Front dynamo light

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PH
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Joined: 21 Jan 2007, 12:31am
Location: Derby
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Re: Front dynamo light

Post by PH »

If you haven't had one for a while, you're likely to be impressed by any modern light, particularly if it's the reflected LED type rather than a lens focused beam.
I have the Edelux II and a IQ-X, I have a slight preference for the IQ-X beam but there isn't a lot in it, it also has an annoying electrical switch which turns on with a mind of it's own. Mine has otherwise been entirely reliable though I've read some reports of failures. The Edelux looks to have the sort of build quality you'd expect at that price. I had the original then upgraded to the current version and the difference is noticeable, but opinion is varied about how much of an improvement it is, the original is available discounted from several retailers and IMO a bargain at this price.
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/lighting/36 ... ght-black/
rogerzilla
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Joined: 9 Jun 2008, 8:06pm

Re: Front dynamo light

Post by rogerzilla »

The IQ-XS has a more conventional switch. Another reason to prefer it over the IQ-X.
scottg
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Joined: 10 Jan 2008, 8:44pm
Location: Highland Heights Kentucky,, USA

Re: Front dynamo light

Post by scottg »

Nice thing about B&M lights, they're easy to resell.

I'm now on my 4th or 5th generation, an IQ-X, it replaced a not very impressive Supernova.
Being able to rotate the light, so I can rack mount it, has been useful.
Using a SON 28, the Fosters size one.
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gazza_d
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Joined: 30 Oct 2016, 8:20am

Re: Front dynamo light

Post by gazza_d »

Another Herrmans user here.
I have two of the H One S lights. 75lux when running with a rear light connected and bright as anything with a good pool on the road. I would have no hesitation in buying another Herrmans of a similar brightness.
mattsccm
Posts: 5101
Joined: 28 Nov 2009, 9:44pm

Suggest a dynamo front light please

Post by mattsccm »

Had a bit of a search but found nowt so I'll ask.
This winter I have been running a dynamo front light for my commute and I am a convert! :D The light I have, cheaply acquired does the job fairly well but is less than suitable than my battery powered ones. Even my single LED Chinese torch is better for my purposes. I am using a Busch & Muller Lumotec Cyo 60 N+ which is sold as being 60 lumens and, I think, 2.4w.
My commute is a mile of empty country lane, in the dark, where I never see an oncoming car, followed by 7.5 miles of Forestry Commission gravel where all sorts of things jump out at me. The last mile and a half is in daylight with rarely an oncoming car. The home trip is the reverse including light conditions.
The B&M light is undoubtedly designed to be German road legal and has a very boxy beam which means that if I set it to show me wild boar and fallen branches 50 metres away I have a big black spot in front of me which is most annoying for the chicanes, mud holes I also negotiate. I guess I need something with a wider (or is that taller/longer?) and less Germanic approved spread of light.
Any suggestions please? Using a 3w SP front dynamo with no rear light although I would like to add that if there is enough electrical oomph.
I could of course carry a second light but that brings back the recharging issue which is the reason for going dynamo to start with.
pete75
Posts: 16370
Joined: 24 Jul 2007, 2:37pm

Re: Suggest a dynamo front light please

Post by pete75 »

This is a good place to start looking. The chap has tested and commented on many front lights and includes photograph of light patterns for all tested. I like the way he writes reviews with comments like 'Axa says: 95 metres 'to see'. Yeah right! For a cat maybe, for humans this is unlikely :)'

https://swhs.home.xs4all.nl/fiets/index_en.html
Last edited by pete75 on 11 Dec 2020, 7:54am, edited 1 time in total.
'Give me my bike, a bit of sunshine - and a stop-off for a lunchtime pint - and I'm a happy man.' - Reg Baker
mattsccm
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Joined: 28 Nov 2009, 9:44pm

Re: Suggest a dynamo front light please

Post by mattsccm »

Thanks. Lunch time reading.
pwa
Posts: 17371
Joined: 2 Oct 2011, 8:55pm

Re: Suggest a dynamo front light please

Post by pwa »

mattsccm wrote:Had a bit of a search but found nowt so I'll ask.
This winter I have been running a dynamo front light for my commute and I am a convert! :D The light I have, cheaply acquired does the job fairly well but is less than suitable than my battery powered ones. Even my single LED Chinese torch is better for my purposes. I am using a Busch & Muller Lumotec Cyo 60 N+ which is sold as being 60 lumens and, I think, 2.4w.
My commute is a mile of empty country lane, in the dark, where I never see an oncoming car, followed by 7.5 miles of Forestry Commission gravel where all sorts of things jump out at me. The last mile and a half is in daylight with rarely an oncoming car. The home trip is the reverse including light conditions.
The B&M light is undoubtedly designed to be German road legal and has a very boxy beam which means that if I set it to show me wild boar and fallen branches 50 metres away I have a big black spot in front of me which is most annoying for the chicanes, mud holes I also negotiate. I guess I need something with a wider (or is that taller/longer?) and less Germanic approved spread of light.
Any suggestions please? Using a 3w SP front dynamo with no rear light although I would like to add that if there is enough electrical oomph.
I could of course carry a second light but that brings back the recharging issue which is the reason for going dynamo to start with.


https://spacycles.co.uk/m12b0s197p2030/ ... Senso-Plus

This lamp still has the boxy effect with cut-offs, but it is probably a wider beam than yours and lights up the area close to and either side of your front wheel. Like yourself, I don't like very narrow beams but I found this one to be good on that score. Compared to my battery Exposure lights it does have a less smooth spread on the ground, but it certainly lights up either side of a country lane and doesn't leave you uncertain about dark areas to the side. 80 lux, which is enough.

