Bicycle headlight, taillight for homeless person?

I want to buy a bicycle taillight and headlight for a homeless man who rides a bike near my commuter train stop in Washington, DC. He saw my powerful flashlight and said, "That's what I need." I don't know when I'll see him again, but I want to be ready.

Now before you call me generous, you should know that I give maybe 2 percent of my income to charity--a far cry from what I "should" be giving. I like helping homeless people directly, cutting out the middle man.

The taillight choice is easy. The brightest nonrechargeable out there is a $25 Cateye that has 10 LEDs that can be used in steady mode. It runs on 2 AA cells. Users say it can be noticed in broad daylight.

The headlight choice is more difficult. How can I ensure that he'll have battery power months from now? Do I give him...

• ... a $50 4AA Luxeon headlight with plenty of spare AA cells?
• ... a $50 4AA Luxeon headlight with 4 or 8 AA NiMH cells and an AC charger (to use in the train station)?
• ...a $50 10W (6V) Nite Hawk halogen headlight (from Bike Nashbar) with a lead-acid battery that mounts in a water bottle cage, connects by wires, and charges via AC power?

The Luxeon light, but Cateye, is said to rival 10W halogens. Sorry I'm at work and don't have the links handy; I'll try to add them later.

The Luxeons have the advantage of being more durable. I'd be concerned that if the halogen headlight broke, he'd never get another.

My thinking is: Get the taillight now, and when I give it to him, ask him what kind of headlight he prefers.

Comments welcome.

Whatever you get should be easy to remove from the bike so he can put it in his bag or pocket when he has to leave the bike unattended.

Paul,
The Cateye rear flasher is a great choice! I have one of those and it is quite blinding when all the lights are power up.

As far as bicycle headlights go, I found one that is inexpensive, made out of metal, decently regulated and runs 3.5 hours on 2AA batteries. I picked up the Aurora 2AA with "1.5 watt Jupiter" LED that runs through a convex optic. It is listed on flashlightreviews.com and you can see the distinctive blue rimmed spot it throws. I went for it because I figured the bluish spot would cut through the yellow street lights and would look "HIDish" when turned on. Ordered 4 of them and mounted them to my wife and kids bikes.

Fired them up and they gave a blue rimmed spot as viewed on the review sites and it has some serious throw as can be expected. I was riding around on my bicycle and spotted my wife 3 blocks (0.7 KM) riding her bike due to that brilliant bluish light. We get comments all the time saying how piercing that "light" is and know who it is long before they ever pass us.

All of the Aurora Jupiter 2AA lights run on NiMH batteries and they give over 3 hours of runtime. I think the same thing is sold at Target for around $20 or so but I am not sure (no Targets around were I live) Get one of those grip block things that hold minimags so the guy can take the flashlight with him. Always nice to be able to detach it so he can use it for other needs and keep it with him.

If it is pitch black outside, the light is good for 15 MPH (25KPH)

The taillight choice is easy. The brightest nonrechargeable out there is a $25 Cateye that has 10 LEDs that can be used in steady mode. It runs on 2 AA cells. Users say it can be noticed in broad daylight.

Click to expand...

If its the EL-1000 (as it sounds like) then I wholeheartedly agree - I bought one myself last week and I am very, VERY impressed with it (of course its $45 over here in the UK even on ebay :sweat on my daily commute.

An intriguing idea, BentheadTX. Are you recommending the Aurora 2AA Jupiter flashlight? Or is there a specific bike light version? It sounds as though you mean the flashlight, since you mention the flashlight holder.

Interesting points about making the light easy to remove. I was thinking the more securely attached, the better. If theft is a concern, I think I need to get a light with built-in cells, not one with a bottle-mounted battery.

Yes, the 10-LED Cateye ending in -1000 is the taillight that I meant.

So, pending other comments, the headlight is now between the 4AA Cateye Luxeon (whatever it's called) and the 2AA Aurora Jupiter. I'm still unsure what to do about charger vs. primaries. If he loses the charger, or if someone in the train station takes it while he's away, he's stuck--but at least he can buy more primaries (one hopes).

I would think that low power and long battery life are what you want here, unless the guy is diligent enough to charge or buy batteries regularly. For a tail light, you don't need something blinding. A few blinking red LEDs are quite visible and have great battery life. For a headlight, a cluster of white 5-mm LEDs would probably be more efficient and have longer battery life than a Luxeon, especially if they're the brighter variety (e.g. LOV 35,000 mcd). There are some inexpensive 3 x AA multi-LED bicycle lights on eBay.

