My twelve-to-fifteen bike had a bottle dynamo on it. Can't remember why I didn't shift it over to the bike whose frame is still up in the loft when the downtube snapped - maybe it required a brazed-on fitting.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Stuff
Brighter rear lights for non-streetlit roads
(45 posts)-
Posted 7 years ago #
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As Arellcat points out, there was a period between the old 'dark' ages and the 'modern' LED period.
Better bulbs, batteries and indeed reflectors.
There was also the transition from lights being on brackets fixed to front forks or headset to handlebars. Previously lights were too heavy to reliably fix to bars.
So now it's possible to easily change where lights point and switch the brightness up or down. Whether many/most light beams are now designed 'properly' is another matter.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Of course a key transition word was halogen.
Posted 7 years ago # -
For those interested in on my question about the Highway Code etc...
This gave me some useful pointers...
http://www.cyclinguk.org/cyclists-library/regulations/lighting-regulationsLooks like flashing became properly legal as main lights not until 2005 (amendment to Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations)
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/2559/pdfs/uksi_20052559_en.pdfSo the remaining question is when they became popular. Anyone remember? I think I was using them around 1991 to supplement a dynamo - but memory isn't my strong point. That would make it about 15 years of popular use before made legal.
Posted 7 years ago # -
"around 1991"
Sounds about right.
About the time I was told 'white LEDs are impossible - they'll always be a bit blue'.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Not only weren't flashing lights legal until 2005, but any led light wasn't legal (as the only light) until the same year. You had to have an incandescent bulb as your main light. Leds could be used as supplementary lights.
Looking at Wikipedia into this question, I was intrigued to find that in Germany, any bike overy 11kg had to have dynamo lights until 2013. Apparently this is one reason that Germany developed particularly efficient dynamo lights.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Yesterday I finally managed to catch up a cyclist whom I'd seen a few times already to ask about his fantastically bright-but-not-blinding rear light.
It was the Knog Blinder MOB V Kid Grid, and currently PlanetX are selling it for £13 instead of £35.
Fine for seatpost mounting; pannier racks (and torpedoes) would require invention.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Now £11! PlanetX must've bought a job lot of them. Also some Lezyne/Moon-knockoffs with strange names.
Posted 7 years ago # -
There have been some great deals on PlanetX site recently. Picked up front and rear light set (batteries included) for a fiver! Plenty bright too. Good deals on leather saddles, lights, all kinds of stuff right now.
Posted 7 years ago # -
That does look like a neat light... big surface area is the winning factor IMO.
I was just going to comment that while driving to work the other day I noticed a super awesome bike light up ahead. When I caught up with the rider I'm pretty certain it was a B&M Toplight line plus (potentially battery version).
The very greatest rear light I've seen was the Philips saferide, but I think they might be OOP: http://www.philips.co.uk/c-p/SRRBLRBBX1/led-bike-lights-saferide
Posted 7 years ago # -
Well I invested in an Exposure Flare a while back but because of Reasons I only got to try it for the first time yesterday. I do like the pulse mode, and viewing it from behind it is a lot brighter than the other two lights I've got, which is all I really wanted.
It is a bit bodged on to the rear rack, though, as it is designed to mount on a seat post. However the bodge seems to be OK and I have ways to improve it.Posted 7 years ago # -
Now £11! PlanetX must've bought a job lot of them. Also some Lezyne/Moon-knockoffs with strange names.
Went up to £16 in between me loading the page and adding it to the basket.
Posted 7 years ago # -
@Frency, the black one seems to be £16 while the red one is £11.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Ta!
Posted 7 years ago # -
@Arellcat thanks for the tip, I've just bought a slightly different Knog one from Planet X.
My current rear light needs switched on by using a paper clip because the button fell off at some point!
Posted 7 years ago #
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