Bang for Buck front light for the Silvio

[kling]

Hi all,
I felt a bright, relatively permanently mounted front light for my night rides was required. Then noticed that the fairing mount would be a good low mount point, to reduce glare for oncoming traffic. (the genius of Cruzbike Silvio design!).

From bicycles.net.au discussions I chose the Ultrafire Cree Q5 from Dealextreme. Cable ties and anti slip rubber used for secure mounting.

Total cost including charger is less than $40 US bang for buck!
- includes free shipping, even to Australia

more photos here http://picasaweb.google.com/kendrickling/SilvioFrontBikeLightProject#

regards
Kendrick



Parts list below

UltraFire C2 Cree Q5 LED 2-Mode Flashlight (2xCR123A)
Item Number 9631 $19.88 USD
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.9631

TrustFire Protected 16340 3.6V 880mAh Lithium Batteries (2-Pack Grey)
Item Number 19627 $4.49 USD
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.19627

UltraFire 3.6/3.7V Battery Charger PLOP
Item Number 1251 $12.30 USD
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1251
note this only recharges the batteries in the longer longitudinal position (not the obvious CR123 size slots which are transverse) when it comes standard, so one can either use a short metal bolt as a spacer or modify the circuitboard a bit (info on the dealextreme forum). Advantage of this charger is that it has 2 separate charging channels so can charge the two batteries independently.

 

[JonB]

kling wrote: Hi all,
I felt a bright, relatively permanently mounted front light for my night rides was required. Then noticed that the fairing mount would be a good low mount point, to reduce glare for oncoming traffic. (the genius of Cruzbike Silvio design!).

If the light is to light up the road so far ahead that you can actually manage to see what happens, then it will also be a glare nuisance for oncomming traffic.

 

[teacherbill]

JonB wrote:

kling wrote: Hi all,
I felt a bright, relatively permanently mounted front light for my night rides was required. Then noticed that the fairing mount would be a good low mount point, to reduce glare for oncoming traffic. (the genius of Cruzbike Silvio design!).

If the light is to light up the road so far ahead that you can actually manage to see what happens, then it will also be a glare nuisance for oncomming traffic.

Very true, but you will a least be able see them right before you get to scream.......

 

[JonB]

teacherbill wrote: Very true, but you will a least be able see them right before you get to scream.......

:lol: :mrgreen:

 

[buyagain]

I gotta hand it to you Kling , that is a big bang for the buck. I've been watching breaking technology on the LEDs and I doubt that most here realize how bright that CREE 5 light really is and with so little current consumption. Its really quite a breakthrough.
Back in April I picked up a single AAA size cree 5 for about $25 from an outfit called KAIDOMAIN.COM. I carry it on my key chain and it outshines anything I've seen. Because LEDs are so efficient that when all my remote controls need new batteries I pop the old one in to my keychain light so it will continue to run for some time yet. So I now have an endless supply of AAAs from my remote controls from around the house to use in my key-chain light.

There are two reasons to put a light on a bike. would you please give us a report on how successful your light is at spotting obstructions such as pot holes. The second reason is to be seen by other traffic and personlly the flash light sizes (though better than nothing) are just not what car drivers are conditioned to see and for that matter it makes you look farther away if the light is too small in diameter. So I would be satisfied with a much bigger diameter light with a fraction of the output. Hey what do I know?

 

[teacherbill]

buyagain wrote: So I would be satisfied with a much bigger diameter light with a fraction of the output. Hey what do I know?

I use two lights on the front of my cruzbike. One is the Task Force 60X model. The other is a 3-d celled maglight. The maglight has the ability to "widen" the usable "light" window for up close and maybe personal issues that may develop while on the bike path, while the TF's pencil beam lets those that see me coming down the path give me lots of room. They do not know what to expect .......

 

[kling]

Thanks buyagain,

So far the light has been excellent for riding even along pitch dark roads... emits a nice concentrated beam so can see what is in the centre clearly.
Brighter than my Niterider MiNewt (now helmet mounted for looking around out of the direction of travel).

In regards to your second question, maybe two lights separated by the width of the handlebars would give better 'depth' perception from oncoming traffic so they can judge speed of approach and size.

Being powered by CR123's means that it is small and not too hefty.

cheers
Kendrick

buyagain wrote: I gotta hand it to you Kling , that is a big bang for the buck. I've been watching breaking technology on the LEDs and I doubt that most here realize how bright that CREE 5 light really is and with so little current consumption. Its really quite a breakthrough.
Back in April I picked up a single AAA size cree 5 for about $25 from an outfit called KAIDOMAIN.COM. I carry it on my key chain and it outshines anything I've seen. Because LEDs are so efficient that when all my remote controls need new batteries I pop the old one in to my keychain light so it will continue to run for some time yet. So I now have an endless supply of AAAs from my remote controls from around the house to use in my key-chain light.

There are two reasons to put a light on a bike. would you please give us a report on how successful your light is at spotting obstructions such as pot holes. The second reason is to be seen by other traffic and personlly the flash light sizes (though better than nothing) are just not what car drivers are conditioned to see and for that matter it makes you look farther away if the light is too small in diameter. So I would be satisfied with a much bigger diameter light with a fraction of the output. Hey what do I know?

 

[Gromit]

kling wrote: Note this only recharges the batteries in the longer longitudinal position (not the obvious CR123 size slots which are transverse) when it comes standard, so one can either use a short metal bolt as a spacer or modify the circuitboard a bit (info on the dealextreme forum). Advantage of this charger is that it has 2 separate charging channels so can charge the two batteries independently.

Hi Kendrick
Would you please post a link to the particular thread on the dealextreme forum.

 

[kling]

Hi Gromit,
sorry, I should have included it in my original post

a photo someone posted
http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/4606/dsc00081pi1.jpg

what it is meant to look like.
http://www.dealextreme.com/feedbacks/browseCustomerPhotos.dx/sku.1251~id.1500

cheers
Kendrick

Gromit wrote:

kling wrote: Note this only recharges the batteries in the longer longitudinal position (not the obvious CR123 size slots which are transverse) when it comes standard, so one can either use a short metal bolt as a spacer or modify the circuitboard a bit (info on the dealextreme forum). Advantage of this charger is that it has 2 separate charging channels so can charge the two batteries independently.

Hi Kendrick
Would you please post a link to the particular thread on the dealextreme forum.