Dynamo-powered back lights

Civilian_Target

After years of trusty service, my superflash rear light has finally given up on me - getting snapped off the back of my bike by over-enthusiastic United Airlines baggage handlers, and I can't find a good way to fit it back on again.

I have a hub dynamo in the front of my bike, which has a port offering 0.6W at 12V for a rear light, that I'm currently not using. I used to have a B&M 4D Toplight, but it's too big to fit on the back of the luggage rack of my bike.

Does anyone have any suggestions on dynamo-powered tail lights?
I've found stuff like this:
http://www.dotbike.com/p/3022?utm_source=google&utm_medium=base&utm_campaign=FGL
http://www.dotbike.com/p/3024?utm_source=google&utm_medium=base&utm_campaign=FGL
but I have no clue whether they're actually any good - there's not much info on brightness out there.

I can mount to the mudguard, the seatpost or anything up to 10cm wide on the back rack

Lumen

I have a Busch & Muller 4D-Lite Plus Mudguard Fitting Rear Dynamo Light with Standlight.

I have no idea how powerful it is while I'm cycling along. I guess I ought to lend it to someone and chase them down the street.

Please find a flashing one for me. :pac:

feck sake lads

not a dynmo tail light but battery one that fits onto the rear rack SMART excellent light got it from chainreactins;)

Lumen

feck sake lads wrote: »

not a dynmo tail light but battery one that fits onto the rear rack SMART excellent light got it from chainreactins;)

Battery power dilutes our smugness. Not. An. Option.

edit: for a demonstration of the sort of smugness you're dealing with, check this out.

"Thank you, gentlemen. I am quite capable of designing and building any controlling electronics to create such a light from scratch, as Andrew Muzi suggests, but the cost and the bother of one-offs is always driven up by carriage costs. Those who are audiophiles as well as cyclists might enjoy cruising my tube and silicon amp designs and thoughts on single-ended triode amps, horns and electrostats and box speakers, available though my netsite"

Lumen

OK, so I reckon the best bet might be a Reelight SL600 Flash.

There are seatpost and rack mount versions available.

edit: the 620 has a standlight function for a few quid more.

Holyboy

Lumen wrote: »

OK, so I reckon the best bet might be a Reelight SL600 Flash.

There are seatpost and rack mount versions available.

edit: the 620 has a standlight function for a few quid more.

Nice:)

studiorat

Lumen wrote: »

Battery power dilutes our smugness. Not. An. Option.

For the ultimate fredness 12v would be suitable for all sorts of car cigarette lighter powered accessories. This light for instance : http://www.priceangels.com/12V-0-8W-Car-Cigarette-Lighter-Powered-7-LED-Illuminating-Lamp-with-Magnet-Mount-s72807.html

Lumen

studiorat wrote: »

For the ultimate fredness 12v would be suitable for all sorts of car cigarette lighter powered accessories. This light for instance : http://www.priceangels.com/12V-0-8W-Car-Cigarette-Lighter-Powered-7-LED-Illuminating-Lamp-with-Magnet-Mount-s72807.html

With 28V you could go a bit further.

Accoording to the data sheet the average output is 60,000 lumen @ 1600W. Although I'm not sure my legs are up to producing 1600W.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyUkbKQNL0I

Civilian_Target

Thanks for the replies.

Lumen - too right about the smugness. Actually, I had a battery one, and now it's gone, so time to get smug.

I don't see the advantage in the reelight, because I already have a dynamo. I don't want to go adding their wierd stuff to my spokes when I can draw off the dynamo I already have.

Also, it's expensive, and the reelight standlights need a good few extra spokey metal things in order to be bright.

If you get a chance, let me know how bright the 4D lite is though - I'm guessing it's similar to the 4D toplight's center light, which is... OK, definitely above the legal limits and has a nice wide angle, but not close to the superflash 1/2 watt

Studiorat 12V would be nice, but they dynamo's old. It'll have to be 6V

Lumen

Civilian_Target wrote: »

I don't see the advantage in the reelight, because I already have a dynamo. I don't want to go adding their wierd stuff to my spokes when I can draw off the dynamo I already have.

Also, it's expensive, and the reelight standlights need a good few extra spokey metal things in order to be bright.

I've ordered a SL520.

Peter White (major smugness vendor) reckons you need a non-dynamo backup in case your wiring fails or whatever, and I figure the Reelight flashy might be good enough for that as a complement to my non-flashing B&M, which has a standlight.

Will let you know how it all works out.

Civilian_Target

Lumen wrote: »

I've ordered a SL520.

Peter White (major smugness vendor) reckons you need a non-dynamo backup in case your wiring fails or whatever, and I figure the Reelight flashy might be good enough for that as a complement to my non-flashing B&M, which has a standlight.

Will let you know how it all works out.

Funny - I was going to order off Peter White too. I'm in Boston so he's just down the road. Fortunately, he's really slow at answering mails, so I'll probably have your feedback before he replies.

All in all, this is looking like a nice, smug little thread!

Lumen

CNC machined goodness.

http://www.supernova-lights.com/newsite/e3_tail_light_de.html
http://www.supernova-lights.com/en/products/e3_tail_light.html

Civilian_Target

I gave Peter White a call, and he told me I couldn't use Supernova tail-lights because they need to be paired with a supernova front light.

I have the Lumotech IQ Fly http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/headlights.asp at the front, he said the brightest thing to pair it with at the back would be the Toplight Line Plus http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/taillights.asp so I took that... I'll fit it during the week and let you know how I get on!

