Re: Good cheap front cycling lamp used with bar bag. Proteam 24 LED

On 13 Oct, 16:58, Borrall Wonnell <dbonn...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Oct 12, 6:23 pm, thirty-six <thirty-...@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

No idea how long the batteries last, hence I went for a second one
when I discovered the beam pattern of this torch to be good for road
cycling.

Depends on your definition of road cycling, but I'll reserve judgement
until I see some beam shots.  Care to 'enlighten' us?  I'd also like
to see close-ups of the unit itself (mounting mechanism, battery
compartment, reflector, etc.).  The fact that it is badged as a
'hanging' light doesn't inspire me with confidence.

I had already used an inspection lamp for a bicycle headlight and when
I saw this smaller unit I thought it ideal as a get me home light for
when the sun went to bed a little early. I checked the beam pattern
and brightness in the well lit shop and it appeared suitable, better
than my LED stick inspection lamp. In any case, the price was good
enough as an emergency pocket torch never mind emergency bicycle
headlight. The cheapest Knogs at three times the price. In the end I
decided the best position for the lamp was in front of the bar bag. I
got to work on the bag and started to poke a hole through. Going from
side to side I discovered that the front hinge of the bags lid was
attached in three positions and not continuously, this permitted the
hook to simply loop over the front edge of the bag, between it and the
hinge. I was not considering this a long term solution without
further support (it was intended as an emergency light) and may apply
some velcro or screws from inside the bag with a plate to stiffen up
the mounting. I need to find out the battery life before deciding on
mounting, but this was supposed to be a backup light only. The
battery compartment is accessed by two screws securing the rear face
of the lamp. Nothing can fall apart and I hope this would indicate a
long battery life. It uses three AAA batteries and although I'd
prefer AA type, I can always use a 6V lantern battery from inside the
bar bag, this would likely last a thousand hours (guessing) and
produce an extra bright beam. There is a flat silver disc through
which the LED's poke through which is the 'reflector' although whether
it performs any useful function is open to question seen as the light
source is 24 narrow beam LED's. The marketing company call them
tritronic LEDs. I don't know what this is supposed to mean.

Using a second torch on the other side of the bag widens and lengthens the beam
although I doubt I'll need it.

That's not usually how lights work...

The beam length is set by the angle to the road. Using two lamps, the
beam length can be usefully extended (by lifting the bag support)
because two lights are brighter. I only got the second because I CBA
making a proper mount for it just yet and I would expect that when the
lamp bounced off (it actually can't, I've shoved it all over the show
to check since) and smashed on the road, it may not still be in a
functional mode. I also think that using it as a main light and using
the same as a backup (reserved inside the bag) is a pretty neat
trick. The plastic loop hanger is not inspiring but then again it is
bouncing on the forgiving edge of the bar bag and so its weedy looking
nature may be irelevant. I'm going to contnue to use it as is for the
time being, only putting it in place when actually needed. I tend to
prefer daylight riding and so my use of lights will probably be quite
minimal this winter.


The beam has soft edges and the colour is a little glaring so a check
to make sure there is not too great an amount of glare at the horizon
is important.  

You mean for oncoming traffic?  What do you mean by 'glaring colour'?

Oncoming road users. It's a blueish tint, at least in comparison to
normal incandecent halogen lamps. It is not an excessive amount of
blue and may just be daylight colour, I'll give it a check when the
sun gets out of bed, should it show its face tomorrow. It seems
rather shy, and only comes out to play one day at a time recently.
This lamp with the blueish tinge shows up the road surface undulations
better than a regular halogen. With the lamp optimally aimed for the
road surface there is no risk of glare for oncoming road users. It's
just that with street lights it's hard to tell without making a
positive check and this lamp is not intended for use on the highway.
Technically it's legal on a bicycle which was constructed before
Febuary 1989, in the UK, if memory serves me right. The only
requirement is that a white light shows to the front. Modern lighting
regulations permit a flashing white light to the front. Eek. This
is no good to the rider when a pothole is in his path and he blinks at
the wrong time. It is also distracting to other road users and could
lead to a collision because the eyes are drawn to a flashing white
light and where the eyes go, the vehicle follows in all but the most
dedicated drivers.

.

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