Headlight recommendation sought

Will Cove said:

I have a feeling that this should be an FAQ by now. I've searched Google
groups but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for - so please excuse!

I'm looking for a front light (or lights) for use on unlit tracks and
country roads. IOW, I want something to let me see what's in front of me
rather than let other traffic see me (I already have a reasonable LED
light). I've got a very low budget (twenty to thirty quid), but this is
only for the occasional trip through the Shaugh Tunnel and for the rare
occasion we can't complete our ride in daylight - so the light won't get
much use.

Try the Cateye EL300.

Quoted message said:

Feature wishlist:
- Good enough to see where I'm going at about 15 mph.

I use it for this.

Quoted message said:

- Either rechargeable or uses standard cells (C, D, AA, or AAA) so that I
can use NiMH rechargeables.

4x AA. I run it on 2700mAh NiMH from 7dayshop. Dead cheap.

Quoted message said:

- One hour burn time.

Easy. Much more. There was a review in the Audax comic a month or two
back. I'll try and dig it out. It might be on <www.audax.uk.net>

Quoted message said:

- Doesn't take up one of my bottle carriers.

Self contained.

Quoted message said:

- Less than a kilo including batteries.

Must be less, but I haven't weighed it.

Quoted message said:

- Quickly detachable - so that I'm only carrying it when it might be
needed.

Check

Quoted message said:

Is this do-able within my budget?

35 quid from Wiggle, so a shade over. Or pay 27.99 if you spend over a
hundred.

Tim, posting from google groups, bloody claranet news server is borked.

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

Quoted message said:

I have a feeling that this should be an FAQ by now. I've searched Google
groups but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for - so please
excuse!

I'm looking for a front light (or lights) for use on unlit tracks and
country roads. IOW, I want something to let me see what's in front of me
rather than let other traffic see me (I already have a reasonable LED
light). I've got a very low budget (twenty to thirty quid), but this is
only for the occasional trip through the Shaugh Tunnel and for the rare
occasion we can't complete our ride in daylight - so the light won't get
much use.

Feature wishlist:
- Good enough to see where I'm going at about 15 mph.
- Either rechargeable or uses standard cells (C, D, AA, or AAA) so that I
can use NiMH rechargeables.
- One hour burn time.
- Doesn't take up one of my bottle carriers.
- Less than a kilo including batteries.
- Quickly detachable - so that I'm only carrying it when it might be
needed.

Is this do-able within my budget?

A bit more expensive, but something like a 10 watt Smart (or Cateye?) light
with a lead acid battery can be got for £40 or so.
I have Smart one on my commuter, I think it weighs less than a kilo, lasts
about 90 minutes or so.
I've had it for years, although it did need a new battery for it a while
back (cheap ones available from Maplins).
The only thing is, when they run out of power, they run out pretty quickly,
so take an emergency backup.
Google >10 watt Smart< for examples.
Peter

Will Cove said:

I'm looking for a front light (or lights) for use on unlit tracks and
country roads. IOW, I want something to let me see what's in front of me
rather than let other traffic see me (I already have a reasonable LED
light). I've got a very low budget (twenty to thirty quid), but this is
only for the occasional trip through the Shaugh Tunnel and for the rare
occasion we can't complete our ride in daylight - so the light won't get
much use.

Feature wishlist:

[..]

Quoted message said:

Is this do-able within my budget?

I'm in doubt..

Maybe if you try a self made light/battery pack.
Try at some MTB-forums, usually there are some cheaper ideas.

IMO a good System is the sigma mirage evo. With Pb-cell may it fit your
req. but it will use a bottle carrier (and the loader is just junk and
will fry the pack). With Ni-Pack (evo pro) it will cost about 20GBP more.

Kristian
--
GNUpg: C52868B0

Tim Hall schrieb am 19.02.2007 10:43:

Quoted message said:

Will Cove said:

I'm looking for a front light (or lights) for use on unlit tracks and
country roads.

Try the Cateye EL300.

This is half as bright as a good Halogen-System. At least a Luxeon III
based System should be used, but the price is unfortunately on your side. 🙂

The tests at
<http://www.enhydralutris.de/Fahrrad/Goniometer/Gegenueberstellung_neu.html>
may a bit useful for comparing different lights.

Kristian
--
GNUpg: C52868B0

pppeterrr said:

with a lead acid battery can be got for £40 or so.
I have Smart one on my commuter, I think it weighs less than a kilo, lasts
about 90 minutes or so.
I've had it for years, although it did need a new battery for it a while
back (cheap ones available from Maplins).
The only thing is, when they run out of power, they run out pretty quickly,
so take an emergency backup.
Google >10 watt Smart< for examples.

