Front light for tunnels and dark stretches of road

[PAB855]

I'm looking for a front light which will be suitable for illuminating poorly lit areas during the daytime. I don't go out on unlit roads after dark so the requirement is slightly different. Unlit tunnels and dense foliage, even under railway or canal bridges during daylight hours can hide hidden dangers. I almost lost balance riding through an unlit tunnel once, as I became disorientated.
In strong sunlight particularly, some roads through dense foliage can reduce visibility considerably. Not all cyclists try to make themselves visible, quite the opposite, but that's a different well-worn topic!

I'm wondering whether to go for a separate lamp of greater output than my 100lumen, which is simply for 'being seen'. This light would be used only rarely to let me see where I'm going.

Would a lamp with two different outputs, low and high, be an alternative solution?.

How many lumens would do?

In some respects it's easier to light your way when in complete darkness.

Cheers

[Jdsk]

Would you consider a headlamp driven by a hub dynamo?

And if not would you prefer swappable batteries or USB charging?

Thanks

Jonathan

[Paulkentuk]

Your standard headlamp should actually be sufficient for this. Fitting a brighter lamp, risks dazling oncoming road users, or if the sun is behind you as you enter your tunnel, it might actually make you 'invisible' against that; and make it difficult for them to judge where you are.

[PAB855]

I wòuld prefer rechargeable batteries.

A dynamo isn't a possibility because of what's already on hubs.

The OCOOPA appears to have a high and low output as well as flashing. For £25 with a rear light included? Where's the catch?

Yes, I don't want to blind anyone but I need to see where I'm going!

Cheers

[Jdsk]

Thanks

Jonathan

[Galactic]

My Busch and Müller LED front light (driven off a dynamo hub) automatically switches between daylight and nighttime mode. During the day it focuses a thin beam towards drivers to help me be seen, but when the light dims, it switches to a lower, wider beam that allows me to see where I'm going.

It's more than sufficient in tunnels (tested in long, curvy, unlit Norwegian tunnels with nasty signs sticking out of rough-hewn rock sides), and, like all the dynamo lights I've seen for years (StZVO standard), provides a glow noticeable to other traffic when going through shade/light under trees or cuttings.

I'm afraid I don't know what model I have, but it cost about 30 or forty quid ten years ago, and I'd assume most decent dynamo front lights now have a similar feature. You can have a look at B+M lights at https://www.bumm.de/en/products.html (other brands are available, but I don't know them to recommend them).

I see you'd prefer not having a dynamo hub, but perhaps worth thinking about next time you need to replace your rims (if that ever happens). I find having it on the dynamo hub is nice not only because drag is negligible and I don't have to worry about remembering to turn it on or off (no concerns about charging or remembering to remove and attach lights etc).

[Carlton green]

I wòuld prefer rechargeable batteries.

A dynamo isn't a possibility because of what's already on hubs.

Rechargeable batteries are fine so long as they’re still charged when you want to use them.

If you don’t want or can’t have a hub dynamo them consider a bottle dynamo - relatively easy to fit, no drag when not in use and always ready for use. Even at walking pace my LED front light and bottle dynamo give enough light to safely move about, quite amazing.

[Bmblbzzz]

I wòuld prefer rechargeable batteries.

As in separate rechargeable, AA and the like, or built-in USB rechargeable?

[hufty]

If you had two lights, your tunnel light could be pointed down more at the road so wouldn't dazzle motorists. In general being dazzled by a 10p sized light source is nothing compared to being dazzled by two high output xenon headlamps - us car drivers have to moan about something. I have a dynamo front light, Mrs H has an ETC Kochab, which is significantly brighter. It's USB rechargeable, it has a daylight running mode, it's a good light.

A good place to compare bike lights:
https://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/up ... ine-212914

[millimole]

Just a thought about tunnels - and I don't know which tunnels you are considering.

I used to go through the unlit tunnels on Sustrans Route 6 on the Brampton Valley Way a couple of times a year.

The contrast between daylight and the dark of the tunnel meant that you'd probably need extremely bright lights to have anything like decent illumination more than a couple of metres beyond your front wheel.
It's not that the lights commonly used are poor, it's that your eyesight can't adjust enough.

This became apparent when I used the same route, with the same lights in the dead of night.

Being seen coming would be the priority IMO

[PH]

The other thing about dynamo lights and tunnels is it's possible you'll slow down to an extent the light becomes useless. I went through the 2.4 mile long Netherton canal tunnel on a bike with just a dynamo light and had to get off and walk, even then it wasn't pleasant.
The OP is right that finding a light to pick your way through the gloom is harder than one for darkness, particularly if there's likely to be potential obstacles. On road under tree cover, I don't tend to bother, I'll slow down, but I can't think of an instance when I've felt a light would help. Off road is different, as well as the canal tunnels, there's plenty of converted rail trails with tunnels in the Peak District. I use my Niterider high powered light, usually on a medium setting, I think that's 300 lumen. One of the reasons I like it is that it swivels on the clamp, I can point it to just illuminate the left edge of the path if someone is walking or riding towards me, enough to make steady progress without blinding them.

[andrew_s]

For tunnels of any length, a considerable problem is that you mostly use them during the daytime, without dark-adapted eyes, and therefore need a considerably brighter light than you would for normal night riding.
You could stop inside and wait for your eyes to adapt, but that would be 15 minutes or so.

One of my more exciting rides was through the tunnel at the Col du Parpaillon, with a halogen dynamo light that I regarded at the time as being quite good, and a Petzl Zoom head torch.
It was bright sun outside, but once I'd got past daylight (~50 m?), I was riding with virtually no view of the ground, watching the spot of the head torch on the tunnel wall to the side. Given the rough surface, with puddles and lumps of ice, that was difficult.
It got better at half way when the far entrance came into sight and I'd got something to aim at (the tunnel was straight, but slightly arched).
If I went there again now, I'd take my Zebralight H600FW head torch (1350 lm).

These days I use a dynohub and Edelux II (same as B+M Cyo premium), which was adequate in the Tintern cyclepath tunnel (1 km).

For dark bits of road (under trees), there's normally either a perfectly adequate amount of light getting through the trees, or it's dark enough (at dusk) that a normal bike light is OK. The more normal problem is not being able to spot potholes against the dapple camouflage of the small spots of sun that get through the trees.

[jb]

The only way to cycle through a tunnel of any length is to stop at the entrance and let your eyes get used to the dark.
In Norway there were reflectors along the wall which allowed progress without stopping but it was not without risk as the gutter was deep.
A front light you could actually see by would be somewhat over the top for most other things.

[TrevA]

I have a Petzl headlamp for use when camping and dog walking in the dark, which may be suitable for use in tunnels and dark shade. it’s got 3 brightness settings and the angle of the lamp is adjustable. It could easily be stored in a pocket or bag when not in use. It uses AAA batteries, but you can also get a rechargeable battery for it.

https://www.petzl.com/GB/en/Sport/Headlamps

I think mine is the Tikka, so 350 lumens.

[Steve]

I have a Moon Meteor Vortex as an occasional front light (the 1000 lumen model), it's not perfect, but might be the kind of thing you're looking for.