Ideally as bright as a Joystick , easy to swap between bikes and not blinding pedestrians as I go through the park.
Recommdations please.
I just bought a Ravemen CR1000 which has a specific beam pattern for road usage, I got it for my son so he can ride around the local paths at night without blinding pedestrians and motorists, it works really well and is easily as bright as my Joystick
The brightest STZvO* German regulations light you can find. They're great and don't need to be quite as bright as an MTB light because they don't waste so many lumens up into the sky.
*I may have mangled that acronym a bit.
https://www.freewheel.co.uk/knog-blinder-120-stvzo-front-light-kng13421
Something like this perhaps? As it's the same body as the Blinder 1300 lumen light I am guessing it's similar brightness but a different beam pattern.
I just make sure mine is on lowest setting and nudge it to face downwards more.
I also had/have a much smaller light that I use 'commuting' and so the 'daylight bringer' only gets switched on when on the trail.
Ravemen something.
I have the PR1600 and it is a great light. The beam is not STVZO but has a definite cut-off. Build quality good, clips on easily & the mount is rock solid.
The only downside is that the 1600 lumens is only available when both LEDs are on, and one of them isn't dipped. So, for on-road use it is really an 800 lumen light if you run it only in dipped mode.
It would have been really useful if they'd included a lens that dipped both beams. The faceplate is only held in place with CSK hex screws so would have been an easy swap.
800 is more than enough though, most of the time. I tend to use it one down from that level to improve battery life.
Worth looking at the new Exposure Sirius, similar size to the Joystick but half the price and has a lens shroud so designed more for urban use. Decent battery life for commuting to (1 hour @ 1300lumen or 2 hours @ 755 lumen) https://www.exposurelights.com/products/sirius-11
Magicshine Hori 1300 has a dipped beam and main beam, and it's got a remote. Uses a garmin mount. Three dipped brightness, then press other remote to get the high beam. Also does two types of flash. Bright enough for unlit paths.
I'm a big fan of my ravemen pr2400
Road and MTB mode - in road mode the single led has a lens which very much aims the beam down, it's a really broad pool of illumination right in front of the bike with a definite cut off. Whilst it's 'only' 900 lumens in road mode that light is so well distributed it feels like a lot more.
Then you have the full 2400 lumens in MTB mode.
Wireless remote too, so if you need that bright light quick it's really easy to get it.
It's about 128 on Amazon at the moment or you can get it direct from ravemen on eBay every now and then for just over 100
I've been really impressed with my Magicshine Hori1300. It's a relatively recent purchase but has been good for my commutes into London, you can really see that cut off working and the high beam is great for when going down unlit paths. The remote is good for swapping between modes quickly and easily
The Busch & Muller Ixon lights are pretty good. They are the most pedestrian friendly lights I have tried.
The Busch & Muller Ixon lights are pretty good. They are the most pedestrian friendly lights I have tried.
agree with this, I have the Ixon Space and it’s fantastic. My commute is 50/50 town and unlit B road and even when the road is wet the beam lights up the area ahead very well with no dazzling oncoming traffic or pedestrians. This must be its 4th winter of use.
Exposure Strada is good, cut off beam works well though not quite as effective as my SON Edelux II dynamo light. I have an old 600 lumen Strada and it's fine for general road riding, only lacks a bit of distance illumination and width on fast and narrow road descents.
Or maybe something from Busch & Muller.
Being dazzled by overly bright or badly angled bike (and car) lights is a bugbear of mine so I try hard not to do the same to others when I'm riding. The best I've found is the rather nerdy looking https://hollandbikeshop.com/en-gb/bicycle-lights/busch-muller-bicycle-lights/busch-muller-headlight-battery/busch-muller-headlight-classic/busch-muller-led-headlight-iq-eyro-black-silver-battery /" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Busch & Muller Eyro IQ . It's got a very well defined cut-off pattern to the beam, plus it mounts low down on the fork crown which I think also helps.
Bargain basement noteworthy is the Lidl STVzo copy of Busch & Muller's Ixon , always available on ebay for about a tenner complete with highly visble not dazzling little rear light
Worth looking at the new Exposure Sirius, similar size to the Joystick but half the price and has a lens shroud so designed more for urban use.
I'm going purely off the picture posted - so correct me if I'm totally wrong...
the shroud seems to be on the top but not coming down in front. seems like they have made the extended lens so you are more visible from the side (good idea) and then the little top shroud just stops you being dazzled by your own light.
doesnt look like it acheives any amount of shielding/dipping of the beam for someone looking at you front on.
Older joystic - had a broader spread. But the Boost is very good. I use it on my Brompton and road bike. Then swap to joystick for a longer ride when it runs out.
It’s mounted under the Garmin, same diameter as the joystick. I have a mount on every bike. Now usb-c. Very pleased with mine and very fast to swap. For be see it does the daybright flash of the Sirius. Also use a Ravman 160 under the Garmin for daytime.
My Raveman CR1000 has just turned up and it blows my Joystick out of the water. Almost as wide and bright as my Diablo. Brilliant value for £57. Let's see how long the battery lasts.
I have a Raveman, and it's good, but it's really annoying to switch between modes. I don't know what it is but it's always in the wrong mode.
When you change mode it seems to take several seconds to actually tell you if it's done it, very odd.
I also had an older Ravemen which was a bit less confusing.
Maybe I'm just naturally stupid.
I have a B&M Ixon IQ Premium that is now surplus to requirements. On max it it 80 Lux of output and is extremely effective with a definite horizontal cut-off so dog-walkers don't get dazzled. I have used it on a commute which is mainly unlit surfaced multi-user path on an old railway. The illumination is good enough that I can see far enough ahead in all circumstances. The light throw is good with no weird aberrations.
This model mounts on the bars or fork crown (that's where I put it), and charges the 4xAA batteries via a dedicated mains charger. Mine is a euro 2-pin model plug, but it works no worries.
I replaced it with a dedicated ebike hard wired Leyzne light with more power, but it runs from the ebike battery.
Magicshine Hori 1300 user here.
For the price you really cant go wrong. The max setting on the dipped beam is 900 lumens which doesn't sound much but the fact its all focused into the shaped beam and not into the sky or trees means its plenty enough for dark roads. The high beam is also handy for any offroad forays you fancy doing as an extra on the way home.
Really small considering its brightness and run time, usb c aswell and mounts nicely under my out front computer with some modifications to the existing mount.
This is when the remote comes in handy as if you mount it below the bars it can be fiddly to reach the button. Phone app is the only downside, I cant seem to get it to do anything without a lot of guesswork and even then I cant seem to set more than 1 brightness level. No biggie though, the 3 pre set levels are fine
I ended up buying 2 and running them side by side with one pointing slightly more up (but not dazzling drivers height) to extend the beam distance. But that's just because the roads I cycle are pitch black country roads. Sadly, I hoped the 1 remote would be able to operate both lights together but that doesn't work (comfirmed by magicshine after an email) so I need both remotes on the bar. Again, positioned right next to the stem clamp, they are barely noticeable and don't get in the way. The remotes are also usb c rechargeable which is handy.
I have two Hori's as apparently my early release one had software issues that "could" drain the battery in standby. Magicshine contacted me, sent the serial back, they sent another FOC and no need to return the original. The original light is used daily, and had been no issue. Must be my favourite commuter light. I also have a spare now I use on the weekend bike on day flash.