I'm out of touch: bright light for fast night riding
 

The last time I looked at lights was about eight years ago. I know at the time the cycling company specific lights were horribly overpriced and hopelessly underwhelming. I remember getting some advice to look at flashlights with Cree LEDs. Also there was MagicShine as an example of a very bright light for not a lot of money. Well, I'm finally back to riding at night again and I've got an electric bike so I need something that casts a long, bright beam for my commute. It's about 35 minutes either way. Hopefully, at least one of the legs will be in daylight, but I suppose it's possible that that won't be the case. I can recharge every night.

I had purchased a MagicShine light back then from GeoManGear but it's giving me problems. The connection is so hard to attach and detach that it's about useless. Plus today I tested it out for about one minute after a charge, looked to be working fine, then went to turn it on before my ride and it was completely dead.

Any suggestions?

So many choices now. Check the We Test Lights site, run by Light & Motion but impartial and very informative. They rate some competitors' lights better than their own, either in terms of run time per charge or value.

Best conventional wisdom? Buy more light than you need and run it on lower power. You'll get more battery run time per charge. I find 500 lumens plenty, sometimes too much unless it's on a dark two-lane rural highway with heavy tree cover. So my ideal light would be 800-1200 lumens, run on medium power, so it'll last a few hours rather than the usual 60-90 minutes on high.

Great thing about L&M and most compact lights (everything in a contained unit) is the more powerful lights aren't much bigger and heavier than the lower powered models.

But if your budget runs to $200 or more, there are some other good choices -- check the recent archives for suggestions.

Yes:

A. What type of riding do you do? On-road/off-road/etc.?
B. Your budget? There are bike lights for $20-$1,000.

I'm still using my original Magicshine. I know they were hard to connect & disconnect. to counter that, I roughed up the connectors with sandpaper and a file. they were just too smooth for my fingers. adverse weather conditions made the situation worse. I have no trouble now. it sounds like you just need a new battery. this is the one I have now & it's wonderful. I get several rides per charge. I am careful to follow charging directions. I also use an extension wire so it can ride in my rear trunk. but I put it someplace "safe" & I can't find it, so the battery rides on my top tube using the straps provided. very secure. that "brand" has a new website with newer products which have better lenses & beam patterns. I tried the cheap knockoffs but the wires weren't good, so I don't use it. other ppl have had good luck with those but I think they use a flat lens, so the beam pattern is pretty old fashioned. good luck with your new bike!

Magicshine Bike Light Battery, MJ-6102 high Capacity 6 Cell Li-ion Rechargeable Battery for Bike. 7800mah Waterproof Battery for Mountain Bike Lights Round Plug

Right, I'd forgotten to list that. Thanks.
A. Commuting. On roads or on concrete bike paths.
B. I guess my biggest constraint is what I listed in the OP: able to cast a long enough beam to travel fast on the road and not be surprised by obstacles and able to last an hour or so. But in some searching I'm seeing plenty of options that are under $100 that satisfy those criteria, so let's say around $100 at the top end.

I have an expensive, reliable Dinotte. (But it's very wide beam wouldn't be ideal for a fast e-bike. A narrower beam would reach farther down the road. The Dinotte beam is very smooth, with a gradual fade at the edges. I like it.)

For an e-bike commute, I'd buy two no-name lights. These lights often greatly exaggerate their lumens, so assume the lumens are likely 50% or less of the stated number. It'll still be quite bright. I've never seen these in person, but I assume the beam will have hot spots and/or sharp edge cutoffs. Two lights might help even it out, though.

Two lights, for backup in case of a light failure. And to have two separate beams lighting up the road for better coverage.
Crank them up to max around sunset -- that can be a dangerous time of day. Then run at the medium after dark.

Lithium batteries seem to last just a few years before having a reduced run time. It's best to store them long term with a partial charge, maybe 2/3 to 3/4 charge, and keep in a cool place.

Cheap lights
I clicked the above magicshine link to Amazon, then browsed other lights.