I think this gives you an idea of the beam spread.
https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/v ... tion=click
Though the snow on the ground makes the beam look brighter than it would on a darker surface.
Last edited by pwa on 11 Dec 2020, 8:31am, edited 2 times in total.
Des49
Posts: 799
Joined: 2 Dec 2014, 11:45am

Re: Suggest a dynamo front light please

Post by Des49 »

What a lovely commuting route you have! Nice distance too. Sounds very similar to the route a relative has in Germany, he had a bad hit with a deer a couple of years ago, but that seemed unavoidable, not due to poor lighting, the deer just leapt out in front of him. Luckily he escaped with bruising and a twisted wheel.

In my view a great dynamo front light to consider for the purpose is the Supernova E3 Triple. A bright wide spread, ideal for off road, but needs careful aiming to avoid glare for oncoming traffic. It is not road legal due to the spread in Germany.

In addition I would also run a second headlight, a battery powered one. You never know when a light will fail for all sorts of reasons and a backup is wise. This battery light can be set to have a long throw and rely on the dynamo light for that closer and wide spread of illumination.

I run the E3 Triple front lights with their neat and bright rear LED tail light, plus a Hope One battery up front and 1 or 2 additional battery rear lights too.

The Supernova lights are pretty reliable, we have run a few over many years now. Expect the standlight function to fail after a while in the headlight, another reason for a secondary battery light. I have had a couple of other problems too, but repaired free of charge.
PH
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Re: Suggest a dynamo front light please

Post by PH »

The answer is two lights. You're not going to get a blast 'em beam that turns night into day that isn't also unpleasant for anything coming the other way (Or close in front) This is the option I for with an Edelux II or IQ-X and a battery 700 Lumen Niterider, the later probably gets used for less than 10% of my riding but for those miles I'm glad I have it. I can manage with the dyno lights, it's simply more fun with the brighter light. I also remember reading about a dynamo light with a Hi and Lo beam, but the detail is foggy and I can't remember the make, I think I'd still rather the redundancy of two independent systems.
There are some MTB dynamo lights, though they don't come cheap, Sinewave and K light are two I've heard of though haven't seen.

Another useful resource for all things dynamo
https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/headlights.php
Jdsk
Posts: 24640
Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Suggest a dynamo front light please

Post by Jdsk »

mattsccm wrote:Using a 3w SP front dynamo with no rear light although I would like to add that if there is enough electrical oomph.

That hasn't been a problem with any of our SP PV-8s with a wide (!) range of B+M front lamps.

Jonathan
pwa
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Joined: 2 Oct 2011, 8:55pm

Re: Front dynamo light

Post by pwa »

I suspect that if illuminating forestry tracks were the objective, and the wallet were bursting, the Sinewave options might be nicest. They claim to optimise performance at low speeds, which you might easily be doing on a forestry climb, rahter than giving the weaker flicker that you get with many lights at very low speed. But on-road they would be antisocially dazzling for anyone unfortunate enough to be coming the other way, whether it be a driver, another cyclist, or a late evening dog walker. None of them would appreciate 700 lumens in the eye.
slowster
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Re: Front dynamo light

Post by slowster »

I think the nature of the off road sections and the speed at which you ride can make quite a bit of difference. If the route includes some fast, and maybe twisty, downhill sections then I suspect that a supplementary battery light for those sections might be preferable, and it has the advantage of giving you two different light sources in the case of failure or if you need to stop for a mechanical.

A lot of MTBers seem to like a very powerful battery light on the handlebars, and a smaller unit like the Exposure Joystick on their helmets. The light from two directions improves the visibility of holes and ruts etc. in the track.

With regard to the other option of upgrading your existing lamp, it might not be necessary to spend as much as the Supernova or Sine Wave lamps to get a beam that meets your needs. You might find that B&M's 80 or 100 lux lamps are sufficient. B&M use the following photographs on their website to illustrate the differences. Peter White also has similar comparison photographs on his website.

60 Lux
Image

80 Lux
Image

100 Lux (this is also the beam of the Son Edelux 2
Image
cycle tramp
Posts: 3532
Joined: 5 Aug 2009, 7:22pm

Re: Suggest a dynamo front light please

Post by cycle tramp »

mattsccm wrote:The B&M light is undoubtedly designed to be German road legal and has a very boxy beam which means that if I set it to show me wild boar and fallen branches 50 metres away I have a big black spot in front of me which is most annoying for the chicanes, mud holes I also negotiate. I guess I need something with a wider (or is that taller/longer?) and less Germanic approved spread of light.
Any suggestions please?


...I've got a big black spot in front of my front wheel too... but in my case it's a shadow cast by the light from my front lamp shining on my front mudguard - can o ask how you've mounted your front lamp?...
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2_i
Posts: 216
Joined: 25 Feb 2020, 3:12am

Re: Front dynamo light

Post by 2_i »

rogerzilla wrote:The IQ-XS has a more conventional switch. Another reason to prefer it over the IQ-X.

Is it possible to power IQ-XS with DC? I like to have flexibility in my illumination system and have been avoiding IQ-X due to its excessive customization.
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