Lamps for Road Bike - Page 6 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

07-19-2004, 12:44 PM

Glm <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
> I am, however, quite keen to do night-time riding. Is this lamp good
> enough? If not, what lamps do people's experience suggest are the best?

IMHO, all rear lights do a fine enough job. My suggestion is to make
sure you've got a good rear *reflector* (big, in one solid panel). A
good reflector can be just as bright, if not brighter, than a rear lamp;
it won't ever run out of power, and you never have to remember to turn
it on/off.

(Unlike Forester, though, I don't think rear lamps are for sissies. <g>)

> Likewise, I need something for the front that can be seen *and* will shed
> worthwhile light on the road.

Being seen is not a problem (again, all lights to a fine job), but
lighting the road is usually too much for LEDs.

Your cheapest option is to get one of those lights that operate on
alkaline cells (4xAA or 2xC). The cheap ones have rather poor optics,
and they have a tendency to break down, but they do the job -- although
you have to factor in the cost of the batteries.

In that category, I'm quite fond of the Planet Bike 5000XR
([Only registered and activated users can see links. ]. It's got really nice
optics, comes with a NiMH pack that lasts about one hour on high beam
(so you don't have to keep buying batteries for short rides or commutes)
and can take alkalines for longer rides. I highly recommend it.

If you get the night cycling bug, then you can eventually move to better
(and more expensive) stuff.

> I am riding a light road bike and am keen not to add too much weight or
> screw heavy brackets onto the bars/frame, if a suitable compromise can be
> found.

*Heavy* brackets? Those little flimsy plastic things?

It's true that road bikes don't take lights as well as MTBs; the bars
are thicker and may not take every bracket, and the light might shine in
your eyes when in the drops. Still, it's not so bad, and as I said, if
you get the bug, you'll buy a generator anyway.

--
Frederic Briere <*> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

=> <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> IS NO MORE: <http://www.abacomsucks.com> <=

07-19-2004, 12:49 PM

On 19 Jul 2004 15:44:12 -0500, Frederic Briere <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
wrote in message <40fc31e5$0$11361$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>:

>IMHO, all rear lights do a fine enough job.

Gotta disagree. I use Busch & Muller 4D Toplights as reflector &
lamp, and have one or two Cateye TL-AU100 in flashing mode for backup.
And on the back of my bike bag, a RealLite :-D

The B&M has LEDs in the edges for all-round visibility, and the Cateye
does that, too. Smaller oval rear LEDs don't work half as well. The
old VistaLight rectangular ones used to be quite good.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

07-19-2004, 12:49 PM

On 19 Jul 2004 15:44:12 -0500, Frederic Briere <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
wrote in message <40fc31e5$0$11361$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>:

>IMHO, all rear lights do a fine enough job.

Gotta disagree. I use Busch & Muller 4D Toplights as reflector &
lamp, and have one or two Cateye TL-AU100 in flashing mode for backup.
And on the back of my bike bag, a RealLite :-D

The B&M has LEDs in the edges for all-round visibility, and the Cateye
does that, too. Smaller oval rear LEDs don't work half as well. The
old VistaLight rectangular ones used to be quite good.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

07-19-2004, 12:49 PM

On 19 Jul 2004 15:44:12 -0500, Frederic Briere <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
wrote in message <40fc31e5$0$11361$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>:

>IMHO, all rear lights do a fine enough job.

Gotta disagree. I use Busch & Muller 4D Toplights as reflector &
lamp, and have one or two Cateye TL-AU100 in flashing mode for backup.
And on the back of my bike bag, a RealLite :-D

The B&M has LEDs in the edges for all-round visibility, and the Cateye
does that, too. Smaller oval rear LEDs don't work half as well. The
old VistaLight rectangular ones used to be quite good.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

07-19-2004, 12:49 PM

On 19 Jul 2004 15:44:12 -0500, Frederic Briere <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
wrote in message <40fc31e5$0$11361$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>:

>IMHO, all rear lights do a fine enough job.

Gotta disagree. I use Busch & Muller 4D Toplights as reflector &
lamp, and have one or two Cateye TL-AU100 in flashing mode for backup.
And on the back of my bike bag, a RealLite :-D

The B&M has LEDs in the edges for all-round visibility, and the Cateye
does that, too. Smaller oval rear LEDs don't work half as well. The
old VistaLight rectangular ones used to be quite good.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

07-19-2004, 12:49 PM

On 19 Jul 2004 15:44:12 -0500, Frederic Briere <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
wrote in message <40fc31e5$0$11361$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>:

>IMHO, all rear lights do a fine enough job.

Gotta disagree. I use Busch & Muller 4D Toplights as reflector &
lamp, and have one or two Cateye TL-AU100 in flashing mode for backup.
And on the back of my bike bag, a RealLite :-D

The B&M has LEDs in the edges for all-round visibility, and the Cateye
does that, too. Smaller oval rear LEDs don't work half as well. The
old VistaLight rectangular ones used to be quite good.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

07-19-2004, 09:47 PM

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> writes:
> On 19 Jul 2004 15:44:12 -0500, Frederic Briere <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
> wrote in message <40fc31e5$0$11361$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>:
>
>>IMHO, all rear lights do a fine enough job.
>
> Gotta disagree. I use Busch & Muller 4D Toplights as reflector &
> lamp, and have one or two Cateye TL-AU100 in flashing mode for backup.
> And on the back of my bike bag, a RealLite :-D
>
> The B&M has LEDs in the edges for all-round visibility, and the Cateye
> does that, too. Smaller oval rear LEDs don't work half as well. The
> old VistaLight rectangular ones used to be quite good.

