I have a Strada 12 (current RS 1450 lumen one, not the SB 1700) but it's just not bright enough (on high) at times when I'm road riding at night. I prefer quiet country lanes but they often have pot holes, cracks or debris and maybe I need to eat more carrots but I find I'm always pretty tense and having to really focus when going 20+mph. I could go slower but I'm riding for fitness not commuting so it would be a bit pointless making the effort to go out then just pottering about (I get bored easily indoor training before it's suggested!)
The Maxx-D's beam looks the best of the off-road lights (for road use) as it's ovalised but wondering how well it works in reality and if I'll struggle to find a setting between "no better than the Strada" and "so bright the road detail is washed out".
The Toro is a fair bit cheaper and lighter but has a round beam which isn't ideal. Weight is fairly important as I would run it underneath an out-front mount garmin mount that's hinged using small screws so don't want too much weight on it otherwise it slips and angles down at which point I can't read the garmin screen...)
Or maybe I just change to the Strada SB but that's only 250 lumens more so not sure if enough of a difference. I'd also possibly use the new light for gravel and MTB night rides so an off-road light that works on-road might be better
I don't have enough bar space to run the Strada and another light. I could try a Joystick on my head I guess but worried I'd accidentally keep looking at the odd oncoming car and blinding drivers (I toggle beams with the Strada remote for oncoming cars but can't do that for a head mount light). It's already a tight squeeze past oncoming cars on some lanes so if they don't move over enough (as they can't see) I'm screwed
I find a Diablo is plenty bright enough for road, about four years old, but I do find myself holding back a little on the downhills for the reasons you describe. I have gravel tyres though so can get away with more stuff than I would on a proper road bike.
My Six Pack, similar age so quite current, is way better, can ride flat out with it, but you do have to turn it down when a car comes the other way, much nicer than the Diablo.
I have one that's a couple of years old and although bright enough in even the lower settings, it doesn't through the light very far. It's great off road but I'm not sure it's ideal for penetrating enough into the distance at road speeds. My Axis is half as powerful but far further reaching, albeit at the expense of a narrower beam.
I've got a nearly current toro - on sale last winter so im probably one behind
on the mtb doing woodland singletrack, its perfect (combined with joystick on the head)
on the gravel bike (just the bar mounted toro), I kind of get the not throwing the beam far enough ahead, was doing a reasonable speed (probably 20mph?) on a fireroad and there was a fallen branch ahead - did not see it in time to stop (based on braking from the hoods, seat up, 40mm tyres on dirt), had to sort of half bunny hop it. If it was something bigger, would have had me off.
While I probably could have seen it earlier from the ambient light and extra spill from the bar light, I think the natural tendancy is to focus on the brighted bit which is the middle of the beam, maybe up to 10 metres in front of me.
If my primary goal was road riding I'd get a road focused beam pattern.
I have a 2024 Toro which I mainly use off-road, with some road riding between trails. If you position the beam so it falls far enough away to ride at speed, you dazzle car drivers. So I end up using it at low power (few hundred lumens) if there are cars around. So although I rate it highly off-road, it’s not a good road light.
I really like a spot helmet light on the road - I use an Exposure Link+ when commuting, which also includes a rear light. This gives 400 lumens in a spot that throws a good way down the road, wherever you need it. In your case, I’d be tempted by a Joystick for more power, although run times aren’t long at high brightness.
I find a spot light very controllable to avoid dazzling car drivers, I move my head pretty automatically. I do like the ability to direct the light towards a driver e.g. if I think a car might pull out of a side road into my path. This makes me feel much safer.
Weight is fairly important as I would run it underneath an out-front mount garmin mount that's hinged using small screws so don't want too much weight on it otherwise it slips and angles down at which point I can't read the garmin screen...)
Maybe you should factor in a better Garmin mount so you don't compromise your lights so much..
Maxx-D is WAY too much of a flood beam for road riding...
Toro is pretty useful as a combined MTB/road light and is the one I'd go for for multi-tasking. Not the best off road (not enough flood for super fast DH night riding), not the best on road (a bit more floody and less focussed than the Strada lights), but a very good compromise if you can only have one.
But it will still dazzle the odd car driver positioned for best visibility at speed...
I have a Strada 12 (current RS 1450 lumen one, not the SB 1700) but it's just not bright enough (on high) at times when I'm road riding at night.
1450 lumens of light shaped for road use (remember this is lumens, not lux - its a measurement of total light output in every direction, not the brightness at a single point) and it's not bright enough? I remember when 400 lumen was considered beyond mega on or off road.
This will sound factitious, but have you considered if you might have an issue with your eyes? It should be plenty. Or is it a fine tune of the angle you've got it mounted at.
Remember - this is lumens, not lux - a mountain bike light with a wider pattern at 3000+ lumens might not actually be brighter or punch further than one rated only 1450 but shaped narrower for road.
But it will still dazzle the odd car driver positioned for best visibility at speed...
And this. Very much this. MTB light really have no place on the road- very unsociable. Even at lower settings their wider flood pattern will dazzle. I'm not keen on dazzling people in charge of 2 tonnes of metal coming towards me.
I find a spot light very controllable to avoid dazzling car drivers, I move my head pretty automatically. I do like the ability to direct the light towards a driver e.g. if I think a car might pull out of a side road into my path. This makes me feel much safer.
Good point, I do like that about using the Diablo. Can also shine it at and then away from a driver and then at again if necessary if they've not dipped their beam, usually gets them to do so
I have the new Toro. The light pattern is not ideal for the road and I think it annoys drivers and pedestrians.
if you compare it to a proper road light like a B&M or other German style lights, it is obvious why it’s so dazzley. Round beam, no cut off, etc.
if I ride on the road with it I put it on lower power and point it downwards. To be honest I think all MTB lights have the same problem to some extent.
Yip, also use my 2024 Toro on my gravel bike. Run it on low power and pointed down. Would like to try a road specific light.
Even my early gen Maxx-D (960 lumens, I think) was kinda ridiculous on road. Ran it on low most of the time. That said, with the ridiculous car headlights now, it does feel like a bit of an arms race.
Sounds like the off-road lights idea is a no go. It's even worse to, I checked and actually already have the Strada SB version so 1700 lumen. For now I'm going to try shifting my Garmin to a stem mount position and use the Strada on top of the out front mount and a Twowild 1700 below it (cheap Chinese light but has a sharp cut off for road use an a boost mode that might come in handy, I only bought it as a spare originally).
Also have a rigid out front stem bolt mount on order that should take the load a bit better (I haven't found a stem bolt version that can take a Garmin 1050 and isn't hinged but moving the Garmin to the stem should solve this anyway). Will try the Link+ next ride to and if I can get used to not staring at drivers might try my Joystick (if I still need more light).
Failing that I guess I just accept I have to drive to FoD and do night gravel rides instead...
Failing that I guess I just accept I have to drive to FoD and do night gravel rides instead...
I'm just not understanding this....
1700 lumen and a nice dark road and you can't ride at a pace that's makes it worth your while as a training exercise? I'm a bit of a lump now but in a past life I lived in the south down (ups and downs aplenty) and was a 2nd cat roadie and a sub 50min 25mile time trailer and I was able to train perfectly effectively with a fraction of the light you have at your disposal.
My perception is that bizarrely you need more light when there are more light sources about - when you are riding as a group and the person behind's light is casting your shadow you are riding into unless you have a bright light. Or in and out of suburban areas where your eyes need to constantly adjust. Middle of nowhere is where I find I need comparatively less light to see well.
Yeah when it's properly dark and I'm on the flat it's generally OK but if there's low ambient light around or a fast section of road I'm either slowing down a lot or not really enjoying the game of "how fast can I react before a pothole gets me" with my eyes on stalks. I probably should try prescription riding glasses to as am a bit short-sighted (not to a level it's an issue in day light but maybe the extra split second to determine between a road blemish I can ride over vs debris/obstacle I need to avoid adds to the perception of not seeing far enough ahead of me.
is it possible to effectively put a bit of black paper to cut the top of the beam pattern and make it better for road riding
is it possible to effectively put a bit of black paper to cut the top of the beam pattern and make it better for road riding
I messed around ages ago trying to mod a simple flood-beam home-brew LED so it had a better cut off, my conclusion was that it just doesn't work. I've used a German spec StVZO light as a 'low beam' with a high power mountain bike light as high beam and that works pretty well, ideally you want a remote for the mtb light so you can simply switch it off quickly and easily when there's oncoming traffic
Another option.
Bigger tyres may help confidence with unseen hazards.
And slow winter bombproof tyres create a bit more resistance as well to help the training benefit but a touch slower.
Yeah that was my thinking to, I was originally planning to use my gravel bike for winter road riding with fat slicks on it but as I also want to use it for winter gravel rides it was just too much faff taking on and off the full length mud guards (they're quite close fitting on 45mm gravel tyres so wouldn't want to ride through mud/debris with them on). So I switched back to the road bike for winter but am using 35mm GP5000's @ 50psi so it's fairly forgiving when hitting potholes but still not ideal!
I've just ordered some SKS Speedrocker XLs so going to fit those to the gravel bike and try them off-road, assuming they're OK it also means I can do solo (wet) night road rides on the gravel bike with 45mm tyres on which would help to.
Still waiting for various mounts to arrive to try lights and Garmin in different positions. I've also only just noticed Exposure do a fork mount but alas my forks don't have a bolt hole at the front that it needs, that would have been ideal to move the light away from my bars (and bar bag).