Good, cheap bicycle lighting is here
Aug. 19th, 2009 10:28 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
johnridleyA few months back, DealExtreme started carrying a P7 LED based headlight for bikes, for $80. Early reports were that they had some QC issues; inconsistent beams, aluminum machining flakes inside with the circuitry, bad solder joints. But they were good enough that a US vendor, GeoMan, started carrying them and worked with the manufacturer to address the QC issues and make improvements based on user feedback on the cycling forums.
The result is that the folks that have bought them in the last month or two have been incredibly impressed; they're comparing favorably to lights from Lupine and Lights & Motion which usually run more in the $500 to $700 range.
My HID died a bit over a year ago, and I picked up a Dinotte 200L for a bit over $100. It's pretty nice and all, runs on AA batteries, but the light output doesn't quite cut it on the washboarded gravel roads that I ride on. On pavement it was fine, but on gravel I found myself either having to slow down or running the chance of hitting potholes I didn't see in time. So today I ordered one of these new lights; Geoman is in NM and is charging $90.
Bike lights right now are suffering from the same issue that computers had for a long time; buy a $200 light now, in a year there'll be a better one for less money. But I think we're getting to where you can buy an excellent light for relatively cheap.
Here's the link if anyone wants to look. I'll post pics when it comes in.
The result is that the folks that have bought them in the last month or two have been incredibly impressed; they're comparing favorably to lights from Lupine and Lights & Motion which usually run more in the $500 to $700 range.
My HID died a bit over a year ago, and I picked up a Dinotte 200L for a bit over $100. It's pretty nice and all, runs on AA batteries, but the light output doesn't quite cut it on the washboarded gravel roads that I ride on. On pavement it was fine, but on gravel I found myself either having to slow down or running the chance of hitting potholes I didn't see in time. So today I ordered one of these new lights; Geoman is in NM and is charging $90.
Bike lights right now are suffering from the same issue that computers had for a long time; buy a $200 light now, in a year there'll be a better one for less money. But I think we're getting to where you can buy an excellent light for relatively cheap.
Here's the link if anyone wants to look. I'll post pics when it comes in.
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no subject
Date: 2009-08-19 02:42 pm (UTC)I'm really interested in hearing what you think of it. I've been considering one for bar-mounted lighting to go along with the head-mounted Trinewt that I've got.
no subject
Date: 2009-08-19 03:06 pm (UTC)They apparently get pretty darn hot pretty fast, which I take as a good thing, since the heat is making it out to the case quickly.
The only real complaint I've heard is that the blink mode blinks in high (900 lumen) mode and is way too damn bright. They should have probably 3 power modes on constant, maybe 100/300/600 lumens (assuming that the 900 lumen claim of any of these guys is BS - word is that in high, they're about the same as a Dinotte 600L) and they should have some way to select power on blink mode too.
What I REALLY want since I'm riding on the road is a full cutoff reflector. While this apparently puts 80% of its power into the central beam, 20% is still pretty bright on the periphery, and it does no good to blind oncoming drivers. I'm going to play with that when it arrives and at least figure out a cutoff. Here's a PROPER lens for a bike light, from B&M:
and here's the beam shot for that reflector:
THAT is what a bike light for use on the road should put out.