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New B&M 100lux headlight.



 
 
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  #41  
Old December 7th 17, 12:59 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
John B.[_3_]
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Posts: 5,697
Default New B&M 100lux headlight.

On Wed, 6 Dec 2017 14:58:50 -0500, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 12/6/2017 9:46 AM, sms wrote:
I'm sure we'd all run out and buy a
dynamo light if it was possible to build one that was adequate for the
riding conditions we experience. Unfortunately it isn't yet possible to
build such a dynamo light.


So how do you explain the several people here who have ridden
successfully with only dynamo lights for decades?


In the "way back when" days folks rode bicycles equipped with a
carbide lamp successfully. I my self rode back and forth to work, for
more then a year, on a bike with a "bottle generator" and an
incandescent light bulb.

One can only speculate how "back in the good old days" we were able to
accomplish these seemingly miraculous feats and now one must have some
sort of super light with multi giga-hoozet power.
--
Cheers,

John B.

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  #42  
Old December 7th 17, 03:08 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
James[_8_]
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Posts: 6,153
Default New B&M 100lux headlight.

On 07/12/17 07:58, jbeattie wrote:
On Wednesday, December 6, 2017 at 11:58:53 AM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski
wrote:
On 12/6/2017 9:46 AM, sms wrote:
I'm sure we'd all run out and buy a dynamo light if it was
possible to build one that was adequate for the riding conditions
we experience. Unfortunately it isn't yet possible to build such
a dynamo light.


So how do you explain the several people here who have ridden
successfully with only dynamo lights for decades?


Excellent night vision? Brightly lit streets? Full moon? I need all
the light that I can get when riding the gnarly single-track on my
way home, being chased by cougars.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jgFVixm_e1c/hqdefault.jpg



Bull****. Bull****. Bull****.

--
JS
  #43  
Old December 7th 17, 03:44 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Tim McNamara
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Posts: 6,945
Default New B&M 100lux headlight.

On Wed, 06 Dec 2017 13:51:55 +0700, John B wrote:

I've always thought that all the discussion about Lummins, luxes, and
whatever else, ignores what I suggest may be the most important fact,
the ambient light. In a situation where there is no light, where one
literally cannot see one's hand in front of their face, lighting a
match provides a truly amazing amount of visibility. I've also noticed
the reverse phenomena driving on roads with large overhead lighting.
Gee, can hardly see any light from the headlights.


I've noticed the same thing. I mentioned upthread using my B&M halogen
headlight on dusk-to-dawn brevets and PBP. I saw quite well with that
light, but most of those rides were far out on rural roads with very
little ambient light or light pollution. In town that light is washed
out on the road by street lights, car headlights, etc. Technically
the road is just as brightly illuminated by the lamp as in the
country, but the greater ambient light in town impairs night vision
by comparison to a very dark countryside. Thus the light seems less
effective. And since we're seeing with our eyeballs and not spot
meters, it is less effective in town. Perhaps the "Kleig light" fans
are riding primarily or exclusively in urban settings?

I've not taken the opportunity to due a rural night ride with my Schmidt
eDelux; in town it's less washed out than the halogen. I still use the
halogen on my commuter bike (ironically enough) with an old Sanyo BB
generator. What a nice, smooth low resistance design.

I just bought a Velological generator to try on one of my bikes; that's
waiting for the arrival of the eDelux II. The Velological wiring layout
puts a 12v 120W halogen bulb in the circuit to act as a thermistor and
bleed off voltage at high speeds (the generator itself has no voltage
regulation); not sure why that instead of using a zener diode. My
knowledge of electronics is deficient.
  #44  
Old December 7th 17, 04:00 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Tim McNamara
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Posts: 6,945
Default New B&M 100lux headlight.

On Wed, 6 Dec 2017 06:46:01 -0800, sms
wrote:
Yes. The trade-off needs to be made. I'm sure we'd all run out and buy
a dynamo light if it was possible to build one that was adequate for
the riding conditions we experience. Unfortunately it isn't yet
possible to build such a dynamo light.


Good grief, Steven. What bull**** you spout. There are people around
the world riding pefectly contentedly all night long on bikes with
dynamo lights- and have been for decades, even before the advancements
of LEDs and computer designed mirrors and lenses.

Now, for some reason *you* don't find those satisfactory. That's fine.
But that's about you and your preferences, not about the lights
themselves.

I have several dynamo-equipped bicycles, and even the one with a
top-of-the-line dynamo light requires a battery powered light as well
for many situations.


"Top of the line" being what, specifically?

My bikes have:

(A) a B&M 3w halogen lamp powered by a Sanyo BB generator. This is the
lamp I rode across rural and urban Minnesota and France with. Worked
fine. Better in the countryside than in town, where it gets washed out
a bit by streetlights, headlights, etc. I still use it frequently on my
commuter bike, for which it works well enough in urban Minnesota. I'd
like it to be a smidge brighter. Hence:

(B) a Schmidt eDelux powered by a Schmidt SON 28. I bought this a few
years ago. Works great. The beam could be, as you and some other
critics have noted, a bit wider. It's never inconvenienced me in terms
of running into problems, just feels a little claustrophobic at 20+ mph.
Hence:

(C) a forthcoming eDelux II (if it ever gets here, for Pete's sake
shipping is slow this time of year), to be powered by a Velological
generator. Looking forward to checking this out.

Prior to A, B and C I had built a 12v headlamp using an MR16, like many
tinkerers do. It put out a lot of bright light, much of which went to
waste. Visibility was not as good as with A and definitely worse than
B. The circular beam resulted in inadequate performance. As with the
improvements with automobile headlights, bike headlights have come a
very long way from the glorified flashlights many espouse.
  #45  
Old December 7th 17, 04:07 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Tim McNamara
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6,945
Default New B&M 100lux headlight.

On Thu, 7 Dec 2017 13:08:37 +1100, James
wrote:
On 07/12/17 07:58, jbeattie wrote:
I need all the light that I can get when riding the gnarly
single-track on my way home, being chased by cougars.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jgFVixm_e1c/hqdefault.jpg


Bull****. Bull****. Bull****.


Haven't looked at the link so if that's what you're commenting on, I
can't reply. But I think that none of my dynamo setups would be
useable, let alone adequate, for trail riding. You'd be forever riding
into shadows. Trail riding needs a helmet mounted light that you can
use to scan the terrain and around corners, which is much harder to do
with a light mounted on the forks or handlebars. Low speeds would cause
flickering, too.

I don't trail ride basically at all and haven't in years. Not my cuppa
even in broad daylight. Dirt roads, gravel roads, are fine. But I
don't want to go threading through trees, etc., any more. And, hey, for
what it's wrth mountain biking has apparently caught on with high school
students around here as a popular activity- even some school clubs/teams
and such. Huh.
  #46  
Old December 7th 17, 05:22 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Frank Krygowski[_4_]
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Posts: 10,538
Default New B&M 100lux headlight.

On 12/6/2017 9:44 PM, Tim McNamara wrote:
I mentioned upthread using my B&M halogen
headlight on dusk-to-dawn brevets and PBP. I saw quite well with that
light, but most of those rides were far out on rural roads with very
little ambient light or light pollution. In town that light is washed
out on the road by street lights, car headlights, etc. Technically
the road is just as brightly illuminated by the lamp as in the
country, but the greater ambient light in town impairs night vision
by comparison to a very dark countryside. Thus the light seems less
effective. And since we're seeing with our eyeballs and not spot
meters, it is less effective in town.


I get good benefit out of a cycling cap with a brim, including at night.
Similarly, I use the visors in my car a lot, including at dusk. It
really helps my night vision to shade my eyes from street lights, the
brighter night sky due to the last bits of sunlight or light pollution.
And of course, if some idiot refuses to dim his high beams, these things
are godsends.

(About idiots: Yesterday I was in my car, stopped at a red light at
about 9 AM. The pickup truck lawn service guy facing me had his bright
headlights on, glaring in my eyes. I blinked my headlights once, then
once again, trying to get him to dim his lights. His response? He turned
on the off-road light bar on the roof of his cab. There's no shortage of
idiots.)

--
- Frank Krygowski
  #47  
Old December 7th 17, 05:44 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
John B.[_3_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 5,697
Default New B&M 100lux headlight.

On Wed, 6 Dec 2017 23:22:35 -0500, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 12/6/2017 9:44 PM, Tim McNamara wrote:
I mentioned upthread using my B&M halogen
headlight on dusk-to-dawn brevets and PBP. I saw quite well with that
light, but most of those rides were far out on rural roads with very
little ambient light or light pollution. In town that light is washed
out on the road by street lights, car headlights, etc. Technically
the road is just as brightly illuminated by the lamp as in the
country, but the greater ambient light in town impairs night vision
by comparison to a very dark countryside. Thus the light seems less
effective. And since we're seeing with our eyeballs and not spot
meters, it is less effective in town.


I get good benefit out of a cycling cap with a brim, including at night.
Similarly, I use the visors in my car a lot, including at dusk. It
really helps my night vision to shade my eyes from street lights, the
brighter night sky due to the last bits of sunlight or light pollution.
And of course, if some idiot refuses to dim his high beams, these things
are godsends.

(About idiots: Yesterday I was in my car, stopped at a red light at
about 9 AM. The pickup truck lawn service guy facing me had his bright
headlights on, glaring in my eyes. I blinked my headlights once, then
once again, trying to get him to dim his lights. His response? He turned
on the off-road light bar on the roof of his cab. There's no shortage of
idiots.)


