Upgrade front dynamo light?

[Inbred]

I’ve just become the proud owner of a used Thorn Raven Tour.
It’s equiped with a Schmidt Son 28 dynamo hub and a Schmidt E6 front light.
Although the light is ok, it’s not  great and it doesn’t have a stand light feature.
I’d like to upgrade to a better light with a stand light.
Any recommendations?
Thanks for the help 🙂👍

[mickeg]

Do you anticipate ever wanting to charge batteries or a phone or anything like that from the hub?  If so, there are some lights that include a USB charger port.  But those are places where water can be a problem, so if you do not think you would use it, probably best off not to get it.

[julk]

I have used a Supernova E3 Pro 2 (earlier version) for a long time now.
It works well and has given me no problems.
It also can run a Supernova rear light.
I remove it from the bike handlebars when shopping - it mounts and dismounts quickly with plugs on the connecting wires.

It has a switch on the back which means you can turn it off to allow a charger to run off your dynohub.
I use a cycle2charge which lets me use my phone for gps/map navigation in daylight whilst charging it up.
I hope this helps.
Julian.

[Inbred]

Do you anticipate ever wanting to charge batteries or a phone or anything like that from the hub?  If so, there are some lights that include a USB charger port.  But those are places where water can be a problem, so if you do not think you would use it, probably best off not to get it.

I’d like to be able to do both, but not necessarily from the light unit.
I think I’d rather have a separate usb charger like the Sinewave or Plug, mounted on the stem cap and the lamp mounted on the fork bridge.
Thanks for the help.

[Inbred]

I have used a Supernova E3 Pro 2 (earlier version) for a long time now.
It works well and has given me no problems.
It also can run a Supernova rear light.
I remove it from the bike handlebars when shopping - it mounts and dismounts quickly with plugs on the connecting wires.

It has a switch on the back which means you can turn it off to allow a charger to run off your dynohub.
I use a cycle2charge which lets me use my phone for gps/map navigation in daylight whilst charging it up.
I hope this helps.
Julian.

Thanks for the help.
I have considered the Supernova but didn’t know much about them.

[rualexander]

I have a Supernova e3 pro2 which I bought second hand, its ok but you can get much brighter lights for much less money from the likes of Busch & Muller, Axa, etc.
Also, the rear light output from the Supernova is only compatible with their own rear light, I think.

[mickeg]

Do you anticipate ever wanting to charge batteries or a phone or anything like that from the hub?  If so, there are some lights that include a USB charger port.  But those are places where water can be a problem, so if you do not think you would use it, probably best off not to get it.

I’d like to be able to do both, but not necessarily from the light unit.
I think I’d rather have a separate usb charger like the Sinewave or Plug, mounted on the stem cap and the lamp mounted on the fork bridge.
Thanks for the help.

Then I won't suggest one that does both.

I recently ordered a B&M IQ-XS.  I have no idea yet if I like it, when I get it it is going on a bike that I will not be using until April at the earliest, I live where it usually is below freezing during this time of year.

But I will say that when I compared the price with the light pattern from the manufacturer's website, I decided that it looked pretty good to me.
https://www.bumm.de/en/products/dynamo-scheinwerfer/parent/167/produkt/167rtsndi-01-schwarz-167rtsndi-silber.html

If you right click on the photo of the light pattern and select open in a new tab, you get a much bigger photo of the light pattern.  You can compare other models of B&M headlamp light patterns that way.

Some of the B&M headlamps have a very sharp cutoff on the beam to avoid blinding oncoming traffic, but some models have a light sensor and during daytime they use additional LEDs that will make you much more visible in daylight if you plan to use the light in daytime for safety.  I have a Luxos U and it has such a light beam.  According to the link I posted above for the IQ-XS, it also has the daytime running light.

It is my understanding that the Supernova headlamps and taillights are best used with each other, that mixing one with a different brand for the other is problematic.  My source on that is Peter Whites website, I have not used their lights.
https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/supernova.php

I have had no problems mixing other brand headlamps and taillights.  That said, Peter White suggests that some taillights do not work well with a Luxos U headlamp, but that headlamp is not on your shopping list.

I have no idea if you are shopping for a taillight or not.

It seems every year or two there are better lights out there, the IQ-XS is fairly new so you might not find many comments on it.

I do not know if Schmidt hubs are grounded to the fork or not.  Shimano hubs are, SP are not.  If it is grounded to the fork, some lights that are also grounded to the mount can be finicky when wiring them.

[Inbred]

The IQ-XS seems good value for £75.00.
Although it’s big brother, the IQ-X seems a lot more powerful for £113.

I don’t want to run a tail light from the dynamo. I’d rather just use a LED light.
Thanks for the help 🙂

[geocycle]

Very happy with my Edelux II.  Just works.  Has been on pretty much full time since October (and the 5? years or so before that).  It gives a good beam on country roads and track. Build quality is good and the switch seems very robust.

[Inbred]

Very happy with my Edelux II.  Just works.  Has been on pretty much full time since October (and the 5? years or so before that).  It gives a good beam on country roads and track. Build quality is good and the switch seems very robust.

I must admit, this was going to be my first choice.
Just thought I’d better explore other possibilities.
Seems very well made and very popular.
Thanks for the help 🙂👍

[StuntPilot]

I used to have the B&M Cyo R Senso Plus ...

https://www.bumm.de/en/products/dynamo-scheinwerfer/produkt/175qrsndi-schwarz-175qrcsndi-silber.html?

A very good light and I would buy a similar one again from B&M.

It was damaged on a long tour so I replaced it with the AXA Blueline 50 switch in Germany. Also a great light and a bit brighter than my previous B&M Cyo. The only down side of this light is that it does not have a stand light that remains on for a few minutes after stopping. Other models do.

https://www.axasecurity.com/bike-security/en-gb/products/Lights/7/93952495SB/axa-blueline-50-switch

I am not a fan of running lights as I have a Plug USB charger and want to switch between the two to maximise USB charging. Both the plug and AXA front light piggy back on the output connectors of the SON dynamo.

Both lights work very well with the B&M Line Brake Plus on the rear.

https://www.bumm.de/en/products/dynamo-rucklichter/produkt/323-5altv.html?

[B cereus]

I have an original Son Edelux, the build quality is legendary and and in the unlikely event of a problem it's backed  up by an excellent warranty and aftersales service. SJS are currently selling the original Edelux at a very good discount.

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/lighting/36-cm-schmidt-edelux-high-power-led-headlight-black/

I also run a B&M IQ-X and an Axa Luxx 70 Plus. The IQ-X is super bright but only distinguishable from the 70lux lights in a side by side comparison.

The plus in the name of the Axa Luxx 70 plus indicates  usb charging but it's  also available without  at a very competitive price.

[Inbred]

I have an original Son Edelux, the build quality is legendary and and in the unlikely event of a problem it's backed  up by an excellent warranty and aftersales service. SJS are currently selling the original Edelux at a very good discount.

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/lighting/36-cm-schmidt-edelux-high-power-led-headlight-black/

I also run a B&M IQ-X and an Axa Luxx 70 Plus. The IQ-X is super bright but only distinguishable from the 70lux lights in a side by side comparison.

The plus in the name of the Axa Luxx 70 plus indicates  usb charging but it's  also available without  at a very competitive price.

I must admit, although I’ve had a lot of alternatives suggested, the Edelux is still my favourite.
The discount is quite tempting.
Do you know if the new version is a big enough improvement to judtify the extra cost?
Thanks for the help 🙂👍

[martinf]

Like B cereus I also have an old version Edelux. I also have several versions of B&M Cyo and one IQ-X.

When riding I don't notice a significant difference between my old Edelux (or the old Cyo versions without integrated reflector) on the one hand and the most recent Cyo versions and IQ-X on the other hand.

The Cyo versions with integrated reflector have a different beam pattern, and don't put such a bright patch of beam at a distance on the road, so these are a bit less suitable for high speed night riding away from streetlights, but in my opinion they are nearly as visible to traffic as the equivalent age Cyos without integrated reflector.

The main difference I can see between the older B&M or Edelux lamps and current models is the width of the beam. When I set up lamps on a bicycle I align them and check them from a distance at night to make sure they are easy to see from normal driver height (easy to do nowadays as all my lamps have standlights).

My most recent Cyo and IQ-X lamps are visible from a wider angle than the older lamps, so should theoretically be slightly safer due to increased visibility to traffic at roundabouts and other intersections. If I needed a new lamp tomorrow I would get a Cyo, slightly less output than the IQ-X but in my opinion just as visible to traffic and significantly cheaper.

[geocycle]

There is a good summary here http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=12170.0

As with most things in cycling it comes down to intended use.  If your requirements are more at the reliability/build quality end then the edelux on discount looks a good buy, if you are after a broader beam pattern then maybe spend more on the edelux II.  I've never used the first version so hard to comment.