A good light for touring
01-26-08, 07:30 PM
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A good light for touring
Does anyone have any recommendations for a good bright headlight or plans for a homebuilt unit? What do you suggest?
01-27-08, 09:22 AM
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Check out the "Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets" forum here on Bike Forums. Lot's of talk about lighting. Lots.
I use a B&M Ixon. Throws a good beam for longer than I've needed it. There are brighter, more powerful lights, but this one works very well for speeds up to about 20-25 mph and I rarely go that fast anyway. Reasonably light (4 AA rechargeable Ni Cads), self contained and it makes a nice flashlight as it pops on and off it's mount easily. A single LED bulb throws a shaped beam that cuts off at the top (it's widest part of the pattern) and it illuminates the road from the top of the beam to the front wheel. I like it.
I use a B&M Ixon. Throws a good beam for longer than I've needed it. There are brighter, more powerful lights, but this one works very well for speeds up to about 20-25 mph and I rarely go that fast anyway. Reasonably light (4 AA rechargeable Ni Cads), self contained and it makes a nice flashlight as it pops on and off it's mount easily. A single LED bulb throws a shaped beam that cuts off at the top (it's widest part of the pattern) and it illuminates the road from the top of the beam to the front wheel. I like it.
01-27-08, 09:48 AM
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I bought a small, powerful flashlight and plan to make a velcro/elastic/foam mounting for it on the stem. Is that the kind of plan you meant?
01-27-08, 10:54 AM
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Do a search for the Fenix L2D Premium. It's the best bang for the buck right now--lightweight, self contained, uses 2 AA batteries, approx. 2 hour runtime on turbo mode. I bought 2 along with the handlebar mounts and couldn't be happier.
https://www.fenix-store.com/product_...roducts_id=362
01-27-08, 11:24 AM
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Newspaperguy, the question you ask is a good one. You will find many answers. Some may not make sense to you because only you know what you mean you you say 'a good light for touring'.
What it means to me may be different. For example: When I tour, I love to ride at night. 3-4 hours in the darkness is awesome.....for me. So a 2 hr run-time won't work for me. I use an old Union 3 Watt, 6 volt Halogen light and a 6 volt, 5 Ahr gel cell battery. My battery is heavy and needs to be recharged. Therefore I carry a charger. I always find a place to plug in.
You will find many light combinations to read about. From there, try to decide what you need (bright 'to-be-seen' light, long run-time light, light to see by, generator + light, etc).
These questions will help determine what will work best for you. There are MANY excellent choices out there. Some expensive, some not. And, as you know, this forum is the BEST place to get help!
Best of luck on your search! Feel free to post often!
Jerry H
What it means to me may be different. For example: When I tour, I love to ride at night. 3-4 hours in the darkness is awesome.....for me. So a 2 hr run-time won't work for me. I use an old Union 3 Watt, 6 volt Halogen light and a 6 volt, 5 Ahr gel cell battery. My battery is heavy and needs to be recharged. Therefore I carry a charger. I always find a place to plug in.
You will find many light combinations to read about. From there, try to decide what you need (bright 'to-be-seen' light, long run-time light, light to see by, generator + light, etc).
These questions will help determine what will work best for you. There are MANY excellent choices out there. Some expensive, some not. And, as you know, this forum is the BEST place to get help!
Best of luck on your search! Feel free to post often!
Jerry H
01-27-08, 12:22 PM
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I use a hub generator headlight for commuting, I kept it on the bike for my last tour and it was great. No batteries to worry about, just flip a switch and you have light. A lot of new ones have a standlight that will keep shining for a while after you stop at a stop sign or traffic light. There are LED headlights that will work with a hub generator, but the halogen bulb lights are still a bit brighter and lots cheaper.
Check out Peter White Cycles for lots of info about generator lights.
Check out Peter White Cycles for lots of info about generator lights.
01-27-08, 12:27 PM
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I do credit card touring. I don't do massive mileage; and try to keep the bikes as light as possible. So we bring a blinkie but nothing else. I didn't use to bring blinkies but one day I goofed and we pulled into the motel after 9PM.
01-27-08, 04:20 PM
#8
Slow Rider
The suggestion above for the Fenix L2D agrees with my thoughts. I've run through a number of lighting options with commuting including building my own headlight (halogen 20w), side and rear lights (LEDs) with a 12 ah rechargeable. But after buying a Fenix L2D, I can fully recommend that as the way to go (if you carry a small batter charger with you).
With two AA batteries, the Fenix runs for over two hours on turbo mode (175 to 180 lumens), or 4 hours on high (100 lumens), or 10 hours on medium (50 lumens), or lastly, 55 hours on low (11 lumens -- good for in the tent reading or around the camp site walking).
Buy Twofish mounts; 3 here for $15:
https://www.fenix-store.com/product_...roducts_id=274
This mounting option makes installing and removing the flashlight easy and fast. In addition, with the Fenix light you have a light that works as headlight and also as flashlight around camp. I'll be using this combination for my tour this summer.
Of course, if you don't want to carry a small recharger or buy new batteries, then probably a generator type light is the better option.
With two AA batteries, the Fenix runs for over two hours on turbo mode (175 to 180 lumens), or 4 hours on high (100 lumens), or 10 hours on medium (50 lumens), or lastly, 55 hours on low (11 lumens -- good for in the tent reading or around the camp site walking).
Buy Twofish mounts; 3 here for $15:
https://www.fenix-store.com/product_...roducts_id=274
This mounting option makes installing and removing the flashlight easy and fast. In addition, with the Fenix light you have a light that works as headlight and also as flashlight around camp. I'll be using this combination for my tour this summer.
Of course, if you don't want to carry a small recharger or buy new batteries, then probably a generator type light is the better option.
