Source for Schmidt Edelux?

[William Beck]

I was hoping to buy one of the new Schmidt Edelux LED lights to use on
the PA 1000K in early August. But the onlu US distributor, Peter White
Cycles, says that they won't have any more until September. Does
anyone know a source to order them directly from Europe. (Otherwise, I
may be buying an E3 Supernova. The Edelux sounds better, but not if
you can't buy one.)

Bill

[William Beck]

Thanks to a lead from a member of the group, I ordered a black one
from
SJS Cycles (http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-Schmidt-Schmidt-Edelux-
High-Power-LED-headlight-with-Standlight-and-Senso-17283.htm). They
may have only had the black version in stock, but that was what I
wanted anyway. Thanks for this and the other suggestions that I
received.

Bill

[WillemJ]

I have been promised one of his first five by the Dutch distributor,
to arrive early in July.... I wanted two, but the second one will have
to wait: the Schmidt website now says that due to enormous demand
lights ordered now will be delivered 27 weeks from now. I can well
imagine. I have not yet seen the light, but I do believe this will be
the best generator light on the market, at least for now. The E3's
rotation symmetrical output would be illegal, here in Holland, I
believe, and wasteful of what still is a scarce commodity.
Willem

[roadijeff]

> The Edelux sounds better, but not if you can't buy one

I'm wondering what there is about the Edelux that is supposedly better
than the E3. Everyone who has an E3 seems to love it and they say it
puts out more light than two Schmidt E6 lights. The export version is
even banned for sale in Germany because of the intense light output.
I've been riding with a single E6 setup for 5 years and getting over
twice the light output from the same power source would be fantastic.

Now that the E3 and Edelux are being sold has anyone done a side-by-
side comparison between the two yet?

[Bill Bryant]

Yup, similar thoughts on this too. Either one of the new lamps sounds very
good, but I'd like to see a side-by-side comparison before shelling out the
dough for one.

Bill Bryant
Santa Cruz, CA

[Mike Sturgill]

Does anyone know which LEDs are being used in each of these lights? Also,
how many of the LEDs in each?

Thanks,
-Mike

[littlecircles :: mikeb]

Head on over to the Bicycle Lifestyle GoogleGroup that Peter White
started. There was some spirited discussion of the pros and cons
between the 2 lights, specifically that of being banned in Germany due
to 'too much' light output - which from my understanding has more to
do with how the light is projected / aimed than the actual output.

I thought the first batch was due in June? Anyone have one yet?
September is a long way off... maybe for my birthday...

-Mike

On Jun 24, 3:44 pm, "Mike Sturgill" <mikesturg...@cox.net> wrote:
> Does anyone know which LEDs are being used in each of these lights? Also,
> how many of the LEDs in each?
>
> Thanks,
> -Mike
>

[WillemJ]

Both are obviously very good lights, but with a difference. The E3 is
rotation symmetrical, so it projects as much light on the ground in
front of you as it does higher up. The Edelux has a more directional
beam pattern (though much brighter and wider than the E6) cutting off
light above the headlight, like a good low beam car headlight. This
puts all the light where you need it most, and it does not blind
oncoming traffic (or you, in case of fog). For that reason lights like
the E3 are not street legal in Germany (so far, the street legal
version is only vapor ware, and I doubt it will ever materialize), and
probably neither in Holland. Such lights are, of course, legal for off
road use (and thus can be sold in shops), and in fact, for that they
are indeed a good idea: you want to see tree branches. To see the
different effects, you could have a look at the B&M website http://www.bumm.de/
where they have revealing pictures of their Big Bang mega battaery
headlight, with and without diffusor.
I know from personal experience riding conditions in the US are
different, if only because many cars have old fashioned and badly
adjusted headlights that have the same effect on other traffic as an
E3 would. Having said that, my preference would be for a light like
the E3 for off road riding, and a light like the Edelux or B&M IQ for
road riding. I am eagerly awaiting my first Edelux, and will share my
expriences with you.
Willem

On Jun 24, 9:55 pm, "littlecircles :: mikeb" <mike.bega...@gmail.com>
wrote:

[bullcitybiker]

Mike Dayton is using his E3 (and blogging on its output, below) while
I'm still waiting on my eDelux to arrive. We plan on a "Shootout At
What Should Be Lit Up Like High Noon" as soon as mine arrives. Our
buddy Byron has an IQ Fly, which is also an amazing little light, and
would be fun to include.

Not sure about the LEDs in the E3 or the eDelux. The eDelux uses many
internals from the B&M IQ Fly, so I'd bet the Schmidt is using a
single Cree XR-E emitter like the B&M.

Branson
Durham NC

(Mike's post on his E3 at Research Trailer Park: http://tiny.cc/uq3DM
)

On Jun 24, 3:38 pm, Bill Bryant <bill_bry...@prodigy.net> wrote:
> .. I'd like to see a side-by-side comparison before shelling out the

> dough for one.
>
> Bill Bryant
> Santa Cruz, CA
>

[Elton Pope-Lance]

Roadijeff queried:

>
> Now that the E3 and Edelux are being sold has anyone done a side-by-
> side comparison between the two yet?

Here I go:

I rode with both last night. The E3 was mounted on a front rack, and the
Edeluxe on the handlebar, so the angle of each was not quite identical. It
was, at best, a brief and unscientific test.

The Edeluxe throws a beam similar to the IQ Fly and IXON in shape. But much
brighter. It has the same flat top with more brightness above for even
intensity on the ground. There is good light ahead, as well as to the
shoulders of the road. It has a slightly segmented pattern, with a dark
area in front of the front wheel and two dark rays pointing to the 2:30 and
9:30 positions. The stand light and light sensor function are nice features
and the form factor is quite nice. It must be mounted upright.

The pattern of the Supernova E3 is smooth, with gradually diminishing
brightness from the center to the edges. It appears to be only slightly
broader than the E3 to the sides, and does not leave a dark area immediately
in front of the bike. The dim light at the edges illuminates the shoulders
as well as the area immediately in front of the bike and above for street
signs, overhanging branches, and such. The symmetrical shape of the beam
means that it can be mounted in an inverted position. Supernova recommends
sealing the cable exits with silicone, as moisture can get in to the housing
if this is not done. They are working to improve the seals.

Both come on to full brightness at about the same impressively low speed.
Both have ~4 minute stand lights. Both appear to be very well built.

I did not ride side-by-side, so I can't tell if one appears to be actually
brighter than the other, but both are very impressive, and notably brighter
than the old state-of-the-art dual E6's.

I do not consider the issue of potential blinding of oncoming drivers to be
a valid concern for either light. I have ridden through the night twice
with the E3 and have had nothing but positive comments from both riders and
drivers. When properly mounted, both of these lights should be pointed
slightly down, towards the road surface. Never actually parallel to the
ground or into the eyes of oncoming travelers. As far as compliance with
German law goes, I am not concerned. I am not riding in Germany (or
Holland).

I will try and get some photos this evening.

They are quite different lights, and both very impressive.

-Elton Pope-Lance
Harris Cyclery

Disclaimer: Harris Cyclery sells both of these lights.

[roadijeff]

After much consideration I just placed an order for an Edelux. I do a
lot of commuting at 1:00 a.m. with a single E6 light and I already get
enough drivers coming at me who do not dim their high beams for
whatever reason. I imagine that with the Supernova E3 they would
think I'm a motorcycle rider with my high beam on and the problem
would be even worse. That, plus the weight of the Edelux is said to
be 85 grams, versus 140 grams for the E3. All that means to me is
that I can mount it where I've had my E6 light for 5 years on my fork
crown brake caliper bracket.

Both the E3 and Edelux appear to be high quality lights and initial
head-to-head test do not show a clear winner. I'm interested in
reading further tests between the two.

BTW, I could not find any Edelux lights in stock in the US today. I
bought mine from SJS Cycles in the UK (www.sjscycles.co.uk). The
light itself was 92.99 GBP (~ $184 USD) or with shipping it was 90.14
GBP (~ $178 USD) after subtracting the VAT. Not a bad deal.

[John Jost]

Oh I can just see a flood of E-6's, DLumotecs and other older lights going up on EBay.... John Jost "Free will carried many a soul to hell, but never a soul to heaven." --- On Wed, 6/25/08, roadijeff <road...@aol.com> wrote:

[Larry Powers]

I just ordered and Edluxe and will use it on brevets.  Since I have 3 bikes with generator hubs I will continue to use my E6 and Lumotecs for commuting, trainning and touring.  Having them dumped on ebay will be great for keeping up my stock.