Seconded, its odd to have a bike light with a dip switch 🙂 They pick the road
up well and have a good wide beam.

--
Stephen Patterson :: [email hidden] :: http://patter.mine.nu/
GPG: B416F0DE :: Jabber: [email hidden]
"Don't be silly, Minnie. Who'd be walking round these cliffs with a gas oven?"

Stephen Patterson <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

pppeterrr said:

with a lead acid battery can be got for ¶œ40 or so.
I have Smart one on my commuter, I think it weighs less than a kilo,
lasts about 90 minutes or so.
I've had it for years, although it did need a new battery for it a
while back (cheap ones available from Maplins).
The only thing is, when they run out of power, they run out pretty
quickly, so take an emergency backup.
Google >10 watt Smart< for examples.

Seconded, its odd to have a bike light with a dip switch 🙂 They pick
the road up well and have a good wide beam.

Thanks to all for the recommendations.

FWIW, I'm a little sceptical about LED lights because my current light is
a 5-LED unit with about the same burn time with the same batteries as
the EL300. My current light looked promising when I tried it out in my
back yard but was woefully inadequate the first time I used it in the
Shaugh Tunnel!

I didn't realise you could get lead-acid powered light sets. Presumably,
the ones for bikes use gel-based sealed batteries. If not, I can see an
immediate issue every time I take the battery pack off the bike and shove
it in my holdall etc.

That said, a quick search of the 'net turned up what could be trumps. In
addition to the Smart 10W single (which I found as a "buy it now" on the
'Bay for £25 plus £5.95 postage) the same seller has Smart 10W/2.4W
"twins" with what looks like the same battery brick for the same price. I
have a thirty-hour LED as a backup, and would use just that on a lit
road, so is there any benefit in having the "twin" version?

Thanks again

Will Cove said:

FWIW, I'm a little sceptical about LED lights because my current light is
a 5-LED unit with about the same burn time with the same batteries as
the EL300. My current light looked promising when I tried it out in my
back yard but was woefully inadequate the first time I used it in the
Shaugh Tunnel!

There's LEDs and there's LEDs. The Serious variety are pretty damn
good, to the extent cavers, climbers etc. are now switching over to LED
spots.

Quoted message said:

That said, a quick search of the 'net turned up what could be trumps. In
addition to the Smart 10W single (which I found as a "buy it now" on the
'Bay for £25 plus £5.95 postage) the same seller has Smart 10W/2.4W
"twins" with what looks like the same battery brick for the same price. I
have a thirty-hour LED as a backup, and would use just that on a lit
road, so is there any benefit in having the "twin" version?

The twin is what I had (still technically have, it's on loan to a friend
but since getting dynamo hubs for road use I just haven't wanted it).
The nice point about it was the 2.4W was completely adequate for most of
my use, so that's what I used most of the time so as to keep it running
longer, and the 10W was there for those dark and fast bits if you wanted
it. Takes a bit more space on the bars, but not awkwardly so IME.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Will Cove said:

I didn't realise you could get lead-acid powered light sets. Presumably,
the ones for bikes use gel-based sealed batteries. If not, I can see an
immediate issue every time I take the battery pack off the bike and shove
it in my holdall etc.

The ones I've seen have been sealed gel packs. I'd hate to have a
car-style one sloshing acid around my legs...

Quoted message said:

That said, a quick search of the 'net turned up what could be trumps. In
addition to the Smart 10W single (which I found as a "buy it now" on the
'Bay for £25 plus £5.95 postage) the same seller has Smart 10W/2.4W
"twins" with what looks like the same battery brick for the same price. I
have a thirty-hour LED as a backup, and would use just that on a lit
road, so is there any benefit in having the "twin" version?

Chain Reaction have a couple of Smart twin sets available just under £30
(with free postage). Twins can give the advantage of being able to
illuminate more road (close to you and further away, or wider), or just
a choice of power outputs.

FWIW I use a Cateye single 10/5W lead acid rechargeable (£25 from
Edinburgh Co-op in their sale last autumn), which is perfectly adequate
for my evening commute along unlit country lanes (typical cruising speed
on that stretch is 18-20mph) - but there is some ambient light from the
moon or general light pollution.

Having come back to cycling comparatively recently (three or four years
ago, after a 12 year break), and only starting doing winter commutes
this year, I'm amazed at how much better the lights are now compared to
the old Ever Ready units I used to use (from the old 4.5V powered metal
ones with the two-way switch on top to the late 80s plastic ones).

Matt

Will Cove wrote:

........

