# Bike light beam pattern photos



## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

I've been MIA since the epic dirt trails called my name. The rain/mud may be finally coming though. Even though I don't night ride, I took pictures of some lights.

http://picasaweb.google.com/fcebedo/20101114Lights02#

http://picasaweb.google.com/fcebedo/20101117LongRangeLightBeamPattern?authkey=Gv1sRgCK7m1oajl9ywowE#

Check it and be careful of the exploding magicshine! For comparison, it's about the same as the Lupine Tesla in the photos.

fc


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## robwh9 (Sep 2, 2004)

Ha! Not only do I still use my Magicshine light, but I also ride Niles Canyon sometimes! 

I'm Xtreme!


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## dwgranda (Sep 8, 2009)

Wow, the betty is really bright. It was just too much money for me when I got my dinotte 1200l+. The minewt is a light one's likely to find in an LBS and it's a joke compared with the other lights you have there.

I took my dinotte down old sc hwy to los gatos last week around 8pm. Still felt like I could use more light on a descent that fast. It was snowing(lightly)! and there were a lot leaves. I've got another 1800 lumen light on order so we'll see what laying down 3000 lumens looks like.


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

robwh9 said:


> Ha! Not only do I still use my Magicshine light, but I also ride Niles Canyon sometimes!
> 
> I'm Xtreme!


Yeah, but can you ride Niles at night with the Magicshine??

fc


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

dwgranda said:


> Wow, the betty is really bright. It was just too much money for me when I got my dinotte 1200l+. The minewt is a light one's likely to find in an LBS and it's a joke compared with the other lights you have there.
> 
> I took my dinotte down old sc hwy to los gatos last week around 8pm. Still felt like I could use more light on a descent that fast. It was snowing(lightly)! and there were a lot leaves. I've got another 1800 lumen light on order so we'll see what laying down 3000 lumens looks like.



Niice! The Dinotte is a nice light. I guess road descending is where you really test the throw of these lights.

The Light and Motion Seca 1400 is an awesome light. I will light up the whole periphery and has a nice long throw. Then it chops the top off the beam pattern since it is generally wasted anyway. And thus there's less light shining into drivers' eyes.

fc


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## dwgranda (Sep 8, 2009)

Yup, I tried to descend sierra with just a magic shine and literally feared I would never get down it (the three punctures didn't help). Maybe I'll try it again when I have these new lights and get over the trauma of last time. Of course with all the gear I have now I might not be able to get up it.



francois said:


> Niice! The Dinotte is a nice light. I guess road descending is where you really test the throw of these lights.
> 
> The Light and Motion Seca 1400 is an awesome light. I will light up the whole periphery and has a nice long throw. Then it chops the top off the beam pattern since it is generally wasted anyway. And thus there's less light shining into drivers' eyes.
> 
> fc


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## Ventruck (Mar 9, 2009)

Great. My purchase for a light is still lingering amongst other things. This thread is pretty helpful. Thanks.


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## Tort (Nov 4, 2008)

Those pictures tell a lot about the different light intensity and beam patterns. I have the Light and Motion Seca 700 and like the brightness and the pattern it throws. I would love to have a 1400, but dang they aren't inexpensive are they. But what price should I put on my safety right?


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

Tort said:


> Those pictures tell a lot about the different light intensity and beam patterns. I have the Light and Motion Seca 700 and like the brightness and the pattern it throws. I would love to have a 1400, but dang they aren't inexpensive are they. But what price should I put on my safety right?


That's what I tell my wife. Safety first.

It's called the 'safety angle' for getting the purchase order approved.

fc


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## dwgranda (Sep 8, 2009)

If you're anything like me, you will ride more at night with some good lights. Having backup lights, helmet/bar lights adds confidence and cost. I've been on vacation the past two weeks and have had several rides of ~5hrs in the dark. I don't wait for the sun to come up and I don't worry about racing the sun to get home. I know some are going to disagree, but I think it's hard to overkill on these things (of course I'm 1K deep so I almost have to believe that


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

dwgranda said:


> If you're anything like me, you will ride more at night with some good lights. Having backup lights, helmet/bar lights adds confidence and cost. I've been on vacation the past two weeks and have had several rides of ~5hrs in the dark. I don't wait for the sun to come up and I don't worry about racing the sun to get home. I know some are going to disagree, but I think it's hard to overkill on these things (of course I'm 1K deep so I almost have to believe that



Road riding at night. I should try that. I got some cool tail lamps too.

fc


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## dwgranda (Sep 8, 2009)

Wow! Do they let you get on a plane with that much weaponry? Do you have to return the lights the mfg's send you? Otherwise you could put on quite a show on the road.


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## robwh9 (Sep 2, 2004)

*I have two Magicshine batteries...*



francois said:


> Yeah, but can you ride Niles at night with the Magicshine??
> 
> fc


I'll explode the old one at the entrance of the canyon to stop trafic... then ride like crazy.