Larry Powers

"just when you think that you've been gyped
the bearded lady comes and does a double back flip" - John Hiatt

---

Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:37:09 -0700
From: jost...@yahoo.com

Subject: [Randon] Re: Supernova E3 - Edeluxe comparison (unscientific)

To: ran...@googlegroups.com; road...@aol.com

---

The other season of giving begins 6/24/08. Check out the i’m Talkathon. Check it out!

[bullcitybiker]

Thanks for posting, Elton. I look forward to some pictures and more
information!

Branson

On Jun 25, 7:47 am, Elton Pope-Lance <el...@pope-lance.com> wrote:
>
> Here I go:
>
> I rode with both last night.
>

[jo...@johnandjuliet.com]

On the highbeam side of things I am someone who thinks more light is
better...

So a week ago I ordered two E3's and run them in series.

The light is very bright and two of them makes it nearly daylight!
I've run on the open roads and no cars are flashing their high-beams
at me...

I want to play with slow speeds to see if I will need to use then in a
way that a secondary E6-turn-off-when-climbing or if the fact that
they turn on so much sooner than dual E6s that instead that I'll just
leave them in series and forget about trying to turn one of them
off...

I'm also playing around with the angles both up/down and side/side to
get the best road coverage (which is a lot more than the dual E6s
already...

ALso on an idea from someone here about using an old brake-booster for
a mounting platform with cantilever brakes... I've rigged up a mount
that uses a brake booster and a minora SPACE bar... It is looking
really clean/sharp.. Pics fortcoming....

[William Olsen]

I've been out of touch for a week on a bike tour of Washington so I may have missed some of the discussion on the new lights.  However, through the generosity of one of the proprietors of the Sammamish Valley Cycles (THANKS, Mark!!!), my brother, Mark, and I had the opportunity to use the new Edelux on this ride.  Since our previous lighting was the fairly standard 2 X E6's that  we replaced with the single Edelux I thought others might be interested in a "non-scientific" qualitative (definitely non-quantitative) review of the Edelux in actual service.  It is quite lengthy but I'm still sure I missed something.  (For a quantitative review and a technical discussion of the model number of the emitters, voltage, amperage, lumens of output, please see the other discussions that compare the Edelux, E3's and E6's.

We both run 2 X E6's off a SON dynamo and through trial and error, have found that our preferred beam pattern side-by-side to provide more coverage to the area immediately in front of us.  I mount my two lights off of the fork rack mount and converge the beams at the point where I can just minimize the shadow of the front tire in the beam.  Mark uses the double light mounts of the Berthold front bag rack.  Although the light output is adequate, when we're riding together at a fairly rapid pace (with me in Mark's draft - ALWAYS,) we get better coverage of I adjust my lights to project slightly above Mark's to better see further down the road.

First, I'd agree with what Willem, and the others have already commented on the list.  We both were happy with the E6 but could always use a little more light on the longer rides.  The ONE thing that I really liked about the Edelux is it's optics.  From what others have said, the single emitter may produce the same output as the E3, the beam is split onto at least 6 separate reflectors.  There is one wide beam that (from a non-quantified basis) appears to be roughly 4 times the area of a single E6 (so although the Edelux costs the same as 2XE6's, one gets the equivalent area of illumination of 4XE6's.)  There are two additional internal reflectors that illuminate slightly to the right and left of this main area of illumination - and again, non-quantified, appear to provide the output of a Cateye Opticube (with not quite so fresh batteries.)  The other three internal reflectors put out a similar amount of light immediately in front of and to the left and right of the front wheel.  For open road riding I don't know if I really need this area illuminated but it is comforting to see this area lit, as long as it did not appear to detract from the normal driving beam.  To build upon what Willem had said, the Edelux light is comparable to a German automobile (among them, Audi, BMW and M-B) with halogen headlights. The lighting is good and the optics distribute the light where it is needed, keeping it from being wasted beyond your riding range (vs. the HID lighting systems of the "luxury" German and Japanese automobile - if one wants this level of performance one needs to go with something similar to the Light and Motion HID lights - and their limited battery life.  Note:  I do use that light for my winter commute in urban areas.)  I didn't know where to include this but IF you're using 2XE6's and are used to NOT having a stand-light, you'll be pleasantly surprised.  The Edelux standlight stayed illuminated for as long as five minutes leading ride Controle support group members to ask me (on several occasions) if I wanted to turn off my headlight to save on my batteries.

