No, not Diwali. I’m referring
to the sudden, and welcome delivery of some test lighting from another
publication. One I have really enjoyed freelancing for, these past ten years. As I’ve said on
several occasions, over the past decade, I enjoy riding in the dark-regardless
of the season.
Lighting in keeping with tyres
and other winter leaning kit, has not only improved in terms of power and
output, but reliability too.
Although there are potential
problems with lithium cells and high intensity COB diodes…
Blown bulbs, impotent optics,
corroded connectors and crap brackets (that all too frequently catapulted
lights into the nearest hedge come the first bump), are long gone.
I need at
least 800 lumens for my locale, though 1100 is more comfortable, especially if
I really want to let rip. 400 is just about good enough for semi-rural work-in
the navigational sense.
Only a few years back, this
kind of output was all or nothing and/or required a beefy battery tethered to
the top tube, adding weight and unwelcome clutter. Now, most are tuneable for
output and economy, so there’s no excuse for burning people’s retinas/dazzling
oncoming traffic, especially in town.
Some of the auction site
specials, the sort giving change from £20 represent excellent value (Although
lens and reflector quality leave a bit to be desired, which becomes apparent
when hossing along a twisty rural road in the dead of night.
At the other extreme, their
lowest steady modes seem to be around the 500lumen mark, which is a bit
abrasive through sub/urban districts. 100 lumens, or so are adequate, in the
seen by sense.
At the other extreme, some of
the uber lumen compact torch types are constrained by limited run times in the
highest settings. Fine for suburban riders wanting to take their post work
training loop into the wilds. Dynamos aside, I’d want something capable of generating
1000 lumens (preferably more) for at least 90 minutes.
Some minor niggles aside, I’m
still very taken with Moon Meteor Storm pro https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/moon-meteor-storm-pro-front-light
, which will pump out 1150lumens for the best part of 3 hours (2hrs 54mins)
from a full charge. Talking of which, another useful feature to look for, is an
automatic kick down.
Intelligent battery life
sensors, which automatically cascade downwards, once reserves reach a certain
point. It could also save your bacon. Even the best maintained bikes can suffer
a mechanical, which can take longer to fix, on a cold, dark night.
Anyhow, I’ve three from the
Blackburn Day Blazer family- the 1100, 800 and 400 to enjoy and evaluate. Following
up the rear, the same publication has generously sent me Oxford Bright Stop
Rear LED, which combines a traditional LED and braking light, which works to
the same principle as Xeccon Mars 30 and 60 . https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/xeccon-m
In this instance 5 diodes kick
in, when it senses deceleration, whereas the Xeccon employs the whole strip. This Mars 30 and 60 seem more intense as a result but we'll see. Despite the dominance of USB rechargeable fit n’ forget
systems, AA/AAA fuelled blinkies remain very relevant-especially for touring,
long distance night rides and indeed commuting.
Spare cells are easily
carried, or indeed purchased from supermarkets, convenience stores/petrol
stations. Generally speaking; I run
these on ni-cd rechargeable cells but keep some dry cells handy, as a
contingency. Talking of reliability, these Vee Tire Co Zilent MK2 tyres are
proving very reliable, and surprisingly sprightly, given their weight. https://www.facebook.com/Sevendaycyclistmagazine/videos/2519973554895678/
Ending on that note and with
the evenings drawing in, here’s our overview guide to blinkies/safety lighting.
https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/in-the-blink-of-an-eye
Right, off to play with those lights, and this
rather comfy looking Selle Italia Novous boost superflow saddle.
