Front Lights to 'see' with

[John the Monkey]

£110? You'd be better off by buying a dedicated bike light like an Exposure.

Although the poster of that figure is using them off road too, so the extra grunt/slightly less refined beam might be a good combo.

 

[Origamist]

£110? You'd be better off by buying a dedicated bike light like an Exposure.

Not worth the money for the power, IMO...As I said, I can get two of these Eagletacs and they would comfortably eclipse a Maxx D, one of them will almost match a Maxx D, and a comparison with a Joystick is not even close.

If I was going to spend a lot, a Light And Motion Seca would be high on my list as would the Lumicycle LED System 4. If I was going to spend a huge amount the B&M Big Bang would be very tasty too.

 

[danphoto]

Well FWIW my Ixon IQ came this morning and I'm mightily impressed with (a) the build quality and ( the brightness of it, but most of all by the flat-top beam shape. Many thanks indeed to those who recommended it.

 

[Noodley]

Well FWIW my Ixon IQ came this morning and I'm mightily impressed with (a) the build quality and ( the brightness of it, but most of all by the flat-top beam shape. Many thanks indeed to those who recommended it.

One of my mates has one, and advice from me would be:
a) make sure it is properly secured as his lamp vibrated out of the clamp...
the clear top of the lamp can be annoying if leaning over, he has put a bit of black tape over it as it started to annoy him...

otherwise, enjoy. it is very good at lighting the road

 

[BentMikey]

300 lumens for 9 hours? That's roughly the same as the MaxxD on ride (medium), plus you've got two torches, batteries, and a shed-load of faff and lost handlebar space compared with a single unit proper bike light, with a high quality mounting.

Two cheaper torches are quite a decent compromise, but when you start spending £110 per torch, you're buying something less functional for almost the same money. There are loads of very good high quality bike lights out there that just work way better than torches do.

 

[Origamist]

300 lumens for 9 hours? That's roughly the same as the MaxxD on ride (medium), plus you've got two torches, batteries, and a shed-load of faff and lost handlebar space compared with a single unit proper bike light, with a high quality mounting.

Two cheaper torches are quite a decent compromise, but when you start spending £110 per torch, you're buying something less functional for almost the same money. There are loads of very good high quality bike lights out there that just work way better than torches do.

Two powerful torches provide redundancy - particularly useful off-road. Carrying extra batteries that double the run time is not a hassle, it's a bonus as they can be swopped in 30secs. The torches are fixed with 3 lock blocks each, meaning they are tethered along 3 inches of the torch - they are more secure than a lot of bike light mounts. I have them underneath the bottom of my drops (where I hardly ever grip the bar). The only niggle is adjusting the angle on the fly - this is not ideal, but with the amount of light we are talking about it's not a major problem.

The combination of a triple cree (excellent throw and bright spill) and an MC-E torch (good flood and throw) complement one another. If you like, I'll show you one day.

I have seen a Maxx D in action and it's an excellent bit of kit, but I think you'll be surprised by my set-up. 1700 claimed lumens is an awful lot of light...

 

[billflat12]

In defence of those cheap torches, lower mounts would be better for road use & the newer 3000ah batteries should also increase run-time, Can agree that poor assembly issues make these cheap p7.s unreliable. i,ve posted a link below to an excellent illustrated troubleshooting guide to get the best out of a typical 900 lumens. p7 mte torch.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...d.php?t=227518


more reviews

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=195805


DX competitor offer:
5-mode p7 kit for About £30 delivered (claimed 2.5hrs hi +4hrs low ???????)

http://www.kaidomain.com/ProductDeta...ProductId=9535

 

[BentMikey]

I'm sure your lights are very good, Origamist, and there are certainly better lights out there than either of our setups.

I can't help feeling that three lockblocks is an awful lot of faff. Even a single lockblock is quite nasty compared to the elegance of the Exposure mounting. The exposure mount is QR too.

 

[andrew_s]

In defence of those cheap torches, bit,o strategically placed tape would cure any blinding problems

I reckon if you put enough tape on to prevent blinding, you'd block most of your riding light. Cars have carefully designed reflectors and lenses that are amenable, but torches don't.

 

[fossyant]

I'm sure your lights are very good, Origamist, and there are certainly better lights out there than either of our setups.

I can't help feeling that three lockblocks is an awful lot of faff. Even a single lockblock is quite nasty compared to the elegance of the Exposure mounting. The exposure mount is QR too.

Hey BM, I thought you were a big Fenix fan....or did the Exposure tip the balance.....

 

[BentMikey]

Hey BM, I thought you were a big Fenix fan....or did the Exposure tip the balance.....

Oh, don't get me wrong, I do like the torch solution a lot. Very good for the price, IMO, but equally doesn't come even slightly close to a real bike light, especially not a super well designed one like the Exposure.

Should I be admitting to considering the Lupine Betty at the time?

 

[Ticktockmy]

Regarding taping non cycle lighting on the handle bars or else where, remember cycle lights are subject to UK laws, as to what requirement need to be met, however I cannot recall any cases of people being stopped by the police for using lights which does not confirm to the law, unless you where using a hurrican lamp or silly which would put you or othere road users in peril.
However, for some people the most serious issue is their status in law in the event of an accident. It is felt that an astute lawyer could point to the use of a non-legal lighting setup to undermine the cyclist's position in any ensuing compensation or insurance case.

Just a thought.
Bob G.

 

[cheadle hulme]

Regarding taping non cycle lighting on the handle bars or else where, remember cycle lights are subject to UK laws, as to what requirement need to be met, however I cannot recall any cases of people being stopped by the police for using lights which does not confirm to the law, unless you where using a hurrican lamp or silly which would put you or othere road users in peril.
However, for some people the most serious issue is their status in law in the event of an accident. It is felt that an astute lawyer could point to the use of a non-legal lighting setup to undermine the cyclist's position in any ensuing compensation or insurance case.

Just a thought.
Bob G.

Indeed. Of course as long as you have a BS or TUV approved light you should be fine. Any other lighting is regarded as supplementary and does not have to adhere to the regs.

I have a small BS Cateye plus the Fenix.

 

[Origamist]

I'm sure your lights are very good, Origamist, and there are certainly better lights out there than either of our setups.

I can't help feeling that three lockblocks is an awful lot of faff. Even a single lockblock is quite nasty compared to the elegance of the Exposure mounting. The exposure mount is QR too.

It's just 3 bits of velcro to pull back. That's QR in my book - less than 10 secs to remove.

 

[Origamist]

Indeed. Of course as long as you have a BS or TUV approved light you should be fine. Any other lighting is regarded as supplementary and does not have to adhere to the regs.

I have a small BS Cateye plus the Fenix.

It's surprising, but very few lights meet UK BS regs. Poeple worry about torches, but Hope, Exposure, Lupine etc all do not meet BS standards. I can't say I lose much sleep over a contributory negligence claim...