CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years old!
Well done to ALL posters
It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
resolvedAs winter draws near, ok just forward planning...
I'll be building up a dynamo hub'ed wheel next month - shimano dh-3n80 dynamo hub on mavic A319 rim.
But, regarding lights, how bright do the rear lights tend to be, are the ok on their own, or are they best used with a battery backup? Or forget about a rear dyne light and only use a battery light on the back? I was thinking of the B + M Toplight Line brake plus rear brake light.
"ok on their own, or are they best used with a battery backup?"
Two lights (dynamo or not) is good.
One 'static', one flashing favoured by a lot of people on CCE.
Got that light on the brompton and going to fit one on the audaxy bike. Plenty bright enough, though a backup light is always nice to have :-)
I would use the dynolight as primary and the battery one as backup myself.
"Two lights (dynamo or not) is good."
Indeed, yes, should rephrase question...
Are dynamo lights as a 'main' lights sufficient?
My intention was to replace main lights (front and rear) with dynamo lights, and also use (current) cheapish flashing battery lights too.
B & M standlicht aren't very robust. I've had two break. Might get a Toplight Line Plus next time.
The Cyo is more than enough light for what ever you need imho.
If you have a rack, buy this, the last rear light you will ever buy.
SWMBO has one on her commuter. We rode back late from the festival last week and I was taken aback anew at how epic it is.
You could fit two lights but we don't bother. This one is so reflective that even if you switched it off, the reflection is brighter than a minimally UK-legal rear light to following traffic anyway.
If I wanted to put dynamo lights on my Brompton, which should I get? I'm too mean to get the Son dynamo, so they will need to work with the Shimano dynamo, but which lights should I put with it?
Does a Toplight Line Plus work on the back of a Brompton? What should I put on the front? I need something bright enough to let me ride on unlit country roads...
Just to be controversial...
I used to love dynamo lights and dynohubs when battery lights were rubbish.
Since LEDs and NiCads (now NiMH) I haven't bothered.
B&M lights are fantastic - front and back. Topline rear lights are easily enough.
@chdot I could be convinced about rear lights but the B&M front lights are far superior to any battery LED's I've seen for road use.
Hi, I'm a newbie, so please be gentle...
+1 for the B+M lights. The Cyo is sufficiently bright (and well-directed/focused) to allow me to use unlit paths at night. @Greenroofer - regarding the Toplight Line Plus, I run mine from a Shimano dynamo and so long as it fits with the folding, don't see why it would be different for a Brompton.
The thing I like about dynamo lights is that I don't have to remember them. They're already on the bike, they're already powered, they'll switch themselves on when they think it's dark enough.
I'd recommend the B&M Seculite+ for the rear, as it bolts onto the mudguard, leaving the rack free for a childseat. In two years I've only lost one lens for it, whereas the greater mass of battery rears and their propensity to be juddered out of their bracket by the roads means I've still managed to lose two backup/secondary lights in the same.period.
Thanks folks, I think I am now sufficiently convinced that dynamo lights are effective as 'main' lights. I might even forgo the cheap flashies too (although bits of my commute on unlit 60mph roads, hmm, flashies or not?).
Seems like either Phillips saferide, or B+M combinations are good. Are they compatible? Does anyone ride Phillips rear with B+M front (I like the look of the light Dave posted)?
Cheers.
Oh, when they are on, do you 'feel' them, how much extra effort is required? A gear?
Got b&m cyto front and toplight rear on the Brompton, brilliant (badoom tish) lights and can't feel any difference in resistance between on and off. :-)
"Does anyone ride Phillips rear with B+M front (I like the look of the light Dave posted)?"
Philips Saferide front, B&M Seculite+ back, on the mudguard, until a month ago; the Saferide (removed to repair wires) is currently disguised as the B&M Lumotec Lyt Senso I got as a free replacement for the one whose supercapacitor rattled free, just until I redesign my mount to be able to fit a Lumotec and Saferide side-by-side for the winter. Sparebike also had a Lumotec and Seculite but will be upgraded to one of the new Saferides I got the other month when they were dead cheap on Scumazon.
Lights and dynamos are essentially interchangeable. I think the only practical exception is if you buy the expensive Supernova ones, which might not power a normal rear light IIRC.
No idea if this is a good price but if anyone is looking for a brompton dynamo wheel Evans has a soiled stock on at the moment.
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/brompton/shimano-hub-dynamo-front-wheel-soiled--ec063892
I don't think there's any point having flashies on unlit rural roads. With any light at all you can be seen for miles on a dark road, so there's no problem with being seen. Flashies are more useful in town, where they instantly say 'bike' which may be helpful to drivers in a complex situation and are a bit more attention-getting.
I ride almost completely on unlit rural roads and don't bother with a flashing light, although I do normally have a backup battery light because my bottle dynamo is not mad keen on going through puddles. Hub dynamo is on the wish list
It's 8:30, need lights...
Mmm
Will have one bike with Dynohub powered front light - soon.
Dynamo lighting, like nonrim braking, is now very firmly on my list of non-negotiable prerequisites for a winter commuter.
On the front I gave up on a blinky helmet mounted light, but still keep a red of that ilk on the back of my bunnet.
So BikeTrax have just charged me £30 to fit dynamo lights to the Brompton and lubricate the gear cables. (That doesn't include the cost of the parts, obviously, but seems money well-spent).
I've put a 70 lux B&M Cyo on the front and a Toplight Line Plus on the back.
Interestingly (and unlike the dyanmo on my 700c bike) there's a noticeable difference in drag when the lights are off or on.
Anyway, the reason I'm mentioning this is that they gave me the instructions that came with the Brompton bits they installed. The instructions are really clear, so if you were thinking of doing this yourself they give you all you need to do a DIY job (and tell you what to buy).
PM me if you'd like a scanned copy.
Having previously employed the Phillips Saferide (great light, but substandard mount, no compatibility) and B&M Luxos U (just never really got on with it, expensive divorce)
This year I will be sporting a Schmidt Edelux II to complement the obligatory SON deluxe hub
Toplight Line Plus on the rear, natch
Wunderbar !
You must log in to post.
Cycling in Edinburgh Flickr group
Video embedded using Easy Video Embed plugin
posts