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## Tort (Nov 4, 2008)

Road riding at night can be eerily peaceful. About the time the commuters have made it home a certain calmness appears as your surroundings become lost in the shadows and you fix your stare at the beam in front of you. But don't get lost in your thoughts and stop looking for that awful obstacle or hole that you know is lurking for the inattentive riders. Fixing flats in the dark can really suck.


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## Dr_John (Oct 11, 2005)

The Lupine Piko better be nice. I just bought it based on your review on MTBR.  

So the lighting on my BMC commuter is now: 

Front: a Cygolite TridenX (600 lumens) on the bar which I bought a few years ago and is still working great; the Piko will replace my Niterider MiNewt on my helmet. Nothing wrong with it, just looking for something a bit lighter on the helmet and brighter. I ride a few miles on unlit portions of the Bay Trail, and I've almost hit raccoons/opossums more than once. I have a cheap white blinky on the head tube.

Rear: Remains a Dinotte 140 AA near the seatpost and a Planet Bike Superflash blinkey on the non-drive-side seat-stay. The Dinotte light is outstanding, but it's also the flakiest of all my lighting. I have a cheap red Cat-eye blinky on the rear of my helmet, which also helps hold the cable running from my helmet light to the battery in my jersey pocket.



> Road riding at night can be eerily peaceful.


Yep. I really enjoy it, especially after a lousy day at work.


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## dwgranda (Sep 8, 2009)

francois said:


> Road riding at night. I should try that. I got some cool tail lamps too.
> 
> fc



What are some cool tail lights. I'm not in the market as I just got mine from a DIY on mtbr but I'd be interested to compare. I have a planet bike and magic shine tailight and the one I got now is crazy brighter than those. He claims it's 400 lumens and I guess it's comparable to my dinotte 400L headlight. Look at this when it turns on and you'll be seeing artifacts of the LEDs for 30 seconds afterwards.


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## PaleAleYum (Jan 12, 2006)

dwgranda said:


> What are some cool tail lights. I'm not in the market as I just got mine from a DIY on mtbr but I'd be interested to compare. I have a planet bike and magic shine tailight and the one I got now is crazy brighter than those. He claims it's 400 lumens and I guess it's comparable to my dinotte 400L headlight. Look at this when it turns on and you'll be seeing artifacts of the LEDs for 30 seconds afterwards.


I picked up the dinotte 400L tailight. Its not cheap, but I guarantee cars will see you - even in the daylight. I've had more than one car roll down the window at a stop light and tell me that they could see my blinking light a half mile away.

I've had less success with their headlights, but the 400L is a winner in my book.


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## dwgranda (Sep 8, 2009)

Well, I took out my tail light last night for the first time. Just sitting in a room it's bright but in darkness and on beacon mode it's insanely bright and distracting. I set it up near a tree and walked about a 1/2 block away and it still hurt my eyes to look directly at it. I was under the impression that brighter is better but now I'm reconsidering; there might be such a thing as too bright, at least for the night rides. Your thoughts with the dinotte?


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## Dr_John (Oct 11, 2005)

*Lupine Piko*

$300+, and mine's unusable in only 3 months. Best I can tell, it's the cord connector from the head unit. Regardless, for this chunk of change I expected something a little better made. I can't use a light for my commute that I can't rely on. We'll see how the warranty replacement goes.


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## dwgranda (Sep 8, 2009)

The thought of my front light dying mid ride is frightening so I ride with a backup. Sometimes 2 depending on how dorky I feel like looking that day (helmet light).

I have a dinotte 400L with helmet mount that I need to get rid of now that I have the diablo. Look like it's similar in spec to the Piko. If you can't get the Piko situation resolved soon you're welcome to try it out if only for eval purposes - I want to keep the battery, so unless you have other dinotte stuff it might not make financial sense.


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## Dr_John (Oct 11, 2005)

> The thought of my front light dying mid ride is frightening so I ride with a backup. Sometimes 2 depending on how dorky I feel like looking that day (helmet light).


Me too. I have a bar light (a Cygolite TridenX) too, but parts of my commute (through Coyote Point, down Gerry Mon bike trail) are completely unlit. Plus, I'm getting old and my night vision has never been very good.

Thanks for the offer. I have a Dinotte rear light. Great light, and I've been using it a few years, but I've never liked the battery/mounting set up. What really attracted me to the Piko was the incredible weight - the unit is something like 60 g. Not a weight-weenie concern on my part. I just hate the feeling of weight on my helmet.


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## dwgranda (Sep 8, 2009)

Dr_John said:


> Not a weight-weenie concern on my part. I just hate the feeling of weight on my helmet.


Where do you carry the battery? I couldn't figure it out for my liking with the dinotte, that's why I went with the diablo. It's 120g self contained. Very tight beam pattern though, but it's nice as a helmet light. It's also bright as hell and my co-worker is thinking about getting it for self defense while walking around Oakland at night.


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