A bike light question

In article <[email hidden]>,

dgk said:

I'd like to get rid of the bottlecage hassle and just velcro the
battery to the handlebars. Any comments or other options for around
that price or slightly more greatly appreciated.

BLT[tm] lighting systems are, IMO, the cat's pajamas for
this type of product.

Here's the URL to their main page/product list. I expect
you'd prefer to explore a bit about their various products,
and to decide for yourself which best suits your needs, so
I'm not focusing on, or directing you to any particular
lighting system of theirs. It's a Canadian company, but
the main page links to list of USA and international dealers.

http://www.blt-lights.com/main.htm

Velcro-ing the battery to the top tube also gets rid
of the bottlecage hassle.

I still like my old-school generator lighting system
(supplemented with flashlight battery "see-me" lights,)
but I'm not gonna foist my own preferences on ya.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

Tom Keats said:

I still like my old-school generator lighting system
(supplemented with flashlight battery "see-me" lights,)
but I'm not gonna foist my own preferences on ya.

I'm a big fan of the bottle generators too, but certainly not for an
hour commute. The cute little fork mount Basta on my Brodie Energy,
takes the visual edge off of the rediculous disc brakes, and when
riding down to the little night life district a mile from the house,
where there are tons of tipsy pedestrians, its whirr keeps drunks from
wandering into the street in front of me, as they always turn their
heads in a WTF fashion when they hear it. :-D

"dgk" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've been using the NiteHawk raptor 10W SLA bottlecage light system
for the past two years and it's been adequate but the battery is heavy
and maybe I should get something lighter (both ways) for the coming
darkness.

Nashbar has the NiteHawk phoenix 10W NiMH (for $80), which likely
provides the same light but is lighter and the battery attaches to the
handlebars. It doesn't seem like a vast improvment:

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&sku=11102&brand=

There's also the Planet Bike Alias 10W handlebar mount:
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&brand=&sku=15456&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

which appears to actually be a 15W system? That's $90.

Most of my 1 hour 20 minute commute is on lighted streets so I don't
really need full power except for 15 minutes or so.

I'd like to get rid of the bottlecage hassle and just velcro the
battery to the handlebars. Any comments or other options for around
that price or slightly more greatly appreciated.

If you regularly commute in the dark, I highly recommend jettisoning your
battery powered
lighting system and getting a hub generator based one. I have owned several
high end
battery powered bike lighting systems but nothing beats a hub generator
system. This is
especially true for longer rides where discharging the battery an issue.

My current setup came with my Specialized Globe commuter bike and consist
of:
generator: Shimano Nexus Generator Hub DH-3N70
headlight: Busch & Müller Lumotec 170NDi Headlight with Standlight
tailight: Busch & Muller Dtoplight Plus

Many other excellent options are available.

BobT

"dgk" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've been using the NiteHawk raptor 10W SLA bottlecage light system
for the past two years and it's been adequate but the battery is heavy
and maybe I should get something lighter (both ways) for the coming
darkness.

Nashbar has the NiteHawk phoenix 10W NiMH (for $80), which likely
provides the same light but is lighter and the battery attaches to the
handlebars. It doesn't seem like a vast improvment:

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&sku=11102&brand=

There's also the Planet Bike Alias 10W handlebar mount:
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&brand=&sku=15456&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

which appears to actually be a 15W system? That's $90.

Most of my 1 hour 20 minute commute is on lighted streets so I don't
really need full power except for 15 minutes or so.

I'd like to get rid of the bottlecage hassle and just velcro the
battery to the handlebars. Any comments or other options for around
that price or slightly more greatly appreciated.