Maybe he thought that you were "winking" at him :-)
--
Cheers,

John B.

  #48  
Old December 7th 17, 05:50 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
JBeattie
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Posts: 5,870
Default New B&M 100lux headlight.

On Wednesday, December 6, 2017 at 6:08:43 PM UTC-8, James wrote:
On 07/12/17 07:58, jbeattie wrote:
On Wednesday, December 6, 2017 at 11:58:53 AM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski
wrote:
On 12/6/2017 9:46 AM, sms wrote:
I'm sure we'd all run out and buy a dynamo light if it was
possible to build one that was adequate for the riding conditions
we experience. Unfortunately it isn't yet possible to build such
a dynamo light.

So how do you explain the several people here who have ridden
successfully with only dynamo lights for decades?


Excellent night vision? Brightly lit streets? Full moon? I need all
the light that I can get when riding the gnarly single-track on my
way home, being chased by cougars.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jgFVixm_e1c/hqdefault.jpg



Bull****. Bull****. Bull****.


Really, James, do I need to use happy faces?

-- Jay Beattie.
?
  #49  
Old December 7th 17, 08:20 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
SMS
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 9,477
Default New B&M 100lux headlight.

On 12/6/2017 7:00 PM, Tim McNamara wrote:
On Wed, 6 Dec 2017 06:46:01 -0800, sms
wrote:
Yes. The trade-off needs to be made. I'm sure we'd all run out and buy
a dynamo light if it was possible to build one that was adequate for
the riding conditions we experience. Unfortunately it isn't yet
possible to build such a dynamo light.


Good grief, Steven. What bull**** you spout. There are people around
the world riding pefectly contentedly all night long on bikes with
dynamo lights- and have been for decades, even before the advancements
of LEDs and computer designed mirrors and lenses.

Now, for some reason *you* don't find those satisfactory. That's fine.
But that's about you and your preferences, not about the lights
themselves.


No, it's not about *me*. I don't pretend to know what's best for
everyone else, nor do I dismiss the needs of of others simply because I
don't have the same needs. By the same token, I do recognize that
cycling conditions vary by location in terms of traffic, street
lighting, road conditions, terrain, driver quality, and infrastructure.
These are real differences, and anytime someone proclaims that "dark is
dark, it's the same everywhere," it's clear that they have not thought
things through. Lighting needs vary based on all of these factors.

At least in the U.S., people have NOT been riding perfectly contentedly
all night with dynamo lights, at least not very many. Dynamo lights have
never been popular here. You could probably count the number of shops in
the U.S. that sell dynamo lights and wheels on two hands and two feet. I
don't know of a single shop in the entire Bay Area where you could walk
in and buy a dynamo light and a dynamo wheel. It's not because riders
here are uninformed about what is available, it's because what's
available is unacceptable so shops don't bother with it. Now you might
find a couple of bicycles with dynamo wheels from Breezer, but that's
about it.

I just came back from a meeting tonight, where we discussed a proposal
for new bicycle infrastructure that would be an east-west path through
most of our city, including linking the current and new Apple campuses
http://www.cupertino.org/our-city/departments/public-works/transportation-mobility/bicycle-and-pedestrian-travel/bicycle-transportation-plan-implementation/junipero-serra-trai.
The first question I asked was "will it be lit?" I received a somewhat
evasive answer. The route would run along Santa Clara County Water
District right-of-way, and they generally don't allow lighting in
riparian areas. However in this case, it's just a drainage ditch not a
stream or creek so they might allow it. It matters. This would be a
heavily used commute route that would definitely not be used just from
dawn to dusk.
  #50  
Old December 7th 17, 08:21 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
SMS
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 9,477
Default New B&M 100lux headlight.

On 12/6/2017 8:50 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Wednesday, December 6, 2017 at 6:08:43 PM UTC-8, James wrote:
On 07/12/17 07:58, jbeattie wrote:
On Wednesday, December 6, 2017 at 11:58:53 AM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski
wrote:
On 12/6/2017 9:46 AM, sms wrote:
I'm sure we'd all run out and buy a dynamo light if it was
possible to build one that was adequate for the riding conditions
we experience. Unfortunately it isn't yet possible to build such
a dynamo light.

So how do you explain the several people here who have ridden
successfully with only dynamo lights for decades?

Excellent night vision? Brightly lit streets? Full moon? I need all
the light that I can get when riding the gnarly single-track on my
way home, being chased by cougars.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jgFVixm_e1c/hqdefault.jpg



Bull****. Bull****. Bull****.


Really, James, do I need to use happy faces?


Yes. Sarcasm doesn't work well on Usenet.

 




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