It's Nearly That Time Again - Bike Lights!
Discussion
It's often not that British Standards are out of date. A lot of modern lights may comply with the written standards, but they aren't submitted to be tested.
In the 'Good Old Days' most lights sold in the UK were made here. In order to sell, they needed to be tested and certified to conform. Otherwise consumers would simply buy a set that complied. That BS6102/3 stamp was important back then, but those lights I linked to above were pretty 'hit and miss' despite carrying the BS mark. I remember them just cutting out at times because battery connection was lost, or a lamp blew, or the battery contacts would foul up and need emery paper to get the light back on, and the switches were never all that 'positive' either.
FFWD to 'modern' times, and players like CatEye start selling lights globally. They were either brighter at the same price, or cheaper than the equivalent British made lights. And often far more reliable, and economical in their "use of juice". These foreign manufacturers had so many varying standards to achieve, dependent on the destination market, that they sort of dismissed the relevance of specific "small market" British Standards. Consumers, they felt, would see that their lamps were better, and buy them despite a lack of conformity certificate. They were right too.
Now, of course, they'll comply with European standards, and if a lamp complies there, it'll have an accepted equivalence to BS6102/3 in legal terms.
Many of the cheap Chinese retina-burners are not tested to any standard. If they're for use off road I don't think they need to be, and many are sold not as 'bicycle lights' but as 'head lamps, suitable for many outdoors applications'. Added to the fact that no-one seems too bothered about checking standards anymore. Bike lights are no longer dim, and neither are those that buy them. Like most people who depend upon them, I'd far rather have a bright, efficient, reliable lamp than a dim and unreliable one, whether it complies to a certain set of standards or not.
In the 'Good Old Days' most lights sold in the UK were made here. In order to sell, they needed to be tested and certified to conform. Otherwise consumers would simply buy a set that complied. That BS6102/3 stamp was important back then, but those lights I linked to above were pretty 'hit and miss' despite carrying the BS mark. I remember them just cutting out at times because battery connection was lost, or a lamp blew, or the battery contacts would foul up and need emery paper to get the light back on, and the switches were never all that 'positive' either.
FFWD to 'modern' times, and players like CatEye start selling lights globally. They were either brighter at the same price, or cheaper than the equivalent British made lights. And often far more reliable, and economical in their "use of juice". These foreign manufacturers had so many varying standards to achieve, dependent on the destination market, that they sort of dismissed the relevance of specific "small market" British Standards. Consumers, they felt, would see that their lamps were better, and buy them despite a lack of conformity certificate. They were right too.
Now, of course, they'll comply with European standards, and if a lamp complies there, it'll have an accepted equivalence to BS6102/3 in legal terms.
Many of the cheap Chinese retina-burners are not tested to any standard. If they're for use off road I don't think they need to be, and many are sold not as 'bicycle lights' but as 'head lamps, suitable for many outdoors applications'. Added to the fact that no-one seems too bothered about checking standards anymore. Bike lights are no longer dim, and neither are those that buy them. Like most people who depend upon them, I'd far rather have a bright, efficient, reliable lamp than a dim and unreliable one, whether it complies to a certain set of standards or not.
Fetchez la vache said:
Blimey I remember those. The front light used to emit a faint cross 6 feet in front and that was it, if I remember. You therefore had the choice of that or a dynamo which would obviously turn off at a junction. happy days...
I had a dynamo light. Used to make a hell of a racket. Then, as you say, when you stopped, it went out. 
Watchman said:
Thanks for that, and I absolutely agree with the pragmatism of your post.
I'm intrigued that you still have those old lights though - how have you managed to retain them all these years when most people will have ditched them.
I used to have 2 of those big square rear lights on the sissy bar of my Chopper-type of bike, and I thought I was "the man" at 11yo (late 1970s).
Those are not my pictures, they're lifted off the web. I still have the 'square' lamps, and I've retained them because a) I'm a hoarder; and b) I'd like to get hold of a 'period' bike to use them on one day. I'm intrigued that you still have those old lights though - how have you managed to retain them all these years when most people will have ditched them.
I used to have 2 of those big square rear lights on the sissy bar of my Chopper-type of bike, and I thought I was "the man" at 11yo (late 1970s).
The front lamp I have is still boxed, as I 'rescued' it from being thrown away. When the army finally stopped issuing the old "QM's Bike" there were a few bicycle lamps kicking around in stores about the place. This one was in stock still until the early 2000s, whereupon it was 'written off' and I was told to throw it in a skip. Sadly the lens got cracked during a move, but it still works. All I need now is a bike with a 'proper' chrome headset lamp bracket on which to mount it.
The more modern set I had did get slung in the bin eventually. No amount of cleaning and fettling could make them work again, despite them being the world's simplest electrical circuit. That, and the mounting brackets had cracked, so even this serial hoarder recognised that they were a lost cause.
There is a chap locally who is still using a set of these, though...
...but he does have some more modern lamps alongside them!
funkyrobot said:
Fetchez la vache said:
Blimey I remember those. The front light used to emit a faint cross 6 feet in front and that was it, if I remember. You therefore had the choice of that or a dynamo which would obviously turn off at a junction. happy days...
I had a dynamo light. Used to make a hell of a racket. Then, as you say, when you stopped, it went out. The dynamos I remember were the sprung 'bottle' kind that ran off friction from the rear tyre when clicked into place. They really sapped energy when pedaling, and did you no favours at all in terms of tyre longevity. I'd love to have a modern dynamo wheelset with the power coming from the front hub, and able to charge a phone or GPS unit as well as run the lights. It'd be a heck of a lot more convenient than USB rechargeable lights or replacing batteries, long term.
Torchy sells good ones on Ebay, but just gone out of stock
Item 122167827972
Or Hunk Lee from USA, so again a bit of a wait. item number:221312764259
Or here
www.mtbbatteries.co.uk/mountain-bike-batteries/7-5...
Item 122167827972
Or Hunk Lee from USA, so again a bit of a wait. item number:221312764259
Or here
www.mtbbatteries.co.uk/mountain-bike-batteries/7-5...
Edited by richardxjr on Friday 7th October 12:01
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff