I'll try again tomorrow to get some less blurred pics up. REI had its 20% member sale this week, so I picked up a 650 lumen
NiteRider Lumina. Its tiny compared to past NiteRider models. So here is a series of pics of my current selection of lights. My old NiteRider 500 lumen Trinewt, the new 650 lumen Lumina,my old 700 lumen
Light and Motion Li-ion Cub (
HID or high intensity discharge lamp) and the Light and Motion 700 lumen lamp combined with the Lumina 650. I shot these all while pointing across the street at our across-the-street neighbor's house.
The HID lamp throws a wicked amount of light and remains a favorite, but I don't think the HID bulb is as robust as the new LEDs that theoretically last thousands to tens of thousands of hours and are relatively impervious to the bouncies and on/off cycling. I worry not only about the HID failing but how long it would take to replace a blown HID bulb in this obsolescent unit, so its now on my helmet (OMG, the H-word!) rather than being on the handlebars and therefore subject to more road shock.
Bottom line is the lumen per dollar value is definitely going way up; not to mention, bulk going way down. Any of these individually will provide a lot of light at fast bicycle speeds and increasingly, not break the bank. With the Light and Motion Cub on my helmet and the two LED lights mounted on my two commuters, the headlamp can be aimed where needed (such as flashing motorists at side streets, checking for deer crossing the road, or just pointed up the road) while the bike handlebar lights point where the bike is generally going.
This ain't an endorsement of these brands above all others. Just what I happen to have bought. Bottom line is with winter and short days coming upon us, you better think about lighting if you are going to commute to work.The Trinewt at 500 lumens used to cost about four hundred dollars plus. The 650 lumen Lumina is now about 140 bucks and there are good LED lamps pumping out hundreds of lumens and costing less than a Ben Franklin. A lot cheaper than a typical ER visit. And as Steve says, there is plenty else out there. Just found
this at Amazon. 1200 lumen for forty five bucks.
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| NiteRider 500 lumen Trinewt |
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| NiteRider 650 lumen Lumina |
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| Light and Motion HID lamp at 700 lumen |
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| Light and Motion 700 lumen Li-cub plus 650 lumen Lumina |
7 comments:
I'll stick with my P7
Wanna know about tail lights?
http://bicycles.blogoverflow.com/2012/03/tail-light-review/#hotshot
Last time I aimed my home brew super light at a neighbors house, they called the cops cause they were afraid I damaged their siding. :-)
As I see it, lamps with more lumens help you see better at night, but do they make you significantly more visible to other road users than a standard bicycle lamp? The only difference I notice on the road, when another road user's headlight is very bright, is that it has the potential to dazzle me. In terms of visibility, a low-powered light alerts me to another road user's presence just as much as a dazzling light. I'm just not sure the current trend towards super high powered lights does that much good, other than helping us see the road surface better.
I can't help to think that a well designed and brighter light will be more visible to traffic in a visually cluttered environment (such as riding from TA-3 back through town).. But in my case, I am just as interested in seeing down the road as I head home on Diamond Drive going 35 mph with a downhill and a tailwind past the golf course. Its been more than once that a piece of firewood has bounced out of a pickup truck and landed in the road!
Yah... that high speed downhill off "Conoco" heading north is a challenge after dark for the lighting system. Saturday afternoon, I came down there with the wind fast enough to get a speeding ticket.
Wow, Anon. Speeding tick? Badge of honor, if you prefer.
A bright light creates the impression to motorists along side roads that you are traveling faster than you are, which makes them less likely to drive out. Usually, cyclists benefit from motorists underestimating our speed - unless they are up ahead and deciding whether to go or wait.
http://dfwptp.blogspot.com/2011/10/sometimes-speed-is-savior.html
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