Opinions about B&M IQ X for off road use?

[Patrick Moore]

Is this one just about as bright as dynolights come?

Can anyone compare it to the K-Lite, original model (single lamp, 800 lumens low, 1200 high)?

Will it simply plug as usual into a SP hub?

Will it work with the usual Top Light dynamo tail lights?

If you prefer another dynamo light for off road use, which one, and why?

Thanks.

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Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

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[Mackenzy Albright]

I upgraded from a Spanninga Axendo to a B&M IQ X on my Clementine and quite like it. I've ridden plenty of single track with it with absolutely no issues. I don't have much else to compare it to but have felt it has been more than adequate. 

[DavidP]

Hi Patrick,

I have two IQ-X lights and an Edelux II. The IQ-X lights are paired with SP and Kasai hubs (which seem identical and my understanding is that these are made by the same manufacturer) and both use the standard SP type connector (strip the wires, fold, clip, and plug).

The IQ-X lights work just fine off-road as they are quite bright. The bikes with these lights have them mounted down near the fork crown. For singletrack I prefer a helmet mounted light to be able to see in a different direction then I am steering (on our tight, twisty, NE trails), but for dirt roads and other less demanding off-road a bike mounted light is fine. I have no qualms about the lights themselves.

The IQ-X has a tail light connector, but I haven't tried wiring up a tail light yet.

Compared to the Edelux the IQ-X is brighter but the Edelux is a bit "smoother", and without the separation/segmentation in the beam that the IQ-X has. The ability to rotate the IQ-X housing for inverted/hanging mounting is a plus.

-Dave

[Josh Zielinski]

I am not so sure dynamos are popular with MTB crowd (seems not but I am not heavy into that scene).  I'd imagine that the jarring and the very slow speeds of steep climbs would not lend well to expensive dynamo hub use.  

But, there are lots of very powerful battery operated lights out there that would be best/better for this application.  A friend of mine goes night riding down wild singletrack trails faster than I could ride them in full daylight.  His lights are crazy bright, definitely not welcome on roads but absolutely dialed for what he's doing with them.  

It may make more sense to have a separate light for this use/purpose.

-Josh

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[Patrick Moore]

Added request: please feel free to recommend other options besides current K-Lites and the B&M IQ X. Will have to be compatible with SP hub and Toplight rear lamp.

Josh: Thanks. I want to stay with dynamos. I don’t ride very rough stuff — cottonwood roots and washboard are the worst — and this bike is as much as dirt road commuter as an off road fun bike (well, commuting on dirt roads is fun, but at night I generally stay on the smoother, straighter routes). I do use a backup modestly priced battery light (800 lumens for what that’s worth) on sale from PJW with my dynamo light.

If anyone wants the remnants of this K-Lite first edition to play with, I’ll be happy to ship it — headlight, on/off switch, very large capacitor, wires and plugs -- to you for free (just be patient).

[Josh Zielinski]

I was led astray with words from the original K-Lite post "lumens or lux are everything". 

Most dynamos are suitable for your use as defined.  

None seem very bright too me as they are designed to be road (shared with others) friendly.  Sinewave Beacon seems brighter but is not approved for road use where these things are regulated (Europe where pretty much all the other Dyno powered lamps seem to hail from).  The sinewave has some other cool features but is this quite pricey.

Josh Z

Oregon 

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[Patrick Moore]

Actually, the K-Lite was designed for off road: no particular beam pattern except all bright all over all the time (tho’ with H/L option). I just kept it on High. I’d have to shield the beam with my hand when passing people at night.

My Edelux I is not bright enough for my needs, and I daresay many other traffic-specific dyno lights may not be sufficient either.

I’d be interested in others’ opinion of the Sinewave Beacon; have 1 “sortof disappointed” review from several years ago. And can I use it with a Toplight rear light?

If I were to do this from scratch — ie, not owning 2 SP wheels for slick and knobby tires — I would consider a good battery light; but OTOH, I’ve been left stranded more than once with dead batteries …

I’ve related this many times but I’m quite happy to repeat myself. The brightest light I ever used was a Nightrider (why do I have “Specialized” in my mind?) HiD — arc light — system that cost me $400 in 2004 dollars. Oncoming cars would slow and pull sharply to their right. I rode by a cop once, who shouted, “That’s bright!” But so bright up close that distance vision was ruined. And finicky connections. And the slow startup always left me worrying that the thing was broken.

From the Nightrider catalogue:

 

[Josh C]

I have, and use, both the Edelux and B&M IQ X lights. I run them with SON, SP, and Kasai Dynacoil hubs. I don't do a lot of mountain biking per se, but I do ride off-road often. They all work well on and off-road. That said, I  prefer the B&M IQ light to anything else I've used or seen friends and others use on rides. It's bright, has a nice light spread, and an easy-to-use off button. The Edelux looks better on Instagram, but the B&M functions better. They both have weird shapes to the light beam, but the B&M is better and it's not even close.

Regarding the top light rear dynamo light, all 3 of my family's commuters are set up with B&M IQ and B&M top lights. Super easy to set up, and they just work very well. 

