Reliable Front Lamp

[Drake]

Can anybody recommend a reliable front lamp .

1. It must be waterproof and preferably LED .
2. Ideally a beam to see with .
3. Prefer it to have a flashing mode as well .
4. Don't mind rechargeable or dry cell batteries . Don't want dymo .
5. Lamp it self must be detachable from mounting bracket,(popping into shops ect) .
Cycling back from a friends the other night,it started to rain and after a short distance my front lamp packed up . To be fair,it was not an expensive purchase and until it got a soaking,it had worked perfectly . It did have three mode's . . full power,half power and flashing . . now it only has full.
I have a budget of between thirty and forty pounds .
Any suggestions would be appreciated .

[Joe.B]

Busch & Muller Ixon IQ

No flashng mode but if our after a lamp to stear by this is the one

I shopped around and found one for £62

[LollyKat]

Smart Lunar 25 lux - £17.50 from Evans.

It is really bright and can be set to flashing or steady (high power or low). On your budget you could have two. We use them and they are excellent.

[rualexander]

Busch & Muller Ixon IQ

No flashng mode but if our after a lamp to stear by this is the one

I shopped around and found one for £62

Yes, great lights, but £62 is expensive, they can be bought from Germany for around £50 including postage.

[Drake]

Smart Lunar 25 lux - £17.50 from Evans.

It is really bright and can be set to flashing or steady (high power or low). On your budget you could have two. We use them and they are excellent.

Sounds interesting . Do they quick release and leave the mounting bracket ?

[Joe.B]

Busch & Muller Ixon IQ

No flashng mode but if our after a lamp to stear by this is the one

I shopped around and found one for £62

Yes, great lights, but £62 is expensive, they can be bought from Germany for around £50 including postage.

DOH

[CREPELLO]

What about trying to seal your existing light? Silicone sealant is cheap enough. Just put a small bead of sealant onto one side of the seal. Perhaps line the other seal with vasaline becuase the sealant won't stick to that. Anyway, you get the idea.

Yes, it can be messy, but if you use enough masking tape, it's not quite so bad.

[LollyKat]

Smart Lunar 25 lux - £17.50 from Evans.

It is really bright and can be set to flashing or steady (high power or low). On your budget you could have two. We use them and they are excellent.

Sounds interesting . Do they quick release and leave the mounting bracket ?

Yes - they'll fit handlebars up to 31.8mm or what ever the modern fat ones are. And so far they have stood up well to west of Scotland weather.

[Russcoles]

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/cateye-hl-el ... prod14702/

Very bright, uses normal batteries so if u run out of power you just need to find a petrol station. No flashing mode but no-one should ever use a flashing front light in my opinion. A flashing light doesn't allow others to gauge your speed or direction effectively and will destroy their night vision.

[Drake]

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/cateye-hl-el530-led-power-opticube-1500+-cp-front-light-prod14702/

Very bright, uses normal batteries so if u run out of power you just need to find a petrol station. No flashing mode but no-one should ever use a flashing front light in my opinion. A flashing light doesn't allow others to gauge your speed or direction effectively and will destroy their night vision.

Ah ! Valid point,never thought of that . Alway's considered that flashing mode was safest and made others aware i was there .
Cateye lamp looks promising as well .

[Reigncloud]

Knog boomer USB. Mega bright, rechargeable and fully removable so doesn't leave an unsightly bracket on you bike. Highly recommended.

[Drake]

What about trying to seal your existing light? Silicone sealant is cheap enough. Just put a small bead of sealant onto one side of the seal. Perhaps line the other seal with vasaline becuase the sealant won't stick to that. Anyway, you get the idea.

Yes, it can be messy, but if you use enough masking tape, it's not quite so bad.

I will give that a try . It's supposed to be rough down this neck of the woods this w/end,so i can give it a test .
Thanks for the suggestion .

[RickH]

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/cateye-hl-el530-led-power-opticube-1500+-cp-front-light-prod14702/

Very bright, uses normal batteries so if u run out of power you just need to find a petrol station. No flashing mode but no-one should ever use a flashing front light in my opinion. A flashing light doesn't allow others to gauge your speed or direction effectively and will destroy their night vision.

When I'm driving I find that cyclists with flashing lights stand out more in the mix of constant lights in traffic. The flashing LEDs are usually brighter so more visible from further without the dazzle of a constant bright light, unlike following cars who've left rear fog lights on in clear weather. I've not personally found a them to cause any noticeable problem with night vision.

FWIW my weapon of choice is the Exposure Toro - expensive but I got my mark 1 in a sale when they brought out the mark 2 - very bright on full power, I'll happily ride at 30+ down a hill on an unlit road, it is solidly built & has been completely reliable in the 2 years I've been using it so far. I have an older Joystick which, apart from the battery life starting to diminish somewhat, has also been completely reliable despite getting bounced on the road on at least 1 occasion and was the brightest bike light I'd ever had when I got it.

Rick.

[meic]

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/cateye-hl-el530-led-power-opticube-1500+-cp-front-light-prod14702/

Very bright, uses normal batteries so if u run out of power you just need to find a petrol station. No flashing mode but no-one should ever use a flashing front light in my opinion. A flashing light doesn't allow others to gauge your speed or direction effectively and will destroy their night vision.

Ah ! Valid point,never thought of that . Alway's considered that flashing mode was safest and made others aware i was there .
Cateye lamp looks promising as well .

I dont use flashing in total dark as it will drive ME mad but even in the total dark it will draw attention to you and your speed then position can be better established if you have a constant light as well.
There is a bit of a gamble here, improved chance of being seen but misinterpreted but decreased chance of not being seen at all.

When it is still light enough eg street lights, twilight etc then the motorist can still locate you by seeing the actual bike and rider the flashing light is excellent at getting you noticed in the first place.
So I am a keen fan of flashing lights front and rear for half-light situations.

[hamster]

Cateyes get my vote - well engineered, bright and inexpensive.I use EL-135 for a bright light with a flash for twilight, plus an EL520 for seeing things in the dark.