Busch and Muller IX-Q Nighttime Photos

The roads were dry tonight, so I was able to take the new IQ-X light out for a nighttime test ride.

My first impression was something like, "Holy s***, this thing is bright!" Based on a purely subjective comparison with the Edelux, Edelux II, and Luxos lights I have on several other bikes, the IQ-X is far brighter. It also throws a more even and consistent pattern of light on the roadway, with only minor variations across the swath of illumination it lays on the road.

The light is very well focused, with a definite cutoff that prevents the light from shining up into the eyes of oncoming vehicles. The photos below tell the story:

Adjusted for maximum throw. The far edge is about 150 feet down the road.

The cutoff is clearly visible here in the railings on the side--the IQ-X is lighting up just the very bottom of the railings, with almost no light spillage upward.

I like to run my lights adjusted to point as far down the road as they will go--I do this by pointing them up until the far edge starts to blur and get dim. With the IQ-X, that far edge is about half again as far away as with an Edelux or Edelux II, and the swath of light between that edge and the front of the bike is much more even. As shown in the photo at the top, there is only one small area in the middle of the illuminated area that's a little dimmer than the rest.

One minor quibble: When making a turn, the tilt of the bike makes the pattern change, drawing it in a bit on the side you're turning toward and creating a less "throw" in that direction. It's not a big deal (I use a helmet-mounted light to look around turns), but it would be great if the optics could be changed to reduce or eliminate this effect.

That minor quibble aside, this is an amazing bright light. So bright, in fact, that I was sure several times that a car behind me was lighting up the road with its headlights, only to check and see that there was no car there.

The IQ-X is available in the USA at www.peterwhitecycles.com and www.clevercycles.com  (Disclosure: I paid full retail price for my light from Clever Cycles.)

Reflecting on Reflectivity

Updated 1-6-14 with a new nighttime photo.

We here at Campy Only are great believers in the value of reflective gear for our bikes. We put in a lot of miles after dark, both training for and riding in randonneuring events, and we've found a few inexpensive items that will help make your bike more visible at night.

The first are self-adhesive reflective decals that go on your rim around each spoke. The ones we use are called "Spokees," available online from www.funreflector.com They're available in several shapes and colors, including a "stealth" black that isn't quite as reflective but blends in well with black anodized rims.

Here's a photo of a diamond-shaped Spokee on one of our bikes:

Spokees come 12 to a pack for $4.95, with free shipping. I put them about every 3rd or 4th spoke; two packs will outfit most bikes.

Magnic Light Nighttime Demo: A Campy Only Video

We'll have a detailed written review up soon ... for now, here's some nighttime video of Magnic Lights in action aboard one of the Campy Only test bikes.



Click here to see the video on YouTube