Based upon what others had written, I had high expectations for the Edelux, and I was not disappointed.  The single light provides all of the illumination one requires for night riding at speed, and it is nice to have a lighting system that does not require one to turn off half one's lights when one comes to a hill and slows to 10 to 12 MPH.  Although not a factor for Mark, but definitely one for me, with the E6's I required a battery powered light to be ready when I came to a long, steep incline.  I don't do hills well, and in my 30X34, I just don't generate enough current to run even a single E6.  I did not have ANY problem with low speed light output using the Edelux.  Although the light output was reduced, there was never any light flicker all the way up the White Pass or Loup Loup Pass climbs.  Although I didn't want to admit that I DID walk a short section of Loup Loup, those looking at my lights would not have known.  The flicker is not evident EVEN AT a brisk walking pace.

Although I was very pleased with the performance of the Edelux and plan to continue to use it as my primary light, I'll still carry a Petzl Myo headlamp in my bag as a back-up to the Edelux.  Based upon the reliability of the Edelux/SON design I don't foresee using it but a back-up is required, and the Petzl can also be used in those situations where one is doing a lot of urban navigating - something I've run across on some of the East Coast brevets.  I did find that having a single light mounted on the left fork front bag rack produced an annoying shadow as the main beam was much wider than the E6 and I wasn't able to (and do not need to) cover it with the secondary E6.  Although I like the lower lighting mount, prior to my next bike tour (the RM) in a couple of weeks, I plan to experiment with mounting it up higher.  As others have commented, the optimal placement for this light might be the front fork fender mounting bolt, or the cantilever brake bolt.

The Edelux isn't for everyone and if you're happy with your current generator or battery powered lighting system, you may not see a need to make the jump to a single light.  Those considering a new lighting system or an upgrade of their existing lighting system should take the time to fully evaluate ALL of the available lighting options.  As my wife commented, "$200.00 is a LOT OF MONEY just for a darned bike light!!!"

I'm happy to be one of those fortunate to have received the initial US shipments of lights, but for those who have good lighting systems already, the next generation of lights should be even better and those of you who didn't get the first or second shipments might find the wait worth you're while.  Although I am not involved in the industry, my conversations with those who are, lead me to believe that LED technology is constantly improving, and efficiency improvements are coming so rapidly that the same emitter can have 3 to 4 step change levels of lighting output improvement over the course of a year. (I've seen this with units that several of us have purchased from Dinotte over the last couple of years and perhaps someone on the list could confirm this is the case across the industry.)  In the case of the Edelux, the reflectors appear to be well refined and an upgrade in the emitter will only improve what is an already great light.

Bill



> Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:39:33 -0700
> Subject: [Randon] Re: Source for Schmidt Edelux?
> From: willem....@gmail.com

[littlecircles :: mikeb]

"$200.00 is a LOT OF MONEY just for a darned bike light!!!"

True. But you might ask her to put a price on seeing that pothole,
road debris, or pedestrian that might end your ride, and your life. ;)


Thanks for the great write up. I'm on the fence about switching from
my dual E6s. I would love the ability to climb slowly and not have to
switch lights or turn on my helmet light... the standlight is another
plus, along with not really needing to worry about bulb failure.

