sms <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:
> On 12/6/2022 11:50 AM, Roger Merriman wrote:
>> Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>>> On 12/6/2022 1:23 PM, Roger Merriman wrote:
>>>>
>>>> If you use Strava you can use it to log miles of parts, for example my
>>>> front tire on the commute bike has done just shy of 7K but rear only
>>>> 400miles as it got a side wall slash!
>>>
>>> My record low was less than one mile before a broken bottle destroyed a
>>> new tire. That was at night before my headlights were much good.
>>>
>> That’s annoying! luckily BigApples are cheap £20 ish as they don’t have a
>> reinforced sidewalls which is why they ride so much better than the
>> Marathons
>
> Another reason to opt for good headlights--it saves your tires.

My light is good in that it has wide reasonably flat road targeting beam.
And in places there is a lot of glass which the Big Apples generally shrug
off, to be fair this is the only time this has happened!
>
> <https://www.gaciron.com/V9D-1800bule.php> is the one I've been
> recommending. A little pricey at about $81
> <https://www.aliexpress.com/i/2251832765864253.html> but well-made with
> a very good beam pattern. and extra mounts are readily available. Really
> like the DRL which "breathes" instead of flashing.
>
They may have borrowed the breathing from makers of my light Exposure
lights which started having the soft pulse about maybe a decade ago?

I’d take issue with a bar mounted light claiming to be MTB and road as the
beam shape is different ie a MTB bar needs to flood and probably needs to
be pushing the full 2k lumens if not more! I have a older Magicshine which
is probably broadly similar if half the claimed lumens which can be whole
another issue!

Roger Merriman

On 12/7/2022 5:09 AM, Roger Merriman wrote:
> sms <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:
>> On 12/6/2022 11:50 AM, Roger Merriman wrote:
>>> Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>>>> On 12/6/2022 1:23 PM, Roger Merriman wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> If you use Strava you can use it to log miles of parts, for example my
>>>>> front tire on the commute bike has done just shy of 7K but rear only
>>>>> 400miles as it got a side wall slash!
>>>>
>>>> My record low was less than one mile before a broken bottle destroyed a
>>>> new tire. That was at night before my headlights were much good.
>>>>
>>> That’s annoying! luckily BigApples are cheap £20 ish as they don’t have a
>>> reinforced sidewalls which is why they ride so much better than the
>>> Marathons
>>
>> Another reason to opt for good headlights--it saves your tires.
>
> My light is good in that it has wide reasonably flat road targeting beam.
> And in places there is a lot of glass which the Big Apples generally shrug
> off, to be fair this is the only time this has happened!
>>
>> <https://www.gaciron.com/V9D-1800bule.php> is the one I've been
>> recommending. A little pricey at about $81
>> <https://www.aliexpress.com/i/2251832765864253.html> but well-made with
>> a very good beam pattern. and extra mounts are readily available. Really
>> like the DRL which "breathes" instead of flashing.
>>
> They may have borrowed the breathing from makers of my light Exposure
> lights which started having the soft pulse about maybe a decade ago?
>
> I’d take issue with a bar mounted light claiming to be MTB and road as the
> beam shape is different ie a MTB bar needs to flood and probably needs to
> be pushing the full 2k lumens if not more! I have a older Magicshine which
> is probably broadly similar if half the claimed lumens which can be whole
> another issue!

You're right, 1800 lumens doesn't cut it for serious mountain biking,
but for road biking it's sufficient.

While I don't have a way of measuring lumens, the Gaciron appears to not
engage in "Lumenflation" like the old Magicshine lights.

For mountain biking, I'd go with the Magicshine Monteer 8000s Galaxy
V2.0 which claims 8000 lumens, but it's expensive
<https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804520645025.html>.