Quoted message said:

That said, a quick search of the 'net turned up what could be trumps.
In addition to the Smart 10W single (which I found as a "buy it now"
on the 'Bay for £25 plus £5.95 postage) the same seller has Smart
10W/2.4W "twins" with what looks like the same battery brick for the
same price. I have a thirty-hour LED as a backup, and would use just
that on a lit road, so is there any benefit in having the "twin"
version?

1) Battery run time is increased when you save the higher-power lamp for
the faster bits. This assumes the lower one is bright enough to see where
you're going at all. (I don't know in the case of Smart's, though I'd
expect it's ok for trundling up hills at least).

2) More road surface in total is illuminated when one lamp is more pointed
up than the other. Have the higher-power one pointed up higher to light up
the road well ahead for fast cycling.

3) Safety is improved as you won't be blind if a bulb blows. This could
make the difference between crashing and not crashing on a fast descent.

However, if you're riding at steady speeds on flat roads/paths, and only a
few minutes are unlit, then a single lamp will be fine.

~PB

Will Cove said:

I have a feeling that this should be an FAQ by now. I've searched Google
groups but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for - so please excuse!

I'm looking for a front light (or lights) for use on unlit tracks and
country roads. IOW, I want something to let me see what's in front of me
rather than let other traffic see me (I already have a reasonable LED
light). I've got a very low budget (twenty to thirty quid), but this is
only for the occasional trip through the Shaugh Tunnel and for the rare
occasion we can't complete our ride in daylight - so the light won't get
much use.

Feature wishlist:
- Good enough to see where I'm going at about 15 mph.
- Either rechargeable or uses standard cells (C, D, AA, or AAA) so that I
can use NiMH rechargeables.
- One hour burn time.
- Doesn't take up one of my bottle carriers.
- Less than a kilo including batteries.
- Quickly detachable - so that I'm only carrying it when it might be
needed.

Is this do-able within my budget?

Yes, Halfords Bikehut Ultra White LED, currently on offer for about £32
with a very good rear LED thrown in. It throws a proper beam unlike
most LED lamps. I'm using two of them on this year's Dunwich Dynamo.

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

Quoted message said:

I have a feeling that this should be an FAQ by now. I've searched Google
groups but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for - so please
excuse!

I'm looking for a front light (or lights) for use on unlit tracks and
country roads. IOW, I want something to let me see what's in front of me
rather than let other traffic see me (I already have a reasonable LED
light). I've got a very low budget (twenty to thirty quid), but this is
only for the occasional trip through the Shaugh Tunnel and for the rare
occasion we can't complete our ride in daylight - so the light won't get
much use.

Feature wishlist:
- Good enough to see where I'm going at about 15 mph.
- Either rechargeable or uses standard cells (C, D, AA, or AAA) so that I
can use NiMH rechargeables.
- One hour burn time.
- Doesn't take up one of my bottle carriers.
- Less than a kilo including batteries.
- Quickly detachable - so that I'm only carrying it when it might be
needed.

Is this do-able within my budget?

Are we talking headlight as in strapped to your head, or headlight as in
front light for your bike? There are cheap 3W luxeon headlights for your
head on ebay, £20 is as much as you should pay. The run off 3 AAs, but I
can't get mine to work with NIMH, I expect because they want 4.5 rather than
3.6V, but that might be fixable by swapping resistors.

Peter Clinch <[email hidden]> wrote in news:53th1eF1u6g6uU1
@mid.individual.net:

Quoted message said:

There's LEDs and there's LEDs. The Serious variety are pretty damn
good, to the extent cavers, climbers etc. are now switching over to LED
spots.

Point taken. Mrs Cove needs a front light as well but she's got a lady's
bike (so no top tube from which to hang a Smart lead-acid battery pack). My
best option seems a Smart twin for me and a decent LED for her.

Thanks again to all for the help.

Matthew Haigh <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Having come back to cycling comparatively recently (three or four years
ago, after a 12 year break), and only starting doing winter commutes
this year, I'm amazed at how much better the lights are now compared to
the old Ever Ready units I used to use (from the old 4.5V powered metal
ones with the two-way switch on top to the late 80s plastic ones).

FWIW, I started cycling in the sixties - so I'm old enough to remember when
those ER units had rotary switches and (unless you had a dynamo) your
choice was limited to ER or Pifco. Both needed the occasional thwack to
keep lit, and the batteries didn't last very long.

ISTR that those lights drew about a watt and a half at most and had
standard torch bulbs. I just about got by with that in those days, so the
2.4W halogen of the 10/2.4 Smart twin should be adequate at my sort of
touring speeds - particularly if there's a reasonable amount of ambient
light.

