better bike lights
I've just ordered 2 of those LED systems that I discovered a few days ago for my bike. They're designed for handlebar mounting, which is a slight problem on my bike (since my handlebars are under my butt, not up high and at the front), but can be solved with a few inches of pipe. They come with a headband mount, and I've managed to thread a headband mount through my helmet to hold the Remington hunter's LEDs I've been using, but I ordered a helmet mount that should make it easy to add/remove the light. (The headband mount does not go on/off easily, so I take a different helmet for day rides that don't need a light.) And some reviewers complained that the beam was too narrow, so I ordered a diffuser. I think these riders were probably on mountain-bike trails, where you do need to be able to see more to the sides for sudden turns and avoiding branches and animals; the standard beam pattern is probably good for street riding and paved trails. The lights have 3 brightness levels (plus flashing). They should be brighter than the 35-watt and 55-watt halogen lights I've been using, and way brighter than the 150-lumen Remington. They come with 8.4v lithium-ion battery packs, so I'll be ditching the (heavy, lead-acid) 12v setup I've been using for ages.
Possible arrangements under consideration:
- Cree-wide on bike, Cree-narrow on bike, (old) Remington on helmet (lots of redundancy)
- Cree-wide on bike, Cree-narrow on bike
- Cree-narrow on bike, (old) Remington on helmet
- Cree-wide on bike, Cree-narrow on helmet (standard MTB setup)
- Cree-wide on bike, (old) Remington on helmet
Tuesday 23:56
I found another review of the lights I just ordered. Good photos. Here it was advertised as 1800 lumens, which the reviewer noted was absurd for the Cree T6 emitter. One of the comments to the review says it looks comparable to his 900-lumen light, which is probably also over rated. (A commenter to a 2nd review, the 900-lumen light, says it's more like 500 or 600.) Assuming the 1200 number is wildly inflated (perhaps 450-550), it should still be a big step up from the 150 I've been using. (That 150 number may not be accurate either.) The reviewer also described a reworking of the mounting system. It's bungeed to the handlebar with an O-ring. He seemed worried that the light would fall off; I think the light would be too easy to steal. (No tools required.) I think it would be OK at my office (where I've sometimes forgotten to lock the bike), but at a store I'd worry about the lights and the batteries being "liberated". Accessories that require tools to remove are a bit of a deterrent. (And it's really bad karma to steal the lights off a bike when they're obviously needed for the rider to get home.)
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