Dynamo front light

[willem jongman]

For lights I stlil prefer generators. Leds are getting more efficient, but thus far that efficieny can be put to good use to have more light output. And they are fit and forget. My point is only that for simple tours in Europe you do not necessarily need a usb charger.

[Sweep]

Fair point.

Sorry - I extrapolated too much from your point about battery advances.

I may well go for a dynamo light eventually.

[peterh11]

Thanks Willem, Pete, IanW. Useful lot of info.

I've decided to buy a Cyo Premium. Cost is 52 EUR from Bike-discount. Why? Well,
1. I have an original Cyo which it will replace - have been quite happy with it other than that the beam is rather narrow, and that problem seems to be fixed with the new model.
2. I have no interference problems on my computer, I think this is because it is far enough away on the fork crown (BTW I had an Ixon IQ Speed which when mounted on the handlebars completely stopped the computer - basic Cateye wireless - from working. Beware!)
3. I have been using another Cyo for 5 years daily on my commute including heavy rain, with no problems - maybe because I rarely do long journeys in the rain and always park it under cover.
4. Cost is less than half the Edelux II.

Yeah, it sounds like it isn't perfect but I reckon it will be a good and reasonably priced upgrade for me. The old one will be a spare for when another one in the family dies or gets nicked (seriously, my wife's Cyo headlamp was stolen from where she parked the bike in broad daylight!)

I'll post an update once I have it and have used it.

Peter H

[PH]

Every light mentioned in this thread is IMO more than adequate for just about any night time riding. One of the things you ought to be considering is what you want from it apart from lighting the road. I bought a Supernova about eight years ago when they first came out and they were by far the best dynamo light, it still does everything I need despite there now being much brighter lights around. I bought it to last the lifetime of the bike and I have every expectation it will do so. Three years ago I bought an Edulux for another bike, likewise I expect that to last a lifetime. I can only vaguely remember what they cost, a lot! Over time they'll both prove to be bargains. But if I was the sort of person who likes to have the latest and brightest, my choices would have been different, based more on the output and less on the build quality and aesthetics.

[WOOLIFERKINS]

Also, there is a comment on the Schmidt web site about how the light is asymmetric like a car headlight to reduce dazzle for oncoming drivers, which would mean it would give more light out to the right (for those riding on the right hand side of the road), so make it less suitable if anything for the UK.

Peter H

As with a car that is down to where you point the headlight. The anti dazzle which is part of the German bike lighting regulations is basically a flat cut off on the top of the beam so that the useful part of the beam is on the road not dazzling other road users. The image here gives a reasonable depiction

[willem jongman]

The left and right side are identical. Asymmetrical refers to top and bottom.

[willem jongman]

I was wrong that there is no longer a Cyo with a special near field reflector. There is one, to comply with German legislation about reflectors. It is called the RT model. Avoid it. WIth lights such as these reflectors do not serve any purpose, and they degrade the light output (20 lux less) and beam quality.

[interestedcp]

I was wrong that there is no longer a Cyo with a special near field reflector. There is one, to comply with German legislation about reflectors. It is called the RT model. Avoid it. WIth lights such as these reflectors do not serve any purpose, and they degrade the light output (20 lux less) and beam quality.

The mirror/reflector in the "R", near field model doesn't degrade light output, it just concentrate the light in the area in front of the bike. This makes perfect sense for urban riding where you may need to navigate broken bottles and road construction hazards and where ambient, random light sources may wash out less concentrated light. Having used both the Cyo 60 Lux Sport and the 40 Lux "R" model, I much prefer the 40 Lux near field model for city riding, and slow snow/ice riding in the winter.

Sure the new 80 Lux Cyo Premium have a much wider beam, but it is still clearly optimized for throw. So for fast riders on dark roads the 80 Lux is great, much better than the old 60 Lux.
While I haven't tried the new 60 Lux "R" model, I suspect it is a serious upgrade of the old 40 Lux edition, so still a great choice for urban riding with mixed light sources.

