Back from the dark side

        Lighting tech has sprung into such a blossom in the last couple of years, I have been tip-toeing onto the bandwagon and upgrading.  I now have a super powerful helmet light and my own private bicycle lane to carry with me.  I decided to upgrade the headlights on mine and my son's bikes.  I've been perusing Peter White's website lately to monitor the developments in the field and finally decided to upgrade from the incredibly reliable Spanninga headlights we have been using for years.

I chose the new BM Lumotec Eyc.  I don't know where the Germans get these names,

 but they sure know how to make some lights.

      This is a really tiny fixture that produces 50 lux of lighting.  The optics they have created for this provide a very wide and penetrating beam which seems perfect for city riding. One of the nicer things about this design is the wiring.  The connection is already established in the housing with wires running out for a connection to a dyno.  Since I use the tire driven BM S6 on the back wheel, I had to extend the wire with couplers but don't have to worry about the connection to the light itself.  There is enough wiring included to reach a dyno hub on any  bike, but there is also a pair of short wires to connect a tail light.

The Eyc comes with a very nice stainless steel mounting bracket which will work with caliper brakes. The unit fit just fine on my porteur rack and the mounting bracket for my son's older Spanninga unit.      The light this little guy puts out is impressive, I won't insult you with the cell phone actionpix I took, look at Peter's website for an accurate comparison of light beams.  You won't be tempted to paint a little bat on the front to call your friends out, but you won't see much use for another dyno light.  At  $73, this tiny, lightweight powerhouse is a real bargain.  I don't expect to upgrade this for several years.