If you want higher power headlight, I agree that a 2 x AA light and a TwoFish LockBlock are the way to go. You'd definitely want to remove the light from the bike when you leave the bike unattended. The Aurora Jupiter is o.k. if you like a spot, though it's not particularly efficient. The Costco 2AA is more efficient. The Smartfire 2AA is brighter, at the expense of battery life and requiring NiMH.

If you think the guy is diligent enough to charge batteries and he has regular access to power, then you could get him a battery charger. You'd want something very fast or very small, since he doesn't have the luxury of leaving the charger unattended at home. The Energizer 15-minute charger is the fastest, of course, though a bit large due to its external power supply. Amondotech and Emilion have several small & fast chargers. (fold-in plug, charge two batteries in ~2 hours)

A solar charger is another option. You could have a solar panel on the outside of a backpack that charges batteries all the time. These tend to be low power, and could probably only charge a pair of batteries halfway in a day. If you went this route, you'd want two sets of batteries so that one set could always be charging.

There are also bicycle dynamo lights, but I don't know anything about those!

That is very nice of you PIM, however I would buy him something very inexpensive.

It is sad to say, maybe not in his case but 7/10 homless will either sell it or trade it for booze and or drugs.

How about the riv Rock headlamp?? Plenty bright, $15...

Again, do what you want, but be forwarned.

The reason I say it, one time I gave a homless person that i saw alot a $80 sleeping bag, the next day when I went by his camp he had 2 liters of vodka and no sleeping bag.....

-PSM

The headlamp idea sounds excellent.
Makes the whole concept much more versatile;
no to mention portable.

Tell the fellow to look you up when he needs new
batteries. That way, the contact can continue.
Who knows, you might find out other ways to help;
or you might find he's someone you'd like to know.

I have an old Cateye blinking taillight on my bike and the thing hasn't needed a batt change forever. I'd get him something like that first and see if he's still using it in a month, THEN get him a headlight if he's still got the taillight.

Of course, you could go nuts and get him one of those SureFire Wine-O-Lights...

Regarding headlights. Something with LONG life that blinks. The blinking will extend life even farther and make him more visible which should be the primary goal considering he seems to be getting around OK now. Something regulated would be keen because it could do well on cheapo batteries. Preferably AA.

Eternalight with bracket?

Minimag with Newbeam? 10 hrs on a set, but no blink. There is got to be some sort of bracket for "normal" lights.

Maybe a Fun Source 360 Pro LED Safety Light in white? Only downside is it takes AAA batteries.

Oh, how about a reflective vest?

Seems like there are a lot of options.

One thing to keep in mind is the battery charger is going to have a transformer. That and the batteries are pretty heavy. If you have to lug it around (and the bulk), it seems less than optimal.

-john

The first thing I would do is get a large quantity of good reflective tape (scotch-lite, etc) and help him properly affix it to as much of the bike's surface as possible. The stuff is remakably effective and will provide a good improvement in safety for a long time and won't falter if he can't procure batteries for whatever reason. If you want to go further with lights that's great but I'd lay down that primary protection first. I do the same on my own bike.

For lights, I'd agree runtime is key in this situation. That rules out "to see with" lights in favor of "being seen" lights. Blinking LEDs will get the most bang for the buck here.

@Paul_in_Maryland
At the very first a B I G THANK YOU for concerning and thinking about other people, especially those poor one`s who are in such a trouble!!!
(You n e v e r know what will happen to us in the future!?)
And it I S generous, to spend any money (or at least to care about) to those who are in need!!!
Back to your question:
As PoliceScannerMan mentioned already. Sadly it`s a fact, that those people often sell everything of any worth, they own. That`s why it`s better, not to get him rechargeables and a charger or expensive lights. The next point is, if the rear light is attached properly to his bike (and doesn`t look very expensive) it`s not that easy to be stolen, as he often might forget to remove it, when he leaves his bike alone. The headlight should be a light like the Fenix, attached with a clamp. In this case, he has a useful flashlight, for the most of his needs. And easy to get batteries for.
Thanks for your encouragement, again!!!

