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Here's a small game for the bored. Can you find any road legal (as in meets lighting regs as explained by the CTC) light sets for sale in the UK?
Wiggle will sell a Lezyne Strip Drive, but it doesn't look to be the StVZO approved version. Best I can find is €76 imported from bike24.
<Insert obligatory Brexit comment here>
There must be a market for someone to glue a flashing LED to a battery.
I’ve bought a couple of Lezyne StVZO compliant lights from Amazon UK before, and SJS sell the B&M Ixon IQ. Plus there are lots of dynamo-powered options.
Interesting question, that lead me to check up on the road based offerings from my favourite off-road light supplier...
I have some bought from lidl - front only tho not rear
B+ m secula on the rear, and an Eyro on the front. Both "k" marked so meet "equivalent EU" standard. Both have built in reflectors, and can be bought with multiple mounting brackets.
Supplemented by flashing leds mounted away from them...
The STVzÖ regulation might be part of the problem for availability, as I believe flash modes are not allowed by it. Anything sold as a bike light in Germany can only emit steady light.
Lezyne do a stvzo light, the Pro 90.
Philips saferide.
B+M do a battery version of one of their dynamo lights.
Or if your handy with a soldering iron, have a look at e-bike lights, most will run off a normal 8.4V battery pack if you add a connector.
The STVzÖ regulation might be part of the problem for availability, as I believe flash modes are not allowed by it. Anything sold as a bike light in Germany can only emit steady light.
Unless it *only* has a flashing mode.
I've seen mixed info on the flashing thing, but I've not checked StVZO recently, partly because ich nichten sprechen ze German.
But I've seen numerous sales blurbs which mention StVZO and the explicit absence of a flashing mode in the same sentence; and Lezyne's StVZO lights have no flashing modes (whereas the non-StVZO ones do have a steady mode). Both of which suggest to me that flashing is verboten. As does the fact that the Garmin RT510/511 comes as two distinct units rather than just one with a switchable mode, which would be more cost-effective to produce.
I've seen one secondhand commentary saying that low power flashing lights are permitted in daytime. Perhaps it's the case that the sort of crazy disco flashing modes that seem to pervade the UK market are just too powerful for StVZO, rather than flashing being an unqualified thumbs up or down…?
brant
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Any chance you could find something in a catalogue? I really dont want to spend money on a dynamo for my 'nice' road bike. 80+ lux, 4+ hour runtime (the lezyne is 3h which is a bit tight for an evening ride, especially if its cold).
Unless it *only* has a flashing mode.
That I did not know.
the lezyne is 3h
Well, they might *say* three hours…
Anything sold as a bike light in Germany can only emit steady light.
Lupine sell their Rotlicht in Germany and it has flashing modes...
Any chance you could find something in a catalogue? I really dont want to spend money on a dynamo for my ‘nice’ road bike. 80+ lux, 4+ hour runtime (the lezyne is 3h which is a bit tight for an evening ride, especially if its cold).
It will be on the list for next years light sourcing but we are almost through light selling season and not landing any more stock until August next year now.
B&M Ixon IQ - excellent lights
Philips saferide.
Discontinued I think.
Lupine sell their Rotlicht in Germany and it has flashing modes…
I have no experience on the matter, but I've seen flashing lights with handlebar mounts sold as "safety lights" on German online retailers' pages, but all the lights in the "bike lights" -category have seemed to be steady only. So perhaps it's jsut a question of labeling.
The Philips Saferide lights were taken over by Spanninga, and they are making some newer versions. But not sure if any are available to buy in the UK.
Yes, B&M is probably the best option. The Ixon Core is a neat little light, USB charging. Though quite narrow beam, maybe not bright enough for fast riding in the dark.
Or the Ixon Space looks interesting, a lot brighter, 150 lux. Though not cheap - €136 from Bike24, or £190 from SJS.
