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#11
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On Mon, 01 Nov 2004 01:40:43 GMT, "Beverly"
wrote: I see there has been another thread on building your own light system but I need to buy one and want some suggestions based on how I'll use them. Most of my riding is done on bike trails during day light hours. I never considered buying lights until I misjudged how long it would take to return to the car last weekend and had to ride the last few miles in the dark. I was a little nervous as this trail is along a riverg I would like to have a system that can easily be removed from the bike and possibly stored in a bag until needed. There are so many different types and I'm not sure what the pros and cons are for them. Any suggestions on buying a good lighting system that won't be used too often? I'll be going to the LBS later this week and would like to have some idea on what to purchase. I would like to stay below $100 for the system. Am I going to be able to purchase a good system in this price range? TIA Beverly Look at the Planet Bike Super Spot. I've used it on dark streets in a city park and it worked well. Not enough for high-speed in the dark, but good enough for decent speed. A single LED with a good lens that gives a good-sized center area with peripheral lighting. $30 or so and would fit in a saddle bag. http://www.planetbike.com/frontlights.html# |
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#12
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"Beverly" wrote in message
... snip I'll be going to the LBS later this week and would like to have some idea on what to purchase. I would like to stay below $100 for the system. Am I going to be able to purchase a good system in this price range? Yes, but maybe not from an LBS, unless you have an exceptionally good one. For battery powered systems, look at http://aebike.com/site/page.cfm?PageID=30&SKU=LT7814 and http://store.yahoo.com/phattire1/sigspormirxb.html for the front, and http://harriscyclery.net/site/itemdetails.cfm?ID=1578 for the rear. You'll be at right around $100 with shipping. Another option for the rear is the Trek Disco Inferno. Go to a Trek dealer and ask them to order you TREK part# 69575. This will cost around $25. A big advantage of these front systems is the one piece reflector/bulb combination, which results in very good optics. Optics are important when on bicycle lights, since you need to use the available power efficiently. There used to be two good handlebar mount lights with internal batteries, one from Specialized (5W), one from Performance (6W), but both have been discontinued; there are no longer any good handlebar mount lights with internal batteries; the highest power ones that are still available are a mere 2.4W, which isn't enough. I think that the problem was that the run-time was just too short with AA batteries and 5 or 6 watts There is also the option of a dynamo powered system. There are some mid-quality ones are available for around $50, but the top quality ones will set you back at least $200. Dynamo's are not well-suited for slow riding, which is often necessary on multi-use paths. Avoid front LED lamps for a "seeing" light, though they are fine for "being seen." You might also consider a Two-Fish Lock Block and a Maglite S2C016 2 C-Cell Flashlight. These aren't that powerful, but they do have adjustable optics. |
#13
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On Tue, 02 Nov 2004 05:08:31 GMT, "Steven M. Scharf"
wrote: there are no longer any good handlebar mount lights with internal batteries; the highest power ones that are still available are a mere 2.4W, which isn't enough. Not enough *in your opinion* that is. For an emergency lighting system for occasional use, the Cateye HL500 is cheap and cheerful and does the job. You won't be able to ride fast, but you will get home. OptiCube based LED systems are also good emergency backup lights, but probably not bright enough for a riverside trail. Remember, the OP did say that this was for occasional / emergency use only. Guy -- May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting. http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk 88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University |
#14
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"Beverly" wrote Most of my riding is done on bike trails during day light hours. I never considered buying lights until I misjudged how long it would take to return to the car last weekend and had to ride the last few miles in the dark. I was a little nervous as this trail is along a riverg I would like to have a system that can easily be removed from the bike and possibly stored in a bag until needed. There are so many different types and I'm not sure what the pros and cons are for them. Any suggestions on buying a good lighting system that won't be used too often? I'll be going to the LBS later this week and would like to have some idea on what to purchase. I would like to stay below $100 for the system. Am I going to be able to purchase a good system in this price range? TIA Beverly If the light is truly for occasional use, you might want to consider climbing/mountaineering/caving headlamp (Petzl, Black Diamond, Princeton). In this context "headlamp" means "light that straps onto your head", not "light on the front of a vehicle". It might take a little fiddling to get the light to fit around or on your cycling helmet if you cycle with a helmet, but you would have a light that would work for hiking after dark and camping/backpacking trips as well as something that would get you home from an afternoon bike ride that lasted a little longer than expected. If you insist on something that mounts on the bicycle, the Cateye EL series lights are nice. Mine has five focused LEDs, and is just adequate for low speeds on unlit bike paths. Mine runs on 4 AA batteries and was about $35 at REI. -- mark |
#15
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"Beverly" wrote...