Wolfgang

Paul,
I have a Luxeon headlamp that runs on 3AAA. It clamps onto the handlebars, and has a very easy release mechanism when you need to take it off the bike and use it as a portable light source.
It is basically a converted 1 Watt Headlamp, but works great and we are selling them in Europe.
Email me your address, and I will send you one along with some batteries.
[email protected]

I actually just applied orange, yellow, and white strips of 3M Diamond--grade reflective tape to my commuter bag. This is industrial tape 3M sells for road signs. It doesn't adhere well to my porous canvas bag, but it should work fine on the guy's bike. I've been carrying leftover strips in my bag for the next time I see him.

AAA lights are out; too little capacity.

I've asked Cateye whether I can use L91 lithium cells in their 4AA Luxeon headlight. They replied basically, "No, don't use them" without explaining why. I wrote back, in effect, "Look, Luxeon LEDs are routinely overdriven. What, exactly, will happen? Will lithiums reduce the lifespan from 10,000 hours to 1,000? The LED will probably outlive the homeless guy anyway." I'll report their follow-up reply, if they send one.

I agree with the writer who advised to start with a taillight and see if he still has it the next time I see him.

I also agree that rechargeables are not a good idea and that longevity is important. I don't think he'd be "happy" with a blinking front light, and I can't say I'd blame him. A 2AA flashlight or 2AA bike light sounds like a good compromise between brightness and AA consumption.

I've checked out the clamp system recommended here. I dunno: It looks as though the flashlight would wobble around. I'd prefer a rigid clamp that uses a rubber-coated cam to lock down the flashlight.

Thanks to all. I'll keep you posted.

Vee3 said:

I have an old Cateye blinking taillight on my bike and the thing hasn't needed a batt change forever. I'd get him something like that first and see if he's still using it in a month, THEN get him a headlight if he's still got the taillight.

Click to expand...

I've taken your advice: I just ordered a CatEye LD1000 taillight, no headlight. I'll update you all after the handoff. I haven't seen this guy since the first time, about two weeks ago, but I'm prepared to keep the tailight in my bag indefinitely.

John N wrote:
Oh, how about a reflective vest?

The day I met this homeless cyclist, I gave him my solar yellow fluorescent legbands. I've just ordered several pairs of Canadian-made Super Bright ankle bands and wrist bands from Super Bright's distributor, Sunvis Safety of Toronto. These bands are the best I've found, offering terrific visibility and fit, day or night. A pair of the ankle bands (AB40FY) goes for $13.55 (Medium and Large) and $15.36 (XL and 2XL); a pair of the wristbands (WB49BY) goes for $12.63 (Medium) and $13.55 (L, XL, and 2XL). Shipping to the USA is $8.14 (corrected from $5.23). There doesn't seem to be a way yet to order online; I just handled it by email, after receiving a price quote.

Paul,
I would like to applaud you on your concerns about the homeless man.
Not many would give a second thought to such a person .
You have spend a lot of time in trying to help him. Great to know that.
Let me know if ther is any way I can help.

How about a dynamo powered headlight/taillight system. That gets rid of the need to buy batteries AND the need to recharge them from AC power. I don't know if any of them are easy to remove, though.

You know, PaulR, that makes a lot of sense for this unique situation: a user who cannot be assured of receiving replacement batteries. True, a dynamo light won't be as bright, but it beats having a battery-operated light and no batteries. I'll look into it.

(added OK, What do you guys think of this? A dynamo light that uses 4AA NiMH cells to store energy and light your way when your bike is stopped!

It's made by Eco-Lumination .

The product's home page.

Check out the Installation and User Guide.

It's sold on eBay under the title, "Bike/ Bicycle Dynamo lights that stay lit when you stop!"

My main concerns would be that the maker cautions that after 1 year, the NiMH cells may need replacing; and that if the cells become too discharged, they must be charged by a mains charger (AC or 12V DC). Do these limitations kill the idea?

Whatever you get for him, think inexpensive. Not to be cheap or anything, it's just that homeless people tend to "lose" things (Sell or trade them when they need something else, have them stolen by their fellow homeless folks, etc.). It's just part of the way they have to live.

It's good that you are thinking of this guy's safety, but think about what YOU might do with a valuable light if you were in his shoes and needed a buck (They always do). The less valuable the light, the less chance he will lose it and the more chance that he will actually get some real use out of it for what you intend.