Light Recommendations (formerly Front Light For Dark Country) Road Commute

chakattack

biker_joe wrote: »

Anyone tried these ?

http://www.planet-x-warehouse.co.uk/acatalog/Airbike.html

thinking of ordering this week ????

Biker JOe

+1

I have my eye on these. Looks like a cheap version of the very pricey light and motion stella 200 lumen light.

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/accessories/lights/front/product/stella-200-33770

How are Planet X for returns if anything goes wrong?

Or should I just get a Fenix?

davemckenna25

Hi. I'm new to this too and was thinking of the Spiderfire Q5 CREE LED 205 Lums Bike Bicycle Light B200. Would be on unlit roads morning and night. Would this be sufficient? Anybody ever used one of these?
Thanks.

eggie

ajk24 wrote: »

just back from a spin from cork city out into the countryside (crossbarry) and back by way of south link ring road - the ayup lights are savage. 2 independently adjustable leds - better than most cars dipped beams, even
had a pedestrian comment "those are an awesome set of lights" (it was a yank) as I pulled back into carpark at work.

they are reviewed on bike radar at the moment as well
http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/category/accessories/lights/front/product/roadie-kit-32400

will def be ordering - if anyone wants to get one there is a decent saving to be made on postage for a group order.

They look good, might order a set of Twins.

davemckenna25

Have seen where i can get one of these from Germany for 54euro.
Has anyone got any experience of them. Are they any good?
Thanks.

Lumen

davemckenna25 wrote: »

Have seen where i can get one of these from Germany for 54euro. Has anyone got any experience of them. Are they any good?

Bike24 sell them, but not for €54.

As far as I can tell, the IQ and IQ Speed are largely the same, except that the whereas the IQ uses standard rechargable AAs the Speed comes with a proprietory external battery pack which can drive up to two head units; also the Speed is a little bit brighter (50 lux vs 40 lux).

I'm waiting on delivery of my IQ (not the Speed version). RFlynnnR also ordered one for helmet mounting (see above). Rottenhat has one already.

IMO the slightly lower output of the boggo IQ is worth living with for the greater convenience/replaceability of the AA cells, which charge inside the unit.

The only downside of the Ixon (judging from the beamshots) compared to other more floody lights appears to be a fairly dark area immediately in front of the bike. I'll experiment with pairing with my Fenix TK11 or maybe sell that and use a second Ixon, fitted to point down a little.

emty

Was using tne Fenix TK11 in pitch-dark conditions around Millstreet in Cork during the week and was more than pleased with it.Gave an good throw of light and more importantly I felt quite safe.If cost is an issue I don't think you will get more bang for your buck.
Have heard great things about the Aye- Up system but would be concerned that import duty would be charged on them making them even more expensive then they already are.Would still like to get a set though.

rottenhat

Lumen wrote: »

The only downside of the Ixon (judging from the beamshots) compared to other more floody lights appears to be a fairly dark area immediately in front of the bike. I'll experiment with pairing with my Fenix TK11 or maybe sell that and use a second Ixon, fitted to point down a little.

Ideally I think you want two lights in any case - one fork-mounted, and one bar-mounted, with the bar-mounted light angled a little more down than the fork-mounted. That should ensure fairly extensive coverage and excellent visibility to oncoming traffic.

emty

Btw,had a bad blow out,including a ripped tire which needed a boot to fix on Wed night literally in the middle of no-where.Was very glad to have a bright.detatchable light to work with.Just something to bare in mind.

DirkVoodoo

Did you buy your fenix from dealextreme emty?

emty

No,fenixstore.com but got the batteries and charger from dealextreme.

petethedrummer

Lumen wrote: »

I'll experiment with pairing with my Fenix TK11 or maybe sell that and use a second Ixon, fitted to point down a little.

Potential buyer for the Fenix TK11 here.

You don't seem to be overly impressed with the Fenix. Why not? Apologies if you have already explained.

Lumen

petethedrummer wrote: »

Potential buyer for the Fenix TK11 here.

You don't seem to be overly impressed with the Fenix. Why not? Apologies if you have already explained.

Short answer: because I'm never satisfied.

The Fenix is a good, practical torch, excellent if there's no oncoming traffic, certainly better built than the USE Joystick I bought last winter (and returned after water killed it).

I just can't be arsed dipping the thing when cars are coming, and in a perma-dipped position it doesn't light up the road very well.