U Have been using the CygoLite NightRover lighting system to good advanatge.
http://www.cygolite.com/light/products/13Rover.htm
I liked the dual lights, so you have sort of a high beam and low beam
effect. Thus if one bulb fails you have a built in spare.
The three hour life works out just right for my long commutes. I also use a
LED headlight that has a blinking mode. So when I am in the early dawn and
early evening, I use the blink mode headlight, and save the Cygolite for
when it gets darker.
I have been using the system all last winter no problem, so i expect this
year to be a no problem too.

dgk said:

I've been using the NiteHawk raptor 10W SLA bottlecage light system
for the past two years and it's been adequate but the battery is heavy
and maybe I should get something lighter (both ways) for the coming
darkness.

Nashbar has the NiteHawk phoenix 10W NiMH (for $80), which likely
provides the same light but is lighter and the battery attaches to the
handlebars. It doesn't seem like a vast improvment:

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&sku=11102&brand=

There's also the Planet Bike Alias 10W handlebar mount:
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&brand=&sku=15456&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

which appears to actually be a 15W system? That's $90.

I have a slightly older 10W version of this. I have always loathed
the bottle cage battery type lights -- I dont want to have to deceide
between lights or water.

On mine, the battery pack is basically a pack of 5 AA recharchable
batteries stuck together, and fits nicely on the frame out of the way.
When the battery gets low, like most of them, it steps down to 3 or 5W
automatically to help get you home. And battery life on mine is MUCH
longer than advertised, it lasted all the way thru a 2.5 hr midnight
ride event.

It seems like most lights use a bottle cage battery for over 12W and
frame mounts for 8-10W. I was given to believe looking at the
accessories once that you could mix and swap 10 and 15W bulbs in the
Alias and trade off some battery run time if you desired.

I like my Cateye HL-300 light $35 60-100 hours on 4AA. A good photo
comparison on
http://www.eddys.com mouse over photo gallery, next to the bottom of
the list.

"BobT" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:3iBFg.211827$k%3.10803@dukeread12...

Quoted message said:

"dgk" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've been using the NiteHawk raptor 10W SLA bottlecage light system
for the past two years and it's been adequate but the battery is heavy
and maybe I should get something lighter (both ways) for the coming
darkness.

Nashbar has the NiteHawk phoenix 10W NiMH (for $80), which likely
provides the same light but is lighter and the battery attaches to the
handlebars. It doesn't seem like a vast improvment:

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&sku=11102&brand=

There's also the Planet Bike Alias 10W handlebar mount:
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&brand=&sku=15456&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

which appears to actually be a 15W system? That's $90.

Most of my 1 hour 20 minute commute is on lighted streets so I don't
really need full power except for 15 minutes or so.

I'd like to get rid of the bottlecage hassle and just velcro the
battery to the handlebars. Any comments or other options for around
that price or slightly more greatly appreciated.

If you regularly commute in the dark, I highly recommend jettisoning your
battery powered
lighting system and getting a hub generator based one. I have owned
several high end
battery powered bike lighting systems but nothing beats a hub generator
system. This is
especially true for longer rides where discharging the battery an issue.

My current setup came with my Specialized Globe commuter bike and consist
of:
generator: Shimano Nexus Generator Hub DH-3N70
headlight: Busch & Müller Lumotec 170NDi Headlight with Standlight
tailight: Busch & Muller Dtoplight Plus

Many other excellent options are available.

BobT

I like the idea of the hub dynamo, and am considering one on an upcoming
build. However, my commute is dark. I don't mean I'm riding through dimly
lit suburbia. I mean I'm riding through pitch black rural Florida. I use a
DiNotte Ultralight now, and it's great. Battery management is a bit of a
hassle, because I like to run the light on high(don't NEED to , but I like
the super brightness) and only get 1.5 hours of burn time. So, I have to
charge the batteries every night. I have two sets of batteries but I am
constantly recharging something. Doing away with batteries sounds great in
theory, but are the dynamo lights really bright enough to be seen in pitch
black rural darkness? Except for the battery issue(which isn't really a
major issue), I think you have to go a LONG way to beat the DiNotte.

Gooserider said:

Doing away with batteries sounds great in
theory, but are the dynamo lights really bright enough to be seen in pitch
black rural darkness?

Probably not. I'm in Brooklyn, so I don't have pitch black darkness. For me
they are most useful for seeing the pot holes and other road imperfections.

Don <www.donwiss.com/joyrides> (e-mail link at page bottom).

The geenrator or hub dynamo lights are like one of the 2.4w halogen lights
(like a two cell flashlight for example).
They work but they aren't very bright.
There is drag off the generators or dynamo. Going more powerful than a 3w
would cause a lot of noticeable drag which would be unacceptable to most
people.
But then you don't have to recharge them, so that is a huge plus.

"Gooserider" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"BobT" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:3iBFg.211827$k%3.10803@dukeread12...

Quoted message said:

"dgk" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've been using the NiteHawk raptor 10W SLA bottlecage light system
for the past two years and it's been adequate but the battery is heavy
and maybe I should get something lighter (both ways) for the coming
darkness.

Nashbar has the NiteHawk phoenix 10W NiMH (for $80), which likely
provides the same light but is lighter and the battery attaches to the
handlebars. It doesn't seem like a vast improvment:

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&sku=11102&brand=

There's also the Planet Bike Alias 10W handlebar mount:
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&brand=&sku=15456&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

which appears to actually be a 15W system? That's $90.

Most of my 1 hour 20 minute commute is on lighted streets so I don't
really need full power except for 15 minutes or so.

I'd like to get rid of the bottlecage hassle and just velcro the
battery to the handlebars. Any comments or other options for around
that price or slightly more greatly appreciated.

If you regularly commute in the dark, I highly recommend jettisoning your
battery powered
lighting system and getting a hub generator based one. I have owned
several high end
battery powered bike lighting systems but nothing beats a hub generator
system. This is
especially true for longer rides where discharging the battery an issue.

My current setup came with my Specialized Globe commuter bike and consist
of:
generator: Shimano Nexus Generator Hub DH-3N70
headlight: Busch & Müller Lumotec 170NDi Headlight with Standlight
tailight: Busch & Muller Dtoplight Plus

Many other excellent options are available.

BobT

I like the idea of the hub dynamo, and am considering one on an upcoming
build. However, my commute is dark. I don't mean I'm riding through dimly
lit suburbia. I mean I'm riding through pitch black rural Florida. I use a
DiNotte Ultralight now, and it's great. Battery management is a bit of a
hassle, because I like to run the light on high(don't NEED to , but I like
the super brightness) and only get 1.5 hours of burn time. So, I have to
charge the batteries every night. I have two sets of batteries but I am
constantly recharging something. Doing away with batteries sounds great in
theory, but are the dynamo lights really bright enough to be seen in pitch
black rural darkness? Except for the battery issue(which isn't really a
major issue), I think you have to go a LONG way to beat the DiNotte.

BobT said:

My current setup came with my Specialized Globe commuter bike and consist
of:
generator: Shimano Nexus Generator Hub DH-3N70
headlight: Busch & M?ller Lumotec 170NDi Headlight with Standlight
tailight: Busch & Muller Dtoplight Plus

I'd second the endorsement; my father's Breezer Uptown 8 has the same
setup, and it's very, very good.

If you feel like rolling your own, here's what I did on my own bike:
http://www.zefox.net/~bob/bicycle/

The directivity of the Luxeon Star/O's is worse than the Lumotec, which
is a mixed blessing: If you're riding to total darkness, it's very nice.
There's more total light output, so you can see the road surface well,
along with features to the side of the road, streetsigns and the like.
Leaned over in a turn, the view ahead does _not_ black out! No standlight,
however.

If you're faced with dazzle from oncoming cars or streetlights my setup
isn't bright enough on the road surface to see small obstacles. It is
amply bright enough to see large ones, however.

In any case, eating lots of carrots is reccommended! 8-)

The hub generator is nice, but it's not essential; roller generators
from www.yellowjersey.com are much less expensive, lighter and produce
about the same electrical output. Shimano's hub generator is hard to
find, expensive and you have to lace a wheel besides. Unless you _need_
a wheel, donn't bother. Rollers don't cause enough drag to matter.
If you _need_ a wheel, go with the hub, you won't regret it. Else, roller.

hth,

bob prohaska

"bob prohaska's usenet account" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

BobT said:

My current setup came with my Specialized Globe commuter bike and consist
of:
generator: Shimano Nexus Generator Hub DH-3N70
headlight: Busch & M?ller Lumotec 170NDi Headlight with Standlight
tailight: Busch & Muller Dtoplight Plus

I'd second the endorsement; my father's Breezer Uptown 8 has the same
setup, and it's very, very good.

If you feel like rolling your own, here's what I did on my own bike:
http://www.zefox.net/~bob/bicycle/

The directivity of the Luxeon Star/O's is worse than the Lumotec, which
is a mixed blessing: If you're riding to total darkness, it's very nice.
There's more total light output, so you can see the road surface well,
along with features to the side of the road, streetsigns and the like.
Leaned over in a turn, the view ahead does _not_ black out! No standlight,
however.

If you're faced with dazzle from oncoming cars or streetlights my setup
isn't bright enough on the road surface to see small obstacles. It is
amply bright enough to see large ones, however.

In any case, eating lots of carrots is reccommended! 8-)

The hub generator is nice, but it's not essential; roller generators
from www.yellowjersey.com are much less expensive, lighter and produce
about the same electrical output. Shimano's hub generator is hard to
find, expensive and you have to lace a wheel besides. Unless you _need_
a wheel, donn't bother. Rollers don't cause enough drag to matter.
If you _need_ a wheel, go with the hub, you won't regret it. Else, roller.

hth,

bob prohaska

Well when it comes to generator lights the Swiss ones are probably the best
around. Super low drag, Maybe run both a left and a right side model too.
http://www.yellowjersey.org/litespin.html

Earl Bollinger said:

Well when it comes to generator lights the Swiss ones are probably the best
around. Super low drag, Maybe run both a left and a right side model too.
http://www.yellowjersey.org/litespin.html

I don't doubt the LightSpin is a good generator, but it is hard to believe
it's particularly efficient when weight and cost are taken into account.

The key component of the LightSpin is an ironless rotor. That eliminates
"cogging" and makes the generator feel smoother, but it does nothing for
efficiency; if it did the world's generators would use the same design.

They don't.

There's a recent article at:
http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com/VBQgenerator.pdf

And an older one at:
http://www.myra-simon.com/bike/dynotest.html

The raw AC output of an inductively-limited alternator makes a very good
match to LED light sources. No fancy electronics required, unless you
want standlights. If you're powering a tungsten halogen lamp, then the
complexities of the LightSpin make some sense, but not the ironless rotor.

bob prohaska

Interesting thanks for sharing.

"bob prohaska's usenet account" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Earl Bollinger said:

Well when it comes to generator lights the Swiss ones are probably the
best
around. Super low drag, Maybe run both a left and a right side model too.
http://www.yellowjersey.org/litespin.html

I don't doubt the LightSpin is a good generator, but it is hard to believe
it's particularly efficient when weight and cost are taken into account.

The key component of the LightSpin is an ironless rotor. That eliminates
"cogging" and makes the generator feel smoother, but it does nothing for
efficiency; if it did the world's generators would use the same design.

They don't.

There's a recent article at:
http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com/VBQgenerator.pdf

And an older one at:
http://www.myra-simon.com/bike/dynotest.html

The raw AC output of an inductively-limited alternator makes a very good
match to LED light sources. No fancy electronics required, unless you
want standlights. If you're powering a tungsten halogen lamp, then the
complexities of the LightSpin make some sense, but not the ironless rotor.

bob prohaska

I've tried everything from NiteSun, to Niterider Halogen and HID. The common
problem I've encountered is poor battery life. They all start out very
bright, then within 45 minutes, the battery starts to weaken, then I end up
riding in the dark.