Supernova used to sell one dynamo light that they said was designed for
mountain biking, the 640 lumen E3 Triple 2, but it's been discontinued.
It was not StVZO compliant. You can still find some NOS (new old stock)
of the E3 Triple 2
<https://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=65464>.

sms <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:
> On 12/7/2022 5:09 AM, Roger Merriman wrote:
>> sms <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:
>>> On 12/6/2022 11:50 AM, Roger Merriman wrote:
>>>> Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>>>>> On 12/6/2022 1:23 PM, Roger Merriman wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> If you use Strava you can use it to log miles of parts, for example my
>>>>>> front tire on the commute bike has done just shy of 7K but rear only
>>>>>> 400miles as it got a side wall slash!
>>>>>
>>>>> My record low was less than one mile before a broken bottle destroyed a
>>>>> new tire. That was at night before my headlights were much good.
>>>>>
>>>> That’s annoying! luckily BigApples are cheap £20 ish as they don’t have a
>>>> reinforced sidewalls which is why they ride so much better than the
>>>> Marathons
>>>
>>> Another reason to opt for good headlights--it saves your tires.
>>
>> My light is good in that it has wide reasonably flat road targeting beam.
>> And in places there is a lot of glass which the Big Apples generally shrug
>> off, to be fair this is the only time this has happened!
>>>
>>> <https://www.gaciron.com/V9D-1800bule.php> is the one I've been
>>> recommending. A little pricey at about $81
>>> <https://www.aliexpress.com/i/2251832765864253.html> but well-made with
>>> a very good beam pattern. and extra mounts are readily available. Really
>>> like the DRL which "breathes" instead of flashing.
>>>
>> They may have borrowed the breathing from makers of my light Exposure
>> lights which started having the soft pulse about maybe a decade ago?
>>
>> I’d take issue with a bar mounted light claiming to be MTB and road as the
>> beam shape is different ie a MTB bar needs to flood and probably needs to
>> be pushing the full 2k lumens if not more! I have a older Magicshine which
>> is probably broadly similar if half the claimed lumens which can be whole
>> another issue!
>
> You're right, 1800 lumens doesn't cut it for serious mountain biking,
> but for road biking it's sufficient.

Also beam shape I have a exposure Strada which is intended for road use,
and it’s the light I use on the commute plus if I’m doing a night ride on
the Gravel bike, it’s not just lower lumens but it’s beam shape is
expecting roads of sorts, and though a wide beam it struggles on anything
more technical, where as my old Magicshine which probably does kick out a
touch more lumens but more than that it spills light everywhere which if
your MTB is good thing!
>
> While I don't have a way of measuring lumens, the Gaciron appears to not
> engage in "Lumenflation" like the old Magicshine lights.
>
> For mountain biking, I'd go with the Magicshine Monteer 8000s Galaxy
> V2.0 which claims 8000 lumens, but it's expensive
> <https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804520645025.html>.

They have generally moved bit more upmarket though one I got wasn’t that
cheap!
I’d probably still go down the Exposure route as well they are very well
designed and can be repaired be that yourself or by them, which I have done
once. And I hate cables so having a all in one unit is great!
>
> Supernova used to sell one dynamo light that they said was designed for
> mountain biking, the 640 lumen E3 Triple 2, but it's been discontinued.
> It was not StVZO compliant. You can still find some NOS (new old stock)
> of the E3 Triple 2
> <https://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=65464>.
>
>
>
Exposure did a Dynamo not sure if they still do but it really needed their
hub that apparently pushed out slightly more watts even so was rated at
800lm which is gravel roads territory.

Realistically for that usage Dynamo can’t match the power output of modern
batteries.

Roger Merriman

On 12/7/2022 10:00 AM, sms wrote:

<snip>

> While I don't have a way of measuring lumens, the Gaciron appears to not
> engage in "Lumenflation" like the old Magicshine lights.
>
> For mountain biking, I'd go with the Magicshine Monteer 8000s Galaxy
> V2.0 which claims 8000 lumens, but it's expensive
> <https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804520645025.html>.

For a rear light, since the CatEye TL LD1100 is no longer available, I'd
get the Cygolite Hypershot 350 USB
<https://cygolite.com/product/hypershot-350-usb/>. It's 350 lumens, but
for a rear light that's sufficient. I like that they offer extra mounts,
including a mount for rear racks (though I wish that they included the
rear rack mount in the package). I also wish that it was USB-C rather
than Micro-USB, but it's been a slow transition for bicycle lights.