I have a Batavus Dutch bike for local commuting with a Shimano DH-2R30E 6 volt, 2.4 watt hub dynamo driving a halogen bulb headlight. The light provided is not very bright and I would like to know if I can replace it with an LED headlight for a reasonable cost. If so, what would you recommend? I should also mention that I would like to bolt the light to the bike in place of the existing light, rather that fix it the the handlebar and unclip it when I leave the bike. One of the major benefits of the Dutch bike concept is that everything is fitted including locks and lights, so it is quick to use for short local journeys. Given that I will leave the light on the bike unattended, the light shouldn't look too special, and a reasonable cost would be less that $100/£80. product-rec commuting-bike headlights lighting led-lights Peter White has done a lot of testing of dynamo headlights and has even put together comparisons of luminance. I have the Schmidt Edelux and love it.

Reasonable cost could mean a problem depending on your budget, because a good LED light for dynamo-hubs should not be cheap. My suggestions, based on what I've seen (at night, during some randonneur events) are: From Busch & Müller, the IXON models. Their light is obscenely strong, reaching 100m+ with a good cutoff, thus without annoying other riders or road users. Schmidt Edelux, which work on the same principle of semi-parabola reflector. I think this is not so strong as the former, but maybe if you like to enjoy THE NIGHT (instead of throwing bird's eggs out of their nests on the trees with your headlight beam), this is a very good choice. I cannot tell about other models, but it seems to me that they've seen a lot of improvement in the last few years, the greatest one being the abandonment of halogen bulbs (argh!). I can also recommend the Busch&Müller Dynamo lights. They are all designed for dynamo (AC, protection against overload/varying voltage, inbuilt capacitor to stay on for a few minutes when stopped, etc.), you don't have to worry about that.

And although the manual says "hub dynamo", I'm running them successfully on a bottle dynamo (6V/3W). AFAIK, all dynamos are similar enough that the electronics can handle them. Many models also have electronics that change between day/night settings (useful for tunnels!) and other things. Regarding theft, they all look fairly inconspicuous, stylish but not particularly expensive, so I don't think they attract casual thieves (experts of course will know their value). The mount is very solid, and the bolt uses a special kind of star-shaped screw; it's not totally theftproof but you can't use standard screwdrivers, and I found even with the proper tools its a bit of fiddling, so I'm not worried about theft; other bits of the bike can be taken off more easily. The choice of model depends on your situation. Are you mostly cycling in lit areas or do you cycle in dark unlit areas? I had the "Lumotec Lyt T Senso Plus" first, it is very good for city cycling, with a really bright area on the road so that you can see potholes and obstacles.

It's also not very expensive (40 Euro). However, I often cycle through a dark park, and while the Lyt lit up the path perfectly well, I felt I wanted one with a wider beam that also lit up the sides, it just felt more comfortable and safe to see the area around the path. So I then bought a "Luxos B" (RRP 119 Euro), which has a much wider beam. This is very good in all respects, it almost seems like a car headlight (perhaps not quite as bright, but in terms of beam width and distance that you can see). Pomeranian Puppies Sale Nashville TnThe "Luxos U" additionally has a battery and a USB charger and is much more expensive, but I'm not convinced it's a good idea. Garage Floor Tiles InterlockingFor one thing, the battery will have limited lifetime especially when outside from winter to summer, and I generally don't think you should combine different functions (light and USB charging) in the same very expensive item. Blue Pitbull Puppies For Sale In Miami Fl

The Luxos B has a capacitor so that it stays on for a few minutes when you stop, more than enough for traffic lights and such. The B&M Website shows the beam shape and sample images, it's worth comparing the models and think about what kind of area you're cycling in. All the B&M models are bright enough so that you are clearly visible to cars in normal street situations (the Luxos even has additional non-directional LEDs), although if you are in an arms-race situation (where everybody else has multiple superbright lights) you may feel too dark. A bit off-topic perhaps, but as somebody mentioned it in a comment, please stay away from superbright LED lights without shaped beams, not only cheap ones but also some of the expensive brands. It is important to have a shaped beam that illuminates the path but not dazzle oncoming cars, other cyclists or pedestrians, and that they are adjusted carefully. Also please stay away from helmet-mounted lights. Or at least use them only where absolutely needed (e.g. to be seen in an already very bright environment).

My regular experience, when I cycle along through the park and somebody with a floodlight comes round the corner and completely blinds me - don't know how many times I ended up in the grass, and once I almost collided with one of the "floodlighters". The worst experience was when I suddenly faced a team of several riders, each with a superbright handle bar light and a helmet light, all looking straight at me. I couldn't see anything for minutes afterwards. Unfortunately I only managed to stammer a "too bright" before they had gone (they didn't stop to ask if I'm ok...). So please, when you check out different lights, not only consider your own requirements, but also those of fellow path users. I recently installed the Philips Safe Ride 60 on my Pashley with a Sturmey-Archer dynamo hub. It's a big improvement over the incandescent headlamp that came with the bike, and it meets your price criteria. (Though having to ship from Europe added to the cost...) Any replacement would need to be matched to the dynamo in voltage and load.

I'd suggest that you contact the dynamo manufacturer to find out what might work. I second (or third) the recommendation of B&M LED lights from Peter White Cycles. We have an B&M Lumotec Eyc T Senso Plus ($72, 50 lux) on one bike and a Lumotec IQ Premium Cyo Senso Plus ($98, 80 lux) on another. The Eyc came first, and for riding on dark streets the beam isn't wide enough for my taste – you end up making turns "into the dark." The Cyo is much better, the beam is wider and has a bit more reach. That said the Eyc is not a bad light by any stretch, if money is an issue you can save an additional $6 by getting the version without the daytime running light (Licht 24). The difference is that the Licht 24 version uses a second LED that doesn't have the sharp cutoff of the primary LED optics so it seems brighter to oncoming cars in the daylight. At night the Licht 24 LED is off. Your generator's output is suitable for a halogen bulb without a taillight, they draw much more power than modern LED lights, so you should be just fine running any of the German spec LED lights.