83cannondale

My B&M Lumotec IQ2 Luxos U with USB charger and handlebar on-off switch just took a dump on me because of getting caught in the rain. I'm looking for a good great rando front dynamo light. Looking at various B&M or son edulux II but those and others seem to be a few years old in design. I'm looking for good road pattern, lots of light, maybe battery ( vs capacitor ) stand light and waterproof, reliable -

Anyone had experience with some of the more current offerings? Or should I just go with the Edulux II Thanks in advance. - T

unterhausen

Edelux II is a really nice light. I have an IQ-X, and it's newer and supposed to be brighter. You couldn't tell by comparing my light to a friends Edelux II though. As far as I know, there is nothing newer or brighter than the IQ-X. The Edelux II is supposed to be based on the Cyo Premium, but my friends Edelux outperforms my Cyo premium by a good margin. I think they silently update the emitter

siebengang

unterhausen

I thought it was still rated at 90 Lux vs. the IQ-X at 100 lux.

znomit

The IQ-X has a wider beam than the premium/Edelux II which might be useful if you ride on twisty roady or need to spot vermin.

jbithaca

Saw this yesterday. https://www.bumm.de/en/products/akku...dukt/196l.html

unterhausen

150 lux, nice. I wonder if they could do that with dyno lighting but would need to have a mode switch?

znomit

I see that and raise you this
IQ-XM with real high beam light for e-bikes | Exhibitor release | EUROBIKE Show
80lux but with and additional 120 lux high beam.

83cannondale

Good info, thanks a bunch. Any comments on waterproofing? That's what killed my Lumotec IQ2 Luxos U. I do like the idea of the coaxial extra connector for USB charging. Also wondering about visibility from the side. Any thoughts?

I'm leaning more toward Edulux. I will admit to feeling a little betrayed by the B&M for not supplying a solution to the Lumotec IQ2 Luxos U and water infiltration issue.

That IQXM looks pretty good, though I don't think I can pedal fast enough to consistently supply 4-8 volts.

dim

Supernova E3 Triple 2 is what i am buying

MoulTommy

I'm using a Sinewave Beacon with Dyna-Snaps in conjunction with my Son XS hub. Works great on my Moulton

pdlamb

If you don't have fenders, put some on.

rhm

I'm not going to pretend this is the hot setup for next year, or even last year, but I'm happy with it.

I have the B&M Lumotec Cyo Premium Senso Plus. I have the same light on both of the bikes I rode on brevets this year. At 80 lux I find it totally satisfactory when riding by myself.

On one bike it is mounted on top of the fender, on the other it is on the right side of the front rack. In either case there is a large handlebar bag between my eyes and the light, and I don't see any part of the bike illuminated, just the road ahead. Nor is any light wasted illuminating the branches of trees overhead. When riding with others, I often realize that they have brighter lights than I, and this makes me a bit jealous, but as I said, the light is perfectly satisfactory when I'm riding by myself.

I have Shutter Precision dynamos. I used to use Shimano dynamos but they ground through the axle, which makes the wiring more troublesome.

I have a cheap converter (wired parallel to the headlight) that I use for charging the GPS or cell phone during daylight hours. I don't use the charger at night, because it dims the headlight considerably.

I have not had any weather related problems.

I have occasionally had wiring problems, where the light unaccountably stops working and I cannot figure out why. In such cases I usually get it going again by playing with the wires and the connections, somehow fixing the problem without ever diagnosing it. I blame the mechanic (me) rather than the equipment.

unterhausen

I have a luxos u in my unused light collection because of all the reports of failures. I probably should use it on something, maybe without the handlebar switch.

fietsbob

This, and I have used an eDelux one for many years ,, it's very well sealed.. eDelux 2 is the current model... brighter.. ..


For fast downhills at night, augment it with a bright battery light or 2 , then turn those off, when back on the flats or climbing. saving battery life..

[that was the idea for the e6 halogen secondary, primary pairs, turning on the secondary, only when going fast enough to need it.. ]








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Tourist in MSN

If your Luxos U is out of warranty and if you want to try to bring it back to life, I found this link some time back with a google search.
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!to...on/qob5ex7lrWg

The 6/15/2016 post had several photos and a good discussion where the water was getting in. In that posting they talk about capacitors, but I think they are batteries and not capacitors.

I agree with pdlamb above on fenders. Many of the dyno powered lights have drain holes in the bottom that water can get into from the bottom, either from tire spray or from excessive use of water spray when cleaning.

I have not had any problems with my Luxos U but it has not been exposed to massive rain, only light drizzle.

For charging, I think the Sinewave Revolution (charger only, no headlamp) is one of the best out there for waterproofing. But that charger lacks the pass through cache battery that you are accustomed to having built into the Luxos U. I bought the SInewave for my bike tour in Iceland, never had any water problems with it even though I had a lot of rain. I did not have my Luxos U in Iceland, I specifically wanted really waterproof stuff on that trip.

CliffordK

OUCH!!!

I ended up with the: Busch + Müller Lumotec LUXOS B LED Headlight, & Busch + Müller USB-Werk, separating out the two functions since my vendor wouldn't sell the Luxos U.

https://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/...eadlight-62611

https://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/...-werk-ac-64473

Unfortunately, I still have to get my wheel built and get it all put together.

I'll probably build a little charging center inside of a small drybox, hopefully not having a heat issue.

unterhausen

I wonder if they fixed the water intrusion at the contacts on the luxos u. That would be a good application of dielectric grease. Doesn't really explain why the luxos u seems to fail a lot more than the other luxos model though

83cannondale

Thanks for the input..! I do have fenders - I see that water infiltration is a known bug in the Lumotec IQ2 Luxos U. There is a wired, remote handlebar switch that the water gets into and boluxes up the works.

83cannondale

I've read several threads on the failure and most move toward failure at the remote switch. My failure first started on a 300km damp, drizzly night. Light flashed very bright a couple of times then went dark, then came on. Having been a good scout leader I had small, battery backup light which allowed me to get through the dark periods. The light seemed to dry out because it worked pretty well for several brevets. Then, after a few commutes to work and back in the damp and rain it started the flashing. I took the light itself apart to allow it to dry but couldn't figure out the switch. After storing inside ( as usual ) I tried a couple weeks later and it started flashing again.
Peter White cycles said they could get a new switch but i think I would have had to disassemble the light again and maybe solder leads in.

While I LOVED the light and the remote switch, I've put too much time/thought into it, hence this thread -

I'm getting super info - I like the sinewave usb charger, dyno snaps, coaxial and other suggestions. I'm a little leery of a light that has multiple functions. I'm thinking it's good to separate out the functions. Also leaning toward metal case thinking that might be more water proof.

Tourist in MSN

From what I have read, the first version of the Luxos U had a worse problem than the second version, but the first version was only on the market for a short time.

I suspect that the more you pay for something (and the Luxos U is quite expensive) the more you are likely to complain if yours stops functioning soon after the warranty expires.

I have not had any problem with my 1.5 year old Luxos U, but it has only seen light rain, not the heavy downpours. And I am quite careful when I hose off the bike to not spray water on the light.

A friend of mine bought a Luxos U at about the same time I bought mine, he had no problem with it on a multi-month coast to coast (Oregon to Maine) tour in summer 2017. His light stopped functioning this year, but rolling his bike through deep water that submerged his dynohub likely had something to do with that. (He said it was supposed to be water proof.)

83cannondale

CliffordK - Thanks for the links - super pricing..!

unterhausen

this was a bad year for rain on brevets. I suspect my luxos would have failed this year if it hadn't failed in the past. I also think they should make them to last for more than a year, which is all the warranty lasts on a BuM product. I was a little annoyed when my Supernova died after 4 1/2 years even though it was still under warranty.

From reading the thread that you linked, it sure looks like the connectors are a problem. A gasket there is the least you could ask for $200. BuM makes the best performing lights, but the construction is second rate. Supernova should be glad, they would be gone if that weren't the case.

Tourist in MSN

Agreed that the warranty is too short, but I researched it before I bought mine a year and a half ago, I decided to buy it even with the reputation for not agreeing with excess water. I have it on a touring bike where a USB charger with a built in pass through cache battery is handy to have. And I carry a spare sandwich sized zip lock in my handlebar bag if it starts to pour. But I do not have a good solution for the handlebar button and wiring if it really does start to rain heavily. The button is apparently not easy to dry out.

I did lose one sandwich sized plastic bag, the bike was on the receiver hitch on the back of my truck and with some rain I decided to put the baggie on the light, but the baggie blew off at highway speed. Fortunately, the light did not get water logged.

Salubrious

On the Tour Divide, which is probably a bit more brutal race than those described so far, the Son and Sinewave a pretty popular.

But the thing is, battery technology has come a long ways. You can now buy solar-charged battery packs that are capable of 12 to 20 amp hours, are waterproof, have dual USB outputs and have a mini USB for charging the battery itself. They only cost $20-$40.00 including shipping and don't cause you any drag. They could keep most lighting systems charged for a week.

This one does 30 amp hours, and there are even 50Ah units:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/300000mAh-D...:rk:4:pf:0&var

Mine is two years old so its only 12Ah; I use it to charge my lights, GPS, phone and GoPro. It charges even if its raining, and if you are doing substantial HAB, it can still charge (or keep your lights going if its dark). As a result, I don't see the point of an alternator hub, as they tend to be failure prone in addition to the weight and drag. Every year I've heard of people having them fail on the Divide. If your just doing a 600 mile Brevet, its probably no big deal, but if there is dust, moisture and real distance they just are not as reliable. Also- if you're a weight weenie, the battery is an advantage