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Thinking about having a SON,



 
 
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  #1  
Old March 28th 10, 01:20 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Tom Sherman °_°[_2_]
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Posts: 2,312
Default Thinking about having a SON,

what LED headlight would be the best complement for an urban commuter?

I know that this has been discussed before, but the LED headlight market
is changing rapidly along with LED technology.

--
Tom Sherman - 42.435731,-83.985007
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  #2  
Old March 28th 10, 01:30 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Helmut Springer
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Posts: 328
Default Thinking about having a SON,

Tom Sherman °_° wrote:
what LED headlight would be the best complement for an urban commuter?


Schmidt's own LED headlight (Edelux) comes to mind, followed by the
B&M Cyo (which also provides the optical system and electronics for
the Edelux).

--
Best Regards
helmut springer panta rhei
  #3  
Old March 28th 10, 01:45 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Tosspot[_3_]
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Posts: 1,563
Default Thinking about having a SON,

On 28/03/10 13:20, Tom Sherman °_° wrote:
what LED headlight would be the best complement for an urban commuter?

I know that this has been discussed before, but the LED headlight market
is changing rapidly along with LED technology.


B&M IQ Fly, B&M Cyo, Edelux. All these will light the way to the horizon

  #4  
Old March 28th 10, 03:05 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Kristian M Zoerhoff
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Default Thinking about having a SON,

On 2010-03-28, Tom Sherman ?_? wrote:
what LED headlight would be the best complement for an urban commuter?

I know that this has been discussed before, but the LED headlight market
is changing rapidly along with LED technology.


Get either the Busch & Müller Lumotec IQ CYO or CYO R. You can see the beam
patterns at http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/headlights.asp

--

Kristian Zoerhoff

  #5  
Old March 28th 10, 04:12 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Peter S.
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Posts: 112
Default Thinking about having a SON,

On 28 Mar., 14:20, Tom Sherman °_°
wrote:
what LED headlight would be the best complement for an urban commuter?

I know that this has been discussed before, but the LED headlight market
is changing rapidly along with LED technology.


The B&M IQ Cyo is the best value for money dynamo headlight. The SON
Edelux is slightly more powerful because of better cooling, is
shielded so it works better with wireless cyclo-computers (unlike the
Cyo), and is overall of better build quality and design. It is also
more expensive. The best choice for brevet/audax riders because of its
high efficiency, low weight, and waterproofness. I have used my IQ Cyo
every day for a year in all kinds of weather from minus 15C, to rainy
nights without problems, and even left the bike outside at night when
raining without problems, but the Edelux inspire more confidence when
it comes to waterproofness.

Then there is also the E3 Pro "Glare free" from http://www.supernova-lights.com/
It is quite new and I haven't seen any test of it yet, but it has a
higher output than the Cyo and the Edelux. However this means higher
resistance too, so perhaps not the best choice for brevet /audax
riders. It has a 5 year warranty and is the most expensive of the
three dynamo headlights mentioned.

--
Regards
  #6  
Old March 28th 10, 04:24 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
landotter
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Posts: 6,336
Default Thinking about having a SON,

On Mar 28, 7:20*am, Tom Sherman °_°
wrote:
what LED headlight would be the best complement for an urban commuter?

I know that this has been discussed before, but the LED headlight market
is changing rapidly along with LED technology.



Planet Bike or similar $25 LED battery light on a lowrider mount. I
see no reason to spend more to be seen in the city that's already
awash in lighting. Neither do my LBS owning friends who used to enjoy
the bragging rights of using trail lighting in the city but all of
whom have minimized to battery be-seen lighting.

If you insist on a dynamo powered setup, get the headlight that looks
the nicest on your ride and promises to be most durable and theft
resistant. Unless your metro government has fired all the lamplighters
or something equally dystopian--then I'd go for faggot and tar
torches, as they illuminate and keep zombies at bay.

  #7  
Old March 28th 10, 05:41 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Tim McNamara
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Posts: 6,945
Default Thinking about having a SON,

In article ,
Phil W Lee phil(at)lee-family(dot)me(dot)uk wrote:

Tom Sherman °_° considered Sun,
28 Mar 2010 07:20:45 -0500 the perfect time to write:

what LED headlight would be the best complement for an urban commuter?

I think that depends largely on whether the "urban" part is the sole
use.

