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Big-ass light

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    #32
    Lumen
    Registered Users Posts: 31,017 ✭✭✭✭Lumen


    Trojan wrote: »
    well what else would you use here?
    Anything you want :)

    Traffic aside, there are advantages and disadvantages of "floody" (wide-beam) lights on the road.

    Advantage: you get to see the sheep/pedestrians about to step into your path
    Disadvantage: greater total illumination means your iris closes, so you are less able to see the road even though it's got the same illumination.

    It comes down to the relative risks from sheep vs potholes, but most "throwy" lights (narrow beam) still have enough going out to the sides to see sheep.

    Or maybe you just like looking at sheep. I do.


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    #33
    ford2600
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,457 ✭✭✭ford2600


    Trojan wrote: »
    ]what else would you use here[/URL]?

    I did over 100km ride in dark Friday night, with at least 50km on that type of road.

    I was using a 60 lux dynamo b&m light. Never felt I needed more.

    I used a 330 Lumen back up light on a 100 Lumen setting going through urban areas, funnily enough where there was other light sources.

    The human eye is a complicated thing, more is often less.

    Given how much cyclist complain out lack of due respect/manners/rights on road maybe we should be a bit more thoughtful to other roads users with regard to lighting.

    Just because a technology is there doesn't mean we should use it.


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    #34
    Tenzor07
    Registered Users Posts: 8,579 ✭✭✭Tenzor07


    Trojan wrote: »
    I'm ok with that. Technically I'll be using it on roads, but ... well what else would you use here?

    This:

    2nss8hy.jpg


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    #35
    Lumen
    Registered Users Posts: 31,017 ✭✭✭✭Lumen


    ford2600 wrote: »
    I was using a 60 lux dynamo b&m light. Never felt I needed more....The human eye is a complicated thing, more is often less.

    Screen_Shot_2015_11_27_at_12_20_28_p_m.png
    Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lux

    If you can move around your living room with 50 lux then you can see a pothole fine with 60.


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    #36
    Lumen
    Registered Users Posts: 31,017 ✭✭✭✭Lumen


    Tenzor07 wrote: »
    This
    Good example. If the wall wasn't illuminated then you could see the road better.


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    #37
    Tenzor07
    Registered Users Posts: 8,579 ✭✭✭Tenzor07


    Lumen wrote: »
    Good example. If the wall wasn't illuminated then you could see the road better.

    Or if I moved more to the right of the bend in the road?


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    #38
    ted1
    Registered Users Posts: 23,321 ✭✭✭✭ted1


    Lumen wrote: »
    Anything you want :)

    Traffic aside, there are advantages and disadvantages of "floody" (wide-beam) lights on the road.

    Advantage: you get to see the sheep/pedestrians about to step into your path
    Disadvantage: greater total illumination means your iris closes, so you are less able to see the road even though it's got the same illumination.

    It comes down to the relative risks from sheep vs potholes, but most "throwy" lights (narrow beam) still have enough going out to the sides to see sheep.

    Or maybe you just like looking at sheep. I do.


    a floody light will have high lumens but poor lux. when it comes to bike lights they should standardise the measurement to lux


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    #39
    Qualitymark
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,824 ✭✭✭Qualitymark


    ted1 wrote: »
    a floody light will have high lumens but poor lux. when it comes to bike lights they should standardise the measurement to lux

    What's the difference?


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    #40
    Darkglasses
    Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 14,526 Mod ✭✭✭✭Darkglasses


    Qualitymark wrote: »
    What's the difference?

    AFAIK - Lumens are the total amount of light emitted by something. Lux is the amount of light intensity in a single spot.

    Neither unit tells the full story for what's the best bike light. A 60 Lux light might be great and spread light all over the road very evenly, or it might have an extremely narrow beam that's useless.


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    #41
    CramCycle
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,515 Mod ✭✭✭✭CramCycle


    Lumen wrote: »
    I assume this is illegal since factory-fitted HIDs have to be self-levelling.

    I am talking about the people who pop down to halfords and pick up HIDs and then fit them incorrectly.

    Self levelling is only for cars that have the sensors etc. right?

    A young wan putting a pair in a 96 Honda Civic will not be self levelling, not sure about the legality of not being self levelling but the fact they are blinding or disorientating to on coming traffic on their own would make each specific instance illegal.


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    #42
    ted1
    Registered Users Posts: 23,321 ✭✭✭✭ted1


    Qualitymark wrote: »
    What's the difference?

    lumens is a measure of the total light giving off.
    so a ceiling lightbulb can be measured in lumens as it gives off a 360 degrees area of light.

    bike lights need to give a focus of light. so lux measure the light it gives off 1m away from the source.

    e.g a light may have 1000 lumens but this could be spread over 100 sqm and thus have a lux of only 10. in that it only 10 lumens per sq m.

    where as another light could have 200 lumens but that is spread over 2 sq m.
    so the lux would be 100. in that is has 100 lumens per sq m.

    so with regards cycling, LUX is a more relevant figure.

    candela-vs-lumens-vs-lux-500x438.jpg


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    #43
    Trojan
    Registered Users Posts: 16,402 ✭✭✭✭Trojan


    Well the MagicShine 858 was out of stock, so I now have a new Fluxient 1xU2 XM-L2. Nice tidy piece of hardware, looking forward to giving it a go.

    🎙️ The Recognized Authority Podcast



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    #44
    uphillonly
    Registered Users Posts: 287 ✭✭uphillonly


    Leroy42 wrote: »
    Cheers uphillonly. I was looking at that exact same light for use on that exact same hill and was wondering if it would do the trick. Can't get a more personalised review that that!

    Leroy,

    Here's what the Cateye Volt 800 was like looking back down Pine Forest with Dublin's glow in the distance. You still wouldn't want to descend too fast. You can see clearly a few meters ahead but not far enough for speed and any animals.

    23271681391_cdf8720860.jpg


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    #45
    CramCycle
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,515 Mod ✭✭✭✭CramCycle


    uphillonly wrote: »
    23271681391_cdf8720860.jpg
    I presume it's angled wrong as my 300 throws out better than that.


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    #46
    uphillonly
    Registered Users Posts: 287 ✭✭uphillonly


    CramCycle wrote: »
    I presume it's angled wrong as my 300 throws out better than that.

    You may be right. It was my first time & I was self conscious of blinding cars so had it pointed down.


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    #47
    Leroy42
    Registered Users Posts: 15,499 ✭✭✭✭Leroy42


    uphillonly wrote: »
    Leroy,

    Here's what the Cateye Volt 800 was like looking back down Pine Forest with Dublin's glow in the distance. You still wouldn't want to descend too fast. You can see clearly a few meters ahead but not far enough for speed and any animals.

    I went with the Volt 800 in the end, based on what you posted, so if you read of some dude stuck in a ditch on Cruagh Road one night its on your head!!!

    Haven't used it on CR yet, but based on cycling in Sutton it is so much brighter than my previous light.

    I wouldn't have too many issues with descending too fast, can't even do that in the daytime!


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    #48
    CramCycle
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,515 Mod ✭✭✭✭CramCycle


    uphillonly wrote: »
    You may be right. It was my first time & I was self conscious of blinding cars so had it pointed down.

    I set mine up like the way you see people checking their cars before an NCT. Using a solid surface a few metres away and making sure that the core beam and most of the light is below the parallel of where I have the light attached.

    volt300_haiko2014.jpg

    Admittedly taken from the Cateye sight, I will take a pic of my own later and put it up. My own is not as far reaching, but that's my set up rather than anything else.

    Have they changed the name of the 300 and 700 to 400 and 800? They are 300 and 700 on the Cateye sight but lots of people referring to the 400 and 800.

    Cateyes pic of the 700 (which may be the 800):
    volt700_haiko2014.jpg

    Admittedly in both pics the light is angled far to high IMO so it won't be that good.


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    #49
    Lumen
    Registered Users Posts: 31,017 ✭✭✭✭Lumen


    At the risk of stating the obvious, if you want to know whether your light is angled too high, turn it on at night and look at it head on from 20m away at driver eyeball height.

    This is difficult to do with a dynamo light. :pac:


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    #50
    lescol
    Registered Users Posts: 648 ✭✭✭lescol


    Some good comparisons on Torchy the Battery Boy website:-

    http://www.torchythebatteryboy.com/p/bike-light-database.html


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    #51
    CramCycle
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,515 Mod ✭✭✭✭CramCycle


    Lumen wrote: »
    At the risk of stating the obvious, if you want to know whether your light is angled too high, turn it on at night and look at it head on from 20m away at driver eyeball height.

    This is difficult to do with a dynamo light. :pac:

    Or just turn your bike to face a wall with the light on


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    #52
    tomasrojo
    Registered Users Posts: 11,745 ✭✭✭✭tomasrojo


    CramCycle wrote: »
    Or just turn your bike to face a wall with the light on
    I don't have a very bright front light (Cateye HL EL 510/520), as it's just for urban/dark park use, but I've always made sure the main spot hits the ground about two car lengths ahead of me. Seems to work ok.


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    #53
    Lumen
    Registered Users Posts: 31,017 ✭✭✭✭Lumen


    CramCycle wrote: »
    Or just turn your bike to face a wall with the light on
    In my experience that's not a reliable test because it doesn't account for the vertical spread.


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    #54
    Puggy
    Registered Users Posts: 284 ✭✭Puggy


    This has been said before, and it seems to be constantly forgotten, but

    Legal roads lights have at least 2 settings. One often called dipped, lights up your side if the road, and when set correctly, will not be a hazard to on coming traffic. The other setting, can shine anywhere forward and be as bright as you can afford.

    I bought a feck off light on eBay, that can light up the down stairs of my house, almost like day time. There was no lense on the front. When I used it on the road, it blinded every other road user. In the city centre it light Pearse St up like Christmas time. Before I got to Tara St, 2 Garda cars had pulled up and asked where I got the light, as they wanted one. At Tara St the lights were red and a person crossing the road complained that they couldn't see the kerb, cause the light was so bright. That night,I bought a lens on eBay, for the Cree lamp I had.

    It's perfect, just like a dipped beam on a car. I didn't really appciate, that I was being a complete muppet before.

    You can't use a spotlight type beam on the road, your just being muppets. Road legal bicycle lights have a lens or the beam is focused.

    Off road is an entirely different matter, but if your cycling on the road, get the right lights and adjust them correctly.


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    #55
    TheTubes
    Registered Users Posts: 721 ✭✭✭TheTubes


    I'm looking for a light for night cycling in unlit country roads.
    Went through this thread and the Cateye Volt 800 looks good.

    A friend recommended this light below to me and was wondering if anyone has experience of something like this, I think they are probably what you guys are referring to as generic ebay lights?

    http://www.candb-seen.co.uk/product-black-1200-lumen-bike-light-kit.html

    The appeal is that the external battery lasts over 8 hours (or so I've been told?) and that you can carry a replacement battery.

    Would this fall under the "stupidly bright" category some of you have mentioned?
    It comes with a Diffuser Lens if that makes a difference?

    From reading other forums this candb-seen.co.uk repackages chinese lights with UK plugs and offers replacement/support etc.

    Thanks!


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