New Philps light

[HakanC]

Philips have introduced a new battery light:
Philips Activeride

More info here (only in german):
http://www.newscenter.philips.com/d...ips_Activeride_LED_Bikelight_Eurobike2012.wpd

 

[Matt King]

Very much an offroad light looking at the pics.

Saferide gets some updates too (new clamp for starters and it looks like the battery indicator is missing).

 

[Steve K]

The text implies that it can be used for road and off-road by some sort of switched optics:
"Thanks to the new Philips dual-beam optics, the Bike Light switches with just one button on the on-road mode with a 50 lux strong, non-glare illumination of the road up to 50 meters."

or maybe two LEDs in a single set of optics?? Sort of a high/low beam arrangement? Seems like overkill for someone who will just use it on the road (i.e. me), but they also mention an upgraded version of the Saferoad too, which would be better for me.

 

[Matt King]

Philips introduces LED products at the Eurobike 2012

Eurobike, Friedrichshafen - is quite clear: For safe driving on dark roads, the bike lights not be bright enough. More light for any environment Philips introduces therefore of 29 August to 1 September at Eurobike 2012: The new Philips Active Ride LED Flashlight brings all off-road enthusiasts with nine times more light than any standard bicycle lamp safely through the area. It goes back to the streets, the glare on-road mode of Active Ride-light is used. A true specialist in the street, Philips is present in the new Black & White Edition: With a seven-fold greater light output than any standard bicycle light is the Saferide LED Bike Light 80 in the new design one of the brightest, approved for road traffic lights on the market. And so that the bike is clearly visible from the rear, also the new rear light by Philips more light - and in the width: Innovative Light Ring technology provides the LED Rearlight with a visibility of 220 ° for a wider angle of 40 ° light distribution than any standard rear light - and is thus perceived by other road users much earlier!



Bright-road, non-glare on the road: Philips Active Ride LED Flashlight

The new Philips Active Ride LED Flashlight is true off-road enthusiasts back the freedom to go when and where they want. The extremely bright and wide lighting field its high-power LEDs provide with daylight-bright, crystal white light (5,000 K) for excellent orientation in any environment. Every branch and every pothole is up to 70 lux spied (800 lm) at an early stage. With its shock-resistant (IK06), water-and dust-proof (IP64) aluminum housing with rubber protection ring defies the lamp any extreme use. Thanks to the new Philips dual-beam optics, the Bike Light switches with just one button on the on-road mode with a 50 lux strong, non-glare illumination of the road up to 50 meters. For fast, tool-free mounting of the lamp at nearly all handlebars ensures the new 3D handlebar mount, which can be moved to optimize the alignment of the light beam flexible in all directions.



Motorcycle Light Power meets design: Philips Saferide LED Flashlight as a Black & White Edition

Whether classically elegant black or purist, timeless white: With the Philips Saferide LED Flashlight 80 in the new Black & White edition of the Bike Style is in safe hands. The biker, it is anyway: With a tremendous illumination of 80 lux corresponds to the light output of the two LUXEON power LEDs lighting a motorcycle with 125 cc. Obstacles up to 60 meters away can be so clearly and distinctly, without blinding oncoming drivers. If the full lighting power just is not needed, for example because there are plenty of street lights and it is rather a question to be seen well, can be in the City Eco mode, save a lot of energy. The powerful 80-lux illumination is here reduced to 20 lux, doubles battery power for up to eight hours over. The rugged aluminum housing can be with the help of the new 3-axis mount handlebar mounted effortlessly on any handlebar.



Better visibility thanks to new technology Ring Light: Philips LED Rearlight

With the new Philips LED Rearlight in a stylish circular design the bike is now seen from the back much earlier. This is ensured by the innovative Light Ring technology, which distributes the light so that it is easily visible side. The beam angle of the Rearlights is around 220 °. The new tail light is available as a dynamo or a battery version with and without flash function. The dynamo version works with all dynamo. The robust plastic housing and durable high-power LEDs have a maintenance of the rear light superfluous. The Philips LED Rearlight can easily be mounted on all standard bicycles. A flexible clip system allows the most diverse mounting options. An integrated anti-theft protection prevents finally, that the thieves Rearlight just as easy to disassemble.



