Trippin' the Light...Fantastic!
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Trippin' the Light...Fantastic!
Last night was the first ride home after dark with the new headlight. The battery in my 8-year old NightRider MiNewt 500 was dying. The unit worked well for me, so I bought another NiteRider light...the NiteRider Lumina 900 Boost. Same basic shape and mounting bracket, so everyting works with what I already have, altough it uses a USB micro plug to recharge, rather than the older unit's USB mini (however I have more micro plugs laying around).
The new unit was appreciably brighter, and having a fresh battery, when I arrived home the headlught was still goin' "gangbusters"!
At the start of this winter commuting season I had replaced my "be seen" helmet light with a slightly brighter unit that helps me see when I look to the sides, so last night's ride was a celebration of visibility...both seeing and being seen.
The old 500 lumen headlight was adequate for most of my riding down well-lit thoroughfares and some-what lit residential streets...but I really enjoyed the extra light of the new unit on the darkest portions of ladt night's route.
The old unit was on sale for $76 bucks at Performance Bike. I got the new one off Amazon for $42!
Now I can't wait to take another of my routes home tonight after dark!
The new unit was appreciably brighter, and having a fresh battery, when I arrived home the headlught was still goin' "gangbusters"!
At the start of this winter commuting season I had replaced my "be seen" helmet light with a slightly brighter unit that helps me see when I look to the sides, so last night's ride was a celebration of visibility...both seeing and being seen.
The old 500 lumen headlight was adequate for most of my riding down well-lit thoroughfares and some-what lit residential streets...but I really enjoyed the extra light of the new unit on the darkest portions of ladt night's route.
The old unit was on sale for $76 bucks at Performance Bike. I got the new one off Amazon for $42!
Now I can't wait to take another of my routes home tonight after dark!
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That looks like a really nice light. I rode with 4-600 lumen lights for years. Then, one day, a buddy loaned me his 1000-lumen light and it was like I had been riding with no light at all. I couldn't believe how much better I could see. I've made no secret that I am a fan of maximizing the 'see' portion of my lighting out here where we spend much of the year in dark rain. That said, I would recommend to anyone going with just a single forward-looking source to get something around a legit 1000 lumens or so (this is just for the US market--I can't comment on the StVZO lights as they are just totally different). I believe it improves safety. Just my take.
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I almost wish I needed another one!
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80 lux works fine for me.
This lux-lumen thing just baffles me.
If someone can explain the difference and give me an approximate way to convert my one to the other, I'm listening
This lux-lumen thing just baffles me.
If someone can explain the difference and give me an approximate way to convert my one to the other, I'm listening
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Lux is the total light output over a greater spread, and at a greater distance.
The shortcut I think of is Lumens are measured at the source of a light; lux at the destination.
https://blueriverdigital.com/blog/wh...umens-and-lux/
I think the reason lumens are used more in advertising is that they provide a larger number, and the source of a light is an undisputible point compared to a target where lumens can be measured, which can vary widely in distance, area and other properties.
Even so, much like horsepower, torque and efficiency ratings in the automotive world, there is some fudging and apples-to-oranges comparisons.
Last edited by BobbyG; 12-14-19 at 07:57 AM.
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I have NiteRider lights as well, currently a Lumina 650 on the bars and an old Lumina 220 on the helmet. Though years apart, I got both new on eBay for about $30.
NiteRider is a very good company, too. I first had a 250 and dropped it, cracking the front lens. It messed up the beam and they fixed it for free - I didn't even have to pay return shipping. Then some time later I boogered up the micro USB port on my Lumina 220 and they again fixed it for free.
NiteRider is a very good company, too. I first had a 250 and dropped it, cracking the front lens. It messed up the beam and they fixed it for free - I didn't even have to pay return shipping. Then some time later I boogered up the micro USB port on my Lumina 220 and they again fixed it for free.
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I believe that to measure lux, they have to agree on the distance from the source of the light and the area of the object measured.
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So, for a sports analogy, lumens is something like the number of goals attempted, lux is the number of goals scored? A high number of lumens is all well and good, but the important thing is that the light falls on the road ahead (rather than up in the trees, or another cyclist's eyes).
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That sounds like a good analogy. I had a high power flashlight with a round beam, and I thought it was fantastic. But the mounting and charging were cumbersome, and I noticed that my eyes gravitate to the hot spot in the center when I really should have been focusing on the far edge of the beam. Not only that, the brighter the light, the harder it was to see outside the beam. So I lean towards dim lights. They do limit my speed, but that's OK with me. My main commuting light is either a B&M Ixon Core rated at 50 lux or a B&M something-or-other dynamo headlight, probably with a similar rating. They might be around 200 lumens. That sounds woefully inadequate to some, so to each his own. With car and motorcycle motors, there is an axiom that says once you increase power, you never go back to lower power. That doesn't seem to be true with me. I can adjust. I'm sure if I rode off-road, I would want a powerfuller light.
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I'd really like a shaped beam with a horizontal cut-off. They can use lower power beams, but those are a little pricey.
Last edited by BobbyG; 12-17-19 at 02:14 PM.
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https://www.outboundlighting.com/pro...-road-edition/
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For what it's worth, here's what my 80 lux dynamo powered light shows me, as seen by my cell phone a few evenings ago. This is on the towpath of the D&R canal between Trenton and Princeton. There are occasional trees between the path and the canal, to the left, really nothing to see there; to the right are trees which you would see if I turned my handlebar in that direction.
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For what it's worth, here's what my 80 lux dynamo powered light shows me, as seen by my cell phone a few evenings ago. This is on the towpath of the D&R canal between Trenton and Princeton. There are occasional trees between the path and the canal, to the left, really nothing to see there; to the right are trees which you would see if I turned my handlebar in that direction.
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In the photo above, I wasn't going fast at all, I'll guess about 12 mph. The light doesn't appear noticably brighter at higher speeds