Battery Front Lights

[rob]

My front lamp arrangement for audax and commuting is a little outdated and I have been looking into upgrading.   For long rides I use 2 * cateye EL320s mounted under the bars but they're probably 6/7 years old and a bit beaten up.   I'm not a fan of really bright lights as I think they put off riders coming the opposite way.   This has been a problem for me on a couple of PBPs.   What I do like about the Cateye's is that they run on AAs and will last ages on the low setting.   You can replace the batteries pretty easily and source replacements on the go.

I started researching a few days ago and it seems that the world has changed.   Pretty much all of the lights I look at are now USB chargeable which would involve rigging up an external battery for rides lasting longer than one night.

I think I'm down to one of the cateye volt models (500/800) or an exposure Sirius (Mark 6).

Does anyone have any experience of these for longer audax rides ?

Ta


Rob

[tornandfrayed]

The B&M Ixon IQ premium comes with 4 rechargeable AA batteries that can be charged without removing them from the light but will also work with standard AA batteries. Probably available cheaper from German online retailers such as Rose bikes.

[Oaky]

There's also the Hope 1-LED.  Runs on 4xAA (either disposable alkaline or NiMH rechargeable)

It can be a bit dazzling to oncoming traffic, though (conical beam), although it's not as bright in that regard as the some of the newer LED llights.

Lower power settings will easily get through an overnight ride.  I run a pair, usually on the lowest or next-to lowest setting, ramping the power up for fast descents etc.

[fuaran]

Also look at something that can use replaceable 18650 li-ion batteries. These can hold more power than the equivalent AAs, and you can still carry a few spares.

eg Fenix BC21R, it also has USB charging. It has a shaped beam, so shouldn't dazzle traffic too much.

[frankly frankie]

There's also the Hope 1-LED.  Runs on 4xAA (either disposable alkaline or NiMH rechargeable)
... I run a pair, usually on the lowest or next-to lowest setting, ramping the power up for fast descents etc.

NB.  Most users of Hope 1s use them in pairs (at least, to judge from what I see at audax starts).  There are good reasons for this.

[fruitcake]

I too enjoy using my Hope 1. The build quality outstrips the Cateye lights I've had, and the beam, whilst round, is not as tight a spotlight as the mid market offerings from Cateye and Smart. Perhaps you could use one in combination with one of your Cateye lights, to give yourself an optional 'high beam'. I do this with a Cateye HL-EL500. The Cateye is aimed further along the road, the design of the switch making it easy to turn on and off wearing gloves.

[rob]

There's also the Hope 1-LED.  Runs on 4xAA (either disposable alkaline or NiMH rechargeable)
... I run a pair, usually on the lowest or next-to lowest setting, ramping the power up for fast descents etc.

NB.  Most users of Hope 1s use them in pairs (at least, to judge from what I see at audax starts).  There are good reasons for this.

Using a pair on the Audax bike would work but maybe a bit spendy.   I can only fit one between the tri-bars on the TT bike.   What is the run time like on the lower settings ?

[fruitcake]

I reckon you'd get six to eight hours on fully charged 2500 mAh rechargeable batteries.

But I find my Hope One is not ideal for mounting below the bars because of the design of the quick release bracket. I have to be careful where I put my hands so as not to hit the release lever by accident. Light mounted above the bar, the lever faces downwards so no problem.

[LEE]

The B&M Ixon IQ premium comes with 4 rechargeable AA batteries that can be charged without removing them from the light but will also work with standard AA batteries. Probably available cheaper from German online retailers such as Rose bikes.

I've used these every week for years.  When everyone else ends up cursing their USB charged lights, or their proprietary power-packs, I can always just reach for a backup set of 4 AA batteries.

I used them on BCM600 (I actually run 2, an old CYO and a newer Premium model).  The Premium has a better light pattern but the old CYO managed fine on BCM600.

All my lights, front and rear take either AA or AAA batteries and I use VAPEX rechargeables (low discharge variety so I can leave them on the bike for days/weeks without them discharging).

