1nterceptor

There's a heated exchange on another thread. I didn't want to derail it anymore since lights is not the main subject. My hope for this thread is not too beat the other person into submission to use another's preference. But hoping that we'll have an exchange of an abundance of information to decide for our self what's the most practical for our situation.

So with that in mind; I did a short comparison of a few of my lights. A Planetbike Touch800 against an Edelux II:
USB rechargeable Touch800 lumen light vs. Edelux II dynamo light and some other battery powered lights; Planetbike Beamer, Niterider Lumina Flare, Lezyne Megadrive. Most video clips and photos were taken with an Akaso Brave 4 sports cam. Click "Show more" for full description.
0:00 Light comes with an USB charging cable and mounting strap.
0:05 operation is possible with Castelli winter cycling gloves. Lightly lined, wind and waterproof.
0:23 Mount light then loop strap to hook on other end.
0:40 Switch is operated by sliding finger; forward for "ON" and to shift modes(day/fast flash, slow/courtesy flash, high steady, medium steady, low steady). Swipe backward to switch light off.
1:05 Left to right; Niterider Lumina Flare, Lezyne Mega Drive, Planetbike Beamer, Planetbike Touch800.
1:15 Wall shots on a short gray shipping container/ trailer, Touch800 on handlebar.
1:17 Low steady.
1:19 Fast flash.
1:23 Slow flash.
1:27 High steady.
1:30 Medium steady.
1:33 Low steady.
1:39 Edelux II mounted by the forks of a Brompton M3L. Running off a Shimano hub dynamo. Akaso Brave 4 cam mounted by the handlebars.
1:44 Edelux II on by itself. Ground shots.
2:00 Wall shots with Edelux II on, while I run the Touch800 through it's modes.
2:11 Touch800 and Edelux II both on for ground shots.
2:30 Wall shots repeated. In the middle of the trailer is a Demano messenger bag and a tall(24 oz.) Polar waterbottle.
3:18 Touch800 on the left; Planetbike Beamer(runs on two AA batteries) at the right.
Thanks BFold of New York City for lending it for this comparison
3:23 Touch800 on the left; Niterider Lumina Flare(USB charging) at the right.
3:28 touch800 at the left; Lezyne Mega Drive(USB charging) at the right.
3:33 Planetbike Touch800 helmet mounted.

Test rider: 1nterceptor. Test site: various locations in New York City. Test bike: Brompton M3L. Test conditions: slightly below freezing temperature. Test prices: Planetbike Touch800 US$100, Edelux II US$175 + fork mount US$10 + Dynamo Wheel w/ Shimano Hub for Brompton US$150, Planetbike Beamer US$18, Niterider Lumina Flare US$80(discontinued) , Lezyne Megadrive US$200.

Touch800 full specifications:
https://www.planetbike.com/store/prod...

Cree XPL LED provides high, medium and low power beam along with Courtesy™ & Superflash™ modes
FL1 Tested – Run times: 2.2 hrs (high - 800 lm), 4.5 hrs (medium - 420 lm), 9.2 hrs (low - 220 lm), 30 hrs (Courtesy™ 150-240 lm) and up to 40 hrs (Superflash™ 550 lm)
Amber side lights provide 240° of visibility
Highly visible, even in daylight
Dust & water resistance rated to IP66 standard
Panasonic 3350 mAh lithium ion battery charges in 5 hours with micro USB cable (included)
Smart Charging Technology™ with built in low battery indicator
Integrated Flex Mount™ adjusts or removes without tools
Includes Lockout mode
142 grams

ttakata73

There's good and bad to both systems but depends on the specific rider needs. If one wants lights to see the road on every ride then I can see the allure on a dynamo system. I only ride during the day so have small battery lights on the bike and helmet to be seen by others. For ultimate brightness you want multiple Cree bulbs powered by 18650 battery packs but they are heavy and would blind anything caught in their path. Candlepowerforums is a great place to learn about all types of lighting.

Abu Mahendra

i carry a 10,000mAH powerbank, roughly the size and weight of a phablet. i wonder, how long would one have to pedal a dynamo hub to have it produce 10,000mAH of power over 5 volts...

Tourist in MSN

The light pattern is a major factor. You could have a very bright light that is putting a lot of light above the horizon or in other areas where you really don't need much light. Or with a carefully designed reflector and lens you could put all the available light where you want it most, consuming a lot less power.