Civilian_Target

So... after some initial difficulty fitting the Toplight Plus, it's installed. (The problem I had was due to not reading the technical manual for my front light first.) Installation would have been a breeze if I'd bought wire with spades on both ends, but instead the one I had was spaded on only one end, so I spent 45 minutes getting the contacts into place, etc.

So, I've got it installed, and I have to admit - it's a good light.
Brightness-wise, it's slightly less bright than my Blackburn Mars 3.0, and not as penetrating as the Smart 1/2 watt. But the light is shaped like a plate, and the whole thing illuminates. That means that it's really easy for cars to judge the distance to the bike - in fact, it looks a lot like the tail light of a car. The standlight is excellent, it keeps the light going for 2-3 minutes after the wheels stop. There's no noticable dimming on the front light either. It works very well with my battery-powered light on the seatpost, makes a nice t-shape with lots of light.

Overall, an expensive light, at $45 (about €35, including all the shipping and wiring), you can't even really claim that you'll save the difference in batteries (for a few years, at least)... but I'm pleased with the results.

Lumen

Lumen wrote: »

I've ordered a SL520.

Peter White (major smugness vendor) reckons you need a non-dynamo backup in case your wiring fails or whatever, and I figure the Reelight flashy might be good enough for that as a complement to my non-flashing B&M, which has a standlight.

Will let you know how it all works out.

I've been running the Reelight for the last week or so. It was quite fiddly to fit, but hasn't needed adjusting since. I have the light itself mounted to my seatpost.

The light isn't very bright compared to battery powered flashers (e.g. Blackburn Mars or Smart 1/2 watt), but as a supplementary light to the constant dynamo rear light it seems sufficient, and I like not having to worry about batteries or switching it on/off.

The capacitor and lack of switch means that it keeps on blinking in my hallway for a couple of minutes when I get home, which is a bit weird.

goldencleric

Lumen wrote: »

I've been running the Reelight for the last week or so. It was quite fiddly to fit, but hasn't needed adjusting since. I have the light itself mounted to my seatpost.

The light isn't very bright compared to battery powered flashers (e.g. Blackburn Mars or Smart 1/2 watt), but as a supplementary light to the constant dynamo rear light it seems sufficient, and I like not having to worry about batteries or switching it on/off.

The capacitor and lack of switch means that it keeps on blinking in my hallway for a couple of minutes when I get home, which is a bit weird.

Lumen I was thinking about getting a set of these for my commuter. Can you clarify what the red object in the pic below is? Is it just a reflector or is it a second light?

Lumen

goldencleric wrote: »

Can you clarify what the red object in the pic below is? Is it just a reflector or is it a second light?

Neither. It's the "dynamo".

goldencleric

Lumen wrote: »

Neither. It's the "dynamo".

Cool thanks - must say I like the idea of these lights, although I hope one on its own will be enough.

Lumen

goldencleric wrote: »

Cool thanks - must say I like the idea of these lights, although I hope one on its own will be enough.

I've just ordered an SL520 front flasher to match the rear. You made me do it!

goldencleric

Lumen wrote: »

I've just ordered an SL520 front flasher to match the rear. You made me do it!

I see your SL520 for the rear and I raise you a SL620 for front ...

Civilian_Target

Yeah, my better half has the reelights too, the basic set.
It's an OK backup, and the front light is fairly bright, but the back light is really not very bright, they're quite low down (so not very visible to drivers when they're close), and particularly, they stop when you stop to turn - so if you want to turn right, you'll be in the middle of the road with no lights.

But, like I say, a good supplement to lights you already have.

Lusk Doyle

Are these lights sideways facing with a casing that covers the view of the light from in front, behind, above and below? If so, I fail to see the added benefit. I await enlightenment (great pun, I know).

Lumen

Lusk Doyle wrote: »

Are these lights sideways facing

No.

goldencleric

Civilian_Target wrote: »

Yeah, my better half has the reelights too, the basic set.
It's an OK backup, and the front light is fairly bright, but the back light is really not very bright, they're quite low down (so not very visible to drivers when they're close), and particularly, they stop when you stop to turn - so if you want to turn right, you'll be in the middle of the road with no lights.

But, like I say, a good supplement to lights you already have.

I'm getting the rear light for the seatpost so hopefully that will eliminate the visbility issues. Also you can purchase each model with a back up generator so that the lights continue to work for a few mins after you stop. Thanks for the feedback, if they don't do I can always use some supplementary hipster cysts.

Lumen wrote: »

No.

Sick burn. The sideways facing thingy is the generator thingy Lusk Doyle, with a reflective surface from what I read.

Lusk Doyle

My hole that was a sick burn!

Lumen

Holy thread resurrection for posterity...

There is still a fairly poor selection of dynamo rear lights, and almost all of them supposedly require either a mudguard or rack. There is a nice looking one from Supernova, but it has no lens/reflector and according to a recent post here doesn't work as nicely as it looks.

Today, however, I discovered that my "Busch & Muller 4D-Lite Plus Mudguard Fitting Rear Dynamo Light with Standlight" actually works perfectly well ziptied to the seatstays (I'm waiting for some medium-drop brakes, but for now my commuter is running without guards).

I replaced the black metal "cage" with a zip tie, and padded the back with a couple of sections of inner tube. It's extremely secure.

The red part of the light shines perfectly horizontal.

Ignore the untidy wiring, it's temporary.