I should probably just use a flasher whilst on busy lit roads, and the Fenix on quiet unlit roads, and deal with the dipping issue on the sections of trafficked, unlit roads, but I'd really just prefer a light with a bright, even spread and a horizontal cut-off that doesn't require any faffing, like a dipped car headlght, so I can just turn it on and ride my bike. The only light designed like that is the B&M Big Bang, but that's €600 and needs a €150 service every 1000 hours or so. If there was a LED-based version of that I'd be interested, but there isn't, and in the meantime I'll see how the Ixon IQ stacks up.

Lots of people are happy with the Fenix, so my opinion should be taken with a pinch of salt (as usual).

davgtrek

lads.
2 most important things are batteries and no cables.

i have 2 fenix torches. the l2d and the ld20. ld20 has a better spot.
both 180 lumens on turbo mode. the fit nicely with their hbar mounts.
they are extremely well made waterproof and neat.
2 hrs run time on max output.
like someone else said tear open Velcro and use torch to fix your bike.

bought from
www.thephotonshop.co.uk ( they were very helpful )

for road cycling they would be colossal. way bright enough at any speed.

they use 2 x aa rechargable batteries and a simple button click on at base of light.

AA rechargables are the way to go as they are plentiful, you'll have spares in your camera etc.etc. they are getting better in capacity all the time and chargers are everywhere. bring a few spares in your pocket and you have doubled your run time.

Dont forget that you will be throwing your lights into the wardrobe for 6 months of the year. lights that use any other type of proprietary battery will be an issue if you haven't kept the batteries charged on and off over summer time etc. thats pure hassle.

anything from 150 to 200 lumens is plenty on any road.

so with a weak sterling €50ish will have you up and running.

DirkVoodoo

Lumen wrote: »

Short answer: because I'm never satisfied.

The Fenix is a good, practical torch, excellent if there's no oncoming traffic, certainly better built than the USE Joystick I bought last winter (and returned after water killed it).

I just can't be arsed dipping the thing when cars are coming, and in a perma-dipped position it doesn't light up the road very well.

I should probably just use a flasher whilst on busy lit roads, and the Fenix on quiet unlit roads, and deal with the dipping issue on the sections of trafficked, unlit roads, but I'd really just prefer a light with a bright, even spread and a horizontal cut-off that doesn't require any faffing, like a dipped car headlght, so I can just turn it on and ride my bike. The only light designed like that is the B&M Big Bang, but that's €600 and needs a €150 service every 1000 hours or so. If there was a LED-based version of that I'd be interested, but there isn't, and in the meantime I'll see how the Ixon IQ stacks up.

Lots of people are happy with the Fenix, so my opinion should be taken with a pinch of salt (as usual).

Would it be possible to get rig a little reflective hood to sit around the end of the torch so it reflects more light downwards and away from motorist's eyes?

A thin piece of foil stuck to a plastic hood perhaps?

Lumen

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Would it be possible to get rig a little reflective hood to sit around the end of the torch so it reflects more light downwards and away from motorist's eyes?

A thin piece of foil stuck to a plastic hood perhaps?

Possibly. I tried taping over part of the lens on my 700-900 lumen torch, and discovered that I know absolutely nothing about optics.

Gavin

200 lumen through the city center is not a problem. In fact, I've never been flashed at or complained to about a 200 lumen light on any road.

Lumen

Gavin wrote: »

200 lumen through the city center is not a problem. In fact, I've never been flashed at or complained to about a 200 lumen light on any road.

The centre spot of a TK10 illuminates about 14.5 lux at 25m (225 lumens in turbo mode).

Apparently the minimum illuminance for the high beam of a car headlamp is somewhere between 32 and 48 lux at 25m, depending on which set of regulations you look at.

Given that eye response to brightness is logarithmic, a TK10 on turbo probably looks about 70% as bright as a car headlight on high beam. Which is why it should be pointed down a bit in traffic.

I really ought to buy a light meter ride my bike more.

Gavin

Lumen wrote: »

The centre spot of a TK10 illuminates about 14.5 lux at 25m (225 lumens in turbo mode).

Apparently the minimum illuminance for the high beam of a car headlamp is somewhere between 32 and 48 lux at 25m, depending on which set of regulations you look at.

Given that eye response to brightness is logarithmic, a TK10 on turbo probably looks about 70% as bright as a car headlight on high beam. Which is why it should be pointed down a bit in traffic.

