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From: Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net>
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Re: bike light optics
Date: Thu, 4 Apr 2024 21:53:10 -0400
Organization: A noiseless patient Spider
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On 4/4/2024 7:16 PM, Roger Merriman wrote:
> Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>> On 4/4/2024 3:53 PM, Roger Merriman wrote:
>>>
>>> urban roads small usb powered lights would be fine, as you don’t need light
>>> to see by, I only flick mine to high beam in the woods/parks but I’m a
>>> outlier, though london does have a fair bit of Green areas that you’d
>>> probably want a light that you’d see by. Though in most it’s fairly mild
>>> and doesn’t need anything that powerful.
>>>
>>> Quite frankly anything StVZO is like my exposure light likely to be
>>> overkill in terms of cost.
>>
>> About the cost: For a long time I got by fine with various lights that
>> were very inexpensive. I experimented a bit with many headlights and
>> lighting arrangements, including rechargeables and home brews. I mostly
>> used dynamo halogen lamps by Union and Soubitez that focused the beam
>> quite well and were adequate for all my road riding, but not really
>> outstanding. The only setup that I considered a significant improvement
>> was two halogen lamps powered by my dynamo, and switchable (A or B or A+B).
>>
>> But when I got my first B&M Cyo, I considered the problem solved and
>> stopped experimenting. It's a little pricey (~$100?) but I've spent far
>> more on other bike equipment. I can afford it, and it's such an
>> improvement. For me, it gives a luxurious amount of illumination.
>>
> The lamps as far as I can see are relatively speaking inexpensive, at least
> compared roughly to batteries powered units, the expensive bit would seem
> to be a Dynamo hub and wheel even if your building and installation
> yourself, which is probably a technical hurdle beyond most.
> 
> I’m really not a good fit for such lights, mainly that I want lights with
> more power with the MTB/Gravel bike can get at least one dynamo lights with
> a off road beam shaped but even so with a 3w limit it’s power output is
> lacking for that purpose ie 800 lumens at 17mph+ my light kicks out at
> least double that with potentially up to 3 times that, as it uses how fast
> how much the bars are moving to gauge the light needed.

I'm curious: What light is that, and what did it cost?

> 
> For the commute would a dynamo light be fine? Probably though even so I’d
> probably miss even thats lights ability to light up the woods on high that
> would mainly be beam shape than absolute power, as some dynamo lights
> aren’t too far behind though most seem to be in the 200 ish lumen range.
> 
> I’ve had lights in that range in the past, and that’s fine but what I have
> is a better fit certainly for my commute, ie a mix of well lit roads and
> unlit woods.
> 
> Unless the cost of the dynamo system is built into the cost of the bike as
> new, it’s a relatively hard sell, note the rise of E bike lights, ie they
> plug into the main battery.

About the cost of the dynamo: Two of my bikes have hub dynamos. I built 
the wheels myself. But at least four other family bikes have B&M 
headlamps powered by bottle or roller dynamos. Most of those were given 
to me, so they don't have to be expensive. New ones of good quality are 
available for ~$40.

-- 
- Frank Krygowski