Garfield Cat

With that new Garmin light, what do you see happening to lights? Will we see auto light technology transfer to bikes? More sensors trying to become the next artificial intelligence? More integration instead of strap-on and brackets?

Or is the market really not willing to pay more than $100 for a light system?

JohnJ80

• Consolidation of suppliers. Prices are dropping fairly fast and there are going to be some that can't stay in the business. It's going to be tough on the Chinese knock-offs whose primary benefit is price and it's going to be tough on the lower volume producers who have not been able to wring out the cost through economies of scale (standard winnowing that occurs in tech world).
• Beam characteristics. I think we'll start to see beam characteristics so that more light is on the target and less is wasted. Good example is the Garmin lights who's beam will change with speed. Next step will be with turning (illuminating into the corner) and beam shaping.
• Size: Smaller lights due to smaller batteries due to more efficient LEDs.
• Remotes. Something that allows you to control the light without moving your hand to the light. Bluetooth is getting so cheap for chips that it could be done easily with that.
• Integration with other on bike systems - braking, computers etc....

The price point in what the market will pay for just a light is going to drop even further.

ItsJustMe

I'd be happy if we got full cutoff lights without silly German max output rules. If a car's headlight can put out X lumens, I don't see why mine can't. A light isn't suddenly more blinding because it's mounted on a bike instead of a car.

practical

I recently saw a video for Livall helmets that have a lot of light technology built in and I can see people getting something like that. I can also see lights integrated into the frame and handlebars. Dealers would like that as it gives them something that they would service.

ItsJustMe

I find helmet mounted lights to be absolutely horrible. They're good as secondary lights, but the problem is if the light is right near your eyes, you get no shadow reference. On the roads I ride on particularly in the winter, a low light is mandatory for shadows for seeing really brutal washboarding and many potholes, all of which are invisible if the light is close to your eyes.

The only real use for a helmet mount light is trail riding where you're going around corners in pitch darkness, or as a dimmer secondary light if you're in an area with a lot of idiotic/unobservant drivers and you need to flash them in the eyes to get them to "see" you. Or I suppose if you're riding on very good roads, or in an area where there's street lighting and you just need to fill in the occasional gap.

JohnJ80

I agree largely, although I do find them useful in conjunction with a bar mounted light (and being the more powerful of the two). The headlight is good for getting the attention of drivers and for looking into corners as you prepare to turn.

Another big problem for me with headlights is if they are used in our part of the country in the summer. Lots of bugs are attracted to light and you just about guarantee that you get a face full of large bugs who are attracted to your headlight (most unpleasant). Let's put it this way, learn to breathe only through your nose... The problem is much less severe to nonexistent with bar mounted lights. After the first frost, then a head light can be useful again but in general, I'm a bar light kind of guy.

J.

cyccommute 

There are bunches and bunches of lights out there that cost more than $100 for a single light...which I don't consider a "system". There are lots and lots of people who buy them. And then there's the rest of us who realized that spending $200 for a single light that will probably be obsolete in a year and has a whole bunch of systems aboard that may fail is not a good value.

What does this light really do so much better that makes it worth 10 times a far less intelligent light?


I find them just as useful on the road for the same reasons they are useful off-road. A helmet light lets you see into corners that are normally dark with just a handlebar light. That they can be used against unobservant drivers is just a bonus.

I've tried lights mounted low and never found them to be an asset. Handlebar and especially helmet mounted lights give me more detail and let me see the variances in road surfaces better than having to deal with really long shadows that hide big holes.

noglider 

I agree! Right now, you can have shaped beams, or you can have a bright light. Some choose a bright light. I choose a shaped beam. I wish I could have both in one light.

Road Fan

Tom, you care to name names?

PaulRivers

Yeah, it's really annoying. For shaped beam lights -
I can get a Phillips Saferide but it's not as wide as I'd like and it's 1.5 hours or runtime on high is a little low - and they discontinued making them.
I can get a B&M Ixon Iq Premium which has a 4-6 hour runtime, and a good beam pattern, but it's not as bright (fine for some people and situations but to dim for others)
I can get a Specialized Flux with a shaped beam but in my opinion it's about the same as the Phillips Saferide in light output on low beam, but with a lesser beam pattern.

For unshaped or semi-shaped beam lights I can get lights that put a huge amount of light onto the ground. A Light And Motion Taz is semi-shaped and brighter than a car headlight, it doesn't go as far down the road as the Saferide but it can handle the worst light conditions I've run into. Numerous mountain bike lights throw a flood of high output light in all directions.

Unfortunately the world of high output bike lights and the world of shaped beam lights hasn't intersected yet. :-/

Will be curious to see what kind of light the Garmin puts out...with it's size unfortunately I'm not holding my breath though. Wish I could just buy a light with the high output of those mountain bike bikes, but with a shaped beam.

tarwheel 

Personally, I wish some of the light manufacturers would focus on run time between charges rather than max lumens. I have no need for a light much brighter than about 500 lumens, but I would love to have a light that would last longer between charges.

Regarding helmet lights, I think they are valuable used in conjunction with a handlebar light. Helmet lights on the road are a great safety feature, allowing you to zero-in on drivers who might otherwise pull out in front of you. When I see a car at a side street or parking lot trying to pull out, I just turn and look at them -- zapping them with 100 lumens of concentrated light. Stops them in their tracks every time.

noglider 

@Road Fan, I have a Philips Saferide on my main commuter bike. It's the dynamo driven model. I believe the beam pattern is the same as that of the battery powered model, and I suppose the brightness is about the same. Unfortunately, I can't recommend it any more, because it's now out of production. Here is the article I wrote a couple of years ago showing the details of my setup. The setup hasn't changed since I wrote the article.

I've used several Busch & Müller dynamo powered lights and find them to be very good, except that the German law limits their outputs. Not that we in North America are subject to that law, but B&M makes their lights to comply with those laws, since Europe is their main market.

I also have a B&M battery powered headlight, a Busch & Müller Ixon Core 50 Lux - Typ 180. I don't use it often. The power and beam shape are the same as from some of their dynamo powered headlights. Here is my writeup on it. I need to revise it, as I've now had more experience with it. The user interface is outstanding, and so is the battery life. However, it is not balanced. There is more weight behind the mount than ahead of it, so the light tends to tip up from vibrations. After aiming it carefully, it ends up being mis-aimed. I could remedy that by adding a frictionous surface to the handlebar.

I've read wonderful things about Cygolite battery powered headlights, including their battery lives. Cygolite headlights have a feature of providing a constant light interspersed with a higher-intensity flashing. If you want a flashing headlight and also don't want to lose your light on the road in flashes, this is a well-needed feature.

loky1179

+1

I do like the idea for bluetooth lights. Fumbling with buttons with gloves on in the winter is a real pain.

PaulRivers

It's not terribly important, but fyi the dynamo Saferides were 40 or 60 lux, the battery powered were 60 or 80 lux, so the dynamo version is not quite as bright. There's a chart here if you scroll down or search for "Saferide LED Bikelight 60 - Dynamo"
Philips Saferide LED Bike Light 60 Dynamo Driven - Black: Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors