Suitable for double duty as an off-road and road light? Or too powerful/blinding/scary for oncoming drivers on road?
brill!
Angle it down a little if you must.
lights that are good to see by are both too bright and too narrow a beam to be good to be seen by - for max visibility to others you need a large lens area with a wide diffuse beam.
TJ the LL has a wide spread, there is no way you will not be visible using that light.
FWIW I use mine on my road bike in the winter months. Great on wet nights when the roads seem to soak up all your light.
Not wanting to cause anyone to reach for the ignitor switch on their flame thrower.
Lights like the Lumen Liberator and the Model 601 are fine for the road.
You just angle them downwards a bit and/or switch them to a lower level.
TJ. Unless you've actually ridden with/used either of the above lights, on the road, perhaps you should explain that your remarks are conjecture.
😉
I've done loads of test miles at night with 601s and 701s, in urban riding conditions and believe me, my light, not only does it get noticed.
IT STOPS THE TRAFFIC.
If I want it to...
Seeing as the Lumen Liberator is of a similar output, I can reasonably assume that light would have a similar effect as a 601.
So, use a 601 or a Lumen Liberator on the road, [b]responsibly[/b], and you'll be fine.
🙂
Thanks chaps - Luminous lights on the list as well!
Atmoizer.
Lumen liberator or Model 601, you'll be fine, as others on here can tell you.
😉
Yes my remarks are general not from experience with these specific lights but I have used lights with the same LEDs and lenses as these lights
I understand that they have spill to the sides - however a light with a bigger lens area will be seen more easily and will be easier for a car driver to estimate your distance than a light with a small lens area which appears as a point cource from any distance
A wider diffuse beam gives more visibility from the sides.
Of course a light like this will do for road use but a light designed to be seen by rather than one designed to see by would be better.
I think that you couldn't be too surprised should you get stopped by the rozzers with those lights though. I doubt they would be too happy at that level of brightness on the road, they have to be brighter than car headlights on full beam
they have to be brighter than car headlights on full beam
I doubt it and they are switchable you know.
TJ.
If you're refering to a light that has a 180 degree lens, in the horizontal plane, then I've yet to see that light.
Fact is, car drivers viewing cyclists from the side, may not see the ful power of a light facing forward, but ever has it been thus, by the very nature of [i]the bike light[/i]
Of course, I'm not going to argue with anyone who wants to buy three 601s, mount one facing forwards, and one either side.
However, that may be considered OTT.
I maintain, a 601 or Lumen Liberator on the front, with a couple of those Smart Lunar 1/2 watt or even better, those Smart 1Watt rear lights.
And the car drivers have no excuse.
And, lets not forget, the LL and 601 are mighty off road lights too.
8)
Cheers.
[i]they are switchable you know[/i]
Exactly !
🙂
They are brighter than car headlights.
They have excellent visbility from anything except 90 degrees.
I use mine on full power, flashing but angled down 10 degrees.
lights up the road and gets me noticed.
Luminous - the BS standard has guidance on side visibility - its not just the beam but the area of the light emitting bit that can be seen. Look at legal lights and you will see that actually they have a part of the lens that lights up at the sides!
I have been investigatingand experimenting with a clip on diffuser to use with my lights simply to improve the angle they can be seen from for road use. Some of the commercial MTB lights have these already
Of course they are not legal either but it would take a very miserable copper or you would have to fail the attitude test for anything to be done.