I am pretty happy with the light pattern out of my B&M Luxos U or my AXA Luxx 70 Plus, both are dyno powered and spread the light out well enough to the sides without wasting a lot of light up higher above the horizon. And both of those lights turn on additional LEDs to put more light on the ground closer to the rider at lower speeds. There are many other lights with similar characteristics, I only mention these two because I own and use them.

On a whim, I bought a $5 USD very bright LED light that has no battery, powered by USB on Ebay, shipped from China. I think it will draw about two to three times as much power as my dynohub can produce at the higher power setting, but it has a beam much like a flashlight. It produces a lot more light than my good lights, but does not do a very good job of putting the light where I want it.

Your powerbank is about 50 watt hours of capacity, I usually get about 2.5 to 3 watts out of my USB port on my bike at typical speeds on the flats, more downhill and less uphill. If you used 2.5 watts as typical then it would take 20 hours of rolling to produce as much as your powerbank.

Abu Mahendra

Assuming, on tour, in a day the wheels spin for five hours, the powerbank is equivalent to four days riding on a dynamo hub. The powerbank costs $20...

Tourist in MSN

I do not do four day or similar length tours. But if I did, you are right. That is a very good price, the last power banks I bought had one fifth of the capacity you cited, yet cost $25 USD.

It is really nice to not have to worry about searching out where the outlets are in a restaurant and hope that a seat near one is unoccupied if you stop for lunch on a tour. I did a two week tour a year ago, first tour where I was self sufficient and did not have to worry about searching for power everywhere.

1nterceptor

Dear mods, @Siu Blue Wind, @lotek, etc. - is it possible to move this thread to the Electronics section please?
Initially there was a light argument in one of the Folders thread and that's why I ended up posting this here.
But I think the Electronics area is the more appropriate place.

Thanks,
1nterceptor

Abu Mahendra

...dynamo hubs make increasibg sense the longer you are off the grid. But even then, the power generated over a day's riding isn't enough to fully charge a cellphone with a 4,000mAH battery, much less a cellphone plus GoPro camera, lights, etc. Is the higher cost, increased wiring complexity, and mechanical drag justified?

dim

This is what I will be using for some Audax rides: ... cots less that £10 and there are brilliant

15000LM SolarStorm 3 x XM-L T6 LED Rechargeable USB LED Bicycle Bike Light



I have been using the older version (that use the rechargeable battery pack) for the past 3 winters for commuting, but these new ones use a powerbank.... I use this with a headband.

I have several large powerbanks and with my largest powerbank, I will be able to use the light for several days before needing to recharge the powerbank. I prefer using it with a headband, as if I want to light up the road further ahead, I just tilt my head up. If I am on a winding/bendy road, I can light up the sections that I want more light, just by tilting my head

I have an older Cygolite Hotshot for the rear, that also works whilst charged to a powerbank

Tourist in MSN

It does depend on your electric needs. While riding, I have my GPS on, often have one AAA powered taillight on. Phone is off. Do not have a gopro camera. Dynohub and USB charger is enough to charge my GPS batteries, taillight batteries, one or two cameras (still photos only), headlamp (for head in campsite), and occasional phone use when I want to make a call or check a weather forecast.

My last two tours, never used a headlamp on my bike, as I avoid riding in the dark. See my notes below on bike headlamp and touring.

But if you are leaving a gopro and a phone turned on all day, I can see where your electric needs start to mount.


On a whim I bought a similar USB powered light with no battery, attaches to handlebar with an elastic, the one I bought was under $5 USD and has only one lens. It has three settings, high, low and flash (plus a fourth being off).

I found that when I plug it into my dynohub powered USB charger without pass through cache battery, that it would not light up until I was up to about 8 miles per hour, it started out on high setting. But after pushing the button to get it to low setting it stayed lit down to about 4 mph. Unfortunately, if I slowed or stopped and it went out, it would not light up again until I was up to about 8 mph. Thus it would be a poor choice for a light where I had stop lights, stop signs, steep hills etc.

Or the obvious solution is to power it on a power bank or to use a pass through cache battery with my dynohub. At the low setting, it consumes less power than my dynohub can put out so I could use it for extended periods of time on a bike.

My last two tours, I never used the bike headlamp. I have pretty much decided to just use the $5 light on my next tour if I need to go out at night or go through a tunnel, leaving my dedicated bike headlamp at home. Since any usage would be for short periods of time, I see this as a great solution.