Thanks again to all for the help.

Quoted message said:

Yes, Halfords Bikehut Ultra White LED, currently on offer for about £32
with a very good rear LED thrown in. It throws a proper beam unlike
most LED lamps. I'm using two of them on this year's Dunwich Dynamo.

Looks like a re-branded Hella
http://www.jos-international.com/index.php?ssid=XJSRVYIBGVFRRXQTWJVJWTESGZAKSMUY&DocId=0002&pg=1&prod=75&nb=
Hmmm, 4 x C-cells - what's the weight, Zog?

In article said:

Quoted message said:

Yes, Halfords Bikehut Ultra White LED, currently on offer for about £32
with a very good rear LED thrown in. It throws a proper beam unlike
most LED lamps. I'm using two of them on this year's Dunwich Dynamo.

Looks like a re-branded Hella
http://www.jos-international.com/index.php?ssid=XJSRVYIBGVFRRXQTWJVJWTESGZAKSMUY&DocId=0002&pg=1&prod=75&nb=
Hmmm, 4 x C-cells - what's the weight, Zog?

It looks _very_ like a re-branded Hella (I looked at one in Halfords
with a Hella in my hand), but it's actually 4xAA, not C.
http://www.globetrotter.de/de/shop/detail.php?mod_nr=aw_35563&k_id=0301&hot=0
(The UK version doesn't have the "or dynamo" option though.)

Andreas Oehler pointed out in a post that doesn't seem to be archived
at Google that the case isn't very well designed (not waterproof, can
knock open, can switch on accidentally easily in a pocket), but it is
considerably brighter (and lighter) than an EL-300. And it was £15.
(The £15 price was at Cycle King, but I imagine their January sale
is over by now, or they wouldn't have called it a January sale.)

Will Cove said:

Feature wishlist:
- Good enough to see where I'm going at about 15 mph.
- Either rechargeable or uses standard cells (C, D, AA, or AAA) so that I
can use NiMH rechargeables.
- One hour burn time.
- Doesn't take up one of my bottle carriers.
- Less than a kilo including batteries.
- Quickly detachable - so that I'm only carrying it when it might be
needed.

Is this do-able within my budget? (£30)

Yes. (Probably).

The bandits of Bridgwater were selling 2.4 / 10W Smart setups on ebay a
while ago. A bit of patience and I got a set for about £18, which
totaled less than £30, even after adding their specially high ebay
postage charges.

Indeed:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SMART-RECHARGEABLE-TWIN-CYCLE-HEAD-LIGHT-8379_W0QQitemZ160080215718QQihZ006QQcategoryZ22689QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Will Cove said:

I have a feeling that this should be an FAQ by now. I've searched Google
groups but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for - so please excuse!

- Doesn't take up one of my bottle carriers.

That one's fixable: get some thick cable ties and a bottle cage and cable
tie the bottle carrier to whereever there's some spare frame. This worked
for a bike without bottle mounts, and we used extra thick cable ties from
the garden centre for tying trees etc.

Bottle cages are surprisingly expensive for a bent piece of wire, though 🙁

Theo

Sorry to reply to my own post, but I wanted to say "thanks once again" for
the excellent advice you guys gave.

I've just received a Smart twin 2.4W/10W set that I got on the Internet for
under thirty quid including delivery. It's a little on the heavy side - but
I'd have to pay a lot more for lighter battery technology. The 10W output
is more than adequate but I suspect the 2.4W is borderline for unlit roads
and I might replace the low power bulb at a later date.

One problem that I have is my handlebars are "risers" that only have
suitable light mounting points at each side of the stem (everywhere else is
at the wrong angle). These points are now taken up with the Smart mounting
bracket - so although I have a backup light, I have nowhere to mount it.
Perhaps I'll get Space Grip or Swing Grip to solve the issue - but I need
to think a little on that first.

Again, thanks to all.

Will Cove said:

Sorry to reply to my own post, but I wanted to say "thanks once again" for
the excellent advice you guys gave.

I've just received a Smart twin 2.4W/10W set that I got on the Internet for
under thirty quid including delivery. It's a little on the heavy side - but
I'd have to pay a lot more for lighter battery technology. The 10W output
is more than adequate but I suspect the 2.4W is borderline for unlit roads
and I might replace the low power bulb at a later date.

Well done. Think before you ditch the 2.4W bulb. I was using both
beams one night and the battery ran a bit low turning both beams a
rather dark yellow, so I switched to the 2.4 bulb which lit up fully to
get me home.

Moral of the story - charge the things up.