Front Lights to 'see' with

[manalog]

Hi,
Any ideas how many Lumens the Tesco 3Watts Torches are?

 

[cheadle hulme]

But seriously, whilst there are brighter lights out there, if you can't see where you're going with EL530s, you need to get your eyesight checked. Or eat a lot more carrots...

I think most people would disagree with you...

Tesco torch is around 100 lumens, Fenix L2D is 175 on turbo mode.

However the XR-E LED used in both of those is a bit last year. Things move fast in the LED world!

The latest high power LED is the MC-E as found in

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.16501

Far more powerful than ayups and chucking out around 125 times more light than a cateye!

 

[wafflycat]

I think most people would disagree with you...

Tesco torch is around 100 lumens, Fenix L2D is 175 on turbo mode.

However the XR-E LED used in both of those is a bit last year. Things move fast in the LED world!

The latest high power LED is the MC-E as found in

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.16501

Far more powerful than ayups and chucking out around 125 times more light than a cateye!

Then seriously, they need to get their eyes tested.

 

[BentMikey]

It's possible to ride a dark lane on a single EL530, but it's not easy to see, and you generally have to go slower than normal. With a good modern LED light, it's a little more like riding in the daytime.

 

[andrew_s]

The trouble with the Cateye EL530 is that although the middle of the beam is OK, it's a very narrow beam, and is surrounded by blackness.

MC-E based lights (or Seoul P7) use considerably more power than the XR-E LEDs, and so need big battery packs. You'd be limited to about 30mins on 2xAA

 

[jamesxyz]

That's great, plenty to think about.
Looks like I'll have to convince the missus to let me spend more - it is for health and safety after all .... on second thoughts, she might prefer me with the cheap ones!!

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

The trouble with the Cateye EL530 is that although the middle of the beam is OK, it's a very narrow beam, and is surrounded by blackness.

MC-E based lights (or Seoul P7) use considerably more power than the XR-E LEDs, and so need big battery packs. You'd be limited to about 30mins on 2xAA

I can second that comment on the EL530. It is OK for slowish speeds in unlit areas (i.e. my speed), but I added an EL320 (think that's the right number) to give a better spread of light by having them pointing a little away from each other. The 320 (let's call it that) also has a flash mode which I use to draw attention to me on lit roads, coupled with the 530 as a fixed reference point.

I also helmet-mounted one of the Tesco £8 AA jobs so as to give a bit extra in the woods on the way home: mainly so I could see through corners rather than just where the handlebars were pointing. If I leave that on for the unlit bits I can zip along down the hill at 25mph or so and not feel too scared .. though I did nearly dink a front rim last winter on a big ole pothole what I had not seen!!

I was looking for another £8 job to use as a normal torch, but ..

There is some discussion 'in another place' that the Tesco Cree 3W LED torches AA size are now longer been supplied to Tesco stores.

I visited 3 Tesco Extra stores on West Coast of Scotland last Sunday and had no joy.
Some stores may have legacy stock so if you see any when following the SWMBO around grab them while you can.

.. my local Tesco Extra has not had any for a while now.

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

That's great, plenty to think about.
Looks like I'll have to convince the missus to let me spend more - it is for health and safety after all .... on second thoughts, she might prefer me with the cheap ones!!

Depends on your life insurance!!

Seriously, a cheap but adequate option would be to bar-mount a pair of the Tesco jobs .. if you can find em.

 

[wafflycat]

As much as I am not a fan of T*s*o these days... they do have the torches available online

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.203-8191.aspx

 

[fossyant]

The cat-eye lights are massively overpriced for the light output. £50 or so for an EL530 - add another £20 and you'll be in Hope Vision 1 land, made from CNC'ed alloy, not plastic.

Torches are very good, add in a flashy backup light and you'll be off.

Given the reactions/comments of folk on the Blackpool Light's ride this week, I can recommend the Hope Vision 1's - 240 lumens on max....I use 2 for back up.

If you can up your budget, then you can get some fantastic lights, for not too much. Those Ay-ups are tiny...

 

[wafflycat]

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Of course the EL530 isn't a match for the AyUps and nowhere have I claimed it is. But neither is the EL530 useless. I find with one EL530, it adequately lights up the entire width of a single carriageway rural lane, enough to cycle along. Using two, it's even better.

Dependent upon budget, as I said before, if I was spending over £100, I'd be going for AyUps. As it was, when I got my EL530s due to offers, I got two for little more than the normal price of one. Excellent for my then budget.

In the meantime, I'll just carry on cycling perfectly well along unlit rural lanes using one or two EL530s and you just carry on needing to eat carrots and get an eye test.

 

[smeg]

I've got a couple of these mounts on the front of mine: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-Bicycle-F...K_SportingGoods_OtherSports?hash=item48373524

With a couple of Spiderfire CREE 300 Lumens torches attached to them:
http://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trksid=m38&_nkw=Spiderfire+CREE&_sacat=See-All-Categories

Using rechargeable batteries: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CR123A-Li-ion...umerElectronics_Batteries_SM?hash=item43998d6

I use this combo in the dark on unlit roads and a pitch black cycle track when I use that route, good for spotting all the potholes in the dark. Bear in mind these are very bright and eat batteries, mine will last about an hour (just) before they'll need replacing/recharging, which is just about long enough for me to commute to work and back when it's dark all the time during Winter. These torches also claim to have various modes, i.e. half brightness, flashing mode etc, in my experience that's a load of bull and they're just on & off. I'd suggest getting a Spiderfire even though there are other makes or it might be a bit of a gamble, Spiderfires are alright but another one I have has a dodgy button/switch which makes it pretty much useless on the bike because it switches itself off due to the vibration/shocks, but it might just be a one off.

 

[danphoto]

With a Fenix 2LD, I take it I'll want the "orange peel" reflector?

And does anybody have any experience of the dearer of the two bike mounts (ie the non-velcro one)?

 

[Origamist]

Yes, go for the OP reflector.

The velcro lock-block is simpler and more effective (no rattle) than the Fenix plastic/screw-in torch mount.

 

[danphoto]

Thank you