-Mike

On Jul 4, 9:01 pm, William Olsen <wmol...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> I've been out of touch for a week on a bike tour of Washington so I may have missed some of the discussion on the new lights. However, through the generosity of one of the proprietors of the Sammamish Valley Cycles (THANKS, Mark!!!), my brother, Mark, and I had the opportunity to use the new Edelux on this ride. Since our previous lighting was the fairly standard 2 X E6's that we replaced with the single Edelux I thought others might be interested in a "non-scientific" qualitative (definitely non-quantitative) review of the Edelux in actual service. It is quite lengthy but I'm still sure I missed something. (For a quantitative review and a technical discussion of the model number of the emitters, voltage, amperage, lumens of output, please see the other discussions that compare the Edelux, E3's and E6's.
>
> We both run 2 X E6's off a SON dynamo and through trial and error, have found that our preferred beam pattern side-by-side to provide more coverage to the area immediately in front of us. I mount my two lights off of the fork rack mount and converge the beams at the point where I can just minimize the shadow of the front tire in the beam. Mark uses the double light mounts of the Berthold front bag rack. Although the light output is adequate, when we're riding together at a fairly rapid pace (with me in Mark's draft - ALWAYS,) we get better coverage of I adjust my lights to project slightly above Mark's to better see further down the road.
>
> First, I'd agree with what Willem, and the others have already commented on the list. We both were happy with the E6 but could always use a little more light on the longer rides. The ONE thing that I really liked about the Edelux is it's optics. From what others have said, the single emitter may produce the same output as the E3, the beam is split onto at least 6 separate reflectors. There is one wide beam that (from a non-quantified basis) appears to be roughly 4 times the area of a single E6 (so although the Edelux costs the same as 2XE6's, one gets the equivalent area of illumination of 4XE6's.) There are two additional internal reflectors that illuminate slightly to the right and left of this main area of illumination - and again, non-quantified, appear to provide the output of a Cateye Opticube (with not quite so fresh batteries.) The other three internal reflectors put out a similar amount of light immediately in front of and to the left and right of the front wheel. For open road riding I don't know if I really need this area illuminated but it is comforting to see this area lit, as long as it did not appear to detract from the normal driving beam. To build upon what Willem had said, the Edelux light is comparable to a German automobile (among them, Audi, BMW and M-B) with halogen headlights. The lighting is good and the optics distribute the light where it is needed, keeping it from being wasted beyond your riding range (vs. the HID lighting systems of the "luxury" German and Japanese automobile - if one wants this level of performance one needs to go with something similar to the Light and Motion HID lights - and their limited battery life. Note: I do use that light for my winter commute in urban areas.) I didn't know where to include this but IF you're using 2XE6's and are used to NOT having a stand-light, you'll be pleasantly surprised. The Edelux standlight stayed illuminated for as long as five minutes leading ride Controle support group members to ask me (on several occasions) if I wanted to turn off my headlight to save on my batteries.
>
> Based upon what others had written, I had high expectations for the Edelux, and I was not disappointed. The single light provides all of the illumination one requires for night riding at speed, and it is nice to have a lighting system that does not require one to turn off half one's lights when one comes to a hill and slows to 10 to 12 MPH. Although not a factor for Mark, but definitely one for me, with the E6's I required a battery powered light to be ready when I came to a long, steep incline. I don't do hills well, and in my 30X34, I just don't generate enough current to run even a single E6. I did not have ANY problem with low speed light output using the Edelux. Although the light output was reduced, there was never any light flicker all the way up the White Pass or Loup Loup Pass climbs. Although I didn't want to admit that I DID walk a short section of Loup Loup, those looking at my lights would not have known. The flicker is not evident EVEN AT a brisk walking pace.
>
> Although I was very pleased with the performance of the Edelux and plan to continue to use it as my primary light, I'll still carry a Petzl Myo headlamp in my bag as a back-up to the Edelux. Based upon the reliability of the Edelux/SON design I don't foresee using it but a back-up is required, and the Petzl can also be used in those situations where one is doing a lot of urban navigating - something I've run across on some of the East Coast brevets. I did find that having a single light mounted on the left fork front bag rack produced an annoying shadow as the main beam was much wider than the E6 and I wasn't able to (and do not need to) cover it with the secondary E6. Although I like the lower lighting mount, prior to my next bike tour (the RM) in a couple of weeks, I plan to experiment with mounting it up higher. As others have commented, the optimal placement for this light might be the front fork fender mounting bolt, or the cantilever brake bolt.
>
> The Edelux isn't for everyone and if you're happy with your current generator or battery powered lighting system, you may not see a need to make the jump to a single light. Those considering a new lighting system or an upgrade of their existing lighting system should take the time to fully evaluate ALL of the available lighting options. As my wife commented, "$200.00 is a LOT OF MONEY just for a darned bike light!!!"
>
> I'm happy to be one of those fortunate to have received the initial US shipments of lights, but for those who have good lighting systems already, the next generation of lights should be even better and those of you who didn't get the first or second shipments might find the wait worth you're while. Although I am not involved in the industry, my conversations with those who are, lead me to believe that LED technology is constantly improving, and efficiency improvements are coming so rapidly that the same emitter can have 3 to 4 step change levels of lighting output improvement over the course of a year. (I've seen this with units that several of us have purchased from Dinotte over the last couple of years and perhaps someone on the list could confirm this is the case across the industry.) In the case of the Edelux, the reflectors appear to be well refined and an upgrade in the emitter will only improve what is an already great light.
>
> Bill
>
> > Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:39:33 -0700
> > Subject: [Randon] Re: Source for Schmidt Edelux?

