Best Cycling Lights

Chuchote · 10-09-2016 1:41pm

Can't see lux on those seesense ones, but I'm probably looking straight at it.

Wishbone Ash · 10-09-2016 1:54pm

ted1 wrote: »

Well designed bike lights should be sold in lux....

The problem is that many people including myself, don't know how to rate Lux. If I see a light advertised as 30 Lux, it means nothing to me.

Chuchote · 10-09-2016 3:47pm

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

The problem is that many people including myself, don't know how to rate Lux. If I see a light advertised as 30 Lux, it means nothing to me.

Me too.

Firedance · 10-09-2016 4:38pm

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

The problem is that many people including myself, don't know how to rate Lux. If I see a light advertised as 30 Lux, it means nothing to me.

Stupid question alert

how do I know what 'lumen' my lights are? they came with the bike - the front one says 0.5 Watt white LED (smart white 1.5m Led). I don't see a brand name on it though.

Wishbone Ash · 10-09-2016 5:07pm

Firedance wrote: »

Stupid question alert how do I know what 'lumen' my lights are? they came with the bike - the front one says 0.5 Watt white LED (smart white 1.5m Led). I don't see a brand name on it though.

I don't know but if they came with the bike, and don't have any branding, they are unlikely to be greater than 100 Lumens.

ford2600 · 10-09-2016 5:26pm

Firedance wrote: »

Stupid question alert how do I know what 'lumen' my lights are? they came with the bike - the front one says 0.5 Watt white LED (smart white 1.5m Led). I don't see a brand name on it though.

Depends.

Lumens and Watts quantity power. If it LED then about 30 lumens.

See here
http://www.rapidtables.com/calc/light/lumen-to-watt-calculator.htm

Lux is a measure of light falling on a surface at a given distance from source. It's ALL about the beam pattern.

Google road cc website 2016 light review for comparison beam shots.

The eye is a complicated device though and the environment is as important as anything. The aperture of your eye will be very different on Sally Gap versus city centre. I regularly walk in countryside at night without any light.

Phil.x · 13-09-2016 11:45pm

Kaisr Sose wrote: »

Are you trolling ? It is inconsiderate to use them on any road at night and on a road with street lighting - just plain stupid!

It's just as inconsiderate when a car can't see you as you have a very small and dim lights and shout and roar at him when he nearly runs over you -that's just stupid!!

ted1 · 13-09-2016 11:51pm

Phil.x wrote: »

It's just as inconsiderate when a car can't see you as you have a very small and dim lights and shout and roar at him when he nearly runs over you -that's just stupid!!

Blinding drivers is hazardous to life.

bren2001 · 14-09-2016 2:07pm

Phil.x wrote: »

It's just as inconsiderate when a car can't see you as you have a very small and dim lights and shout and roar at him when he nearly runs over you -that's just stupid!!

So some would say the perfect balance is lights that are bright enough for any car to see you but not bright enough so as to impair a drivers vision? or to put a number on it, lights ~100 lumen.

Kaisr Sose · 14-09-2016 7:04pm

Phil.x wrote: »

It's just as inconsiderate when a car can't see you as you have a very small and dim lights and shout and roar at him when he nearly runs over you -that's just stupid!!

You are mixing up driving without due care and attention with being inconsiderate. Both are wrong! As a cyclist there is no benefit to be had from being deliberately inconsiderate to any road user.

Phil.x · 14-09-2016 10:27pm

bren2001 wrote: »

So some would say the perfect balance is lights that are bright enough for any car to see you but not bright enough so as to impair a drivers vision? or to put a number on it, lights ~100 lumen.

A general car headlight is between 700 -1100 lumen.
A modern bmw/audi/Marc etc, HID headlamps are 3500+ and both are for one light only.

Why should a vulnerable cyclist be hidden in the dark with a measly 100lumen minuscule light.

Post what you want but at least I'll be seen when cycling on the one-way quays and hopefully stay alive.

07Lapierre · 14-09-2016 10:42pm

It's not just the brightness of the light. The angle of the light is also important.

IMO BIcycle lights should be tilted down towards the road.

ted1 · 14-09-2016 10:48pm

Phil.x wrote: »

A general car headlight is between 700 -1100 lumen.
A modern bmw/audi/Marc etc, HID headlamps are 3500+ and both are for one light only.

Why should a vulnerable cyclist be hidden in the dark with a measly 100lumen minuscule light.

Post what you want but at least I'll be seen when cycling on the one-way quays and hopefully stay alive.

Cars have to go through NCTs to ensure that their headlights are angled correctly so as to not cause a danger to other road users

cython · 14-09-2016 10:51pm

Phil.x wrote: »

A general car headlight is between 700 -1100 lumen.
A modern bmw/audi/Marc etc, HID headlamps are 3500+ and both are for one light only.

Why should a vulnerable cyclist be hidden in the dark with a measly 100lumen minuscule light.

Post what you want but at least I'll be seen when cycling on the one-way quays and hopefully stay alive.

The simultaneously hilarious and tragic part of this is that in one way traffic such as on the quays, a ridiculous front light won't actually make you that visible to traffic approaching from behind/overtaking, so unless you expect to be filtering or overtaking a lot, you are very misguided in that view.

Phil.x · 14-09-2016 10:58pm

cython wrote: »

The simultaneously hilarious and tragic part of this is that in one way traffic such as on the quays, a ridiculous front light won't actually make you that visible to traffic approaching from behind/overtaking, so unless you expect to be filtering or overtaking a lot, you are very misguided in that view.

You've obvious never seen this light in action.

cython · 14-09-2016 11:04pm

Phil.x wrote: »

You've obvious never seen this light in action.

Thankfully, but I would also imagine you have not driven up behind a cyclist equipped with it either to quantify it. On the other hand, I have seen and driven behind several similar models (as crew on round the clock endurance races) and while they may illuminate the road in front, they simply do not draw attention to the cyclist from behind. Hell, the indicator LED on the back of most of them drew more attention than the beam, and unless it's attached to a helmet, that isn't visible either.

ford2600 · 15-09-2016 12:28pm

http://www.recumbentjournal.com/views/columns/item/485-views-on-equipment-choices-for-nighttime-cycling.html

Fighting Tao · 23-10-2017 5:28pm

Deedsie wrote: »

My current lights are on the way out. Anyone recommend a good quality usb charged rear light?

See.sense icon or icon+. Their Ace is out next year but I’m not sure you can hold on that long.

tomasrojo · 23-10-2017 6:57pm

I have the battery version of the Lunar R2, which I like a lot. There's a USB version. I don't know anything about it, and one Amazon review says it doesn't use micro-USB, but the older standard. Don't know whether that's true, because I don't own one.