Cycling UK Forum

My son, who's an Elite level racer, used an Ixon IQ for all his winter commuting and training last year. He commuted 15 miles each way on dark country lanes and often did an extended ride home. He was seriously impressed by the IQ, which enabled him to ride at an average of 20+mph and also incorporates a "dip" facility, to stop dazzling other road users and conserve a bit of juice in built up areas. The best light he's used and great value at less than £80. He was getting 5 hours riding on a full charge.

Mick,

Where is the fun in buying battery lights?
Surely you see the logic in buying a hub dynamo? You get to build up a new wheel!
Now - if your sitting down? - Campag don't make them.

There is however a higher priced and better performing hub which would allow you to avoid Shimano...

PBA wrote:Mick,

Where is the fun in buying battery lights?
Surely you see the logic in buying a hub dynamo?

Not enough power !

Just tested my B&M IQ Cyo and there is more than enough light for road riding. Noticed it still lit the road up even with on coming car on dipped beam, It lights the whole of the road and even when running doesn't provide any perceptible drag
. There are many more powerful battery driven lights. but they don't last long on batteries and a large percentage are for offroad use and have little consideration for fellow road users

I said at the OP that I used to have a Soubitez BB dynamo.

This BB dynamo was superb. It never slipped, had minimal drag, provided a HUGE amount of light, was neat and tidy, and could come off during the summer. Please don't confuse this BB dynamo with the vastly inferior Sanyo version.

A hub dynamo is fine. They are there to provide power at the flick of a switch, but they are ugly and there all the time whether you want them or not. If I were to have a dynamo again, I would turn the clock back and not have sold my Soubitez!

Neater and simpler are battery LED lights. They are lighter, removable, upgradeable, and you can have a whole thread on here about them!

Choices for me:
Leave what I've got, or upgrade the front for £80.

Folks say that a lot of lights dazzle oncoming drivers. The stadium flood lights may, but I've got a Seoul SSC-P7 based LED torch, with a conical beam. It's one LED and bloomin bright, yet when I go and stand in front of the bike 15 yards away, it doesn't look intimidating to me - a mere pin prick of bright light compared to quality car head lights on full beam, which would cause a reflex squinting reaction. The P7? Sure it's bright, but not dangerous IMO. And yet drivers seem to stop in their tracks for me to pass (even with a slightly bad adjusted B&M Cyo last night) - I can't figure it out. Or it must be drivers I can't figure out, trying to figure me out!

I drive by the way, so am aware of the drivers eye view.

The airbike P7 is 700 lumens for £75 with a charger and battery pack just a thought
Do you need one probably if you ride in pitch dark it can be dimmed there are 4 settings
Gaz

How about this idea:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Orangebike.jpg

TwoPlusTen wrote:How about this idea:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Orangebike.jpg

My bike has always had a unique collection of lighting on it though :-





I may not resemble a car, but I'm pretty sure I've been mistaken for a paramedic...

Mick, I can't recommend the B+M Ixon IQ enough. It's got a great beam for all conditions and fits very neatly onto the bike using a brake calliper mount, so your bars are free of clutter. I couldn't be happier with mine.

Colin off topic I know but what bar tape are you using is it leather ? and would you recommend it ? I am temptted by the brooks stuff but at 34 pounds i need a good recommendation before I buy .

Regards

NUKe

NUKe wrote:Colin off topic I know but what bar tape are you using is it leather ? and would you recommend it ? I am temptted by the brooks stuff but at 34 pounds i need a good recommendation before I buy .

Regards

NUKe

NUKe, I love the Brooks tape. It's firmer than cork which is a good thing in my books, (and a pair of mits more than softens them enough if that's an issue) but more giving than cloth. I find them extremely comfortable. They appear to be very hard wearing, I've had mine for two years and there's no sign of any wear at all, they have however mellowed beautifully and are dark and shiny where I hold the bars most. I was concerned about rain, but it seems to have no effect. I give them a quick Proofide treatment once every few months to prevent drying out and that seems enough. The only issue I had was the rather nice wooden end caps which are poorly glued onto the cork bung, and I'd recommend deliberately breaking them apart and re-gluing them with Araldite to prevent losing them (I spent a happy hour searching through a hedge looking for one of mine once). If you've got £34 to spend on tape I'd go for this, they're gorgeous. Here's a picture of my bars from last month to show how well they've faired so far.

Hi Colin,
Nice bike!

Here's a shot of my front brake/headset/fork crown.
You can see that a bracket like yours wouldn't fit.

The brake boss where the spring goes doesn't come off.
It might, but I have no idea how. My Campag Chorus brakes seem unable to be stripped.

Yep, I don't think you'd be able to use that fitting method. I just looked at my photo and realised that it was one of my early attempts at getting the bracket to fit and not the final solution. You can still use the bar mount though.

Your bike's not too bad either!

What about the cree flashlights mounted on the bike ?

Plenty about and very cheap in comparison.I am a cheap skate and use 2 of these for unlit pitch black roads...

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.26800

There are stronger ones as well..