Cycling UK Forum

irc, do you think one of those PLanetX 3W lights would sufficiently light the railway path ahead ?

I had an old Silca pump, I think I got the replacement from SJS

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/silca-pista- ... prod22736/

Is there a moderator who can move the above post to here: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=80746

AlastairS wrote:irc, do you think one of those PLanetX 3W lights would sufficiently light the railway path ahead ?

Yes. It is bright enough to ride on unlit roads/railway paths. It is a copy/rip off/ similar to a 1W Edinburgh Bicycles light I used for years for commuting. I found that 1W borderline but usable on unlit roads. The 3W is definitely enough.

I think I know the disused railway line your intending to ride in the dark Alastair. I used to ride along it when I worked on that side of town. The main hazard I found was dog walkers. They were often very hard to spot and the only part of the dog I could see from a distance was the eyes.

I used a Hope vision 1 light on the handlebars and it worked fine so the Cateye will no doubt do the trick. Nowadays I also use a head torch, I have an Exposure model the Diablo they are great but very expensive. The good thing about head torches is that the beam points were your looking.

I'd recommend steady beam for the line keep the pulsing mode for street lit roads.

On another point you will need spiker tyres for that railway line in deep winter it does not get gritted.

Aberdeen_lune wrote:The good thing about head torches is that the beam points were your looking.

I hope you take care not to look at oncoming cyclists

I tried my ixon iq this morning on my commute which takes me up an converted railway line which is entirely over hung with trees, covered in leaf mulch and branches and the odd downed tree...i'm very happy with it, it provides plenty of light where you need it, enough even in the wet. I should say that i'm not a fast cyclist by any means but this is enough light for me...

regards m.

andrew_s wrote:

Aberdeen_lune wrote:The good thing about head torches is that the beam points were your looking.

I hope you take care not to look at oncoming cyclists

I do make a point of not blinding people with the light Manfred.

+1 on the head torch. While the Cateye is good most of its light is concentrated in a very bright patch which is small in comparison with the wide, dull halo it casts. If you're riding long distances on unlit roads your eyes adapt to this and you can see quite well: however, if you encounter a bright light or if you've just joined the track from a brightly-lit road you won't see the periphery very well at all. A head torch will counteract this, to some extent.

mgronow wrote:I tried my ixon iq this morning on my commute which takes me up an converted railway line which is entirely over hung with trees, covered in leaf mulch and branches and the odd downed tree...i'm very happy with it, it provides plenty of light where you need it, enough even in the wet. I should say that i'm not a fast cyclist by any means but this is enough light for me...

regards m.

I've ridden on my local path alongside someone with a B&M Cyo - very impressive what you can do with 1 watt and proper optics.
The road reflection from my much brighter light (3x2 watt) probably shuts my night vision down somewhat.

I also have the luxury of an MTB-oriented light on a handlebar switch and a flash button for when there's no one heading towards me.
(the flash button is mainly used when there IS someone coming with a lamp aimed in my eyes - as well as car drivers reluctant to give way)

DIY can give you something very effective for relatively little money if you can live with looking different to everyone else.

In my case £10 per lamp, £25 for the battery £12 for the charger, plus switches, wire etc.

Hi, Yesterday evening I cycled along the disused line with my original front light and it was difficult to see in front of me.
Unfortunately, the Merlin Cycle offer of £22.50 for the Cateye EL530 has ended. Does anyone know where I can buy this light for around the same price posted ?

A lot of shops have put its price up recently, so it's difficult to search by price as the engines haven't updated. I suspect some distributor discount offer has ended. Best now seems to be £23.99 and free UK delivery from http://www.cyclestore.co.uk/productDeta ... source=ctc - I expect once the stock has gone, the price will go up and I don't know how cyclestore work but you may even get a "order declined at this price: would you like to pay the new price X?" when you try to order from some shops.

Thank you mjr, I ordered the light following the link you sent.

I have the Cree T6 - its amazing, rated at 1400 lumen

ScotchEgg wrote:I have the Cree T6 - its amazing, rated at 1400 lumen

It's not about how many lumen, it's about how you use them. I'm shocked that some 1200 lumen lights only illuminate 10-15m ahead unless you use them in a dazzling (illegal) manner.