As for the connector, yes, the IQ can be set up with the SP very easily. I'd recommend this connector https://www.modernbike.com/product-2126308554?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22488232054&gbraid=0AAAAAD_UAjxQY_OMwS0QzF-wQYnzDL_ie&gclid=CjwKCAjwi-DBBhA5EiwAXOHsGY6Ux_vJ-Ts-FIOZBDYpyvv8F-jvZZNKF9DMMW9ngrF3cnuMPZA6qhoCn_0QAvD_BwE

[Richard Rose]

I don’t have anything useful to add to this discussion but I will anyway.:) I’ve yet to purchase a dynamo light. My Clem has no dynamo hub & I do not ride it at night. My Gus has a Son dynamo hub because I got a great deal on the wheels and do enjoy riding singletrack at night. So it has been my intent to purchase a Sinewave Beacon 2 but have yet to do so. I think most if not all concerns with the Beacon have been resolved with the Beacon 2? It apparently is superb for MTB because it is very bright & the beam pattern is ideal for off road use. In addition it can be rigged to provide full brightness at very slow speeds & can charge things while using. They have a nifty looking rear light now to go with it. Plus it’s a beautiful thing to behold, MUSA & all of those cool colors! So that’s the one I intend to get.:))

Sent from my iPhone

On May 29, 2025, at 9:05 PM, Josh C <getjosh...@gmail.com> wrote:

I have, and use, both the Edelux and B&M IQ X lights. I run them with SON, SP, and Kasai Dynacoil hubs. I don't do a lot of mountain biking per se, but I do ride off-road often. They all work well on and off-road. That said, I  prefer the B&M IQ light to anything else I've used or seen friends and others use on rides. It's bright, has a nice light spread, and an easy-to-use off button. The Edelux looks better on Instagram, but the B&M functions better. They both have weird shapes to the light beam, but the B&M is better and it's not even close.

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[J]

 I agree with Josh's comment partly " They both have weird shapes to the light beam, but the B&M is better and it's not even close." I have the IQ-XS and it also has a weird beam shapes, so much that I thought it was broken and find it distracting at times. It looks a bit like the batman symbol projection. But I had the opportunity last summer to take three bikes with Edelux, Beacon, and my IQ-XS and shine them on a the side of a barn at night and the IQ-XS was a bit brighter but more focused, the Edelux was a bit more even and just barely less bright and the Beacon was the least bright but evenly spread, wide and consistent. 

J in WV

[rlti...@gmail.com]

I have the IQ X on a couple of bikes. On the Hubbuhubbuh I have it paired with the B&M mini tail light. The IQ X is likely my favorite dynamo light so far. I like the beam pattern and it puts out a lot old useful light. 

For off-road use I think I prefer my Sinewave Beacon since the Beacon does not have horizon cutoff and allows me to see overhead branches. If I’m using a light with horizon cutoff off-road I will supplement it with a small helmet mounted light so I can flip it on when needed. A battery light can also be needed on steep climbs when slow speeds may not allow enough light from the dynamo light.

Robert Tilley

San Diego, CA

Sent from my iPhone

On May 29, 2025, at 2:40 PM, Patrick Moore <bert...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Peter White]

I don't recommend any of the dynamo lights I sell for use on wooded trails or extremely rough terrain. On the wooded trails we have here in New England, you're likely to ride into a low tree branch which will not be illuminated by the "low beam" design of the headlight's optics. I use the Busch & Müller IQ-X on my dirt road bike, and it's excellent, but these dirt roads are regularly used by the many pick-up trucks in the area, and so there are simply no low branches across the roads.

I did mount an Edelux II on my mountain bike for a one week supported trip in "The Maze" which is a section of Canyonlands in Utah several years back. There ain't no trees in "The Maze", so that wasn't an issue. However, the terrain is quite hilly, and several times I was descending a hill and as I approached the bottom I could not see anything above the beam's horizontal cutoff, and so I needed to ride the brakes hard as I approached the bottom. A big round beam would have been far better.

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[Brian Turner]

For what it’s worth, the Sinewave Beacon might be the best choice if you were looking for an off-road specific dynamo light. It puts out a lot of light in a big round beam. In my experience, that’s pretty much what it does best, and nothing else. I have one of the older ones, and it’s just… ok. Lots of strobing at low speeds, which kinda goes hand in hand with rough terrain riding, but you can run it off a battery pack to avoid this (seems like just another fussy complication IMO). The new ones apparently have made a lot of improvements across the board, but I don’t think I’ll ever drop the amount of cheese for one again.

Like others here, I’m pretty much a B+M IQ-X fan now.

Brian
Lexington KY

[Patrick Moore]

Thanks for all the help. I know Peter recommends against their lights for off road but I think that an IQ model augmented by a bright auxiliary non-focused battery light will be perfect.

I should have been clearer; I ride mostly flat pickup-truck-accessible ditchbank access roads at night, with some narrow and winding trails among the cottonwoods where my speeds are very low, so either the IQ-X or the XL and the bright battery light (handlebar mounted) ought to provide the best of both worlds — bright but with beam cutoff to avoid blinding others plus on-demand battery light (claimed 800 lumens, also bought from PW).

I’m leaning toward the IQ XL given my bad night vision.

Any further comments and suggestions and warnings welcome.

[Peter White]

Yes! I meant to say that when riding singletrack in the woods, nothing is better than a helmet mounted light with a big round beam. But I was busy updating the website. That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it. ;-)

On Fri, May 30, 2025 at 1:01 PM Patrick Moore <bert...@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks for all the help. I know Peter recommends against their lights for off road but I think that an IQ model augmented by a bright auxiliary non-focused battery light will be perfect. 

Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

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Peter White

[Patrick Moore]

BTW, before it all goes out in the trash, if anyone wants the apparently-still-working ~playing-card-sized capacitor from my K-lite and the H/L switch, pipe up now. I’ll send it all to you for free.

Otherwise CABQ Solid Waste Management gets it on Friday.