Do you want/need a penetrating beam, or do you ride entirely in
streetlit areas, where a good scatter of light is desirable to enhance
your own visibility?

I know that this has been discussed before, but the LED headlight market
is changing rapidly along with LED technology.


The most comprehensive test of front lights I know of anywhere is at:
http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=11751.0


Nice link, thanks!

--
Faith is believing what you know ain't so.
-Mark Twain
  #8  
Old March 28th 10, 05:52 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
datakoll
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Posts: 7,793
Default Thinking about having a SON,



saw a good one on MEX 1 - aircraft landing lamp bolted to grill center
  #9  
Old March 28th 10, 05:53 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Tom Sherman °_°[_2_]
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Posts: 2,312
Default Thinking about having a SON,

On 3/28/2010 10:24 AM, Max the landotter wrote:
On Mar 28, 7:20 am, Tom Sherman °_°
wrote:
what LED headlight would be the best complement for an urban commuter?

I know that this has been discussed before, but the LED headlight market
is changing rapidly along with LED technology.



Planet Bike or similar $25 LED battery light on a lowrider mount. I
see no reason to spend more to be seen in the city that's already
awash in lighting. Neither do my LBS owning friends who used to enjoy
the bragging rights of using trail lighting in the city but all of
whom have minimized to battery be-seen lighting.

Like this one (1) watt (W) Planet Bike (PB) light on my DaHon Curve D3
[1]
http://www.flickr.com/photos/19704682@N08/3601428405/sizes/l/in/set-72157619269876565/?

The PB is a nice little light, but I was thinking of using it in
combination with a dynamo hub light.

If you insist on a dynamo powered setup, get the headlight that looks
the nicest on your ride and promises to be most durable and theft
resistant. Unless your metro government has fired all the lamplighters
or something equally dystopian--then I'd go for faggot and tar
torches, as they illuminate and keep zombies at bay.

I live on the outskirts of a medium size Iowan city, and part of my
route to work is not lighted.

[1] Mounted upside down by Mr. Muzi's Minions for better clearance when
folding the bike.

--
Tom Sherman - 42.435731,-83.985007
  #10  
Old March 28th 10, 08:06 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Peter S.
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Posts: 112
Default Thinking about having a SON,

On 28 Mar., 17:24, landotter wrote:
On Mar 28, 7:20 am, Tom Sherman °_°
Planet Bike or similar $25 LED battery light on a lowrider mount. I
see no reason to spend more to be seen in the city that's already
awash in lighting. Neither do my LBS owning friends who used to enjoy
the bragging rights of using trail lighting in the city but all of
whom have minimized to battery be-seen lighting.


Even if I had to choose between a free battery operated bike light or
a buy my own dynamo operated light system, I would choose buy a dynamo
operated light system every time. Dynamo operated headlights are just
too convenient and handy. There isn't any logistical problems, like
babysitting battery chargers, or wasting time reading up on Lipo,
Lithium, Nimh, LSD, NiZn, Lit-ion etc battery technology, should these
batteries be fully discharged between recharges or does it damage
them? Will this battery pack short circuit and burn down my house
because I dropped them on the floor (*cough*Magicshine*cough*). No
fumbling with light mounts with gloves on, or get unpredictable short
runtimes in the winter because of the cold. No stuffing lights in the
pockets when shopping or on a cafe, no planning whether you might need
the light on next ride or not, no missing lights on the way home just
because you choose to hang out an hour more than planned. With dynamo
lights you just jump on you bike an go.

Even when riding during the day I find dynamo lights handy, because it
is practically free to run them all the time. It help to have lights
on when the sky is gray or if it suddenly starts to rain.
My dynamo operated lights have also been the most reliable light
system I have ever owned. It helps that dynamo lamps are bolted to the
bike and aren't heavy because of batteries; they are far less likely
to die from being rattled to death.

Cheap bike lights just aren't worth it in the long run: their beam
patterns usually suck just like their general build quality; a drop on
the asphalt often shatter them to pieces. Often their quick release
mounts are flimsy slow release mounts that are just waiting to eject
the headlight under a car when the bike hits a bump in the road. Their
waterproofness is seldom very good, so it isn't uncommon that they let
you down when you need them the most. People buying cheap headlights,
often end up buying a lot of them over time.

The time I spend _not_ caring about lights the last couple of years
thanks to my dynamo headlights, makes even a SON hub and a Edelux seem
like a bargain.

--
Regards
 




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