Brommie Front Light

[rower40]

Ok, I use a cateye double-shot for real visibility, but as a backup, I'd quite like the standard front light to work.  Which it doesn't.  I took it to bits, and found the power wire not making electrical connection to the bit of metal (*) that then touches the spring that then touches the outside of the halogen bulb.  (HOW many separate connnections needed for it to work!!??!)

(*) Which appears to have the conductivity of cheese finest bakelite.

What does anyone recommend to replace the entire front unit?  Dynamo LEDs?  Which one/ones?

[rogerzilla]

Not many fit, that's the trouble, because the light ends up under the downtube when folded.

I use an IQ Fly with a QR rather than a bolt.  It flips down for folding.  This means it needs adjusting every time you need to use it (you can leave it flipped down for daytime riding) but that's fairly easy; just get the lens slightly backwards from vertical, and it throws a pool 15-20 feet ahead on the road.



The IQ Fly does preclude use of the front luggage block, but I wasn't going to use it anyway.  For Brompton distances a courier bag works fine.

[rower40]

That looked wonderful, right up to the moment when you wrote "The IQ Fly does preclude use of the front luggage block, " because I use that lots.
I'll have a fettle.
Thanks anyway.

[rogerzilla]

A Schmidt Edelux might fit.  A Supernova E3 would probably work if you used an IQ Fly bracket and made an extension bar as I did on my work bike:



It's square-section aluminium from B&Q, which fits quite nicely into a standard dynamo bracket.

[Sigurd Mudtracker]

I gather from the current Velovision that B+M are bringing out another light developed from the IQ but without the dangly reflector bit - an a bit more affordable than the Schmidt or Supernova offerings.  It's the IQ Cyo and can be found on their website on the left hand menu

[rogerzilla]

That'd do the job.  The reflector is a bit silly, but I suppose it helps if you don't have a standlight (I don't, at least not on the IQ Fly).

[duncan]

My front dynamo light, a B&M Lumotec N Plus, seems to have partially died (again), in that the standlight LED no longer lights up. The back light doesn't light any more either, but I don't yet know which light is responsible for that, the front or the back.

Does anyone know where you can buy a Schmidt Edulux?

Duncan

PS Looks like I'll probably be riding The Upper Thames with whatever cobbled together collection of battery lights I can nick off my wife's bikes...

[rogerzilla]

Only a requirement at point of sale.

[andrew_s]

My front dynamo light, a B&M Lumotec N Plus, seems to have partially died (again), in that the standlight LED no longer lights up. The back light doesn't light any more either, but I don't yet know which light is responsible for that, the front or the back.

There's a note somewhere on the Schmidt website that implies that replacing the bulb may fix it.

Apparently the coils of the filament weld together when vibrated under power, and after a bit you only need 5V or whatever to put the 0.5A through the bulb, so that's all the hub gives. The standlights stop working because the reduced voltage doesn't drive the associated electronics properly.
I didn't find the note until after I'd gone LED so I've never tried it. Old bulbs are certainly dimmer than new ones, and this may be why, rather than the tungsten depositing on the glass that I'd assumed.

[andrew_s]

Only a requirement at point of sale.

On the road requirement in Germany, like pedal reflectors here.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

I have a couple of Ian H's headlights ready to fit to our Brommies, once major fettling and repainting is finished.  They should work without interfering with the luggage block.

[Pedaldog.]

What about battery front lights that would fit under the luggage block?
I don't really think I can justify the new son hub dynamo cost yet so what suggestions?

[rogerzilla]

Most (all?) battery lights are designed for handlebar mounting (which also works if you mess about to find a position which allows folding).

[duncan]

There's a note somewhere on the Schmidt website that implies that replacing the bulb may fix it.

Now this sounds extremely likely. The problem with the standlights appeared when the bulb went a couple of weeks ago and I replaced it with an old one (which appeared to work fine) from my box of bits. I'll go and try another bulb.

Cheers,

Duncan

PS Have also ordered an Edulux, from the link Craig posted - thanks Craig!

[duncan]

I've tried changing the bulb, and it hasn't helped. Reading the instructions to the B&M front light, I guess I might have ruined the LEDs by cycling with the bulb dead :-( The front light is going when the edulux arrives anyway, so I guess I'll have a better idea when that is installed.

Thanks for your help everyone!

Duncan