> > From: willem.jong...@gmail.com

>
> > Both are obviously very good lights, but with a difference. The E3 is
> > rotation symmetrical, so it projects as much light on the ground in
> > front of you as it does higher up. The Edelux has a more directional
> > beam pattern (though much brighter and wider than the E6) cutting off
> > light above the headlight, like a good low beam car headlight. This
> > puts all the light where you need it most, and it does not blind
> > oncoming traffic (or you, in case of fog). For that reason lights like
> > the E3 are not street legal in Germany (so far, the street legal
> > version is only vapor ware, and I doubt it will ever materialize), and
> > probably neither in Holland. Such lights are, of course, legal for off
> > road use (and thus can be sold in shops), and in fact, for that they
> > are indeed a good idea: you want to see tree branches. To see the

> > different effects, you could have a look at the B&M websitehttp://www.bumm.de/

> ...
>
> read more »

[William Beck]

I finally received my Edelux from SJS Cycles. (It got from England to
New York in one day, but took another four days to get to Maryland,
maybe because of needing to clear customs.) It is indeed very small
and light. I removed the D-Lumotech and E6 lights that were mounted on
each side of the fork, and mounted the Edelux at the fork crown using
a Schmidt SHORT Stainless Steel Headlamp bracket that I also got from
SJS. The bike looks much sleeker with the Edelux.

Here were my initial impressions:

1) The light comes up to nearly full brightness even at walking speed.
This is an improvement over the D-Lumotech, which mainly flickered at
walking speed.

2) The light is very bright within the main rectangular patch that it
throws out to the front. The edges of the main patch are fairly sharp
on all four sides, and the patch is roughly three times as wide as
with the E6. The intensity is much lower in the "side lobes" outside
the main patch, so that if I wanted to make a sharp turn I still
needed to shine my helmet-mounted light out into the darker side area.
The extra light that the Supernova supposedly sends to the sides might
be helpful in that situation.

3) The threshold light intensity for the auto on-off feature is set
very high. I found that the light was on even in bright overcast
conditions and only turned off in full sunlight. SJS Cycles told me
that is typical. Whereas I almost always left the D-Lumotech in the
auto position, I may be tempted to turn the Edelux on and off manually
to avoid it running during most of the daylight hours. But...

4) The magnetic-coupled switch that sets Off-Auto-On is very nice, and
was easy to reach with the light mounted at the fork crown. So turning
the light on or off while riding was no problem, even with a handlebar
bag.

Bill

[RUSA2691]

I have nothing new to add, but regardless:

I replaced my twin fork-mounted E6 lights and tried a single eDelux
last night, similarly mounted on the (right) front-rack fork boss.

My scientific evaluation: I was blown away.

When I upgraded to the Dynamo and E6s two years ago I finally felt at
ease riding at night [at least when it wasn't raining]; now it appears
it will actually be enjoyable.

The first large hole or rock or branch I avoid, due to the much more
advanced and much less subtle warning the eDelux gives, will mean for
me that the light's already paid for itself.

Paul

[bullcitybiker]

For what it's worth, I'm leaving my Edelux on in daylight hours. The
LED is supposed to last tens of thousands of hours, there's only a
slight drag penalty, and I feel it makes me more visible to motorists-
especially when commuting.

Branson

[WillemJ]

