Front light advise

[PCR]

I'm looking for a front light for my commuter. I've seen photos of lights that mount down by the front skewer/fork area but I can't seem to find any information on them. Anyone here use this type of light? If so, where can I find them? Thanks!

[Marcy]

Check out Peter White's store online.

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/

-- Marc

[whitecda]

Mount a light down low with Lite Beam Light Mounts. Toward the bottom: http://www.wallbike.com/oddsnends.html

Don

[sg8357]

http://www.velo-orange.com/batterylights.html

VO has skewer mounts for bar mount or dyno lights.

[PCR]

Thanks for the direction.

[Ti Designs]

My only good advice on lighting is to keep an eye on what's new. Lights are evolving quickly, what was new on the market just 6 months ago is now almost obsolete. Just about every CatEye package says "150% brighter than" on it somewhere. LED lights have gotten more efficient, brighter and better housed. My two year old lighting system is now blown away by something a quarter it's size and cheaper...

[bocarider]

My wife saw an article on bike lights in the NYT where they interview a bike messenger guy who tested a number of different light set ups. He liked the Blackburn Flea the best:

http://www.blackburndesign.com/lights.html

I picked one up and it is pretty amazing - super bright headlight (I ride at 5:00 a.m a few days a week, so it is totally dark when I roll out). It has the coolest recharge system where you magnetically attach the light to a regular AA battery with magnets on wires. The tail light is tiny and super bright as well. Both pieces are super tiny. All-in-all a nice little package that adds virtually no weight to your bike.

[sg8357]

[QUOTE=Ti Designs]My only good advice on lighting is to keep an eye on what's new. Lights are evolving quickly, QUOTE]

I have had SON dyno hub for 4 years, 2 years on Halogens, 1 year with a IQ Fly, now with a CYO.


Before the dyno hub I had two Niterider systems, each replace when the batteries died. Each lasted about 3 years.

[dawgie]

I've used a Fenix L2D flashlight for commuting the past two years and it works great. It's an LED light that puts out 180 lumens at its highest setting, but I generally run mine on the second highest level. It only costs about $60 and runs on 2 AA rechargable batteries. Worth checking out if you are new to lights and don't want to spend a bundle.

I mount my light on my handlebar, but it could be mounted on a helmet, front rack and probably forks. However, my understanding is that running lights lower on your forks can cast a lot of shadows and make it harder to see.

[PCR]

Thanks dawgie; this is invaluable information!


However, my understanding is that running lights lower on your forks can cast a lot of shadows and make it harder to see.[/QUOTE]

[stackie]

I've actually mounted my Schmidt Edelux on the braze on at the fork drop out. It works well. A huge benefit of having the light this low is that it really illuminates any bump in the ground much better than a helmet light or light mounted on the fender. I could probably see a penny on the road with the terrain resolution that I am getting. Sure, there is a small shadow cast by the wheel, but it is off to the side and not too much of a bother. Incidentally, I would think that the bright light shining on the silver rim gives a bit of a side light effect that may make me more visible from the side. Another benefit of this mount is that the light is tucked in right next to the fork blade so it is less likely to be damaged by accident, than if it was sticking a couple of inches out from the skewer.

Works for me.


Jon

[dawgie]

I haven't tried running a light low on the forks, so there may be advantages. However, the Fenix (and other LED flashlights) are so inexpensive that you could easily use two of them -- one on your handlebars and one on your forks or helmet.