I should have been a little clearer. I intend to keep it in the bike bag. Everything is kept in this little bag and I just remove everything but the essentials needed for the current ride. I'll never take those lights out when I'm going for an afternoon rideG Hmmm.. that makes no sense ... you "remove everything but the essentials needed for the current ride" and I assume leave those non-essentials home .... BUT... if you don't remove your lighting system (but leave it in the bag) then you can't use it (because it's in the bag) G Richard in Boston, MA, USA |
#16
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"Richard Amirault" wrote in message ... "Beverly" wrote... I should have been a little clearer. I intend to keep it in the bike bag. Everything is kept in this little bag and I just remove everything but the essentials needed for the current ride. I'll never take those lights out when I'm going for an afternoon rideG Hmmm.. that makes no sense ... you "remove everything but the essentials needed for the current ride" and I assume leave those non-essentials home ... BUT... if you don't remove your lighting system (but leave it in the bag) then you can't use it (because it's in the bag) G Richard in Boston, MA, USA I think you're beginning to confuse meg The 'bag' is always with me on the back of the bike. Some things always stay in the bag - pump, spare tube, patch kit, tools. Some things in the bag aren't necessities and get removed unless I think I'll need them - rain coat, reading glasses (needed only on Sunday morning ride to get breakfast and read paper), sunscreen(only needed on sunny days), patrol equipment(maps, brochures,flashing lights,etc - only needed when I'm on patrol) and a few other items. The lights would fall into the "not a necessary" item and would be removed unless I feel I might be late getting home. Gee, after all this maybe I'll just mount them permanently and never leave them at homeG Beverly - who is leaning toward a battery operated light since this one incident was the first time in years of riding that I misjudged time and distance and got caught in the dark. |
#17
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"Steven M. Scharf" wrote in message ink.net... "Beverly" wrote in message ... snip I'll be going to the LBS later this week and would like to have some idea on what to purchase. I would like to stay below $100 for the system. Am I going to be able to purchase a good system in this price range? Yes, but maybe not from an LBS, unless you have an exceptionally good one. I'll check some of these out when I visit the LBS. It's a Trek dealer and with my discount I can often get things just as cheap as ordering from the internet. Beverly For battery powered systems, look at http://aebike.com/site/page.cfm?PageID=30&SKU=LT7814 and http://store.yahoo.com/phattire1/sigspormirxb.html for the front, and http://harriscyclery.net/site/itemdetails.cfm?ID=1578 for the rear. You'll be at right around $100 with shipping. Another option for the rear is the Trek Disco Inferno. Go to a Trek dealer and ask them to order you TREK part# 69575. This will cost around $25. A big advantage of these front systems is the one piece reflector/bulb combination, which results in very good optics. Optics are important when on bicycle lights, since you need to use the available power efficiently. There used to be two good handlebar mount lights with internal batteries, one from Specialized (5W), one from Performance (6W), but both have been discontinued; there are no longer any good handlebar mount lights with internal batteries; the highest power ones that are still available are a mere 2.4W, which isn't enough. I think that the problem was that the run-time was just too short with AA batteries and 5 or 6 watts There is also the option of a dynamo powered system. There are some mid-quality ones are available for around $50, but the top quality ones will set you back at least $200. Dynamo's are not well-suited for slow riding, which is often necessary on multi-use paths. Avoid front LED lamps for a "seeing" light, though they are fine for "being seen." You might also consider a Two-Fish Lock Block and a Maglite S2C016 2 C-Cell Flashlight. These aren't that powerful, but they do have adjustable optics. |
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