Philips Active Ride LED Flashlight

• 4 high power LEDs of the latest generation
• crystal white light (5,000 K)
• High performance reflector
• Maximum 70 lux (800lm) mode for use in(off?) road
• Glare 50 lux mode for the road
• Weight: 456g
• Weight Active Ride DB 800 lm: 200g
• Battery pack weight: 256g
• Battery Type: Lithium-ion battery in a flexible sleeve
• Battery capacity: 2200 mAh 11.1 V
• Battery burn time:
- Off-Road mode: up to 2.5 hours
- On-road mode: up to 5 hours
- Safe Ride Home mode: up to 1 hour
• Shockproof, waterproof and dustproof: IP64 and IK06
• 3D handlebar mount
• Aluminum housing with rubber protection ring
• Including saddle bag for safe transport

• Recommended retail price: 219,00 €


Philips LED Rearlight

• High power LED
• Light ring including 220 ° lateral visibility
• As a dynamo or a battery version with and without flash function
• Battery Type: 2 AAA batteries
• Dynamo version works with all Dynamos
• Easy to install with flexible clip system
• Theft protection fixing
• homologation
• Gross Weight: 125g
• Net Weight: 80g
• Dimensions (LxWxH): 60mm x 60mm x 110mm

• Suggested Retail Price: 25,00 Euro


Philips Safe Ride Bike Light 80

• 2 high power LUXEON ® LEDs (80 LUX), the latest generation
• 220 lumens with crystal white light (5500 K)
• 80 lux measured at 10 metres in the light field
• length of the illuminated area: 60 m
• Motorcycle style lighting power: up to 60 meters homogeneous road illumination
• Glare-free light beam
• homologation
• Net Weight: 561g
• Weight: 285g
• Battery type: 4 AA NiMH Battery
• Improved battery burn time (2600 mAh instead of 2450mAh)
Battery burn time:
- High-Power mode: up to 2.5 hours
- City-Eco mode: up to 8 hours
• Water resistant aluminum housing
• New 3-Axis handlebar mount

• Recommended retail price: 119,00 euro

(Highlights by me)

Conceptually I like the new unit - high and low beam would be good - light up the dark bike paths, and dip the beam when someone approaches.
Personally I still like an integrated battery rather than plugs and cables though.
Lux output is lower than the Saferide (which has not changed), but if it has a larger beam spread then it may be more practical.
Interested to see what the battery pack is like (is the "flexible sleeve" waterproof?).
Black lip around the lens will make swhs happy.

The new clamp on both units will be interesting - I don't like the fact it stands taller as this may make vibrations worse. Should be retrofittable though - the mount to the light looks the same as the current version.

 

[HakanC]

There is a, promotional, video of the Philips Activeride on Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQJjSYwHEcQ


/Håkan
SWEDEN

 

[cue003]

Looking forward to learning more about this light.

 

[BVH]

My goodness....Is that Really Cue003 above???

 

[Marcturus]

"Conoco" AR, on full beam,
http://radtouren-magazin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/phillips-hell-8-rt_0612.png

 

[GRAVELBIKE]

"Conoco" AR, on full beam,
http://radtouren-magazin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/phillips-hell-8-rt_0612.png

Wow.

 

[HerbertHamster]

I have looked everywhere for reviews of the Philips Activeride with little success. The price has fallen to just over 150 Euros, so I ordered one from the German Amazon to the UK. I am quite disappointed with the light's performance compared with the Philips Saferide and will be returning to amazon for a refund. Basically, the lamp appears to be a smaller version of the Saferide with an external battery. The reflector and the lamp itself have similar shapes to the Saferide although smaller. The lamp achieves the mainbeam/dipped beam function by having a second pair of leds set directly behind the front pair. The front pair alone form the dipped beam for riding on road (similar to the Saferide), and both pairs together form the broad beam for off-road. However, the optics are compromised: the beam cutoff for on-road is nowhere near as sharp as the Saferide - the light is not as evenly spread and is no brighter. Even aligning the beam to illuminate objects at 10 metres distance causes a lot of glare compared with the Saferide. On off-road main beam setting, the light is OK but not fantastic - you can get equal lights for a quarter the price on amazon.

I have a Philips Saferide that I have modified with a 1000 mA buckpuck and external battery, and it is far superior to the Activeride - the dipped road illumination is brighter, crisper and with less glare to oncoming traffic.

There seems to be no all-in-one solution for a good bike light that combines both main and dipped beam. I do a lot of night riding on country roads, which like the rest of UK infrastructure seem to be crumbling with potholes everywhere. Best combination I have found is a modified Saferide that I have on all the time as a dipped beam, combined with a homemade 1000 lumen flood that I can switch off for oncoming traffic. I was hoping that the Activeride could replace this in a single unit with decent Li-ion battery, but this is not the case. The Activeride is overpriced for what it does, and I recommend people stick with the Saferide. I'll try and stick some beam shots up before I send it back.

The box says 400 lumen dipped, 800 lumen main beam, but I am sceptical. My modified Saferide must be less than 400 lumens but puts out much more light than the Activeride on its road setting. Battery is referred to as 10.4V 6.6 Ah on instruction sheet. Light itself says power consumption 12.8V, 0.7A. Instructions very basic and specify ~2 h runtime for high-power off road, ~8 h low-power off road, ~4 h on road. Single button cycles between the 3 modes, hold in to turn off. Illuminated ring around button indicates power remaining: green full, yellow 50%, red 25%. Comes with encapsulated 4 cell battery and saddlebag for storage of whole system. Extension cable permits mounting battery on seat tube. Has ball-and-socket handlebar mount. Waterproof to IP63. 3-pin rubber connectors secured with threaded cap. Light itself has aluminium case but is considerably lighter and less clunky than the Saferide.

