastic shell and cost a lot more.

Marcello

I am quite happy with my Busch & Müller IXON IQ. It is a regulated light, which means that I get the same brightness all the time, instead of getting less and less as the battery discharges. At full brightness I get about 4 hours from a set of rechargeable AA, and a full night of riding (8+hours) from a set of lithium batteries.

Richard Cranium

Since brevet riding is all about reliability - it would seen the dynamo powered lighting is a no-brainer.....

I say this because I've seen so many riders on brevets end up with dead batteries - mostly because they were stored in a hot car - or closer to failure than the cyclist thought they were.

For some one just starting out - and just beginning to acquire lighting for LDX - the "cool setup" would be to have 18650 powered lights - one on your helmet and one on your bars...... - even more cool - using primary cr123s on important rides and dumping them as you go...... back to 18650s around town... - then again "AAs" are king.....

SharpT

I've been using the Fenix LD20 for a few years now, four 1000K+ brevets, many 600K.

Reliability is important to me, so I have been using this tactical flashlight that is pretty much indestructible/waterproof etc. I have two and use the backup as an extra rear light, with a red attachment. I have seen many riders DNF due to a small crash where everything is fine except their primary light no longer works or the dynamo wiring is broken, etc.

I get a bit over 6 hours on 2 Lithium AA's at 81 lumens. And 12+ hours at 31 lumen setting, good on long climbs or when riding with others as to not annoy them.

However, these are a few years old, and likely there is a better tactical flashlight out there. I'm looking as well, but narrow my search to 2XAA tactical flashlights.

For headlamp I use the Zebra light to see cuesheet etc. seems like infinite runtime at cuesheet reading mode.

--
SharpT

bmike

i have a dyno on my brevet bike, but for my bike packing rig i use a fenix ld20 on my helmet and currently a dinette aa powered light on the bars. i'm going to be getting a smaller fenix for the helmet, and then using the ld20 on the bars though. nice light, reliable. and plenty bright.

oban_kobi

I use the same light, for the same reasons. That thing's been through beat to hell and back, mostly in jungles and caves in Belize. If it fails on my bike, chances are my limbs are scattered about. I get just under 2 hours on the 180lm mode, and seemingly infinite on low power.

Probably better ones, but it's $50 and works well.

mander

I have a three dealextreme 18650 powered flashlights, with the P7 LED. I attach one of them to a fork leg by the little dealextreme bike-specific flashlight holder. While they are brighter than bright, to several times past the point of overkill, they are not ultra reliable and I wouldn't recommend them as a primary light. After a few months of use, esp in wet or otherwise rugged conditions, they can start doing weird **** like dimming, then getting bright again when you tap them. They do make a great backup to my dynamo system though, for when I want to dump mass quantities of light on the road or in the rare but not-that-rare event that there is a problem with my dynamo system.

I also know a super fast guy who rolls with only the AA-powered Lumotec light and it seems great. I am a kitchen sink kind of guy though.

Chris Pringle

Thank you for everyone's feedback. Wow! Definitely not an easy search due some necessary parameters needed for endurance cycling such as wider beam (diffused light to see over the sides better), long runtimes, waterproofing, etc. Even bike-specific lights costing over $350 come close but not quite!

When doing a long race (600 kms or more), how many hours on average do you personally ride at night? Do you ever pull all nighters?

mander

I watched my friend's 4AA Lumotec light go all night, no stops on one set of batteries. That's about what youd want I guess.

Wider beam isn't a huge deal if you are not doing off road cycling. German standard lights will do you fine.

Chris Pringle

I've looked at that light AKA Ixon IQ (battery-operated version.) I might be totally mistaken on this since I'm going by pics and videos. It seems like a great light to be seen with a great runtime. Given its output of 100 lumens, however, it barely cuts the mustard if you want to see clearly what's lying ahead. I seem to have read somewhere that 200 lumens is what's recommended for road cycling and over 350 lumens if you're into MTBing.

The reason why a wider beam "floody" or "diffused" beam is recommended for cycling is so you can see clearly across the spectrum. Lights with a bright hotspot and very little spill will make you pretty much blind in seeing hazards closer to you or on the side of the road. Unfortunately, very few flashlights offer this fine balance compared to bike-dedicated lights.

Watch this comparative video. Ixon IQ starts @ 1:33...

10 Wheels

The Video seems to have the identified the incorrect light.

Mine looks more as this one.
https://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...-power-web.jpg

Chris Pringle

Do you have the dyno-hub operated version or the battery version (4 AA batteries)?

Chris Pringle

Edit: Answered my question. Just re-read your post #3.

If that's the case, definitely not a bad light. What do you get on low mode? Closer to what we see in the video?

10 Wheels

4aa

10 Wheels

I used it in the Low Mode across TX, AZ, NM and CA during a hot summer tour, in the dark to beat the heat.

Richard Cranium

I don't see anything that surpasses a good tactical light using a Cree X-ml emitter and powered by a single 18650....

Of course- my own setup is all geeky - but I know I could survive using an LD20 - but as far as I know all the "AAx2" lights stop at 200 lumen -an single 18650 can generate 500 - and carrying four or five cells is no worse than a package of spare "AAs."

bmike

Ixon IQ is a great light. Miss mine, destroyed in a Puglsey snow wreck.

I like the ld series because they use AAs. You can use rechargeables for normal early morning rides, buy replacements as needed, and tour with it while having a good chance to find lithiums or standard AAs as needed.

mander

fwiw the guy I know with the ixon was on a fleche team with me. Everyone else on the team was running the standard fancy german dynamo lights, cyo and the other really expensive one whose name i forget. The ixon was pretty much indistinguishable in terms of brightness and beam shape.

ILClyde

I wanted to throw a question out here that I can't seem to find a specific answer to, including on this thread. (Chris Pringle did touch on it a little bit)

There's a lot of talk about how many lumens certain lights PUT OUT, but no discussion about how many lumens you ACTUALLY NEED. I know this varies greatly based on situations. General night time cruising, fog, rain, fast descents ... etc. I think info like this would help a lot of people in selecting lighting, as it then becomes easier to compare lumens and burn time across various lights.

So let me hopefully narrow the discussion with two questions. On long distance events:

- What's the MAX lumens you typically need (descents, rain, etc)? (I mean really NEED. Not "wow, this 8500 lumen setting sure is NICE")
- What's the MIN lumens that are suitable for safe night time riding at pace speed?

bmike

Has way more to do with how the light throws those lumens on the road or trail. I did many events and rides with the old double E6 halogens. Had to turn off the secondary when climbing as the bulbs pulled too much from the hub moving very slow to run both.

I'm happy with the eDeluxe. Was also pleased with the Ixon IQ and have been running a 4aa powered Dinotte combined with an Fenix LD20 for dirt road and trail.

unterhausen

This is one of those complicated subjects that seem to elicit a lot of emotion for some reason. The dyno lights with shaped optics put all of the light where you need it, and on a good day they put out around 300 lumen. The flashlights put out a lot more, but those photons go everywhere. So they aren't as efficient.

Just to put it all in perspective, I have happily ridden with only my 45 lumen helmet light. Not enough light to really keep you safe under all conditions, but on a deserted rural road it can be plenty.