Lights 2015

[eminva]

Hello —

Okay, my old Exposure Diablo charger died, taking the light with it. I’ve never been totally happy with it — the light works fine, but I’ve never gotten anywhere near the promised battery life, even after a long trip to the UK for warranty service.

So, in the three years since I bought it, has technology improved? Anyone find something they like better? This would be for commuting year round between DC and the wilds of central Fairfax County. Thanks in advance.

Liz

P.S. If you have an Exposure light and your smart charger starts to alternately flash red and green, do NOT, under any circumstances, plug it into your light! You will have two problems instead of one.

Topic

[TwoWheelsDC]

@jabberwocky 124278 wrote:

I don’t think headlights should blink at all. Ever. I see zero utility to it.

I tend to agree, but I do find them somewhat useful in the city and more populated/traffic-y areas, since I feel they make you stand out more from all the static street lights and also keep you from getting lost in a see of car headlights, particularly when there are a lot of cars pulling onto the road or trying to quickly make left hand turns. So I see them as a “nice to have” in some situations, but definitely not essential. And on the trail? GTFO.

[bentbike33]

@sethpo 124231 wrote:

… why I would need / want the ability to program so many different blink patterns.

For your upcoming article in the Annals of Improbable Research on the effectiveness of alternative blink patterns for inducing epileptic seizures in motorists, of course.

[UnknownCyclist]

@bentbike33 124284 wrote:

For your upcoming article in the Annals of Improbable Research on the effectiveness of alternative blink patterns for inducing epileptic seizures in motorists, of course.

Didn’t this fine publication go by the name of “The Journal of Irreproducible Results?” They probably had to change the name to distinguish themselves from typical academic journals.

[consularrider]

@jabberwocky 124278 wrote:

…I don’t think headlights should blink at all. Ever. I see zero utility to it.

Generally on the blink setting the battery life is longer. Also, I will use the blink setting around sunrise and sunset on low traffic MUPs like the 4MRT that go through forested areas when there is plenty of ambient light for me to see by but I need to catch the attention of approaching trail users. My (purely unsubstantiated) impression is that they see a flashing headlight under those circumstances much more often than a steady headlight set on low power.

[Raymo853]

@UnknownCyclist 124311 wrote:

Didn’t this fine publication go by the name of “The Journal of Irreproducible Results?” They probably had to change the name to distinguish themselves from typical academic journals.

I prefer the “Journal of Lead Author Has Enough Previous Publications so We Do Not Review the Work nor Check for Plagiarism”

[UnknownCyclist]

Sorry, it was a spinoff, not a name change:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journal_of_Irreproducible_Results

[MFC]

@consularrider 124315 wrote:

Generally on the blink setting the battery life is longer. Also, I will use the blink setting around sunrise and sunset on low traffic MUPs like the 4MRT that go through forested areas when there is plenty of ambient light for me to see by but I need to catch the attention of approaching trail users. My (purely unsubstantiated) impression is that they see a flashing headlight under those circumstances much more often than a steady headlight set on low power.

I agree. During sun glare periods, it helps to do something to stand out as a cyclists because of the number of drivers, runners and other cyclists that can’t see you well or are spacing out.

[Harry Meatmotor]

Whelp, both front and rear Flux Experts showed up yesterday. Unpackaging and mounting/aiming took all of 10 minutes. I did a couple highbeam and lowbeam walk-towards-the-bike-from-a-distance-to-see-if-the-beam-cutoff-works type deals last night, and indeed, there’s very little beam above waist/handlebar height.

Fully charged up over night and out the door this morning @ 6:25am; verdict = mucho very good. TONS of light in all the right places @ 400 lumens. The high beam @ 1200 lumens is great and the beam spread/pattern is much better than my Diablo MK5. Yes, these are pricey, but when you basically ride in the dark from October to April, I can definitely live with the purchase. Will need to see about durability/serviceability, but the build quality seems better than my Diablo, too. The mounts are sturdier and easier to use, too. And the “Light Horn” is a nifty little trick. Honestly, the beam pattern seems much more like a proper automobile headlight than your typical glorified flashlight mounted on a handlebar.

Rear lamp is also nice in that it splits the light output into a straight beam backwards, and a secondary beam down towards the ground, about 3 feet back from the rear wheel. Similar to some of the kickstarter-ish lights that shine lasers down at the road surface to create a sort of visual ‘barrier’ around the rider.

So, barring any issues with durability that come with time, these get my approval for a true commuter headlight/taillight combo. No more (wasted) bazillion lumens lighting up the tree canopy for me!

@Harry Meatmotor 120954 wrote:

I’ve got my eyes on these:

http://specialized.com/us/en/ftb/lights/lights-ftb

I’ll probably order up a pair of the front and rear experts and post a report once we’re back in the dark – really looking forward to huge lumen output plus sharp cutoff in an under-the-bar-mounted HL.

edit – just checked Specialized’s B2B site and another plus is that a bunch of replacement parts are available!

[NicDiesel]

So, I replaced my old NiteRider 750 with a Light and Motion Urban 800 and so far so good. Much easier to transport and the lockout is nice. Just curious if anyone else has any experience with Light and Motions.

[Tim Kelley]

@NicDiesel 128091 wrote:

Just curious if anyone else has any experience with Light and Motions.

I personally have 4 of their lights, and have purchased a couple more for friends and family. I think they make a great product, and if the need ever does arise, their costumer service is top notch.

[NicDiesel]

@Tim Kelley 128092 wrote:

I personally have 4 of their lights, and have purchased a couple more for friends and family. I think they make a great product, and if the need ever does arise, their costumer service is top notch.

That’s what I’ve heard, but I was curious how they’ve done over years of use.

[Tim Kelley]

@NicDiesel 128094 wrote:

That’s what I’ve heard, but I was curious how they’ve done over years of use.

The batteries in the Urban’s don’t seem to hold up after a couple years of heavy use, but the Taz’s and the Seca are still amazing.

[NicDiesel]

@Tim Kelley 128096 wrote:

The batteries in the Urban’s don’t seem to hold up after a couple years of heavy use, but the Taz’s and the Seca are still amazing.

For $100 if it lasts a year it’s money well spent.

[wheelswings]

I’m very happy with my Light and Motion Urban 500 ($96), with one caveat: it runs out of power fairly quickly on longer commutes, even when using it on low beam. So if you’ve got a lengthy riding itinerary, it’s good to carry a second light just in case. On the plus side, the indicator light works really well so you always have a good sense (green-orange-red-blinking) of how much juice is left.

[Powerful Pete]

Best solution:

1. L&M Urban; and
2. L&M Vis 360 on the helmet.

Happy, able to see and able to seen Pete.

[Author]

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