3 ms·

That comparison tool illustrates the problem. Look at the beam from the ~150UKP Cateye or Niterider (not cheap lights), see how the man standing ~10m away is p

That comparison tool illustrates the problem. Look at the beam from the ~150UKP Cateye or Niterider (not cheap lights), see how the man standing ~10m away is perfectly lit up, bright as day? That means he's got the full beam in his eyes. As would an incoming cyclist or motorist Compare to the B&M IXON series beam, see how even 45 meters away, the beam cutoff is so sharp that someone standing down there would have their head above the beam cutoff. https://www.bumm.de/en/products/dynamo-scheinwerfer/produkt/1752qtsndi.html https://www.bumm.de/en/products/dynamo-scheinwerfer/produkt/... The main LED points backwards on those lights so not only do they have better control over beam pattern, but there's no incidental light coming direct from the LED -- the entire beam leaving the light is shaped by the reflector.

giobox 8y ago
The man In question is wearing a high visibility reflective jacket almost directly in front of the bike, it’s little surprise the vast majority of bike lights will cause this to illuminate. I still think this is a much more effective tool to pick a bike light than a still relatively niche German regulation. It’s not perfect either, but it’s the least worst approach I’ve seen.
- Johnny555 8y ago
  His face is fully illuminated: https://lights.road.cc/beams/201817.jpg https://lights.road.cc/beams/201817.jpg Which means the main beam is shining in his eyes. The point of buying a StVZO light is not that it meets some arbitrary regulation, it's that such lights are certified to have a sharp beam cutoff that can be aimed to avoid unnecessary glare in oncoming cyclist eyes. https://pwoptics.weebly.com/model-2025.html https://pwoptics.weebly.com/model-2025.html