I really ought to buy a light meter ride my bike more.

lux my arse

The tax man

My light arrived today so just thought I'd throw up a few shots to give an idea of it's size. For comparison I've left my Led Lenser P7 on the bike.
Build quality is seems quite good,mounting system is a simple rubber O ring,which you get two of,one large and one small.No instructions but you don't really need any.
Charger has flat two pin plug so adaptor thingy needed.
(Cheers for the offer Blorg but I found one lying around.;))

The battery pack again is quite small so mounting it under a stem on hanging from the top tube should be fine so it won't get in the way. Not too sure about the velcro being enough to hold it secure so I'll probably use a cable tie just for piece of mind.
The length of power lead on the light unit 18 inches and 10 inches on the battery pack.
It's still bright out so pointless taking any beam shots just yet.
Light has 3 modes,high,low and fast strobe.



















(sorry I couldn't get pics going across screen)

keith_d99

Thanks for that taxman - let us know what it's like in the dark! Ordered mine from dealextreme last monday - and the thing hasn't even begun to ship from hong kong!

The tax man

Right so,headed out for a few shots of this light in action. First thing to say is that you can ride at a fair aul lick with it in either mode. Even in low mode it lights up more than enough road in front of you. I had it the pointed slightly downwards,like you would for road use and it's throws a nice wide beam with a sweet spot about 2/3 metres in front of your wheel. You'll certainly see anything on the road that would cause you concern. In high mode....well it just turns things into daylight.

I must apologise for my crap photography skills. Nothing like the polished pictures that Superfreak offered on his review of the Hope lights.
Didn't use a tripod and it's cold out so pics a bit shaky.
All shots where 8 second exposure at F2.8(whatever that means)...

Led Lenser P7 rated @200 lumens

Led Lenser on flood (high)
<---(high) <---(low)

Led Lenser on spot(high)


Magicshine (high)


Magicshine (low)


If anyone with better photography skills(wouldn't be hard) wants to do a comparison test between lights let me know.

Super Freak

Looks good Taxman,

How long did it take from ordering to delivery? I was very tempted to get one of these (I might still get one), but I have heard that if they are out of stock it can take ages for delivery.

Kieran

The tax man

I ordered mine on the 18th sept through eBay and it only arrived today.:eek:
Seller did say delivery would take 10-14 days so I knew I was in for a wait.

Lumen

That MagicShine looks awesome for the money.

Looks like it takes 4 x 18650, running at 8.4V which would indicate two parallel sets of two in series (i.e. twice the runtime and twice the power of a single cell).

I have a 900 lumen torch which uses the same emitter, but it's pretty much useless for cycling due to the weight of the thing - it's too heavy for a lockblock - and the tail mounted clicky which makes it cut out on anything but a mirror-smooth road. The MagicShine wouldn't have this issue because the tail clicky is in the head unit away from the batteries.

I'd be interested to see how much glare this produces for oncoming traffic, but at that price I'm tempted to get one to pair with my Ixon IQ, and use it as a full beam for when the road is clear.

I feel a boardsie lights group test coming on....

edit: is the battery pack on that MagicShine just plastic wrapped around the 18650s? In other words, no electrical connections so you could replace the pack with four fresh cells duct taped together.

The tax man

Lumen wrote: »

edit: is the battery pack on that MagicShine just plastic wrapped around the 18650s? In other words, no electrical connections so you could replace the pack with four fresh cells duct taped together.

The battery pack is four batteries wrapped in heat shrink plastic. You then have the power lead coming from it. I think I read somewhere about a small circuit board in there re:charging protection. Couldn't be 100% sure about that.

Plenty of reading from the light DIY'ers. It's by no means perfect but a good light to tweek and mod maybe.

Gavin

Great stuff ! Ordered one the other day too. This on the bars, a p7 torch on the forks and mce on the helmet will be ludicrously enough light for night mtb action

I think you were a bit unlucky with your p7 lumen, or perhaps I was lucky. No issues with mode changing from vibrations on or off road.

07Lapierre

keith_d99 wrote: »

Let us know how you get on! Reviews seem to be very good!

Keith_d99. Just thought I'd let you know how i got on. The light e arrived from CRC, but the battery wouldn't charge!. SO I had to return them and I recieved a replacement set last thursday. Yesterday was the first night i got to use them and i had to say i'm quite impressed with them. I have the 5watt lamp pointed directly at the ground in front of the front wheel for lighting up potholes etc. I have the 10watt lamp pointing further ahead and it really gives a good light "spread". Its good enough to light up the hedges on both sides of the road.

