numbnuts
Legendary Member
- Location
- Gone over the hill and far away
£95 for a rear light !!! out of my price range, I’ll just stick another candle in the lantern that should do it 
The worlds brightest rear led? - made in Britian by .....
- Thread starter Sore Thumb
- Start date
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HJ
Cycling in Scotland
- Location
- Auld Reekie
I use Dinotte 400L (see link in post above for details) which is bright, but not brighter that the lights fitted to the majority of cars. At night I find that the vast majority of drivers then treat me in the same way as they would treat a car, they give me the same amount of space as they would a car then passing, and the day time I find that when the rear light is on I also get more road room. I don't aim the lights up to try and dazzle other road users, that is not the point. I have yet to be flashed by an on coming driver at night, although I have had them dip their lights on seeing loom of my light but before they have seen me (ie coming around a corner). Provided the lights used responsibly there shouldn't be a problem. If anyone is tempted to go around trying to dazzle other road users when I hope the police will take action, Highway Code Rule 114 "You MUST NOT use any lights in a way which would dazzle or cause discomfort to other road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders". (Law RVLR reg 27)
It must be wrong
If you look on www.leds.de at the high powered leds the best red LEDs are 44 lumens per watt
So to do 240 lumens would require 6 watts per LED
Or 18W all in
Most front lights on "turbo" are no more than 10W
A Smart Superflash has a 1/2 Watt LED
the snail
Guru
- Location
- Chippenham
+! what hj said
I find driving behind cars with unneccessary fog lights distracting, and it hurts my eyes. The best thing for visibility is a high viz jacket, and reflectors. I find bike lights don't show up well in traffic, when there are loads of car lights, but a cyclist's hi viz is visible from a long distance. If I was overtaking a bike on a narrow A road, a light that's too bright would only make the situation less safe. reflectors are cheap and don't need batteries either.
I find driving behind cars with unneccessary fog lights distracting, and it hurts my eyes. The best thing for visibility is a high viz jacket, and reflectors. I find bike lights don't show up well in traffic, when there are loads of car lights, but a cyclist's hi viz is visible from a long distance. If I was overtaking a bike on a narrow A road, a light that's too bright would only make the situation less safe. reflectors are cheap and don't need batteries either.
gaz
Cycle Camera TV
- Location
- South Croydon
Chrisz
Über Member
- Location
- Sittingbourne
One of the most useful rear lights I ever had was a set of bar end lights that flashed. Fitted into the drops and facing rearwards they seemed to work a treat. Cars definitely gave me a wider berth than when I ride with just a seatpost light. Unfortunately the batteries cost a fortune, didn't last more than a couple of weeks at a time and the whole unit let in water and rusted up 
If I could find more bar end lights for drop handlebars I'd buy them again happily
If I could find more bar end lights for drop handlebars I'd buy them again happily
One of the most useful rear lights I ever had was a set of bar end lights that flashed. Fitted into the drops and facing rearwards they seemed to work a treat. Cars definitely gave me a wider berth than when I ride with just a seatpost light. Unfortunately the batteries cost a fortune, didn't last more than a couple of weeks at a time and the whole unit let in water and rusted up
If I could find more bar end lights for drop handlebars I'd buy them again happily
Funny you mention this Chris. I saw someone on my commute Tuesday night with the exact lights you describe.
DrSquirrel
Guest
Bright LEDs have been around for a while, it's just no one has really bothered to put them into a light package. And not everyone with these lights want them for the road. MTBr's tend to be up the front of the DIY lot in making lights, off road = no other cars to worry about.
It's not all about brightness though, its also about efficency - the SST-90 which is 2250 Lumen at high output does 1100 ish at highest efficiency. So get this, run it at the most efficent with an option for "full beam" so to speak.
And btw there is a SST-90-R @ 800+ lumen and CBT-120-R @ 1250+ lumen - no body puts this into a package though, why? Because no one wants them.
If you're getting flashed with a Hope 1 you are just facing ignorance... a small 10 Lumen LED will look "too bright" if pointed in the correct direction - I've even heard people moaning about seeing spots after looking at some 2 lumen LEDs.
One of the most useful rear lights I ever had was a set of bar end lights that flashed. Fitted into the drops and facing rearwards they seemed to work a treat. Cars definitely gave me a wider berth than when I ride with just a seatpost light. Unfortunately the batteries cost a fortune, didn't last more than a couple of weeks at a time and the whole unit let in water and rusted up
If I could find more bar end lights for drop handlebars I'd buy them again happily
Something like these?
DrSquirrel
Guest
There are a few around like this, Trek even make some for around a £12 that runs on a single AAA (each).
Guess it would make you look a bit wider than you are which is an obvious bonus.
Guess it would make you look a bit wider than you are which is an obvious bonus.
RedBike
New Member
- Location
- Beside the road
A while ago I bought two torches from Dealtime extreme., both torches have now fallen apart/failed but i've saved the LEDs (which are still working) from out of them (900 & 500 lumens.)
I was seriously thinking about turning the 900lumen LED into a dynamo powered REAR bike light.
Apparently most dynamo hubs can only produce 500ma max, so you can (in theory at least) power a high powered LED without any complex driver circuits if you're willing to accept that you'd never quite achieve full brightness and the lights would be pretty dim at low speeds (and turn off when you stopped)
This thread has caused me to have a serious re-think about just how bright is too bright.
I have just got the Exposure Redeye. So far i've found it GREAT for commuting in traffic, espeshially at dusk when low powered lights aren't always clearly visable. It is no brighter than a car brake light and there reason why it should dazzle car drivers. However, its highly dangerous for other cyclists. If you pass someone with a low powered front light the redeye will completely swamp their light leaving them unable to see where they're going.
I was seriously thinking about turning the 900lumen LED into a dynamo powered REAR bike light.
Apparently most dynamo hubs can only produce 500ma max, so you can (in theory at least) power a high powered LED without any complex driver circuits if you're willing to accept that you'd never quite achieve full brightness and the lights would be pretty dim at low speeds (and turn off when you stopped)
This thread has caused me to have a serious re-think about just how bright is too bright.
I have just got the Exposure Redeye. So far i've found it GREAT for commuting in traffic, espeshially at dusk when low powered lights aren't always clearly visable. It is no brighter than a car brake light and there reason why it should dazzle car drivers. However, its highly dangerous for other cyclists. If you pass someone with a low powered front light the redeye will completely swamp their light leaving them unable to see where they're going.
DrSquirrel
Guest
Unless your dynamo has the circuitry to control the output voltage, you will probably want a driver. What happened to the ones you previously had?
Just because it needs say 2800mA @ 900lumen, doesn't mean that is the most efficient
Drivers can be had for a few quid anyway.
Just because it needs say 2800mA @ 900lumen, doesn't mean that is the most efficient
Drivers can be had for a few quid anyway.
Its the current that kills LEDs, constant current drivers are recommended. +1 all the rest.
totallyfixed
Veteran
- Location
- The only county without a McDonalds
You are making my point for me, the ideal place to centre your front light beam is approx 5 metres ahead on the road. The problem is that front light reflectors [with the 2 exceptions mentioned] are not designed to limit their spread in the same way a dipped car headlight is.
I have often remarked that when we are out cycling together at night and one is behind the other, if the front one looks back the light is so bright it is impossible to see anything else, not even the person on the bike!
Surely others have noticed this? I love the fact that the light is bright enough to cycle fast on dark roads, but it just doesn't feel right blinding other road users. I am now saving my pennies for the Strada which has a main beam and dip and the Hope will be used for off road excursions.
