Re: BUSCH & MULLER CYO R -- the perfect bicycle light? a riding report by Andre Jute

"Andre Jute" <fiultra1@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:b90dca55-a1b2-44a6-9e0c-d37d514828e7@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There are two Busch & Muller headlights sharing the name Cyo.

One is a longthrow model for macho cyclists who claim they ride so
fast all the time that they have no interest in the road surface
closer to the bike because -- see? -- they ride too fast to take
evasive action -- see? Perhaps on German B-roads this would be a
desirable light, but on my lanes it is perfectly useless as the road
in front of the bike is too dark at any speed to see the pothole. Even
on a favourite fast downhill, with sharpish turns following one
another shortly at around 50kph, I prefer the other Cyo.

You've never tried it. The pothole appears in the light ahead of the bike in
time for you to see it, which is how it's supposed to work. Having it appear
near to you is pointless.

I don't believe you've tried both models. You write as if you have, which is
dishonest of you.

There is enough upward and sideways throw so that you can appreciate
how close the hedge is, but overhead trees are not lit as they are
with circular reflectors. A low-flying branch could jump out of the
darkness above the Cyo's horizon and hit you in the face. The Cyo is
so intent on being legal -- by German standards -- and not irritating
drivers with its substantial amounts of light, it has sacrificed the
overhead view altogether. Whether you consider that a good thing, in
that it concentrates the light on the road, or an acceptable risk, or
an unacceptable risk, depends on where you ride.

Interestingly I found the opposite - my IQ lights will show those branches.

Because of the Cyo's sharp cutoff on a very low horizon, the pickup of
warning signs is totally inadequate. Even looking for signs on
familiar roads that I can place by memory, I failed to spot several
warning signs, including give-way and stop signs, which a rider less
familar with the road would be keen to see before he shoots across a
blind intersection.

I wonder if you've simply got yours aimed too low. For me, the warning signs
are really very obvious. Or maybe the non-compromised version of the lens is
in fact better.

RAMPING HER UP
The ramp to throwing useful light is short and steep: the bike sets
off (on level ground) and almost immediately there is usable light
from the Cyo. Setting off uphill also generates light, but it flickers
unsteadily; I don't mind that as I think it attracts more attention
than an equivalently dim but steady light. I would say that 5 or 6kph
is the changeover point to an acceptable steady light, which is a lot
better than lights, even BUMM lights, of only a couple of years ago.

Glad to see you've noticed this. I did say it would do similar some time
ago, but you pretended to ignore me.

Because the hill is so steep, I ride very slowly. Because I ride so
slowly for so long, the dynamo light doesn't shine and the boost from
the capacitor wears off to where there is just a glimmer of light.

Well, you said 5 or 6 kph was the cutover to an acceptable steady light. It
flickers below that before it dies as you describe - so how fast are you
going? I've just tested my Cyo - at 3kph it's producing a decent flickering
light.

I'm sure I'm not the only BUMM customer to live up a steep, slow hill
with dangerous traffic. I shudder when I think fo where I lived in San
Francisco many years ago...

< 3 kph really is very slow indeed. Not many people can ride below that
speed.

A fix has in fact been on the market for years in the upmarket
Solidlights. These have software which flash the lamp until enough
current arrives from the dynamo to light it up solidly, and again when
the bike stops, rather than let the light fade away to nothing but a
useless token, when the charge in the capacitor falls below a certain
high point, the light flashes, so preserving it as a warning for a
very much longer time.

The Cyo in conjunction with a SON does a good approximation to that.



.

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