Considering they cost €70, i think there pretty good. I'd have no problem recommending them. Cheers

Lumen

Note to potential MagicShine buyers...

According to this thread

Geoman wrote:

the 3 mode system is an old model... We've been shipping the 5 mode system for a couple of months now. The 5 mode model has employed many of our suggested critical improvements including more liberal use of thermal paste (most 3 mode models had none), better cleanup and assembly - cleaner soldering and removal of production swarf, some electronics improvements, a more reliable charger, differing cord length, etc.

I can't find the 5-mode on DX, but it is on Geoman's site here.

Mr. Skeffington

ajk24 wrote: »

just back from a spin from cork city out into the countryside (crossbarry) and back by way of south link ring road - the ayup lights are savage. 2 independently adjustable leds - better than most cars dipped beams, even
had a pedestrian comment "those are an awesome set of lights" (it was a yank) as I pulled back into carpark at work.

they are reviewed on bike radar at the moment as well
http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/category/accessories/lights/front/product/roadie-kit-32400

will def be ordering - if anyone wants to get one there is a decent saving to be made on postage for a group order.

If there is anyone looking for a set of the Ay Up's I have an un-used MTB kit that im gonna sell. I ordered them a couple of weeks back, they just arrived last week and im not sure that the mounting arrangement of the rear light is going to suit me. Looking for €300, they cost €350 excluding import duty so there is a saving of €100. Both lights are anodised black and the whole set up comes in a presentation case. More details in link below:

http://www.ayup-lights.com/systems/lighting-systems/v4-adventure/

The tax man

I'll take I look at those Mr.Skeffington,if no one else has asked before me.

When is handy for you?


edit: ignore edit:o

Mr. Skeffington

Hi Taxman, yep pop over and take a look, im around tonight if thats good for you.

This is the MTB / V4 Adventure Kit, has 2 lights (one bar & one helmet). The helmet light doubles up as a rear light and both light have full beam, low beam and flashing modes. Kit comes with 3 batteries and a heap of other kit, it is a really nice set up.

The tax man

Cool,I'm still over in the office so I could call over around 6.45. OK with you?

Mr. Skeffington

Thats cool, drop over then and we can play around with these lights ;-)

keith_d99

Just got the Magicshine - will be using on the way home.
Build quality looks impressive.

Anybody know how you know when the battery is fully charged???
Also where do ye mount the battery pack, handlebar, stem, crossbar?

Cheers,
Keith.

sibyrne

I have the Niterider Minewt mini usb. Think its a great light

keith_d99

+1 for the MagicShine - good build quality - fits very well and light is excellent. I noticed that oncoming cars didn't know what to make of the bright light (on full on unlit country round) - cars seemed to slow and pull to the side slightly! Felt much safer. Oh and finally cycle at full speed knowing that I could actually see where I was going?! Excellent beam off the little light.

Great find for €55 delivered

blorg

You probably do need to be careful with that, lights that bright can tend to dazzle oncoming motorists. Probably best dip it once you are sure they have seen you (e.g. when they dip their lights.) If it were possible to switch to a lower mode easily but not sure this is the case so probably just need to push it down a bit.

I do this with my Fenix on full which is less bright than that thing. Just tip it down when oncoming traffic has dipped until the road is clear again.

keith_d99

Well slight exaggeration on my part - it was 1 car - but yeah will keep an eye on it.

It's 1 click to get down to a lower beam - but another 3 to get back to full. One great thing was that cars instantly dipped their beams (as opposed to my cheapy led) - nothing worse than full car beams in your face - you are blinded and literally cannot see where you are going!

blorg wrote: »

You probably do need to be careful with that, lights that bright can tend to dazzle oncoming motorists. Probably best dip it once you are sure they have seen you (e.g. when they dip their lights.) If it were possible to switch to a lower mode easily but not sure this is the case so probably just need to push it down a bit.

I do this with my Fenix on full which is less bright than that thing. Just tip it down when oncoming traffic has dipped until the road is clear again.

BikePure

The tax man wrote: »

My light arrived today

@The tax man: I'm thinking about ordering a MagicShine too! I have the following question for you though, no definite answer in the last thread so I thought I would ask someone who knows what they are talking about! Also, can you buy spare battery packs if needed, or can uou just bring along 4x18650s and pop them in when necessary or is it all a sealed battery pack? I would like the safety of a back-up pack/batteries "just in case" and Geoman do a racer's special with a spare battery included!

