Which dynamo front light?

Bikeworkhorse wrote:

Thanks. That's just the information I wanted. It's so much better to hear from people who have used the product in real life than a review.

The Busch & Muller Cyo IQ Premium T Senso Plus Headlight sounds like a good option at that price.

Just give thought to whether you need the daylight running lights and light sensor. There's only about £20 difference between the two versions of the light, but that would buy you a rear light. On pitch black lanes you'll need to put it on The rather than Senso to switch off the DRLs and put full power to the main beam. I do use mine on the morning commute in Senso mode but to be honest you could just run the full lamp output instead.
When you buy the light it comes with everything you need to connect it to the hub and a rear light except the plug (which should come with the hub). No soldering or patching required, all you need is an Allen key to remove your brake caliper

Bikeworkhorse wrote:

kil0ran wrote:

Bikeworkhorse wrote:

Thanks. That's just the information I wanted. It's so much better to hear from people who have used the product in real life than a review.

The Busch & Muller Cyo IQ Premium T Senso Plus Headlight sounds like a good option at that price.

Just give thought to whether you need the daylight running lights and light sensor. There's only about £20 difference between the two versions of the light, but that would buy you a rear light. On pitch black lanes you'll need to put it on The rather than Senso to switch off the DRLs and put full power to the main beam. I do use mine on the morning commute in Senso mode but to be honest you could just run the full lamp output instead. When you buy the light it comes with everything you need to connect it to the hub and a rear light except the plug (which should come with the hub). No soldering or patching required, all you need is an Allen key to remove your brake caliper

I like the idea of the daylight running lights...maybe a bit less drag from the hub. Found the prices from Germany are much less than here:

https://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=8;product=67804;menu=1400,1410,1411...

Thanks again...and it's good to know there are others out there battling with the cold, rain, wind, ice and mud every morning.

Definitely buy from Germany - I got mine from Rose. They've usually got awesome deals on dyno wheelsets too, or take a look at Taylor wheels on eBay. Usually built with Shimano dynohubs rather than SP though. You can't ride a bike after dark without dyno lights in Germany so market volumes are much higher and therefore prices much more competitive.

daccordimark wrote:

I've got the snappily named "Lumotec IQ2 Luxos U senso plus front" light from B&M and I have to say I'm slightly disappointed with the light output. The beam is broken up with shadows rather than being an even spread which is nothing like what you see on Peter White's site linked above. Also, I find that even using the 90 lux flood mode it isn't bright enough on unlit country lanes above 25mph to highlight the potholes and surface changes soon enough especially when it's wet. I supplement it with a 600 lumen Lezyne for the unlit bits of my commute.

Having said that I do appreciate the wide flat-topped beam and for general riding it's much better than the more concentrated beam of the Lezyne.

Mark.

 

I was put off the U range for just this reason, the beam shape is better on the Cyos, despite those lights having lower output. Similar ergonomic issues with the IQ-X - I guess the market demands extra features but the product designers at B+M have lost their way a little.

I guess I'm more risk-averse than you, I wouldn't ride at 25mph+ on unlit country lanes round here, too much capacity for critters to appear out of nowhere. In daylight I've had near misses with pheasants, squirrels, and rabbits recently so perhaps I'm being conditioned into being over-cautious.

kil0ran wrote:

daccordimark wrote:

I've got the snappily named "Lumotec IQ2 Luxos U senso plus front" light from B&M and I have to say I'm slightly disappointed with the light output. The beam is broken up with shadows rather than being an even spread which is nothing like what you see on Peter White's site linked above. Also, I find that even using the 90 lux flood mode it isn't bright enough on unlit country lanes above 25mph to highlight the potholes and surface changes soon enough especially when it's wet. I supplement it with a 600 lumen Lezyne for the unlit bits of my commute.

Having said that I do appreciate the wide flat-topped beam and for general riding it's much better than the more concentrated beam of the Lezyne.

Mark.