I now also received the fist of the Edeluxes that I ordered (have to
wait a while for the second one). I fitted this one to my wife's bike,
which has a SON20. Even so, it came on very brightly at ridiculously
slow speeds, and without a flicker as soon as one was riding rather
than walking. From that point a view, therefore, with these lights a
SON 20 is as good as a SON 28, but with clearly less resistance.
Riding fast did not produce any more light as far as I could see, so
here too a SON 20 with its lower resistance is as good as a SON 28.
This surely is one of the advantages of these new lights.
Other first impressions are that of a bright light and an enormously
wide lit surface. Some have worried about a dark spot in front of the
bike, and even if there is some, it is in no way really dark, only a
bit less bright. What did strike me is that more than with halogen
light the led light seems to be absorbed by black tarmac. So you are
riding on what at first sight seems to be a fairly dark and not very
well lit road, but with brightly lit green roadsides, and brighly lit
objects on the road. The colour spectrum is of course not as
continuous as with halogen, so I think I need to investigate more what
this means in practice. Optics are superb, with smooth even
illumination, and no great differences between lighting levels nearby
and in the distance (like the E6). Cut off at the top is sharp, such
as I like it. If you give yourself some time, you can get the cut off
just where you want it, with maximum brightness on the road, a long
reach, and still without wasting light on trees, or blinding oncoming
traffic.
So is it as bright as car headlights? No way is the unambiguous
answer, even if it is the brighest bike light I have had. It does seem
to be brighter than the venerable E6, but the discontinuous spectrum
makes the difference less enormous than one would think from just the
figures. I am not sure if it reaches any further into the distance
than the E6 (my hunch is "not really" but I must persuade my ten year
old son to do a side by side ride), but it is really much wider. The
glorious output at low speed and the standlight are another clear plus
for safety. Is it worth having this much light? Yes, is the answer
(but dual E6 were also very good). Is it worth having twice as much
again, in say two years time? Absolutely.
Willem

[Michael Poplawski]

On Mon, Jul 14, 2008 at 7:16 AM, WillemJ <willem....@gmail.com> wrote:
> So is it as bright as car headlights? No way is the unambiguous
> answer, even if it is the brighest bike light I have had. It does seem
> to be brighter than the venerable E6, but the discontinuous spectrum
> makes the difference less enormous than one would think from just the
> figures. I am not sure if it reaches any further into the distance
> than the E6 (my hunch is "not really" but I must persuade my ten year
> old son to do a side by side ride), but it is really much wider. The
> glorious output at low speed and the standlight are another clear plus
> for safety. Is it worth having this much light? Yes, is the answer
> (but dual E6 were also very good). Is it worth having twice as much
> again, in say two years time? Absolutely.

I'm excited that Schmidt keeps advancing its products, but I'm curious
about one thing about the Edelux: Schmidt's product description says
the black ring around the light prevents the bike's rider from being
blinded by their own light.

I find the illuminated outer ring of my E6 to be a beneficial safety
feature, as the light is visible from 360 degrees. I don't understand
why a translucent ring couldn't have been a feature of the Edelux as
well with some careful thought.

--
Michael Poplawski
Ancien 2003
Victoria, BC Canada

[Michel Gagnon]

Michael Poplawski a écrit

> I'm excited that Schmidt keeps advancing its products, but I'm curious
> about one thing about the Edelux: Schmidt's product description says
> the black ring around the light prevents the bike's rider from being
> blinded by their own light.
>
> I find the illuminated outer ring of my E6 to be a beneficial safety
> feature, as the light is visible from 360 degrees. I don't understand
> why a translucent ring couldn't have been a feature of the Edelux as
> well with some careful thought.
>

I see it with mixed blessings. give me some light on the sides, but NO
light at all going up towards my eyes. In that regard, I think the Blaze
1/2 W works very well.
(seen here: http://ecom1.planetbike.com/3036.html )
The two openings on the side allow the light to be seen from both sides,
but the casing is black and the upper lip is fairly long, so no light
goes up into the eyes. I would love if Schmidt did something like that
with the E-delux.

P.S. I have blackened the top part of the o-ring on my E-6 and on my
Lumotec IQ Fly.

--

Michel Gagnon
Montréal (Québec, Canada)

[Michael Poplawski]

On Sun, Aug 3, 2008 at 9:49 PM, Jan Heine <hei...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
> Cars do not have lights on the sides, nor wheel
> reflectors, yet they don't get broadsided all the
> time because other cars did not see them. It
> appears that lawmakers consider bicycles so slow
> that they might as well be stationary...

It's fine that we may want to defend the Edelux and the fine people in
Tübingen. Hell, I rode about 1000 km with RV Pfeil Tübingen last year
(I regret not visiting the Schmidt factory). But sidemarker lights
have been required on cars manufactured in North America since 1968 in
an effort to make vehicles better visible from oblique angles. (Such
lights are indeed not required elsewhere.)

Is it really important to have them? No. But vehicles are more visible
with them than without, and as much light as the Edelux produces, some
of it is being wasted by shining at opaque light housing.

Side reflectors? No kidding-what a joke!

--
Michael Poplawski
Victoria, BC Canada

[albert meerscheidt]

Michael's right, side lights are required on cars.

