Headlamp recommendations for night riding - Page 2 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

08-02-2004, 12:36 PM

"Frank Krygowski" wrote...
> Most of the middle type are expensive, like well over $100. Almost all
> have no optical design to speak of, meaning they use a hardware store
> MR-11 bulb and spray most of the light where it's not needed, unless
> it's technical mountain biking you're doing. (For that, you do need
> light everywhere.) Battery life is finite and replacement is expensive.
> These are the kind people sometimes build for themselves, because
> except for cosmetics, the one you build is as good as, and cheaper than,
> the one produced by mass production - a clue that the manufacturers are
> doing well financially!
>
(snip)
> I ride only roads and the occasional bike path at night. I also use my
> bike a lot for utility, and want the light always ready to go (no "Did I
> remember to bring it along?" or "When did I last recharge that
> battery?") So I like generators. But Your Mileage May (definitely) Vary.

Best battery life (at least for SLA) is obtained when you re-charge after
every ride. Sometimes this is not possible but with a 'proper' charger it
will give you maximum battery life AND you'll always have a full charge to
ride on.

Another comment: My commuting bike has two separate SLA halogen headlight
systems .. totaling 3 bulbs, and two batteries. The first was a PERFORMANCE
system that I suspect was built by someone else and Performance put their
name on it. I don't think they sold very many. The headlight is *enormous*
by today's standards ... the reflector is a whopping 3.5" in diameter and
the lens is designed to provide a wide, flat beam across the road. It also
has two illumation levels.

The second system is a Vistalite with dual bulbs. I forget what the wattage
is .. I think 10 and 10 (I think it originally came with 10 and 20 bulbs)
The reflectors are 2 inches in diameter. The reflectors can be adjusted
in-out to change the beam pattern (wide, small) .. but the beam is still
circular.

I just bought a new system (for one of my other bikes) from Bike Nashbar
that has the current style bulb. REAL small, and not adjustable in any way.
It was on sale for $40 and it's a 10 watt SLA system that should run for at
least 2 hours.

I dunno .. I think BICYCLING magazine's STYLE MAN has warped everyone into
thinking smaller is better ;-)

08-02-2004, 03:51 PM

> My commuting bike has two separate SLA halogen headlight
> systems .. totaling 3 bulbs, and two batteries. The first
> was a PERFORMANCE system that I suspect was built by
> someone else and Performance put their name on it.
> I don't think they sold very many. The headlight is
> *enormous* by today's standards ... the reflector is a
> whopping 3.5" in diameter and the lens is designed to
> provide a wide, flat beam across the road.

That sounds a lot like the old Union headlight. I have used two of them,
each with a 10-watt halogen bulb, one above the other on my bike, aimed
to give a nice rectangle of light on the roadway.

> I think BICYCLING magazine's STYLE MAN has warped
> everyone into thinking smaller is better ;-)

Long before Style Man came along, riders had decided they didn't like
the bulk of the big old Union lightsets and were buying smaller
lightsets instead, even though the early alternatives were nowhere near
as good as the Union lights.

--
Robots don't kill people -- people kill people.
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

08-02-2004, 03:51 PM

> My commuting bike has two separate SLA halogen headlight
> systems .. totaling 3 bulbs, and two batteries. The first
> was a PERFORMANCE system that I suspect was built by
> someone else and Performance put their name on it.
> I don't think they sold very many. The headlight is
> *enormous* by today's standards ... the reflector is a
> whopping 3.5" in diameter and the lens is designed to
> provide a wide, flat beam across the road.

That sounds a lot like the old Union headlight. I have used two of them,
each with a 10-watt halogen bulb, one above the other on my bike, aimed
to give a nice rectangle of light on the roadway.

> I think BICYCLING magazine's STYLE MAN has warped
> everyone into thinking smaller is better ;-)

Long before Style Man came along, riders had decided they didn't like
the bulk of the big old Union lightsets and were buying smaller
lightsets instead, even though the early alternatives were nowhere near
as good as the Union lights.

--
Robots don't kill people -- people kill people.
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

08-02-2004, 03:51 PM

> My commuting bike has two separate SLA halogen headlight
> systems .. totaling 3 bulbs, and two batteries. The first
> was a PERFORMANCE system that I suspect was built by
> someone else and Performance put their name on it.
> I don't think they sold very many. The headlight is
> *enormous* by today's standards ... the reflector is a
> whopping 3.5" in diameter and the lens is designed to
> provide a wide, flat beam across the road.

That sounds a lot like the old Union headlight. I have used two of them,
each with a 10-watt halogen bulb, one above the other on my bike, aimed
to give a nice rectangle of light on the roadway.

> I think BICYCLING magazine's STYLE MAN has warped
> everyone into thinking smaller is better ;-)

Long before Style Man came along, riders had decided they didn't like
the bulk of the big old Union lightsets and were buying smaller
lightsets instead, even though the early alternatives were nowhere near
as good as the Union lights.

--
Robots don't kill people -- people kill people.
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

08-02-2004, 03:51 PM

> My commuting bike has two separate SLA halogen headlight
> systems .. totaling 3 bulbs, and two batteries. The first
> was a PERFORMANCE system that I suspect was built by
> someone else and Performance put their name on it.
> I don't think they sold very many. The headlight is
> *enormous* by today's standards ... the reflector is a
> whopping 3.5" in diameter and the lens is designed to
> provide a wide, flat beam across the road.

That sounds a lot like the old Union headlight. I have used two of them,
each with a 10-watt halogen bulb, one above the other on my bike, aimed
to give a nice rectangle of light on the roadway.

> I think BICYCLING magazine's STYLE MAN has warped
> everyone into thinking smaller is better ;-)

Long before Style Man came along, riders had decided they didn't like
the bulk of the big old Union lightsets and were buying smaller
lightsets instead, even though the early alternatives were nowhere near
as good as the Union lights.

--
Robots don't kill people -- people kill people.
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

08-02-2004, 03:51 PM

> My commuting bike has two separate SLA halogen headlight
> systems .. totaling 3 bulbs, and two batteries. The first
> was a PERFORMANCE system that I suspect was built by
> someone else and Performance put their name on it.
> I don't think they sold very many. The headlight is
> *enormous* by today's standards ... the reflector is a
> whopping 3.5" in diameter and the lens is designed to
> provide a wide, flat beam across the road.

That sounds a lot like the old Union headlight. I have used two of them,
each with a 10-watt halogen bulb, one above the other on my bike, aimed
to give a nice rectangle of light on the roadway.

> I think BICYCLING magazine's STYLE MAN has warped
> everyone into thinking smaller is better ;-)

Long before Style Man came along, riders had decided they didn't like
the bulk of the big old Union lightsets and were buying smaller
lightsets instead, even though the early alternatives were nowhere near
as good as the Union lights.

--
Robots don't kill people -- people kill people.
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

08-02-2004, 06:16 PM

On Sun, 1 Aug 2004 22:12:34 -0500, Russ <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

> Hi Everyone,
>
> I'd like to get some input from others on the topic of headlamp setups.
> There are a lot of choices and lights get very expensive.
>
> Background
> - My bike is a Specialized Elite
> - I ride locally in neighborhoods and on trails
> - I want to not just be seen at night, I really want to *see*
> - I'd like at least 2-4 hours at full brightness. Also, selectable light
> levels.
>
> My question is the "sweetspot" between cost and light performance?
>
> Thanks
> Russ
>
>

I posted a similar enquiry a couple of weeks ago and received a number of
most informative responses. A copy of the thread can be found at:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

In the end I purchased a Cateye HL-EL400 as a 'be seen' light. I'll no
doubt buy the HL-EL500 when it becomes available in the US (it boasts
1,000 candlepower as opposed to 90). Seems that when I really need to
light the road (which I don't at the moment), I'll go for a hub system.

08-02-2004, 06:16 PM

On Sun, 1 Aug 2004 22:12:34 -0500, Russ <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

> Hi Everyone,
>
> I'd like to get some input from others on the topic of headlamp setups.
> There are a lot of choices and lights get very expensive.
>
> Background
> - My bike is a Specialized Elite
> - I ride locally in neighborhoods and on trails
> - I want to not just be seen at night, I really want to *see*
> - I'd like at least 2-4 hours at full brightness. Also, selectable light
> levels.
>
> My question is the "sweetspot" between cost and light performance?
>
> Thanks
> Russ
>
>

I posted a similar enquiry a couple of weeks ago and received a number of
most informative responses. A copy of the thread can be found at:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

In the end I purchased a Cateye HL-EL400 as a 'be seen' light. I'll no
doubt buy the HL-EL500 when it becomes available in the US (it boasts
1,000 candlepower as opposed to 90). Seems that when I really need to
light the road (which I don't at the moment), I'll go for a hub system.

08-02-2004, 06:16 PM

On Sun, 1 Aug 2004 22:12:34 -0500, Russ <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

> Hi Everyone,
>
> I'd like to get some input from others on the topic of headlamp setups.
> There are a lot of choices and lights get very expensive.
>
> Background
> - My bike is a Specialized Elite
> - I ride locally in neighborhoods and on trails
> - I want to not just be seen at night, I really want to *see*
> - I'd like at least 2-4 hours at full brightness. Also, selectable light
> levels.
>
> My question is the "sweetspot" between cost and light performance?
>
> Thanks
> Russ
>
>

I posted a similar enquiry a couple of weeks ago and received a number of
most informative responses. A copy of the thread can be found at:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

In the end I purchased a Cateye HL-EL400 as a 'be seen' light. I'll no
doubt buy the HL-EL500 when it becomes available in the US (it boasts
1,000 candlepower as opposed to 90). Seems that when I really need to
light the road (which I don't at the moment), I'll go for a hub system.

08-02-2004, 06:16 PM

On Sun, 1 Aug 2004 22:12:34 -0500, Russ <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

> Hi Everyone,
>
> I'd like to get some input from others on the topic of headlamp setups.
> There are a lot of choices and lights get very expensive.
>
> Background
> - My bike is a Specialized Elite
> - I ride locally in neighborhoods and on trails
> - I want to not just be seen at night, I really want to *see*
> - I'd like at least 2-4 hours at full brightness. Also, selectable light
> levels.
>
> My question is the "sweetspot" between cost and light performance?
>
> Thanks
> Russ
>
>

I posted a similar enquiry a couple of weeks ago and received a number of
most informative responses. A copy of the thread can be found at:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

In the end I purchased a Cateye HL-EL400 as a 'be seen' light. I'll no
doubt buy the HL-EL500 when it becomes available in the US (it boasts
1,000 candlepower as opposed to 90). Seems that when I really need to
light the road (which I don't at the moment), I'll go for a hub system.