I finally got so fed up, I opted for a generator light. I too have a
Specialized Globe with the cheaper Shimano Generator hub. I changed the
factory light for a Busch and Mueller DLumotec Opal LED light. The advantage
of the LED is that it is whiter, reaches full power at 1.5MPH, and never
needs replacement because of burnout. (I was having an issue with bulbs
burning out on the factory light).

I will say however, that generator based lights, are better to been seen
with, rather than see with. They are fairly dim, but my neighbor was riding
by and he said that he saw my bike a full block away and it looked like it
had HID lighting.

I'll trade the continuous light output for brightness anyday. In total
darkness, they actually work better than suburbia. In suburbia, you have
more street lighting and car lighting which tend to overpower the light.

dgk said:

I've been using the NiteHawk raptor 10W SLA bottlecage light system
for the past two years and it's been adequate but the battery is heavy
and maybe I should get something lighter (both ways) for the coming
darkness.

Nashbar has the NiteHawk phoenix 10W NiMH (for $80), which likely
provides the same light but is lighter and the battery attaches to the
handlebars. It doesn't seem like a vast improvment:

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&sku=11102&brand=

There's also the Planet Bike Alias 10W handlebar mount:
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&brand=&sku=15456&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

which appears to actually be a 15W system? That's $90.

Most of my 1 hour 20 minute commute is on lighted streets so I don't
really need full power except for 15 minutes or so.

I'd like to get rid of the bottlecage hassle and just velcro the
battery to the handlebars. Any comments or other options for around
that price or slightly more greatly appreciated.

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I have to reject dynamo/generator
types because I leave the bike locked outside my work and anything of
reasonable value will disappear sooner or later. The battery and light
currently come with me when I leave the bike.

Jonathan Kaplan said:

I've tried everything from NiteSun, to Niterider Halogen and HID. The
common problem I've encountered is poor battery life. They all start
out very bright, then within 45 minutes, the battery starts to
weaken, then I end up riding in the dark.

Completely different from my experience. While the older NR stuff /was/
unreliable (except for a lead-acid helmet light that was bullet-proof), my
HID system burns bright as hell for over 4 hours -- and the same goes for
everyone else's that I know.

My worst experiences were with "digital" hardware, so not sure about the
newer stuff with battery life meters and all that jazz. Simple plug in and
switch on works plenty well enough for me.

Bill "weird new ergo wireless keyboard" S.

"Jonathan Kaplan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've tried everything from NiteSun, to Niterider Halogen and HID. The
common problem I've encountered is poor battery life. They all start out
very bright, then within 45 minutes, the battery starts to weaken, then I
end up riding in the dark.

I finally got so fed up, I opted for a generator light. I too have a
Specialized Globe with the cheaper Shimano Generator hub. I changed the
factory light for a Busch and Mueller DLumotec Opal LED light. The
advantage of the LED is that it is whiter, reaches full power at 1.5MPH,
and never needs replacement because of burnout. (I was having an issue
with bulbs burning out on the factory light).

I will say however, that generator based lights, are better to been seen
with, rather than see with. They are fairly dim, but my neighbor was
riding by and he said that he saw my bike a full block away and it looked
like it had HID lighting.

I'll trade the continuous light output for brightness anyday. In total
darkness, they actually work better than suburbia. In suburbia, you have
more street lighting and car lighting which tend to overpower the light.

I use a DiNotte Ultralight, and I don't have the sort of battery problem you
do. My light will run for three hours on low power, which is pretty high.
It's an LED so it doesn't get dim at all. It's bright from the moment I turn
it on until I either turn it off or it runs out of juice. I still have to
deal with the whole battery thing, but it's not that big a deal. A hub
dynamo does seem cool though.