This "1000 lumen" external battery light (plus a tail light!) for $32: Link
The reviews show an extreme hotspot in the middle of the beam.
And a reviewer said the beam gets dimmer as the battery runs down. Just about every LED light uses a "voltage regulator" so that the beam stays bright until the battery is quite low. For $32, they have to cut every corner, on electronics inside, on cheap connectors, on sketchy batteries that you might not want to leave unattended while charging. And the batteries might stop holding a charge fairly soon.

OP - You're lookin' to buy a new headlamp. You want to cast a long beam for fast riding. You ride bike paths on your e-bike.

For the love of Vélocio, would ya get a light with some kind of beam cut off? :)

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...737473b1ef.png


Hey, if you're on an e-bike, why don't you run the light off the bike's battery?

https://www.bumm.de/en/products/e-bi...r60ts7-01.html

No? Okay, get a Fenix BC21R and stuff a 3400mAh Panasonic 18650 in it. See, the thing with the BC21R is that it uses standard, off the shelf, easily replaceable batteries. Carry a spare or two and your run time is dusk 'til dawn.

I have that very light set, which I use for commuting 30 minutes each way, on low, dark every morning. Used it last year on the Silver State 508 from Austin to Eureka, middle of the desert, 8 pm to 1 am. And again the next night up Six Mile Canyon into Reno.
I have found it to be acceptable and quite reliable but have the following comments: I have not used the taillight.
The full size USB electrical connector is steel and not sealed against the weather. If you purchase this unit, also purchase some dielectric grease to maintain the contacts in new condition. If it gets wet, it will corrode.
The connector loosened up and had to be squeezed a bit to maintain contact and not disconnect. I had to tape the connector together on the 508. I do not have it taped now.
The back of the light has a power indicator. It is large, normally green, and bright. When the battery gets low, the indicator turns red. You then have about 10 minutes to figure out how to run without light. There is no other charge indicator.
Charging time is quite long. If planned, not a big deal. It comes with a male to male USB charging cord and has power and charge indicators built in to the cord.
The mount is pretty cheap and broke pretty quickly. I worked around it.

Thanks. You know, my bike did come with a light that uses the battery, but it's just not powerful enough. I hadn't considered that perhaps I could just get a new light. I might have to take some things apart or cut some cords, I don't think it's a removable connector on the light. But perhaps that would be the best approach. Thanks for the idea, I hadn't thought of doing that.

Light & Motion Urban 900 - $59.99
https://www.coloradocyclist.com/ligh...-light-longfin
https://www.jensonusa.com/Light-and-...ipe-900-Lumens

I own this light. The beam pattern is beautiful. 1.5 hours burn time on high.


-Tim-

THe B&M IQ-X E is a good choice if your battery supports voltage and current.
Other good bright lights for ebikes are Lupine SL and Supernova M99.
lupine.de/products/bike-lights/e-bike-lights
supernova-lights.com/en/products/e-bike-lights-45-kmh/

Dark Season?
 

Yea once you are willing to invest more than $100 ,

your choices can include a Front Hub Dynamo,

So you won't have a battery run time issue.

And Wired LED head and tail lights..

Hmmm. Perhaps I can be persuaded. Front hub dynamo sounds like a real PITA to get set up though, no? Would I have to buy a new wheel or have my old wheel and spokes attached to the new hub? I wonder if tapping in to the electric motor would be best. The only issue is that I sometimes ride different bikes, so I'm leaning to just a light that's all self-contained or maybe a battery pack.

Nope, But you may need some mechanical electrical problem solving Talents.

For an E Bike yes you can use the power pack for the Motor, and buy a DC powered light,

https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/b&m_e-bike.php



hub dynamos put out AC.. but won't drain the motor battery, shortening miles between charges.





I've been working in bike shops on and off for Decades...
E bikes are a Brand New Thing, so I'm not experienced there, either


German optical engineering at Busch & Muller have the reflector design down..
light directed where you need it , not on the trees overhead

USA/ Canada ? here is the distributor website He sells retail
or your local shop can become a dealer, apply for an account.
https://www.peterwhitecycles.com

'Fast' means need to light further ahead, so you need brighter lights..

from above link

The Lumotec IQ-X E has 150 lux output. Made specifically for "E Bikes", ...


