Simonk wrote:

I have the 4 LED Knog blinkies, and having a low battery indicator is not all it is cracked up to be either. Once the indicator comes on, you have a whole 10 minutes before the light totally shuts down. Useability is subjective, but brightness alone does not make the light.

We tested the Knog Blinder 4 lights yesterday. The front light was pretty average, but the back one was 14th out of about 60 rear lights - not bad.

I noticed there were a couple of 'lesser' flashing light modes (that didn't flash all four LEDs at once). If you used one of the lesser flashing modes, you might get more than 10 minutes of use after the low battery indicator comes on. Worth a crack.

I've got a Knog Blinder Road like this one


Good light but the mounting strap broke when I had it on my seat stem after a few months and I now have it cable tied to my backpack. It's also now not holding charge as well, have to recharge it every two days. I ride about an hour and a half every day (to-from work) and use it on flashing mode only. I've also got four of the small Knog Blinder single LED's, two red ones on the back of my helmet and two white ones for extra flashiness on my handlebars supplementing the Moonshines? etc I already have on there. They seem to be holding charge OK and the mounting straps are a bit more robust (although I somehow lost one of the front ones going up Queen St about a year ago, had to replace it).

Also have a Moonshield on the back of my helmet, great light apart from the mounting clip which broke within weeks, its now attached with cable ties

Regards
Peter

Got some advice on this topic last night from a motorist, after a bus pulled out in front of me through a roundbaout she wound down the window and shouted "blah blagh blurgh visible blarh blurgh" at me and accelerated off, thats all I could make out was the word visible, I assume she thought the bus cut me off because I wasn't lit up enough (actually he made eye contact and went anyway). That notwithstanding I think it's a good idea as I've only got cheap lights, does anyone know of lights that would mount on a stem or even the steerer? My CX bike has those extra brake levers on the bars so there's no room without some re-engineering to get stuff on the bars, I have a light mount tenously going around the steerer spacers at the moment.

How much do you want to spend? Hope R4 (and maybe some of their others) have a cool little bracket which puts the light directly over your stem and only takes up ~5mm of bar real estate right next to the stem.

happybaboon wrote:How much do you want to spend? Hope R4 (and maybe some of their others) have a cool little bracket which puts the light directly over your stem and only takes up ~5mm of bar real estate right next to the stem.

yep - suse has an r4 and the brackets takes up maybe 10mm of bar width (right by the stem) and puts the light head unit over the top of the stem - very nice.

Unfortunately the really slick option of the special stem face plate with the mount integrated seems to have died wit the old vision lights though (required you to have a HOPE stem as well obviously which is why it didn't sell)



was out running with the r4 the other night - one of the nicest headlamps I've used in terms of weight vs power

if you do want an r4 merlin cycles seems to have the best price (neither wiggle for chainreactioncycles.com seem to carry them now)

http://www.merlincycles.com/hope-vision ... 58598.html

The biggest annoyance I have is the lack of a second little adaptermajiggy so you could have one on the headlamp strap thing and one on a helmet.

Lovely kit, I like the thin mount but out of my budget plus I only need lights to be seen by others for commuting where I do not to light up the path. I think I will ghetto something.

Ghetto works.
A downside of the Hope is I'm not sure it's got the best 45 degree/side on visibility as the lens is recessed. It's more a light for seeing. Although it is a bright fucker. Works rather nicely on the trails too.

The Lezyne Macro (which performed top of our test) comes in a Duo version - mounts on a helmet and includes a (less impressive) rear light in the same unit. This light performs particularly well at 20 and 45 degrees, so a great commuting option.

Burkes sells it for $127 - http://www.burkescycles.co.nz/products/ ... -drive-duo

happybaboon wrote:The biggest annoyance I have is the lack of a second little adaptermajiggy so you could have one on the headlamp strap thing and one on a helmet.

yep would have been even nice, pretty sure you can buy them as a spare part though?

I've never used mine on a helmet - always on the bars on the bike....want something with a bit more 'spot' pattern on my helmet

happybaboon wrote:Ghetto works.
A downside of the Hope is I'm not sure it's got the best 45 degree/side on visibility as the lens is recessed. It's more a light for seeing. Although it is a bright fucker. Works rather nicely on the trails too.

on the commuter I run a pair of Moon Comets (one each side of the stem), angled back about 30 degrees for heaps of side visibility (I go right past the exit from westfield riccarton - need all the side viz I can get)

http://www.moon-sport.com/product-detail.php?id=71

plus cateye Orbits on each wheel for some added visibility from side on

http://www.cateye.com/en/products/detail/SL-LD120/

(Nostromo - cos of the way the Comet mounts via a rubber strip I reckon you could probably mount one on your headtube to avoid crowding your CX levers)

Thanks some good ideas there.
I like the Orbit, I'd happily run those I previously had some no-name LEDs that flash that attached to the Schrader valves on my 26" wheeled commuter but I have Prestas now.

The Orbit output is pitiful. It didn't event register on our illuminometer (which only registers illuminance above 2.5 Lux). I think we removed it from our results because it's more like a Christmas decoration than a bike light. When riding in traffic, a bike light's gotta compete with car lights - about 600 Lux at 2 m.

Simonk wrote:The Orbit output is pitiful. It didn't event register on our illuminometer (which only registers illuminance above 2.5 Lux). I think we removed it from our results because it's more like a Christmas decoration than a bike light. When riding in traffic, a bike light's gotta compete with car lights - about 600 Lux at 2 m.

well if you test it using the same methodology as a rear light that's a bit retarded. The orbit actually works well because it's flashing and rotating - which catches people's attention. Doesn't need to be super bright. I

think it's a moot point though as looking online it seems cat eye has discontinued them - hopefully they'll do something to replace it cos there's ZILCHO other options for side viz (well maybe a fibreflare type light the downtube)

The tioga dual eyes are the best light I've had. Rechargeable aaa batteries with sub charging in the body. The light body clips into the frame bracket so there is no stoopid strap which breaks. They last 2 months between charging when used everyday. They hold a charge for ages; I just dug one out of a cupboard where it had been for 4 months or so and its still useable.
Bright as buggery with with three flashing modes and good side visibility

Only problem is that they have been discontinued. Bugger