80+ lux, 4+ hour runtime
B&M Ixon Space? 2.5 hours at 150 lux, so I assume closer to 5 hours in 80 lux mode.
We discussed this in the Chat forum a few days ago.
The law requires that you have a steady light which complies to BS something-or-other or an equivalent standard, OR a flashing light which doesn't have to comply to BS standards because there aren't any. So as long as you have a blinky light, you can stick up any additional headlight you like and you're legal because of the presence of the flasher.
(Technically the flasher has to be capable of only flashing, but good luck finding one of those.)
B&M Ixon Space? 2.5 hours at 150 lux, so I assume closer to 5 hours in 80 lux mode.
Thats what Im after, but at On-One prices. For £190 I could buy a shimano dynamo, rim, spokes, and a B+M lamp.
I dont want to fit a dynamo because it ends up being quite expensive, and isnt really transferable between bikes. If Brant came out with something close to the Jobsworth lights prices but with a Stvzo style reflector then that would be great. Ive got a dynamo on my SSCX which is at least half my night riding covered, its the other 50% spread over 3 other bikes that could do with something different.
At the moment Im planning on getting the lezyne e-bike lamp and wiring it into a magicshine battery.
E.g.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F263689465332
I bought a set of these last year off Amazon for £15, they claim to be Stvzo compliant.
Have a look on German amazon page?
An Stvzo head unit that can be plugged into a magic shine battery pack would make a great commuter light.
Some of the Fenix bike lights have a nice cut off Germman style beam. Though don't think they are actually Stvzo certified, maybe because they have a flashing mode.
Can get the Fenix BC21R V2.0 for about £50.
I hadn't thought of looking on Amazon, but when I did I found a handful claiming to be approved and some which even showed a k marked lens. Ended up buying some of these. They put out that cross shaped beam that brings back memories of the Ever Ready Frontguard.
discostu any feedback on that greenclick light from Amazon? £10 at the minute in the sale 🤨
I've read this before and still don't think it makes sense
If capable of emitting a steady light, it must be marked as conforming to BS6102/3 or an equivalent EC standard.
If capable of emitting only a flashing light, it must emit at least 4 candelas.
any flashing lamp that is also capable of emitting a steady light is approved only if it conforms with BS6102/3 when switched to steady mode.
So there aren't any legal steady lights, most flashing lights aren't bright enough and if the do flash and are bright enough they usually have a steady mode, which doesn meet the necessary standard, so aren't legal either.
So basically there aren't any lights that meet the requirements at all?
Yes - its an absurd situation
You can be legally compliant by having a light that conforms to BS6102/3. YOu can have a flashing light as well but not instead of
Its almost impossible to buy a legally compliant light in the UK but not impossible
Does STVZO apply to rear lights, or just front?
Why are so few front lights STVZO compliant? Is there a dynamo element to the German regs? I've read a not terribly well translated article which suggests that this may be the case.
I also don't really understand the flashing objection. For me personally I think flashing is good for daytime "be seen" blinkys which are visible but not distracting, but at night when I want to see where I'm going I use proper lights and I always have them on constant.
Finally, upside down STVZO lights which can be mounted under a Garmin out front mount; I'd have thought this was a pretty big market. I can only find one example; an out of stock and possibly discontinued Lezyne Lite Drive STVZO Pro 115 Loaded Reverse. Even that seems to have a pretty feeble output/battery specs.
What's the chat?
I suppose the ideal STVZO front light would have mounting interfaces on the bottom and the top for maximum flexibility, so that it could be mounted either on the bars or upside down under a Garmin.
I got my B&M direct from one of the German online retailers: a lot cheaper than the UK.
Does STVZO apply to rear lights, or just front?
The set I bought from Amazon has compliance markings on the rear lens, so seems like it.
Does STVZO apply to rear lights, or just front?
I'm no expert, but I believe the rear lights have different requirements, and one of them is that they are visible 135 degrees to both sides from the rear of the bike. Might have some brightness restrictions too, but I'm not sure about those.