[willem jongman]

I don't know. The old RT made sense in situations such as you describe because the old ordinary Cyo and Edelux had a pronounced dark spot right in front of the bike. The new Cyo premium and Edelux II no longer have this, but the Cyo premium RT still sacrifices 20 lux to solve a problem that no longer exists, I guess. But I have not yet seen beam shots.

[interestedcp]

I don't know. The old RT made sense in situations such as you describe because the old ordinary Cyo and Edelux had a pronounced dark spot right in front of the bike. The new Cyo premium and Edelux II no longer have this, but the Cyo premium RT still sacrifices 20 lux to solve a problem that no longer exists, I guess. But I have not yet seen beam shots.

The old "R" model did much more than just illuminating the small gap in front of the wheel; it increases the intensity of the entire near field by quite a lot at the cost of long distance throw. This means that its near field beam isn't so easily washed out by car lights or other urban light sources. This is great for when navigating hazards at not so high speeds and makes the beam clearly visible on the ground which is great for cars coming from side roads; they see the beam in front of them before they notice you. Also great on dark wet roads that just seem to soak up LED lights.

So the 20 lux isn't lost at all, just used in another way. Based on my experiences with the old "R" model and the new "Premium" I would say that an upgraded 60 Lux "R" model would still make a lot of sense for some people.

[redfacedbaldfatman]

...My rear lights seem to burn brighter than with my old Cyo RT (I have a toplight line brake plus and a seculite plus)....

Are you running these rear lights simultaneously from the same generator? I've tried front lights in series, but not experimented with rear lights.

I have the toplight line brake plus connected to the output pins of the Luxos, then the seculite plus is connected to the toplight via a bridge rectifier. Connecting the two rears directly together without the bridge resulted in the seculite not coming on reliably and the standlight of the seculite not staying on when stopped. The bridge makes everything work as it should.


On a side note, I did a day ride on saturday, about 45 miles, during which the hub powered a camera at about 0.3A. As I was passing through some trees in low sun I turned on the headlight (to be seen), which caused the camera current to stop. After a few minutes the red LED on the Luxos remote switch illuminated and the camera started receiving current again at 0.3A, but only for a few minutes.

My iphone was used for maps around the country lanes and by-ways, and dropped to 20%, so I decided to charge it from the Luxos. 0.5A for 5 miles or so was enough to bring it back to 30%.
Planning an evening ride today so I'll see how effective the light actually is.

[redfacedbaldfatman]

After 25 miles in the dark yesterday evening, I'm won over by this light. It is more than enough for country lanes, having a very wide beam and good reach. I did most of the ride with just the Luxos U without any additional battery lights, I wouldn't have wanted to do that with my old 40Lux Cyo. Only in the town did I switch on my battery lights to be seen more easily.

[MikeF]

...My rear lights seem to burn brighter than with my old Cyo RT (I have a toplight line brake plus and a seculite plus)....

Are you running these rear lights simultaneously from the same generator? I've tried front lights in series, but not experimented with rear lights.

I have the toplight line brake plus connected to the output pins of the Luxos, then the seculite plus is connected to the toplight via a bridge rectifier. Connecting the two rears directly together without the bridge resulted in the seculite not coming on reliably and the standlight of the seculite not staying on when stopped. The bridge makes everything work as it should.

Thanks for that
So if I understand correctly, you have the two connected in parallel, but the seculite plus is running from rectified (DC) current. I wonder if it's possible, or even advisable without know the electronics of the the front lights, to run them in series. Two in series is OK for front lights and probably the best option, but they're wired directly from the generator.

[MikeF]

I've found this topic http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=50383&start=15 where someone else used same combination as you, but without the rectifier.

[andrew_s]

I wonder if it's possible, or even advisable without know the electronics of the the front lights, to run them in series. Two in series is OK for front lights and probably the best option, but they're wired directly from the generator.

The problem with lights in series is that the power source (front light or hub) and both rear lights may all be connected to earth (the frame), so it's fairly likely that there will be a short. To be sure one of the lights must be mounted on an insulating bracket.