cateye stadium or lumicycle?

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

Quoted message said:

Which is the best for road use (very dark country roads in Cumbria), the Cateye Stadium 3 or the
Lumicycle version of this Metal Halide light? I would partiuclarly like to hear about bulb
lifespan -- replacing the

Cateye

Quoted message said:

bulb (which appears to involve sending the ballast and lamp back to Cateye in Japan) seems to be a
rather expensive prospect.

MAB

For road use then go Lumicycle. I've had my set for three years now and never had a problem with it.
I use mine for MTB stuff and so have a spot and flood light. For road use I would think that a 12W
spot should suffice.

Oh, if you go Lumicyle then get the smart charger.

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

Quoted message said:

Which is the best for road use (very dark country roads in Cumbria), the Cateye Stadium 3 or the
Lumicycle version of this Metal Halide light? I would partiuclarly like to hear about bulb
lifespan -- replacing the

Cateye

Quoted message said:

bulb (which appears to involve sending the ballast and lamp back to Cateye in Japan) seems to be a
rather expensive prospect.

I'm really pleased with my Lumicycle lamps. 20w flood and 12w spot. No probem seeing when it's
really dark and I can easily get a range of lamps off the Internet at low prices. I'm also thinking
of getting a horn off a BMW or Mercedes and mounting it on my bike powered by the Lumicycle battery.

Ken. ;-)

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

Quoted message said:

I'm also thinking of getting a horn off a BMW or Mercedes and mounting it on my bike powered by
the Lumicycle battery.

I wrote to Lumicycle about how to attach a GPS system to the battery, and they answered
the next day.

I still don't have a GPS ... but they did give reasons why it was difficult from an engineering
point of view (battery setup etc??) .. however they wanted to know what GPS as they'd look into the
logistics ..

They're a great company and deserve the business IMO .... forward thinking, and always watching the
UK market .. I should work for them 😉

Nick

The box-standard Lumicycle is a good buy as it is. The Halide lamp is too expensive for my tastes.

Last year I experienced motorists actually waiting for me to pass them while they were waiting at
side roads.

Lights bright enough to be a motorbike.

Quoted message said:

Which is the best for road use (very dark country roads in Cumbria), the Cateye Stadium 3 or the
Lumicycle version of this Metal Halide light? I would partiuclarly like to hear about bulb
lifespan -- replacing the Cateye bulb (which appears to involve sending the ballast and lamp back
to Cateye in Japan) seems to be a rather expensive prospect.

MAB

--
Wallace Shackleton,

Kinross, Scotland.

Cycling in Kinross-shire www.cyclekinross.org.uk

Perth & Kinross Cycle Campaign www.bycycle.org.uk

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Which is the best for road use (very dark country roads in Cumbria), the Cateye Stadium 3 or the
Lumicycle version of this Metal Halide light? I would partiuclarly like to hear about bulb
lifespan -- replacing the Cateye bulb (which appears to involve sending the ballast and lamp
back to Cateye in Japan) seems to be a rather expensive prospect.

MAB

I have a Cateye Stadium 3. Very bright, very expensive. The bulb blew after a couple of months, I
got it repaired through Edinburgh Bicycle (where I had bought it) on warranty. While the response
from the importers and EB was excellent and turnaround rapid, I'd suggest that you go for the
Lumicycle equivalent. The other issue is that of recharging - at the price charged for the Stadium
3, I would have thought some intelligent charging system woud have been supplied. Instead there is a
little LED which goes out when the battery is fully charged. I discovered that it is quite possible
to overcharge the battery so that it triggers the cutout and the light won't come on (Easy to sort,
you discharge the battery a bit. Carefully...). The remedy is to put the charger on a timer switch
so it doesn't get left on too long...full charge is in about 3hrs, it's easy to over-cook it.

Robert

elyob said:

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

Quoted message said:

I'm also thinking of getting a horn off a BMW or Mercedes and mounting it on my bike powered by
the Lumicycle battery.

I wrote to Lumicycle about how to attach a GPS system to the battery, and they answered the
next day.

I still don't have a GPS ... but they did give reasons why it was difficult from an engineering
point of view (battery setup etc??) .. however they wanted to know what GPS as they'd look into the
logistics ..

They're a great company and deserve the business IMO .... forward thinking, and always watching the
UK market .. I should work for them 😉

Nick

I just tried wiring up my GPS to my Lumicycle battery, and it's working! I have wired the
connections on my GPS cigarette lighter adapter to the battery connection. This should work with any
cigarette lighter adapter, as it's input is (about) 12V and the Lumicycle battery is 13.2V

This is a bit messy, and it would be a lot simpler to just take a couple of spare AAA batteries
for my GPS!

