Cycling UK Forum

Looking at a non German legal front light for UK use with high enough lumens to light up a dodgy gravel track that's like offroad riding. I'm on a Brompton so need 22.2mm bar capability or a simple way to get a light with bracket only good down to 25 point something to fit the Brompton bar. I know the 300 lumens light mounted at the bottom of the m bars isn't good enough,

The ones I'm looking at includes:-
https://fawkes-cycles.co.uk/ravemen-pr1 ... ght-p11414

https://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/acces ... ck__356943

https://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/acces ... ck__327231

I can get the ravemen pr1600 for about £122 with extra bracket to fit the Brompton bar diameter. The others I'd have to bodge.

I am not looking at the German light standards because I'm looking for a higher lumens flood and wide beam. The German standard lights don't seem bright enough for my needs.

I know you don't want a German light but I use a Busch and Muller IQ X-E (150 lux) which is a very bright light. I use it with a battery box

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TrustFire-Rech ... 613&sr=8-2

and 4x18650 batteries to get the required 6V+.

4x3400 mah protected 18650 batteries run the light and my smartphone for 5 hours.

I wouldn't hesitate to use it for riding gravel tracks at night.

I'd look at SJS for handlebar mounts.

Hi,
I do on an off-road stuff, done quite a bit of off-road night time with camping et cetera over the moors.
For the last three years at least 99.9% of my cycling is at night on off-road.
Very common for me to find myself cycling into the night to find somewhere to camp and navigate myself down lanes tracks on or whatever over Moreland.

The Handle bar light will never do the trick on its own!

I have a Handlebar light which is a legal German type thing with a good cut off so it doesn't blind other people.
I also have a powerful helmet light which has a separate two cell 18650 battery pack.
The headlight is only a cheap nasty Chinese thing but it does the trick and has adjustable focus so you can either pinpoint a beam or have a flood for camping/repairs et cetera.
I know many people are against helmet lights but it makes a very practical solution to a problem where you need to see where you're going Where the bike is that second.
Where are you are going not which direction the bike is pointing in!

Because the light is mounted a long way up it means simply that you have superior lighting and therefore vision.
Many of the handlebar lights are spotlights which blind other uses anyway, My helmet light is the same but the differences I can quickly dip it into the hedge down to the ground or up in the air and still see where I'm going with my handlebar light, Without dazzling oncomers .

I have deleted my original post due to it being irrelevant, based on my inability to read the OP correctly.

New reply:
I have a StVZO dynamo front light which does me for most of my night time riding but if I ever want more of a wider spread of light, I use a Fenix PD38 TAC torch (up to 1000 lumens and takes one 18650 battery) attached to my handlebar with a rubber & velcro block like this one.

The torch is one that I use off the bike as a torch and so wasn't an additional purchase for me.

I know many people are against helmet lights but it makes a very practical solution to a problem where you need to see where you're going Where the bike is that second.
Where are you are going not which direction the bike is pointing in!

For amusement, a snip at 99 euros

https://www.bumm.de/en/products/kurvenl ... la%20.html

I've no experience of their more powerful lights (not their certification/standards) but have you considered the Lezyne Performance lights? I use their lights (and other products) and they seem excellent quality.

Ian

I've just realised that I might not be understanding the OP - is it a (non-German) legal front light i.e. legal on UK roads but not a German light or a (non German-legal) front light i.e. a light that specifically does not conform to StVZO that is sought?

freiston wrote: ↑10 Oct 2021, 1:38pm I've just realised that I might not be understanding the OP - is it a (non-German) legal front light i.e. legal on UK roads but not a German light or a (non German-legal) front light i.e. a light that specifically does not conform to StVZO that is sought?

Yes, I think OP wants a front light that is not StVZO certicated and wants one with a wide flood rather than a sharp cut-off.

rotavator wrote: ↑10 Oct 2021, 1:58pm

freiston wrote: ↑10 Oct 2021, 1:38pm I've just realised that I might not be understanding the OP - is it a (non-German) legal front light i.e. legal on UK roads but not a German light or a (non German-legal) front light i.e. a light that specifically does not conform to StVZO that is sought?

Yes, I think OP wants a front light that is not StVZO certicated and wants one with a wide flood rather than a sharp cut-off.

Oops
Silly me - I've only just noticed the last sentence of the OP

Halfords do something similar under 50 quid. Brilliant.

freeflow wrote: ↑10 Oct 2021, 10:25am I know you don't want a German light but I use a Busch and Muller IQ X-E (150 lux) which is a very bright light. I use it with a battery box

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TrustFire-Rech ... 613&sr=8-2

and 4x18650 batteries to get the required 6V+.

4x3400 mah protected 18650 batteries run the light and my smartphone for 5 hours.

I wouldn't hesitate to use it for riding gravel tracks at night.

I'd look at SJS for handlebar mounts.

Not good with brompton fold. Surely the extra box for the batteries and cables get in the way.

The Raveman light linked to is not one I have experience of, but it does look attractive. If it works reliably. That is what I would want to know. In particular, that remote wireless switch sounds like a potential weak point, probably needing a button battery. Like the OP I would be looking for reviews. But it does look attractive. It has a wide beam on tap, it pumps out a good amount of light on a 4hr setting (which is what I would use on tracks), and it attempts to do something about the potential problem of blinding other folk.

I've read ahem rave reviews about it and them in the past. Recently the pr1600 got 4.5 out of 5 stars in a cycling website like cycling dot con or bikeradar.

They're Hong Kong set up and cyclists I read somewhere. I've looked at them before in a lbs near where I used to live (lbs has since shut). I think the distributor is a minor guy in the sector so often only gets sold in the independents aimed at better bikes. A grand bike is budget to them. Certainly where I've seen them.

I think I'll try it out. I've seen it with smaller diameter mount extra for £122 on amazon. All the normal bike shops that are cheaper don't sell the mount or total costs more.

Tangled Metal wrote: ↑11 Oct 2021, 6:49am II think I'll try it out. I've seen it with smaller diameter mount extra for £122 on amazon.

Do you really need that? I've just used insulation tape to build bars up to the desired diameter.

pwa wrote: ↑11 Oct 2021, 5:30am The Raveman light linked to is not one I have experience of, but it does look attractive. If it works reliably. That is what I would want to know. In particular, that remote wireless switch sounds like a potential weak point, probably needing a button battery. Like the OP I would be looking for reviews. But it does look attractive. It has a wide beam on tap, it pumps out a good amount of light on a 4hr setting (which is what I would use on tracks), and it attempts to do something about the potential problem of blinding other folk.

I'm also curious, I like the idea of the beam and the remote. If TM gets one I hope they review it, though as per the other thread I'm still of the opinion they'd be better off with two lesser lights.
I had a look at the spec, the remote uses a CR2032 cell, common and cheap, I don't see why this would be a weak point (Other than being something to lose or have removed from the bars), in the unlikely event of a failure I'm assuming the light can be operated without.