The light I've been using is a halogen. Halogen's been kind of the gold standard for a number years, from what I've read, so that's why I bought it. But maybe one of the biggest bike technology revolutions in the last several years, and showing no signs of letting up, is LED lighting. So I put my ear to the ground and word on the street is that the Busch&Müller Lumotec IQ Cyo is the hot ticket.
Unfortunately, their marketing guy was out sick on the day they decided what to call all the different versions of this light and the engineering guys took over. Holy hell . . .
Lumotec IQ Cyo N Plus Black
Lumotec IQ Cyo Senso Plus Black
Lumotec IQ Cyo Senso Plus Chrome Plated
Lumotec IQ Cyo R N Plus Black
Lumotec IQ Cyo R Senso Plus Black
Lumotec IQ Cyo R Senso Plus Chrome Plate
I'm pretty sure that's not even the complete list. I hope the engineering guys know slightly more about how to light up the road than they do about selling shit.
I turned to Peter White to help me sort this mess out. Yeah, he's cranky, but he puts massive info on his website and his friendly assistants mainly take the calls so you don't have to talk to him! I always like to order from him 'cause he's helped me figure a lotta things out. His service has always been top-notch, to boot.
So here's the new light. It comes with a very high-quality stainless steel mounting bracket that is too convenient . . .
. . . so I decided that I would have to make thinks more difficult and figure out a different way to mount it. My N.A.M.P. front rack had barely cooled off, but apparently it was time to hack a mount onto it . . .
Naturally, the wires were too short, so I scabbed some extensions on. I don't like crimp connectors, so I soldered the bastards.
Here we are with the bare rack . . .
. . . and here's how it looks with the N.A.M.P. Jeez, I'm with you. The whole look is freakin' weird. I just hope it grows on me . . .
The back of the light has a rotary switch that let's you select from On, Off, or Auto (senses low light and turns on automatically) modes.
I asked my myself how you would want me to test this light and I had no doubt that you would want me to take it on a beer run. I rolled into the Conoco at 29th and Grand after dark, on a bike, wearing a dirty baseball cap and grubby shop clothes. I've been sick and dehydrated, so my face had that sunken look and I hadn't shaved in 3 or 4 days. Not sure why the cashier didn't make direct eye contact, but whatever, a 6-pack was soon stashed in my saddlebag.
Anyway, it was just a short, neighborhood ride, but this light appears to RULE. I will have a chance to full-on test it out this week.
3 comments:
That sir, is a great light. It's my fifth generator light, and by far my favorite. You can get more light for way more $, but for the buck, the CYO seems to be the best value for general purpose riding.
Glad to see that you are using the bike and the light how it is meant to be used. Though, we did miss you on the Fiasco.
I've been using a hub generator just for a few months, but now I don't want to ride any bike that doesn't have one. I'm gonna have to put one on my road bike.
Great post as well. Everyone else is eatin scraps off your table, as far as racufacture and blogging about it is concerned.
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