Bicycle Lights

Hey everyone,

My name is Leo and I'm a student at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.
I'm currently doing research for my Bachelor thesis into bike lighting and the possible opportunity of introducing vintage models with modern technology.

I don't know if people on this forum even use lights - they seem to be taboo for some folks - but if so, could people help me out?
I need to find out what would trigger you guys to get a vintage light for your bikes and what your budget is for a light (or set including rear).

Suggestions for design, technologies and examples are more than welcome!

Thanks bunches!
Leo

P.S. There's a very real possibility the outcome of my project will actually be used by the company I'm working for.

Define vintage for one thing? What era does vintage refer to, lighting from the 19th Century, the early 20th Century the 50/60s or 1998. all could be considered vintage as bandied around on fora and the like.

Personally I wouldn't want a vintage light casing with a modern light source, mainly because the latter were not as waterproof, far too bulky (because they required huge batteries) and thus take up too much space on the handlebars.

Good luck though

Retro style lighting would be a niche market for road bikes but not, I suspect, for mountainbikes. It's a good idea.

I see decent lights as critical for safety and I'm not really prepared to compromise my safety for aesthetics - prior to halogen and LEDs, bike likes were a nightmare: heavy, fragile, feeble output and inclined to fail in the wet. Most retrobikers have modern bikes too - I only use my classic bike for 'special' rides, not for everyday riding. The only occasion where I'd see a demand is for the early start at L'eroica?

@tonyf39 - Good question. Vintage in this context would refer to anything that plays into 6 timeless consumer values based on either the story behind the brand, the craftsmanship involved or pure nostalgia of the users. These 6 values are authenticity, simplicity, identity, membership, independence and fun.

This means I can't really define a specific era - but I would say 19th Century is as vintage as it gets! (1896 carbide lamps)

@monty dog - That's good to hear. I know a bunch of people with fixies who won't get anything more than Knogs to not ruin their bike's image. Might be a cultural thing though - the Dutch are famous for their bikes and the only reason for light being to avoid police.

Thanks guys!

If I had an immaculate vintage ride that I didn't want to spoil the look of, then I would buy lights that were easy to remove during the day.

At night no-one is likely to see what they look like and my primary concern is for their effectiveness.

I think this is a great idea. Mainstream bike design hasn't changed much in many decades and, as shown by the popularity of this forum and retro bikes in general, much of the design was got right quite some time ago. In contrast, as monty dog said, up until a few years ago bike lights were crap. I reckon that the advent of LED lights is the greatest advance in practical biking in my lifetime.

I think you have two potential markets here:

1 - People riding properly vintage bikes who want something that looks absolutely authentic but has good quality modern electronics, optics and sealing. I think you'll have to go back quite a way to before the bulky plastic units from the 80's to see anything attractive. Something like this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-1970s ... 3cc6306d32



2 - People riding modern, but "pretty" bikes like Pashleysand dutch bikes. They might well be interested in lights as described above in (1), but they may also be intested in something less authentic and bulky but still classy-looking. Maybe like this. You could offer a range of finishes: chrome, stainless, gloss or matt powdercoated to match the bike.

Some design ideas (brainstorming here):

Make the light rugged and weatherproof enough to be left on the bike when parked.

Make the light have an extra function when on the bike (compass, inclinometer, horn, key-holder) or off the bike (torch - obviously!, key ring, , personal alarm, backup power source for mobile phone etc.)


To answer your questions, yes I do use lights (Cateye, total value about £60). Retro lights would have to perform at least as well in all areas (brightness, reliability, sealing, looks and cost) for me to buy them, since function and value are more important to me than appearance.

1958 Constellation with period Ever Ready battery lamps, kept in situ all the time.



1970s Pifco big chrome light on my 1964 Flyer




A 12v Miller dymano and Cateye LED on my 1970 Corsa




Miller 6v dynamo on my 1975 Corsa






Miller 6v dynamo with twin bulb front lamp on my 1972 Continental






Pifco...




The only lights you need for a Chopper!

Hi Leo - very interesting project!

I only own vintage bicycles (mine are all from the 1980's and are all lightweight racing bikes) and would be very interested to see what can be done with modern technology in classic designs.

I view lights as an essential addition to my bike and would not consider riding in the dark without them. I live in Cambridge, UK, and am amazed by the number of cyclists who ignore the law and are practically invisible in difficult lighting conditions. I think most serious cyclists would place safety and legality ahead of 'ruining' the classic look of their bike.

Last year I bought a set of these: these which are easily bright enough to light the road and verge in pitch black, but they're not the perfect solution because the battery life isn't massively long and I'd like a bit of variation in beam width. The rear light in that set is just a standard LED type thing.

I'm pretty sure that something very handy could be developed by combining the classic dynamo and metal-cased lights as in the pictures above, with the modern Cree-type LEDs. I'm pretty sure that the Cree uses less power than a bulb would and is also far smaller, perhaps allowing you to put some kind of power reserve in the light casing.

With regard to the design for rear lights, I was wondering the other day if it'd be possible to embed LEDs into the classic '80s rear reflector so it'd look original but light up.

@ScillySuffolk - You make a good point.

@flimflam_machine - Thanks! Very helpful to get some brainstorming from outsiders, you cracked open some new material for thought.

@Spokesmann - Superb shots! Can I use some of these photos for my project? Credit where credit is due!

@S1m0nR - Thanks for the feedback. I do think it's possible to embed LEDs into the classic reflectors, with the use of modern tech!

Thanks for helping me out guys!