Creo Light Splitter Upgrade for Front Light

[Shuji]

Has anyone upgraded with a light splitter? Can you share your experience? Any recommendation for the front light?
Quote from the CREO User’s Manual　　"Through your Authorized Specialized Retailer, your Creo SL can be upgraded with a light splitter cable that adds connections for front and rear lights (Service Part Number: S196800022 ). It connects to the TCU inside the top tube and provides the following output data: 12V only, 8W / 650 mA max. Note that your Creo frame a... もっと見る

 

[ActionJackson]

Has anyone upgraded with a light splitter? Can you share your experience? Any recommendation for the front light?
Quote from the CREO User’s Manual　　"Through your Authorized Specialized Retailer, your Creo SL can be upgraded with a light splitter cable that adds connections for front and rear lights (Service Part Number: S196800022 ). It connects to the TCU inside the top tube and provides the following output data: 12V only, 8W / 650 mA max. Note that your Creo frame a... もっと見る

こんにちは、はじめまして
That’s the same specification for the installed lighting on the Turbo Vado SL 5.0 EQ. 650ma isn’t a lot of power actually, that’s also max for both front and rear connectors. I doubt that it is fused at that spec - probably 800ma or 1A. Perhaps no fuse at all. In any case have a look at the lights for the Turbo Vado SL 5 EQ

Headlight	Lezyne Ebike Power STVZO E115, 310Lumens, 12V
Taillight	Lezyne Ebike Rear Fender STVZO, 11Lumens, 12V

Actually pretty underwhelming. I am looking for real lights for mine now. Surely battery powered at that.

 

[jodi2]

We installed the new Buscher&Müller IQ-X E on my wife's Vado SL ST 4.0: https://www.bumm.de/de/produkte/e-bike-scheinwerfer/parent/164/produkt/164r60ts7-01.html?
The light is impressive and watts fit perfectly for the Sl drive with 7.5W.
The standard price is quite pricy, but it's sold here in Germany in the www for half of it, which is really worth the money. But I guess the price may be less interesting in other countries.

Shuji, have you lokked inside your upper tube, if there may be already this splitter? I think I read somewhere, that it's already in the Creo, but maybe I'm wrong or just in some models or countries.

 

[Art Deco]

I don't read German, but the photo you linked to looks like a lot more light than my stock Como headlight. What is the '150 lux' from that link?

 

[jodi2]

The producer has a good and quite objective photo comparison of the different lux power below on the page. The Vado 4.0 has a 65 lux light, the 5.0 a 115 lux light.
But we did never use the standard 65 lux lezyne light, we changed it immediately as we wanted the light at the fork, not at the handle bar.

here in English:

IQ-X E - Busch + Müller EN

www.bumm.de

 

[Art Deco]

The producer has a good and quite objective photo comparison of the different lux power below on the page. The Vado 4.0 has a 65 lux light, the 5.0 a 115 lux light.
But we did never use the standard 65 lux lezyne light, we changed it immediately as we wanted the light at the fork, not at the handle bar.

here in English:

IQ-X E - Busch + Müller EN

www.bumm.de

Thanks.

 

[kahn]

I don't read German, but the photo you linked to looks like a lot more light than my stock Como headlight. What is the '150 lux' from that link?

In the upper right hand corner you can select English! About $180.

 

[Art Deco]

In the upper right hand corner you can select English! About $180.

Yeah, i figured that out, unfortunately.

 

[kahn]

Yeah, i figured that out, unfortunately.

I asked Alexa for the conversion. (I ask Alexa for a number of metric/imperial conversions as well as air quality and lately humidity (g))

It looks like a really nice light but, frankly, I have probably no need for a light like that as I don't really ride at night. I remember years ago for my 17 mile commute, it would be twilighty or dusk-like in the mornings in Oct and I would use a light system but I did not commute during Winter here in Seattle. Too wet for 17 miles each way.

The other thing, I'm not sure if the Creo has connections for any lighting system????

 

[Art Deco]

I have no intention of riding at night, but the stock light isn't good enough for even a railtrail tunnel. So I bought a cheap rechargeable that's only good enough for a few miles. It's all I need, but I'd rather it used the bikes battery. But not $180 .

 

[kahn]

I have no intention of riding at night, but the stock light isn't good enough for even a railtrail tunnel. So I bought a cheap rechargeable that's only good enough for a few miles. It's all I need, but I'd rather it used the bikes battery. But not $180 .

Oh, nice. Maybe I could justify it for riding the the two mile long old railroad tunnel here at Snoqualmie Pass (I need an excuse, right!) Just when you think it is never going to end, it is never going to end. Then you have to go back.

railroad tunnel here at Snoqualmie Pass at DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.

duckduckgo.com

Palouse to Cascades Trail - The Tunnel

Washington State has a plethora of amazingly beautiful trails for the avid hiker to tread, but how many take you through an old train tunnel more than two miles long? The Snoqualmie Tunnel is part of the 250-mile Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail (formerly the John Wayne Trail and Iron Horse...

www.wta.org

 

[Art Deco]

Oh, nice. Maybe I could justify it for riding the the two mile long old railroad tunnel here at Snoqualmie Pass (I need an excuse, right!) Just when you think it is never going to end, it is never going to end. Then you have to go back.
SNIP

The stock light on my bike would not be any improvement on a BIC lighter in there. And I don't even drive at night if I don't have to. My old eyes play tricks.

 

[ActionJackson]

My road & river trail biker friend recommended as a minimum a really nice Chinese “Olght” brand light with 1500 lumens and vertically wide beam. About $75 USD. I’ll probably be getting that on my next Amazon order.

He also pointed out the obvious - maybe I don’t think I need a strong light, but one day when I get a flat, and nightfall comes quickly, I can remove the battery powered light and try to fix the flat plus ride/walk home safely afterwards.

 

[Art Deco]

@kahn
That reply didn't work.... Snipped when I should have Snapped or something.
Anyway my stock headlight would be about as useful as a BIC lighter in there.
One of the times I dropped a motorcycle was entering a covered bridge, wearing sunglasses on a bright day. That bridge had a pair of 6 inch high raised wood platforms (for buggy wheels I guess. ) that I couldn't see at all until I fell into the space between them. No damage, but being able to see well is strangely important to me ever since.

 

[ActionJackson]

One of the times I dropped a motorcycle was entering a covered bridge,

Were you chasing a farmer’s wife ?

 

[kahn]

I guess an issue is what does my American Aluminum Creo offer in either connections or power. From some of the pictures of the tunnel, it may now be paved but I don't know. When I did it years ago, the surface was quite irregular and there were some deeper puddles and water dripping from the ceiling and sides. In one place a small stream with waterfall fell inside it.

 

[Art Deco]

Were you chasing a farmer’s wife ?

Farmer's daughter .She was riding behind me. Oops.

 

[Art Deco]

I guess an issue is what does my American Aluminum Creo offer in either connections or power. From some of the pictures of the tunnel, it may now be paved but I don't know. When I did it years ago, the surface was quite irregular and there were some deeper puddles and water dripping from the ceiling and sides. In one place a small stream with waterfall fell inside it.

I'd probably still pack a serious flashlight, at least. Think about a flat or a dropped chain in the dark. Once a tunnel is abandoned, the Rail Road companies don't maintain it.

 

[jodi2]

My road & river trail biker friend recommended as a minimum a really nice Chinese “Olght” brand light with 1500 lumens and vertically wide beam. About $75 USD. I’ll probably be getting that on my next Amazon order.

I don't see the point for the price neither for lumens. I already wrote that the price on the producers website is list price and that its sold for a little bit more than half of it, about $80.
And lumen and lux is not the same, 1500 lumen is not 10 times 150 lux. And both values have their flaws, many lux in one small spot doesn't help much for offroad/MTB rides and 1500 lumens everywhere puts most of the light anywhere but not on the road but blinds everyone.

Maybe I should have mentioned, that Germans love good bicycle lights and are willing to pay a lot of money for it. ;-) Many people here use there bicycles for commuting, to cycle to work every day and at all times. And there you need good light at least in winter from October to March. Also the rules for front lights for roads/traffic are quite strong that they have to be dimmed/cut of the upper half for not blinding others. This makes sense on the road/with traffic and there it does not decrease the use of light as it may do offroad.

Just for leisure rides in daylight for a tunnel or fading light once a month I also wouldn't need a permanent front light. I also use a "road flashlight" from the same brand with 50 lux and the upper half cut off on the Creo. About the same "class" or amount of light than the front light on the Vado SL 4.0. But you were the one who asked for a more powerful front light... Even if I don't see the need that big for only rare use and short passages, where the standard Vado SL light is quite fine. It's not enough for racing all night long with 28mph in the dark, but 3 minutes tunnel per month with 16mph is quite relaxing.

 

[ActionJackson]

I guess an issue is what does my American Aluminum Creo offer in either connections or power. From some of the pictures of the tunnel, it may now be paved but I don't know. When I did it years ago, the surface was quite irregular and there were some deeper puddles and water dripping from the ceiling and sides. In one place a small stream with waterfall fell inside it.

From the guys original post it seems you can get 12V only, 8W / 650 mA max with the optional splitter cable. So probably $50 parts and $100 labor I’d reckon, perhaps more if they have to pull the battery and motor to route the cable internally. Personally I think 650ma is spit in the wind for lighting power. So much draft plans for my Vado SL when it arrives are to permanently convert the installed 12v lights to flashing and attach a more powerful rechargeable and detachable for illuminating the roadway.