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Tech How bright are your headlights?

Marwin

Cruising
Jul 7, 2007
38
7
I was shopping today at Aliexpress and eBay for some cycling lights and found 2 products that tickled my curiosity: Cree and Solar Storm. These lights have like 2000~3000 lumens in brightness. The bike shops near me doesn't sell any lights brighter than 500 lumens. I think there was a 2000 lumens before but its no longer there. I only use a 100 lumens cateye right now. I need something much brighter. So, the questions I want throw out there is: How bright are your lights?
 
I have a 2 700 lumen night riders.
I have a 1000 lumen Magic Shine.
I have a 1200 lumen Magic Shine.
I have a 1600 lumen Magic Shine.

I use the 700 on low power probably for 95% of my riding.
 
Using anything more than that on built up roads is dangerous and unnecessary. You would just be a hazard to yourself and everyone else on the road.

Country roads and mountains are a different story.
 
I run a combination of a 40 lumen Lezyne Lecto Pro for lit roads & a 600 lumen Lezyne Deca Drive for country lanes. Oh and a set of Tacx Lumos as backup.
 
Depends in your use case.

1,400 lumen max for me. Usually flashing or full power on big streets like the 246.

Mid power setting for the 1 lane each way.

Mid power for pitch black night rides on the river. Others is lowest setting and dipped down. Disco stun when I'm approaching clueless traffic.
 
I have the Moon power 300 lumens light and @saibot has the cateye volt 300 lumens light. Last night we descended from the top of Sadamine, down to Ogawamachi in the pitch black at speeds between 30-60kph at the end of a 200km+ ride. We were obviously tired but with the lights, the dark didn't slow us down one little bit . The lights are as bright as I would ever need. Not once did I wish I had a more powerful light.
The only reason I could see me wanting a beefier light is due to it having a bigger battery thus, with the power turned down, it would last much longer. Having said that, if I'm doing a longish ride, I'll take my battery pack with me and charge the light up on the go. I think my battery pack will recharge the moon about 5-8 times.
 
My lights are weak, because I am weak.

Increasingly, I see lights that, um, throb rather than flash. (I mean, they take a perceptible time to brighten and weaken.) My first impression is that they're about as attention-grabbing as flashing lights, but are slightly less annoying. Or is it just that they have novelty value?
 
This is the kind of situation I don't like doing to other motorists or cyclists on the road



I'll probably get a 2000 lumens light and use the lowest setting for my rides. Some drivers in Japan just aren't that friendly to cyclists and the roads are too narrow with barely to no cycling lanes on paved roads. They always make you use the pedestrian walkways which are not level and a bit dangerous.
 
Don`t forget light ratings are like weights of bikes..to be taken with a pinch of salt. There is one benefit to running lights that can be turned up HIGH...best saved for motorists who think they can keep their full beam on as it`s only a cyclist.
I always make this comment, but relying on one light, is unnecessary risk-taking.

The guy in that video is just an accident waiting to happen.
 
These are @microcord's new lights. Good for at least 20 or 30 min.
Oh these bring back bad memories. They were heavy & often just wouldnt work. When they did, as you say the batteries would not last long. Comparatively modern lights are tiny, bright & cheap which is why I get angry with people with no lights. In other news, I am old, get off my lawn etc etc.
 
It seems at the moment the lights which are 'responsible' are those which conform to German regulations - but they tend to be pretty feeble in terms of lumen/lux. In the meantime running a more powerful 'normal' light either pointing down, or at the lowest setting, seems the most responsible policy.

Another option is fashioning a 'hood' out of an old coffee can, to cut the high beam and divert all the light into the road. I tried this, but the wind kept ripping it off :(

Eventually someone will see the light and bring out a decently bright light with a low beam. It's peanuts in terms of cost to shape the light properly, but for the time being lights seem to be a macho penis extension for manufacturers.
 
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i use infini lava...very small but a good brigth ligths..

blink - 27 hours
 
Oh these bring back bad memories. They were heavy & often just wouldnt work. When they did, as you say the batteries would not last long. Comparatively modern lights are tiny, bright & cheap which is why I get angry with people with no lights. In other news, I am old, get off my lawn etc etc.

I had those as well. You wrote precisely what I would. And batteries used to cost a lot as well - it was a battle between how dim you could allow them to run before you changed them. Rechargeable...what`s that??? And how much??? I would like to see parents (if we`re talking school kids) held responsible if their kids` bikes don`t have lights.
 
Merlin had a sale on some lights at the moment. The Moon 1000 is about 12,000 and the moon 1500 is about 14,000.
 
I've got some Moon Comet lights coming for the new bike. USB charging, extremely bright for their size and they actually look decent. I was swayed when I read that when you ride behind someone using the Comets, the rear light looks like a portal to hell cracking open.

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