But if Lumicycle made some sort of cigarette lighter socket that could be plugged onto the battery
it could be useful for all sorts of things, i.e. powering GPS, other accesories, charging your
phone, adding neons to your bike etc!
--
Craig Wallace craigwallace.clara.co.ukcraigwallace.clara.co.ukOpen ↗ NGPC - ngppower.fsnet.co.ukngppower.fsnet.co.ukOpen ↗

In article <[email hidden]>, Matthew Barker

url=''URL:/url said:

Which is the best for road use (very dark country roads in Cumbria), the Cateye Stadium 3 or the
Lumicycle version of this Metal Halide light? I would partiuclarly like to hear about bulb
lifespan -- replacing the Cateye bulb (which appears to involve sending the ballast and lamp back
to Cateye in Japan) seems to be a rather expensive

I can't comment on the lifespan of the Cateye Stadium 3 lamp, having never owned one. I do own a
Lumicycle Metal Halide, and I do use it on the dark roads of Cumbria (it also gets you noticed
around town because of the distinctive colour of the light, never mind the sheer brightness). I
haven't yet needed to replace the lamp however.

Replacement of the lamp is a trivial exercise. Unscrew the front part of the lamp. Pull out the lamp
(2 pin connector). Re-assemble with new lamp. Go, ride. ;-)

FWIW, Lumicycle kit is solidly constructed and I've found to be very reliable.

Alex.
--
homepages.enterprise.netalexsmithOpen ↗ Warning: Anti-UCE address in "From" line. a e enter ri t l
xsmith@ p se.ne

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

Quoted message said:

I'd suggest that you go for the Lumicycle equivalent.

I have to admit to being very biased. Just get a Lumi set. The 80w lights are still overkill for
road riding though.

Just buy British .. Lumi are a great company. No shops to complain about warranties. Talk to
the owners.

I think my lights will arrive back tomorrow .. 🙂

Nick

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

Quoted message said:

elyob said:

I just tried wiring up my GPS to my Lumicycle battery, and it's working! I have wired the
connections on my GPS cigarette lighter adapter to the battery connection. This should work with
any cigarette lighter adapter, as it's input is (about) 12V and the Lumicycle battery is 13.2V

Here's the messages ....

Me : Hi, I'm just wondering if there are any adaptors available to plug other things into the
battery? I'd be looking at converting the power output from
13.2v/4A to the power of 2xAA batteries (1.2V 2000mAh each).

Lumi : Thats a tough one. In theory yes - Practically no. you would need a 'step down' circuit board
to do that; which is quite possible but we could not do it and you would need to re-configure the
cells to run in series not in parallel (blah, blah, blah.)

Me : Thanks, I was just figuring whether I could run a GPS unit off the battery. It's not a huge
issue, as I don't have a GPS unit at the moment, but am considering one in the future.

Lumi : Not sure, if you buy one let us know the power input etc, but it sounds like we might be
able to help.

So, it looks like they are pretty cool with the battery being a power source for other devices.

Nick

elyob said:

Me : Hi, I'm just wondering if there are any adaptors available to plug other things into the
battery? I'd be looking at converting the power output from
13.2v/4A to the power of 2xAA batteries (1.2V 2000mAh each).

Lumi : Thats a tough one. In theory yes - Practically no. you would need a 'step down' circuit
board to do that; which is quite possible but we could not do it and you would need to
re-configure the cells to run in series not in parallel (blah, blah, blah.)

Me : Thanks, I was just figuring whether I could run a GPS unit off the battery. It's not a huge
issue, as I don't have a GPS unit at the moment, but am considering one in the future.

Lumi : Not sure, if you buy one let us know the power input etc, but it sounds like we might be
able to help.

So, it looks like they are pretty cool with the battery being a power source for other devices.

FWIW, I use an MLR SP24XC <URL: gpsw.co.ukprod344.htmlOpen ↗ > which will take
external power from a 12 volt source. It's a bit bigger and heavier than the mini Garmins - I use it
primarily for sailing - but it sounds as if it would work with the lumicycle battery.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) jasmine.org.uk~simonOpen ↗

;; MS Windows: A thirty-two bit extension ... to a sixteen bit ;; patch to an eight bit
operating system originally coded for a ;; four bit microprocessor and sold by a two-bit company
that ;; can't stand one bit of competition -- anonymous

elyob said:

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

Quoted message said:

This should work with any cigarette lighter adapter, as it's input is (about) 12V and the
Lumicycle battery is 13.2V

Here's the messages ....

Me : Hi, I'm just wondering if there are any adaptors available to plug other things into the
battery? I'd be looking at converting the power output from
13.2v/4A to the power of 2xAA batteries (1.2V 2000mAh each).

Lumi : Thats a tough one. In theory yes - Practically no. you would need a 'step down' circuit
board to do that; which is quite possible but we could not do it and you would need to
re-configure the cells to run in series not in parallel (blah, blah, blah.)

That sounds like they are talking about doing it efficiently, but you're talking about doing it
full stop. Most GPS units have adapters to power them from a car cigarette lighter, and that's
close enough to a lumicycle battery that it ought to work, it just might not work as efficiently as
it might do.

I'm not sure why they say they'd need to run the cells in series not parallel - they are in series
in teh standard battery, otherwise you'd get 1.2V, not 13.2.

regards, Ian SMith
--
|\ /| no .sig
|o o|
|/ \|