But, if I was riding long audax rides, I would not want to rely on a $5 light as my only light source. I would have some form of backup, a backup that I would trust in rainy weather.

dim

I would not try and run the light off a dynamo hub .... it's been designed to run off a powerbank .... I have a much more powerful one (32 000 'chinese' cree, and trust me, it is very bright (as bright as a Volvo bus headlamp on the low setting) ...



mine is the one that you have the seperate battery pack. I,ve been using it for 3 winters so far, and the lamp is brilliant, but the battery pack is crap (it lasts approx 5 months, then I buy another for £10. I leave home at 05h00 and get home at 19h30 .... I use the light for approx 80 minutes a day, 6 days a week and charge the battery pack every 3rd day

these new ones that connect to a powerbank look very interesting and I buy, and I when I do long Audax, I will carry a spare one .... Heck... they cost less than £10

I'm yet to find a front light that is as powerfull and as bright as these .... I want to be able to see potholes and debris when I'm cycling at 20+ miles an hour with a tailwind, and I want others to see me .... it ticks all the boxes for me

sometimes, you don't need to spend lots of cash for something that works well

Abu Mahendra

...dyno hub output is quite meager relative to cost and complexity.

Tourist in MSN

This is the one I got. Single LED.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/201700089127

For night riding, I would prefer the asymmetrical wider pattern out of my B&M Luxos U or my AXA Luxx 70 Plus, they do not waste a lot of light above the horizon. But they are limited to dynohub power supply. If you have a big power bank and have power to spare, then a brighter light certainly won't hurt as long as you don't blind the oncoming car.

Schwinnsta

For me the weight and cost of dynamo and light is worth it. Not having to think about batteries makes it worth it. The light amount is adequate.

Abu Mahendra

Today's USB-rechargeable, lithium ion battery technology is a far cry from batteries of a decade ago. The ubiquity of the USB charging standard, decreasing battery cost and substantial research in battery technology only means this solution will get better and cheaper with time. Four-day pedaling power-according to our calculation here- in the palm one's hand is hard to ignore while dynamo hubs designs are near their maximum output, and it is hard to see how they will keep up with battery technology. Economies of scale favor battery technology. Another factor in favor of batteries is that they are platform indifferent while a dynamo hub is specific to a particular wheel. I bought a fancy dyno hub for my 406 wheel. Great, how do I use it on my 29er? We may well be past peak-DynamoHub.

Tourist in MSN

I know this is the folding forum, so the photo is not really pertinent. But sometimes having a big powerbank is not going to help if you can't charge it up, sometimes I travel where there are no places to plug in. And then a dynohub is the best option.

When I took the photo, I had not seen a place to plug in a charger for five days and I had several more days to go before I saw another place to plug in. I think I went for almost two weeks between places to charge up on mains power.

But next month I am going on a trip, the longest that I expect to go without the ability to plug into a charger is about four days, I am bringing a bike without a dynohub and plenty of charged up AA batteries for my GPS. I probably will not have cell service for three of those days, so charging the phone won't be a concern. I will have enough spare camera batteries to last a week. My taillights and my headlamp (for my head in campsite) usually last over a week on freshly charged AAA batteries.

I almost exclusively use Eneloop or Ikea Ladda AA and AAA rechargeable batteries, except cameras and phone take Li Ion batteries.

fietsbob

I have a battery light on my summer touring bike, It's OK because its light longer in the summer, often I dont need it..

I share it with my studded tire bike, which only got a couple days below 0C out here, so hub dynamo wheel investment does not pencil out..
batteries in my pocket, keeps it warm., cold batteries have a performance drop off..

.. and a hub dynamo wheels on my Brompton, and Bike Friday P. Llama .. these get daily use ..





....

tds101 

I just use battery powered lights. I have a rechargeable light that puts out about 1100 lumens, and it's perfect for riding at night where I live. When I say it's dark, I mean it's DARK!

PedalCell

One of the main drawbacks IMO of battery-powered lights is that very few can be charged while they're actually lit. When they go dead, you have to recharge them, or just carry an extra light. I made a list with some USB battery lights that do have this capability as a public resource: pedalcell.com/lights

Does anyone have any USB lights that have this functionality that isn't on the list? Happy to add.

Tourist in MSN

Resurrected three year old thread.