On Thu, 7 Dec 2017 06:38:54 -0800 (PST), jbeattie
wrote:

I think everyone would agree that having a light you don't have to
charge is very convenient. How much light a person needs, however, is
subjective. My night vision sucks. There are times when I want more
than 500 lumens, which is about the maximum output of my Luxos B. No
light is enough it in a rain storm. OTOH, it takes very little light
to be seen in my opinion, and there is nothing worse than a mega-power
bike light pointing right at me. I'm not in NL, but I ride around a
lot of other cyclists for an American city, and the uber-bright lights
are not just annoying, they're dangerous. I've been blinded to the
point of not being able to see the road for a few seconds, and bright
flashing lights should be criminalized. Some tail lights are far too
bright. I was riding behind a woman last night (until I could get
around her) who had a rear flasher that was like a landing light. Mine
is bright, but it pulses. This was on a separate bike path, so it's
not like she was going to get hit by a car.

Also with LED car taillights. I have been behind new cars with those
and had afterimages on my retinas when behind them as a stoplight for a
minute or so. Holy smokes, they are so bright it is painful.

But, "if some is good then more is better" is the attitude of most
humans.

Badly aimed ultrabright headlights blind oncoming users, which is never
safe, and generally serve to impair night vision. My night vision has
worsened a bit as I get older, I have noticed, which may be why I am
wanting a bit brigher lamp than my old halogen. OTOH, there have been
changes to the lighting sitution locally- LED street lights, brighter
and whiter car headlights along wth increasing traffic from a growing
population, etc.

I am looking forward to retirement and moving the hell out of here. I
want some peace and quiet for my remaining years, if I can manage it-
not living in the center of nearly 4 million people.

On a two way cycle track with adjacent car traffic, a bright, solid
on-coming bike light also can be mistaken for a car light in the
adjacent MV traffic lane. In heavy bike traffic, I think the best
front light is a dyno light with cut-off (because it is distinctive
and non-blinding) or a light like the L&M that pulses but does not
flash, and if more light is needed (pulse mode is about 300 lumen on
my battery light), then perhaps something like the Oculus with
cut-off. Too much cut-off is a problem, but a spewing 1000 lumen
light is a huge problem in bicycle traffic and totally unnecessary. In
the middle of nowhere without traffic, it doesn't matter. Use whatever
you want.

Well, at 15-20 mph you don't need to illuminate 1 1/2 miles of road to
avoid overrunning your lights. You need 100 yards or so.

Finally, I think that in really dark environments with moonlight or
star light (like the PBP French countryside), you can get away with a
pretty dim light because your eyes can accommodate. The problem for me
is dark pavement and bright on-coming headlights (hills with car
lights angled up) or point source lights that don't illuminate the
pavement (house or business lights).

Yes, that is my experience. Big neon business signs and billboards too.
Southern Minesota farm country is pretty dark at night, as is most of
the terrain on PBP. A 3W halopgen with a decent beam shape is adequate.
That light gets a little washed out in the Twin Cities at night.

Speaking of Dark- it's 4:47 PM and late dusk now. I hate the short
days this time of year. But hey, the days start getting longer in about
two weeks!