[rogerzilla]

Two things to know about the Hope Vision One:

1. The QR is crap as you need to re-aim the light every time.  Get an Exposure Joystick mount and foot.

2. The first generation is massively inferior to the second (pictured in the post above).  The second is twice as bright, the beam is less green and it doesn't shut off completely without warning as the batteries run low.  Avoid the 1st gen, or pay not much for it.

[rob]

I'm leaning towards exposure joystick for the TT bike as raceware have a bracket that will fit between the tribars holding a garmin on top and a joystick mount underneath.   This should give a bright enough and neat/aero solution for the 24hr.

However for audax I'd much prefer the B&M Ixon - probably 2 - for the flexibility.

Not going to be a cheap Winter.

[Karla]

You could try something like the Lezyne Super Drive, which is cheaper than the Exposure and which runs off an 18650 so you can carry spares.  I use a Mega Drive which I'm not such a fan of, but I borrowed what I think was a Super Drive off Tiermat last week and I was very impressed.

AAs are a bit crummy for a high power light source but if you want to use them, Fenix are still doing plenty of lights that take them.

[Oaky]

I reckon you'd get six to eight hours on fully charged 2500 mAh rechargeable batteries.

This sounds about right  - my experience is that it's more towards the 8 hour end of that range, even with occasional periods of high beam, but that's with various 2800 mAh  or similar batteries.

I have a first and a second generation model, and I'd second the advice above to go for the 2nd gen given the choice.  The first generation just cuts out with no warning if it runs out of power.  The 2nd generation drops to a low power mode in that situation (light on low with higher intensity flashes).

My two are mounted out front, underneath a bar extender (minoura space grip on one bike and some no-name thing off amazon on the other).

[Bledlow]

Some of the Fenix bike lights are battery-powered, e.g. BC21R & BC30. Both use 18650s. They're billed as lasting a very long time on low (100 lumens - I remember when that was very bright indeed for a bike light).
http://www.fenixtorch.co.uk/Shop/Fenix-Torches/Bike-Lights.html

I have a BT10, which uses external batteries - 4 x AA. It's OK. Failed (permanently on low, so presumably a switch failure) after about 18 months, but they replaced it with no argument. The replacement's lasted longer so far.

[zigzag]

i used exposure sirius on the tt bike and also during the tcr as a backup light (great for long climbs at night on the lowest setting). the good things about it is reliability, low weight and ease of mounting - very quick above or under the bars with a silicone band. i've put a piece of inner tube around the body to protect it from slipping when mounted upside down.

[scottsept86]

Busch & Muller make a couple of battery lights that are comparable to their dynamo lights. Shaped beam too to avoid dazzling other road users.

Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk

[IJL]

Another vote for the Hope vision,  Hope do give run time figures for the different power setting and ill have to take their word.  I use rechargeables and I have never had them run out.  Its certainly good enough to do overnight 400 Audax's .  When i started using it I took spare set of cells for overnight rides but they were never needed

[hatler]

Another vote for Hope Vision 1s here, though as mentioned above the second gen version.  And also the Exposure mount. I'll dig out details of that thread and post here when I find it.

[hatler]

Here we go. Look at the last page of this thread.

[quixoticgeek]

There's also the Hope 1-LED.  Runs on 4xAA (either disposable alkaline or NiMH rechargeable)

It can be a bit dazzling to oncoming traffic, though (conical beam), although it's not as bright in that regard as the some of the newer LED llights.

Lower power settings will easily get through an overnight ride.  I run a pair, usually on the lowest or next-to lowest setting, ramping the power up for fast descents etc.

I have 1 of these, and for fast descents on dark country lanes it just didn't light enough even on full power. I augmented it with a Led Lenser P7.2, and the combined 600lumens pumping down the road was just about right (until you go round a corner and get a van covered in retroflective stuff throwing it all back in your face...). At more normal speeds the light is fine.

J

[TheLurker]

Another B&M Ixon IQ fan here.  Cheap (ish), reliable and not made of cheese*.  Four in our household.  Two per bike. 


*They do have some failure modes all of their own, but these are avoidable.