Everything about the light feels good - it is reasonably sized, well made, decent battery. However, the optics are rubbish and light output not good enough. For the same money, better getting a Saferide and a cheap high power flood.

 

[Derek Dean]

Howdy HerberHamster and welcome to CPF!
Thanks for your thoughts about this new addition to the Philips lineup. I've been keeping my eyes open for a good all-purpose bike light, but it sounds like that isn't it.

 

[pdw]

Thanks for taking the time to post a review. Sounds like you've got pretty much the exactly the same requirements as me, and currently pretty much the same solution.

I've got a Saferide running at 1A, and a triple XML running at 1.5A for full beam, with a switch integrated into my brake lever to switch the full beam on and off. The only thing that I'd like to improve - apart from the convenience of a single unit - would be the ability to dim the dipped beam when the full beam is on as currently the road ends up a bit washed out with full beam on, but I can't see an easy way to do that.

 

[HerbertHamster]

Thanks for the welcome.

Derek, yes, very frustrating. There are so many powerful lights out there but most of them have rubbish optics. I had high hopes after the Philips Saferide. The price for the Activeride seems to have dropped by 50 Euros recently, so maybe they are not selling. There are two bike magazine reviews referenced from the Philips website that rate the light highly, but I just do not agree. The light is expensive but if it had a road beam as good as the Saferide combined with a decent flood beam, I would buy it. The build quality is good and obviously a lot of design went into it, but they screwed up on the optics.

pdw: I think I saw your modified Philips Saferide on here somewhere? Your triple XML sounds just the ticket. Is that a custom job? I have been looking for something similar of decent quality. The DiNotte XML-3 lights look good but are fairly pricey, and I would also get badly stung with import charges to the UK.

Just back from a ride tonight and many riders have cheap XML lamps from ebay. Terrible glare and can only guess what it is like for oncoming motorists when confronted with 20 of these lamps pointed in their faces. The worst is one guy on a recumbent who has his lamp mounted low and pointing straight forwards - when you see him coming, it is like an alien spacecraft coming in to land. One of the riders has £500 worth of lights on her handlebars - you could light a cigar off them they are so bright, and even with them pointed downwards they generate a huge amount of glare.

Discovered the NLTEK Helios projector light a few days ago, which has projector optics but the only beam shot I could find showed diffuse cutoff and too much light near to the bike. So, still not alternative to the Philips that I can find.

 

[pdw]

Yeah - the XM-L is a converted Lumicycle halogen with a b2flex driver. It's a spot optic, but it's still pretty floody, but I think that's always going to be the case with an XM-L and this type of optic. Some photos below - the remote switch is bodged into where a Flightdeck button would go on the STI lever, and then wired under the bar tape. I think it's about 1700 lumens according to the data sheet, and pointed pretty much horizontally so would be pretty anti-social without the button to dim it, but it's very nice when you can use it on full beam.

I'd not see the NLTEK. It does seem that there very little choice when it comes to decent road beam patterns.

 

[HerbertHamster]

That is a really nice looking setup. I like the power button on your levers - does that use a flightdeck bracket to mount to the STI lever? I have campag, which used to have a similar ergobrain computer but is now discontinued. I'm sure I could find a way to add a button though.

Also, your Saferide mod is a really neat job. I used a luxdrive buckpuck for my mod - not as sophisticated as the b2flex but cheaper and available in the UK. It also doesn't have voltage monitoring, so in the process of making a led bargraph. I have also replaced the original handlebar mount, which was unstable and wobbled, with a Hope bracket from Chain Reaction Cycles.

Currently have an external NiMH battery pack that I put together years ago but weighs 500g, so looking at getting a lipo to replace it.

NLTEK are here:

http://www.nltek.co.kr/product/mtb_lights.html?pcode=01

Only beam review I could find:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxncrIcvW7o

Not sure whether they have full projector optics are just an aspheric on the front.

 

[pdw]

Thanks, Herbert. It's not a real flightdeck bracket - it's just the blanking plate that comes as standard with a minature switch bodged into it so that it sits directly behind the nipple on the hood. I did look at getting hold of a proper flightdeck button, but they were silly money. I'm glad I didn't given how well this setup works.

It's not clear from the pics, but the Saferide is also sitting on a Cateye mount, as I too found the standard mount a bit hard to secure. It's also much easier to remove the light with one hand with the Cateye mounts.

An LED bar graph for battery would be pretty cool.

 

[HerbertHamster]

I have a Philips Lumiring rear light too, and this is just the same: great design with really good visibility but wobbly bracket. In fact, it fell off a couple of times and I had to jam it on the backet with a piece of innertube rubber just like the front light.

This guy has a really good tutorial on designing a bargraph voltage monitor:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIKGvHjDQHs