Front lights for heavy mist/fog/unlit paths

[flake99please]

The fact is that no matter how powerful the light is, you wont be able to see through heavy fog. Take fog during the daytime as an example. If your vision is reduced to (insert random distance here) in sunlight, what hope do you have to see with an LED light? No amount of light will create a biblical scale 'parting of the fog' for you.

As others before me have suggested. If your viewing distance is impaired due to fog, slow down to a safe speed. Walk if you have to...

 

[totallyfixed]

In real pea soupers a vehicle ought not to be moving quicker than a bike so in theory should never be overtaken, a cyclist has the use of another sense a motorist does not, hearing. {excluding those misguided individuals who ride with earphones].

 

[MrGrumpy]

Or deaf cyclist

 

[Origamist]

As others have mentioned, your only real option would be to mount an StVZO compliant dynamo light on your forks or get a battery supported, similarity compliant light i.e Cateye Gvolt 80 (which I've heard good things about) and mount it below your handlebars. This is because you want the light to be low to the ground and have a horizontal beam pattern (i.e.cut off). However, in thick fog there is only so much you can do - I worry more about what motorists are doing as my speeds on the bike mean that I am unlikely to be a danger to myself or others.

The new B&M LUMOTEC IQ-X - 100 lux looks very nice.

 

[RoubaixCube]

well. No worries.

I'll just save my money and make do with what i already have. Its not as if im always going to be going out in thick/heavy fog. This is London after all, not the moors or the shires! I think im pretty well set up for an amature cyclist even if my main arsenal is made up of cheap £5 Cree's

I might getting something a bit more beefy for the Dunwich Dynamo but Im hoping that i'll be able to find someone with an uber powerful light and just tag along with him.

an upgraded helmet light would be useful i think

 

[RoubaixCube]

As most people have already said in the fog you are going to struggle regardless of what light you have, same as when driving a car. Ride (drive) to the conditions.

That being said I would second @winjim and suggest you check out Torchy the Battery Boy. He has a website here reviewing a number of well known lights and lesser known lights and seems to be well regarded on forums. He also sells lights on his ebay page. I own and ride with a Fluxient U2 mini which I find to be very good for most conditions. I do also ride with a solarstorm which is a good bright light but you could probably do better as it is quite old and purcharsed before I learnt about some of the horror stories of cheap ebay battery packs. I will run them as a pair for redundancy and only use the solarstorm on very dark country lanes pointed down so i can see oncoming pot holes.

thanks for recommending torchy. Ive spent a lot of time reading his reviews (i wish he would do more!!) and dilly dallying over his wares on his ebay store. Im looking to pick up a Fluxient U2 Mini or maybe a Fluxient XM-L2 'Enduro' later on before the DunRun.

 

[andrew_s]

German StVZO compliant lights mounted as low as possible are best. I use a SON Edelux mounted off the low-rider boss on my fork.
What you want is light on the road, and as little light as possible on the fog between the road and your eyes. Car front foglights have a sharp cut-off like dipped lights and are mounted well below the normal headlights.

Headtorches are the worst type of light possible in fog. Trying to see comparatively dimly lit road (further away) through very brightly lit fog can be almost impossible. Adding extra power just makes things worse.

 

[fossyant]

Riding in pea soup in awesome. Needs to be done away from city street lights... Interesting ! I used to love it.

 

[puffinbilly]

Riding in pea soup in awesome. Needs to be done away from city street lights... Interesting ! I used to love it.

Do you put this down the front of your shorts or just use like chamois cream?

 

[fossyant]

Do you put this down the front of your shorts or just use like chamois cream?

That Rapha Jelly, or Cow Pat (Udder) Cream is just rubbish. Pea soup all the way !