 

I was put off the U range for just this reason, the beam shape is better on the Cyos, despite those lights having lower output. Similar ergonomic issues with the IQ-X - I guess the market demands extra features but the product designers at B+M have lost their way a little.

I guess I'm more risk-averse than you, I wouldn't ride at 25mph+ on unlit country lanes round here, too much capacity for critters to appear out of nowhere. In daylight I've had near misses with pheasants, squirrels, and rabbits recently so perhaps I'm being conditioned into being over-cautious.

Shame I didn't pick up on that difference between the U and non-U lights when I did my research  but I do like the neat all-in-one charging setup of mine. I know what you mean about the speed on unlit roads and to be honest I only have two short sections of downhill where I'm going that fast on my commute.

I run a B+M rack mounted rear dynamo light as well which might reduce the output a bit I guess. That's another slight disappointment because I bought the one with the built-in brake light function but it doesn't seem to work. That might be because it is wired to the tags on the front light rather than direct to the dynamo but I haven't experimented with splicing the dynamo output yet.

Despite my moaning I'm glad I switched to a dynamo system - it's always available, provides plenty of good quality light in most conditions and in my case means I can charge my mobile phone when I'm "off-grid" touring.

Mark.

daccordimark wrote:

kil0ran wrote:

daccordimark wrote:

I've got the snappily named "Lumotec IQ2 Luxos U senso plus front" light from B&M and I have to say I'm slightly disappointed with the light output. The beam is broken up with shadows rather than being an even spread which is nothing like what you see on Peter White's site linked above. Also, I find that even using the 90 lux flood mode it isn't bright enough on unlit country lanes above 25mph to highlight the potholes and surface changes soon enough especially when it's wet. I supplement it with a 600 lumen Lezyne for the unlit bits of my commute.

Having said that I do appreciate the wide flat-topped beam and for general riding it's much better than the more concentrated beam of the Lezyne.

Mark.

 

I was put off the U range for just this reason, the beam shape is better on the Cyos, despite those lights having lower output. Similar ergonomic issues with the IQ-X - I guess the market demands extra features but the product designers at B+M have lost their way a little.

I guess I'm more risk-averse than you, I wouldn't ride at 25mph+ on unlit country lanes round here, too much capacity for critters to appear out of nowhere. In daylight I've had near misses with pheasants, squirrels, and rabbits recently so perhaps I'm being conditioned into being over-cautious.

Shame I didn't pick up on that difference between the U and non-U lights when I did my research  but I do like the neat all-in-one charging setup of mine. I know what you mean about the speed on unlit roads and to be honest I only have two short sections of downhill where I'm going that fast on my commute.

I run a B+M rack mounted rear dynamo light as well which might reduce the output a bit I guess. That's another slight disappointment because I bought the one with the built-in brake light function but it doesn't seem to work. That might be because it is wired to the tags on the front light rather than direct to the dynamo but I haven't experimented with splicing the dynamo output yet.

Despite my moaning I'm glad I switched to a dynamo system - it's always available, provides plenty of good quality light in most conditions and in my case means I can charge my mobile phone when I'm "off-grid" touring.

Mark.

I thought I read somewhere that the U isn't compatible with the brake light function on the rear but I might be wrong. I think its because the light is actually powered from a cache battery rather than direct so the rear light won't be able to detect the voltage drop as your hub speed drops. The U needs the cache battery so it can provide a reliable supply to any accessories you're running from the charging port.

You've definitely got it cabled up right - my rear light is done the same way using the tabs on the Cyo and it definitely works OK.

Running a rear definitely reduces front light output on my Cyo - I notice it particularly as I do the same route on both bikes with the same model light but only one has a dynamo rear.

OP - all the above probably sounds horrendously complex but modern dynamo lights really aren't compared to the older style ones which earthed via the frame. The B+M really is plug and play, admittedly with tiny connectors that you need to be careful with. Just make sure you tape the connectors for the rear light if you're not using one.