As a year round bike commuter who frequently takes the same route at the same time in the rainy evening I have a different perspective. I'm perfectly happy educating motorists that cyclists are on the road, even the ones who physically can't hit me - that night. Where I ride there are not many bikes out at night so the motorists aren't aware of us.

On my commuter bike I have a yard or so of reflective tape on the frame and rims, it weighs almost nothing. Maybe its not that effective as a rotating strobe sticking up from my rear rack on a 3 foot pole (I don't think they are made anymore, if anyone knows where to buy one let me know :-) ). But I'm not always riding straight ahead, when the road turns I turn the bike accordingly. Seen from the side, the reflective tape clearly identifies the bike as a bicycle.

Someday I'll have the time to test which lights / reflectors are the most effective, in the meantime I'll just throw something else on the bike, I guess its kind of a hobby.

Be safe, be seen,
Albert

--
Thanks,

Albert
albert.me...@gmail.com
cbcr...@cascade.org
webm...@seattlerando.org

[NickBull]

Jan,

It seems like what you say is generally true for bicycles (though I
think that cars are required to have lights that wrap around to the
sides). But I still think that my Rivendell wheel reflector (which
weighs about 10 grams) is worth having on the wheel. If a car comes
up to an intersection intending to turn left, and at the same time you
are already in the intersection, it's just possible they might not see
your lights from a 90 degree angle, and as they turn left they might
sideswipe you. Something reflecting to the sides (and preferably
moving) seems like it gives a small safety advantage at a very minimal
cost in efficiency. Probably my Rivendell ankle reflectors are
enough. However, I've been on at least one ride where I've forgotten
the ankle reflectors, and since the wheel reflectors are always there,
I can't really forget them. Also, there have been occurences of
riders stopping in an intersection at night to figure out which way to
go, and then a car comes up.

Nick

On Aug 4, 12:49 am, Jan Heine <hein...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> >Michael Poplawski a écrit
> >>  I'm excited that Schmidt keeps advancing its products, but I'm curious
> >>  about one thing about the Edelux: Schmidt's product description says
> >>  the black ring around the light prevents the bike's rider from being
> >>  blinded by their own light.
>
> >>  I find the illuminated outer ring of my E6 to be a beneficial safety
> >>  feature, as the light is visible from 360 degrees. I don't understand
> >>  why a translucent ring couldn't have been a feature of the Edelux as
> >  > well with some careful thought.
>

> Unless you are parked in the middle of an
> intersection (with the standlight on), there is
> little use of being seen from a 90 degree angle
> (straight from the side). You will be gone before
> the car reaches the spot where it could hit you.
> The same applies to wheel reflectors - they look
> impressive in a car's headlights, but the only
> people who see them are those who won't hit you.
>
> Any front light is visible from a 3/4 angle,
> which is what protects you at intersections,
> where your path and that of a car can intersect.
> The Edelux, with its broader, brighter beam than
> the E6, will be more conspicuous to cars coming
> from the right or left, and thus safer.

>
> Cars do not have lights on the sides, nor wheel
> reflectors, yet they don't get broadsided all the
> time because other cars did not see them. It
> appears that lawmakers consider bicycles so slow
> that they might as well be stationary...
>

> Jan Heine
> Editor
> Bicycle Quarterly
> 140 Lakeside Ave #C
> Seattle WA 98122www.bikequarterly.com

[WillemJ]

We have just returned from more than two weeks of touring and camping
in France with the children, and I have some more to add about the
Edelux light that I fitted to my wife's bike with a SON 20 in a 26
inch wheel. Not about light output, since it did not get dark early
enough for me to want to make a ride. By that time I was ready for a
glass of wine instead.

However, the Edelux also showed its tricks at daytime. As others have
also remarked, the senso function switches on the light even if it
only gets a little bit darker (I needed to check to reassure myself it
was not malfunctioning). At first I found it irritating to watch my
wife's taillight (a D-toplight XS) come on when she was only riding
under a tree (and staying lit as Standlicht for quite a while), until
I realised it made us quite a bit more visible under such high
contrast conditions. Riding in front and looking back to her the
frontlight itself was quite stunningly bright under the trees, and
really added to our safety. It was very bright and highly visible, but
not at all blinding. I am eagerly waiting for mine, but given high
demand I know it will be quite a while.
Willem