A foggy, moonless night is a good test of the efficacy
of lights. Just get a friend/associate to take your bike
down a ways from you (doesn't necessarily have to actually
ride it -- maybe just walk it down the sidewalk,) and see
how well your lights perform from various distances and angles.

Frank Krygowski has previously mentioned what a good idea it
is to get a real, first-hand view of the visibility of your bike,
as an onlooker. I whole-heartedly agree with that approach,
because then you absolutely /know/ what you look like to others.

It sounds like you've already done this test. I'm just reiterating
this stuff for the benefit of other people wondering about how
good their lights are.

The sagery is: don't ask; just see for yourself.

And IME, the cheapest blinkies, while they are perhaps technically
legal,don't emit enough light to the sides. Same as too-small,
cheap reflectors.

cheers,
Tom

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07-19-2004, 09:47 PM

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> writes:
> On 19 Jul 2004 15:44:12 -0500, Frederic Briere <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
> wrote in message <40fc31e5$0$11361$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>:
>
>>IMHO, all rear lights do a fine enough job.
>
> Gotta disagree. I use Busch & Muller 4D Toplights as reflector &
> lamp, and have one or two Cateye TL-AU100 in flashing mode for backup.
> And on the back of my bike bag, a RealLite :-D
>
> The B&M has LEDs in the edges for all-round visibility, and the Cateye
> does that, too. Smaller oval rear LEDs don't work half as well. The
> old VistaLight rectangular ones used to be quite good.

A foggy, moonless night is a good test of the efficacy
of lights. Just get a friend/associate to take your bike
down a ways from you (doesn't necessarily have to actually
ride it -- maybe just walk it down the sidewalk,) and see
how well your lights perform from various distances and angles.

Frank Krygowski has previously mentioned what a good idea it
is to get a real, first-hand view of the visibility of your bike,
as an onlooker. I whole-heartedly agree with that approach,
because then you absolutely /know/ what you look like to others.

It sounds like you've already done this test. I'm just reiterating
this stuff for the benefit of other people wondering about how
good their lights are.

The sagery is: don't ask; just see for yourself.

And IME, the cheapest blinkies, while they are perhaps technically
legal,don't emit enough light to the sides. Same as too-small,
cheap reflectors.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

07-19-2004, 09:47 PM

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> writes:
> On 19 Jul 2004 15:44:12 -0500, Frederic Briere <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
> wrote in message <40fc31e5$0$11361$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>:
>
>>IMHO, all rear lights do a fine enough job.
>
> Gotta disagree. I use Busch & Muller 4D Toplights as reflector &
> lamp, and have one or two Cateye TL-AU100 in flashing mode for backup.
> And on the back of my bike bag, a RealLite :-D
>
> The B&M has LEDs in the edges for all-round visibility, and the Cateye
> does that, too. Smaller oval rear LEDs don't work half as well. The
> old VistaLight rectangular ones used to be quite good.

A foggy, moonless night is a good test of the efficacy
of lights. Just get a friend/associate to take your bike
down a ways from you (doesn't necessarily have to actually
ride it -- maybe just walk it down the sidewalk,) and see
how well your lights perform from various distances and angles.

Frank Krygowski has previously mentioned what a good idea it
is to get a real, first-hand view of the visibility of your bike,
as an onlooker. I whole-heartedly agree with that approach,
because then you absolutely /know/ what you look like to others.

It sounds like you've already done this test. I'm just reiterating
this stuff for the benefit of other people wondering about how
good their lights are.

The sagery is: don't ask; just see for yourself.

And IME, the cheapest blinkies, while they are perhaps technically
legal,don't emit enough light to the sides. Same as too-small,
cheap reflectors.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

07-19-2004, 09:47 PM

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> writes:
> On 19 Jul 2004 15:44:12 -0500, Frederic Briere <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
> wrote in message <40fc31e5$0$11361$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>:
>
>>IMHO, all rear lights do a fine enough job.
>
> Gotta disagree. I use Busch & Muller 4D Toplights as reflector &
> lamp, and have one or two Cateye TL-AU100 in flashing mode for backup.
> And on the back of my bike bag, a RealLite :-D
>
> The B&M has LEDs in the edges for all-round visibility, and the Cateye
> does that, too. Smaller oval rear LEDs don't work half as well. The
> old VistaLight rectangular ones used to be quite good.

A foggy, moonless night is a good test of the efficacy
of lights. Just get a friend/associate to take your bike
down a ways from you (doesn't necessarily have to actually
ride it -- maybe just walk it down the sidewalk,) and see
how well your lights perform from various distances and angles.

Frank Krygowski has previously mentioned what a good idea it
is to get a real, first-hand view of the visibility of your bike,
as an onlooker. I whole-heartedly agree with that approach,
because then you absolutely /know/ what you look like to others.

It sounds like you've already done this test. I'm just reiterating
this stuff for the benefit of other people wondering about how
good their lights are.

The sagery is: don't ask; just see for yourself.

And IME, the cheapest blinkies, while they are perhaps technically
legal,don't emit enough light to the sides. Same as too-small,
cheap reflectors.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca