good headlight

[jags]

can anyone give me an idea on a good headlight ,what about cateye single shot or any of the cateye range,i dont want to spend a small fortune on one but at the same time i want one that lights up the road pretty good well you know what i mean thanks in advance .

[geocycle]

Until I recently went down the dynamo route I had a cateye 350 to be seen by and a Fenix LCD torch to see with.  The fenix is excellent and very versatile, especially when touring.  Mine's the single AA version, most folk recommend the 2xAA for bike use.

http://www.glowgadgets.co.uk/fenix-l1d-q5-led-torch-120-lumens-from-1-aa-battery.ir?cName=fenix-torches

[freddered]

For a battery light I don't think I'd mess about now, I'd get a B&M IXON Fly but they are £70 ish.

Some good info here

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/headlights.asp

[blair]

I use a B&M IXON IQ with 2500 mAh NiMH AA batteries.
Plenty of light & I've yet to run the battery down on my commute, though I did discover that the NiMH batteries don't hold their charge for more than a few days.

Standard bar mount works fairly well, and B&M also do a very good fork mount.

[PH]

Make that three for the B&M, the Fenix and the like are brighter, but the focus of the B&M gives a more usefull light.
It hurts me to give this advice, I have battery lights that cost three time the price of the B&M, I was nearly in tears when mine were outpreformed by the B&M on a recent overnight ride 

[freddered]

I see that B&M have now introduced the Dynamo 'CYO' light.  It looks small and neat (nicer than IQ Fly), is £80ish and 60 lux.  I doubt if Solidlights will ever sell another dynamo light (£155) and I suspect my Solidlights will be replaced with a CYO pretty soon.

[stutho]

I too am looking to upgrade my lights.  I am currently using a Cateye 2 X 10 watt halogen powered by  lead acid which has seen me through the last 5 year commuting on dark country lanes, but it is heavy and I am constantly forgetting to charge the battery.  I am looking to get a SON dynohub to power either a IQ Cyo 40 or an Edelux or a E3.  It is probably going to be the Cyo 40  mainly due to the excellent beam patten but I am also very tempted by the E3.  I am looking to by next weekend! 

I would be interested in any comments from anyone using any of the above lamp  (or the IQ fly) as to the  suitability of the lamps to a hilly rural (unlit) commute.

Thanks

Stutho

[PH]

I would be interested in any comments from anyone using any of the above lamp  (or the IQ fly) as to the  suitability of the lamps to a hilly rural (unlit) commute.

Thanks

Stutho

You're not going to be disappointed by any of those lights.  The major differences are the housings where more money buys better quality and the beam patterns.  The E3 has a conical beam* the others have a reflected shaped beam.  In town and amongst other traffic I'd prefer the later out on my own along country lanes I'd prefer the former.  If you've not seen it here is a beam comparison which gives as idea, though you'll be disappointed if you expect any light to look as good to the eye as it does to the camera!
I've ridden with people who have the IQ Fly, but the only one I have experience of is the Supernova (I have two)  Apart from the light itself, the service from Supernova is first rate.  Any queries get answered promptly, by email, in English.  The lights have a five year warranty, my original E3 recently developed a fault with the switch shorting out, couple of emails exchanged to explain the problem and they sent me a new light.  This was before I'd returned the original and on a light that's nearly two years old and the replacement is effectively an upgrade. They also have an upgrade policy, where they'll upgrade the LED as new ones become available.  I had my original one changed at the last leap forward in LEDs, cost was 40 Euro inc postage and it doubled the output.  Supernova also do what IMO is the neatest rear light available, it's tiny, bright and looks indestructible.
The new B&M seems to have a great new feature, you can switch the standlight off, this may not seem a big deal, it will when you've been told a thousand times that you've left your lights on.

*There's a new version of the E3 with an asymmetrical beam, of which very little is known.  I was hoping they'd lend me a lens to make a comparison, but apparently it uses a different LED and electronics so only the casing is the same.

[stutho]

I have been trying to hunt down a picture of the E3 beam patten with the alternate asymmetrical beam, so far without success.  To my eyes the beam patten of the Cyo 40 is just about perfect, much better than the Fly 40 or Cyo 60.

My commute involve a fast decent on a road that crosses an unfenced common.  I have to avoid sheep, cattle and horses, plus their excrement! I find 10 +10 watts of halogen (conical beam) only just enough.  Am I being unrealistic about what these new LEDS can do?

[PH]

Am I being unrealistic about what these new LEDS can do?

Maybe, my overvolted 20w halogen is almost as bright as my Supernova, though a much more yellow colour, of course at full power it needs recharging after about an hour and a half.
I like to have a booster light for sections of the ride that are considerably darker than the majority. I've always done this, even though my current main light is brighter than a previous booster, my theory is that you get used to the light available and it takes a while to adjust. 

[stutho]

Thanks PH,

I appreciate your comments.  I am going to go ahead and order some kit. 

Thanks

stutho   

[freddered]

Thanks PH,

I appreciate your comments.  I am going to go ahead and order some kit. 

Thanks

stutho   

We ride through the night on Audaxes (all sorts of gravel-strewn rural country lanes in total darkness) and the new Dynamo LEDs let you do it at full speed.

The Solidlights I use aren't focussed and so throw out a huge wash of light (nice and reassuring to have the whole width of the road lit up as well as the hedgerows, it's not like riding down a black tunnel) but there is no bright spot which becomes an issue in the rain/wet roads. (I rode in torrential rain in total darkness for 5 hours on a recent 400km Audax and had a few "where does this road go?" moments)

The IQ fly has a very bright white beam, it looks great for excrement avoidance (and will be similar beam to the E3 and CYO).

The Supernova has a great reputation but costs over twice the price of the CYO.

My friend changed from a Lead Acid Halogen setup to Solidlights and wouldn't go back.  I doubt if you'll be disappointed with any of the LEDs you mention.

The SON dynohub is also a thing of technical excellence that I'm glad to have attached to my bike.

Given that the CYO doesn't weigh much I'm tempted to leave both a CYO and Solidlights on my bike and switch them on/off according to the conditions (wet/dry)

Looking forward to hearing opinions of new lights

[Fred A-M]

I'll second (once again) the Supernova E3.  I have the both front and rear running on a SON Dynohub and have ridden several times in total darkness in total wonderment at the strength and reach of the beam.  Bearing in mind that I have no other experience of other systems, the Supernova E3 gets an unequivocal thumbs up from me.

[Dave Whittle Thorn Workshop]

We have some Cyo 60's coming in the end of this month, and the first proper delivery of E6delux there maybe a new Cyo 60 next year but thats all i'm saying...

Dave Whittle

SJSC Parts Sales

[PH]

We ride through the night on Audaxes (all sorts of gravel-strewn rural country lanes in total darkness) and the new Dynamo LEDs let you do it at full speed.

With every advance in bike lighting, people say they're the first lights to let you ride in complete darkness at any speed.  I've said it several times over the last decade, with each upgrade.  I'm sure it's as much about perception as technology.  I am a self confessed light anorak, it comes from 7 years of working permanent nights with a 34 mile a day commute. The cost of having the best lights as soon as they were available (often before they were available in the UK) was insignificant compared to the alternative to riding to work.  The better the lights, the more I enjoyed it, but I rode no faster with my final set (Supernova E3, MiNewt Dual and Zebra headtorch) than I did when I had 2.4W of B&M halogen and a Petzl  headtorch as back up.

The IQ fly has a very bright white beam, it looks great for excrement avoidance (and will be similar beam to the E3 and CYO).

To clarify, the standard E3 beam is very different to that of the reflected lights, not necessarily better or worse, but definitely different.  If anything it's more comparable to the Solidlights beam, there's just more of it.

To return to the comparison between halogen and LED, the common 12v bulbs used in many bike lights produce around 15 lumens per watt.  The current crop of 3W LEDs produce around 220 Lumens.  Not the full story, but enough to give an idea.