Busch & Müller IQ-X E headlight, Part Number B&M164R60TS7-01, Price: $175

at around $100, they are less bright an output...

Those tail lights draw off the battery..

I have made up more humble wired battery packs just for head/tail light.
Load draws what it needs , so Wattage effects run time. in Amp/Hours.




​​​​​​​....

Here is a Light with a Freestanding battery pack ..
Ixon IQ Speed with battery pack, charger, and handlebar mount (charger not shown)
50 lux, Part # B&M193QLA, He is closing those out .. at that posting update.

TANSTAAFL

You can pull the electrons out of the battery for the light, or you can pull electrons out of the battery to drive the motor to push the bike along to turn the front wheel to spin the hub dynamo to send electrons to the light.

Which is what you should be choosing rather than voiding the warranty on your bike for a few pitiful minutes.

In addition, you should keep in mind that while Chinese lights offer a significantly lower price they do come with compromises such as inferior parts, electronics and workmanship.

Also, the best lights have good lenses with focused beams which is more important than lights that advertise super inflated lumen ratings. Consider the longevity of your light, and your riding environment. Will you be using it on rough roads or in adverse weather conditions? Good lights can take the abuse without wires coming loose or clamps falling apart.

Last but not least, is the consistency and quality of your light. Many lights advertise super high lumen ratings but don't tell you that those high levels only last for the first few minutes. After which time they degrade and continue to do so as the battery charge level diminishes. This is a challenge even the highest quality lights aren't always able to achieve.

Personally I never notice the tiny % if drag in my Schmidt Dyno Hubs ,
so I leave the LED Light on..

I Dont have any E Bikes or E cars EEther..

Someone above linked to the We Test Lights site and it's been very illuminating in that regard. Seeing the lumen output versus time is disappointing for a lot of lights. To the point that by the time it hits the end of the time on the "high" mode the output is as low as the starting out "medium" mode. That definitely changes my considerations. Due to that I'm now looking at maybe one of the Taz lights, perhaps the Taz 1200 as it seems to have an even profile for a good amount of time (not as high as advertised but long enough for my commute).

Light and Motion are good lights, and the TAZ 1200 is good.
Consider you will most likely run on medium around 600 lumens for extended run time and consistent light output... not the max lumens.
600 is plenty with those 3 cree LEDs. That light has good spot and good diffusion.

I'd go with an ebike light that hooks up to the battery on the bike so you don't have to charge 2 things.

Light and Motion ebike lights (cheaper):
https://www.lightandmotion.com/choose-your-light/e-bike

Supernova make a ebike light with a shaped beam that could flip between low beam and high beam like a car, but their page is not very helpful in narrowing it down:
https://supernova-lights.com/en/prod...-lights-25kmh/

Lupine makes ebike lights but they're always pricey as heck:
https://www.lupinenorthamerica.com/e_bike_lights.asp

The cheap chinese lights typically got replaced by equally cheap name brand lights (that may be of about the same quality). You can buy a Niterider 750 for around $50:
https://www.amazon.com/NiteRider-Lum...dp/B071FKT3NT/

Cygolite 1100 for $70:
https://www.amazon.com/Cygolite-Metr...ords=cygolight

Etc...

So far I have been impressed with my Bontrager Ion 800 and Flare R tail light set. Planning to add an Ion Pro(1300 lumen) soon. Not terribly expensive but self contained and very compact with a good run time.

Well their Flare R is certainly industry leading. However, I think you can do better with a front light from other manufacturers such as Cygolite or even Niterider.

The more powerful e-bike light appeals to me, however I do have multiple bikes, not all electric, that I sometimes use. So I'd like a package that's easy to move between bikes.

I settled for the Taz 1200 by Light & Motion. I've read some bad reports of battery failure, but they also have a 2 year warranty, which is pretty stellar, so hopefully it won't be an issue. I hope that for much of my ride I'll be able to run it in the medium mode and just kick it up when I'm going downhill and really cranking it.