BikePure wrote: »

Does the Magicshine include the battery pack and mounting accesories? All it says is that it is powered by a separate rechargeable battery pack (4 x 18650 lithium batteries inside) and that there is a 100V~240V AC charger (US plug) and pouch included. Are the batteries/battery pack as well as handlebar mounts all extra and need to be purchased separately? And has anyone got caught for Import Duties and VAT when buying it off DealExtreme?

The tax man

The battery pack pictured in the Geoman link is the exact battery pack I have. It's sealed so bringing along spare 18650s isn't a runner. My light (from ebay) had the standard items included,light,battery pack+pouch,2x rubber O rings for attaching light to bike and charger which works here perfectly. It's a U.S style flat 2 pin plug so an adaptor will be needed.
Mine came from Hong Kong via a UK seller that claimed none of his customers had been caught for import tax,which was true in my case.

Geoman seems to be the only seller offering extras with this light,helmet mount and extra battery and of course the 5 modes. Can't offer any advice on customs from the US, I'm sure someone here will though.

The tax man

keith_d99 wrote: »

Just got the Magicshine - will be using on the way home.
Build quality looks impressive.

Anybody know how you know when the battery is fully charged???
Also where do ye mount the battery pack, handlebar, stem, crossbar?

Cheers,
Keith.

Keith I had the same question about the charging time. When I got mine I stuck the battery on charge and a green light came on the plug,left charging and nothing changed. After using it for a while I stuck the battery pack onto the charger and the light was red. I presume the green light means it's charged while red means charging. I've yet to get the battery fully discharged to figure out the charge time.
I had to mount mine under the crossbar just behind the head tube. Stem is full.:)

Gavin

Try to avoid discharging the battery fully, apparently it's not good for em. Don't know the chemistry of it.

blorg

Gavin wrote: »

Try to avoid discharging the battery fully, apparently it's not good for em. Don't know the chemistry of it.

This is true, however if the cells (or indeed the battery pack as a whole) are protected, they will shut off power before they go low enough to do damage.

Gavin

No, this is separate to the protection circuit. The protection circuit is for when you are getting to 0% discharge. Geoman (I think, don't have link), advises trying to avoid going below 20% discharge.

Again, I have no idea why this is, just read it. Could be old wives tales.

Chemistry would have been handy to have studied in school.

beans

I ordered a Fenix TK-11 on Wednesday from TheTorchSite.co.uk and it arrived this morning! Take that, postal strike

Looks like a great piece of kit, very much looking forward to giving it a test-spin in the park this evening. Quite an expensive option when you compare it to something like the Magicshine, but looking at the build quality I'd say this thing will just keep going and going!

keith_d99

Yeah you're spot on Tax Man - was surprised that it was fully charged on delivery - so was confused about the charging bit.

Used it for 3 days commute - leaving it plugged in to the battery for about 5 days. Noticed after my third night - that the green light on the light turned red. Left it plugged in still and charged it in work the next day. As you said - light on adapter is red - then green when fully charged. I think I read somewhere that the light flashes red when battery is at an absolute end. And yeah also read not to leave it totally decharge. Oh it took about 4-5 hours to charge.

Also have the battery strapped to the crossbar - seems fine and velcro seems secure.

Also, I was not charged anything by customs (ordered from DealExtreme Hong Kong ... total cost €55).

An excellent light, for a pretty low cost.

The tax man wrote: »

Keith I had the same question about the charging time. When I got mine I stuck the battery on charge and a green light came on the plug,left charging and nothing changed. After using it for a while I stuck the battery pack onto the charger and the light was red. I presume the green light means it's charged while red means charging. I've yet to get the battery fully discharged to figure out the charge time.
I had to mount mine under the crossbar just behind the head tube. Stem is full.:)

trinewbie

How long did it take for your order to be shipped dude? mine has been stuck in 'processing' state since last Thursday, Ive emailed them but no response.

keith_d99

Yeah took about a week to change from processing to shipped

trinewbie wrote: »

How long did it take for your order to be shipped dude? mine has been stuck in 'processing' state since last Thursday, Ive emailed them but no response.

blorg

keith_d99 wrote: »

Used it for 3 days commute

Is your commute on completely dark roads or lit? How is it regarding blinding oncoming drivers?

keith_d99

It's about 80% unlit - for the other 20% I leave it on the lower light setting.

Haven't had any drivers flash me anyhow (or leave their headlights on either for that matter)

blorg wrote: »

Is your commute on completely dark roads or lit? How is it regarding blinding oncoming drivers?