Cycling in and around Birmingham England

Oh Boy - The clocks have changed! ;0)

Did anybody else notice how dark it was on the towpath tonight at about 6pm?

I don't think the rain on my glasses was helping but a multi LED headlight, a dynamo light and helmet light didn't feel up to the job ;0)

I think it'll be the roadway from now on.....

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Permalink Reply by CKS on November 2, 2011 at 19:26

RE: "There's normally a big drop off in the number of cyclists on the road after the clocks change."

It's not just the poor light that deters people from cycling home in the dark, it's also a lot colder.

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Permalink Reply by Jon Ingram on November 2, 2011 at 22:08

Well we've been spared the cold so far, eh?
There's only one thing worse than motorists trying to kill you - and that's motorists trying to kill you in the dark! :0(

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Permalink Reply by allthegearnoidea on November 12, 2011 at 19:01

My lights arrived from Hong Kong today, so after dark I went for a ride and I can say they are very bright! I took a ride round the canal and rea valley route, pitch black, and the lights are phenomenal.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=2400+lumen+bike+light&_sa...

The build quality is great, they are really nicely machined and the threads all go together really well. The battery is in a sealed container and the connectors fit snugly so should be water-resistant.

I can only compare them to an older set of Vistalite 5W and 10W halogens and I can say they are a lot brighter than that. The switch is great, lights up green when batteries are strong, drops to amber when running low. I got a good 30 mins with all three spots on before it dropped to amber.

In short, I am well impressed.

rob

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Permalink Reply by LS on November 12, 2011 at 21:06

Did you have a young passenger and did I see you leaving the mac courtyard around 5 as I arrived?

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Permalink Reply by allthegearnoidea on November 12, 2011 at 21:10

sorry, not me, my kids are too big to be passengers. I was south of mac and didn't gout til 6.30

rob

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Permalink Reply by Philip Eddington on November 13, 2011 at 22:02

allthegearnoidea said:

The light certainly has changed. I was driving back from Cardiff last night and it really did feel like winter. :(

I'll be needing to buy a decent set of lights for the winter. I'll not be using the canals, but Rea Valley, side roads and sometimes the Pershore. Any suggestions?

Has anyone looked at these on eBay?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=2400+lumen+bike+light&_sa...

I doubt they're 2400 lumens and I have concerns over the battery life, but even if they're 1000 lumens that would be very bright.

rob

Hi Rob

What is the beam pattern and run time like?

Thanks

Phil

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Permalink Reply by Jon Ingram on November 14, 2011 at 6:58

This helped me understand what the expressions "watts" "lux" and "lumens" mean and how they relate to brightness, albeit in an industrial lighting setting!

http://www.greenbusinesslight.com/page/119/Lux-lumens-and-watts

Can't beat going out in the dark and trying it though, eh?

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Permalink Reply by allthegearnoidea on November 14, 2011 at 9:35

The beam is quite tight, it lights the full width of the rea valley path, or a towpath, and a little to the side. I don't know full runtime yet as haven't run them flat. With all 3 beams lit I suspect about 30 mins but longer if you only use the smaller ones etc etc.

I'll let you know once I've run them for a week or so.

rob