Headlights - Any compatible wire-in options available?

[Wilco]

I'm drowning in an ocean of bike headlights for sale on the internet, and am wondering if there are a few that could somehow be wired in to the 36 volt battery? I think there was an OEM option on some models, not sure if that can be purchased separately and bolted on (or if it is even any good). Has anyone already gone down this path? Any advice?

 

[Brian(J)]

Hi Wilco,

The guys at Peter White Cycles have a Busch & Muller dynamo light that you could wire in. Not the most affordable option but great looking and high quality.

 

[Aushiker]

Another option is to put a DC-DC converter in place between the battery and the light. For example I have a Grin Technologies DC-DC converter to bring the voltage down to 6V which will allow me (fingers crossed) to run a Busch & Muller Lumotec IQ2 on my bike.



The Grin DC-DC converts are not cheap but they are nicely made (solid block with wiring and are nice and small). There are other options around the place, such as this one from EM3EV.com if you are happy to do the wiring yourself.

Andrew

 

[Chris Nolte]

In order to run lights on the Easy Motion bikes you need a light kit from Easy Motion, it runs $50 retail. It's essentially a step down converter which takes the 36V and steps it down to the 6V you need to run lights. Certain lights, including one of the Supernova models can accept a variety of different voltages, but 6V is more common. Keep in mind this is DC, so you need to run a light that accepts it, as most dynamo lights are AC. There are three headlights we work with, 2 Supernova and 1 Busch and Müller. Currently they are all sold out at both of our distributors, but we have a bunch on order.

Note: Do not run Dynamo lights off your DC power, they might work for a time, but eventually they'll burn out. Dynamo lights are made for AC power and should only run on AC. We are working on putting an inline inverter, which is a bit silly since the light is converting the AC to DC, but we've done weirder things to customize bikes. I'm not an electrical wiz, but I have been experimenting a lot with lights over the last year and I hope my experience is helpful.

 

[Aushiker]

Note: Do not run Dynamo lights off your DC power, they might work for a time, but eventually they'll burn out. Dynamo lights are made for AC power and should only run on AC. We are working on putting an inline inverter, which is a bit silly since the light is converting the AC to DC, but we've done weirder things to customize bikes. I'm not an electrical wiz, but I have been experimenting a lot with lights over the last year and I hope my experience is helpful.

Thanks for the heads-up ... I hadn't considered that and was planning to wire my Busch & Muller Lumotec IQ2 to the DC-DC converter. Do you have any details on your inline inverter?

BTW Chris are the Supernova lights you are using the Supernova E-3 V6 and V1260? I see they also have a Mini out now as well.

Andrew

 

[Chris Nolte]

I have been using the V6, the mini looks cool, but I haven't tested them yet. All the lights are a bit tough to get a hold of stateside. I am probably going to start importing them. I am a big fan of the Lumotec IQ, I'll keep you posted on the inverter, I'm waiting for it from China.

 

[Aushiker]

I have been using the V6, the mini looks cool, but I haven't tested them yet. All the lights are a bit tough to get a hold of stateside. I am probably going to start importing them. I am a big fan of the Lumotec IQ, I'll keep you posted on the inverter, I'm waiting for it from China.

Thanks. From a retail perspective they can be easily purchased from Bike24 in Germany but don't know what the distribution setup is like in the US. Is this Peter White's domain? I vaguely recall reading somewhere which I cannot find now that the Busch & Mueller 179E is only being sold as an OEM light.

Bike24 also sell the Philips "pedelec" lights but I understand that Philips are getting out of bike lights so not sure if buying one of them is a smart move or not. They are certainly cheaper but.

In the Supernova range at a "SUPERnova" price [1] they stock the:

Supernova E3 E-Bike V6s - 6V 165 lumens - US$159
Supernova E3 E-Bike V6 - 6V 205 lumens - Terraflux 2 lens - US$189
Supernova E3 E-Bike V1260 - 12V - 60V 205 Lumens - Terraflux 2 lens - US$193
Supernova E3 E-Bike Mini - 4 to 10 V - 205 Lumens -Terraflux 2 lens - US$193

Supernova E3 E-Bike Tail light 2 - Rack mount only - US$68

The Philips SafeRide is 80 Lux (~ 270 lumens but some of that light is lost so not as bright as the numbers suggest) and is on sale for US$81.

Philips don't offer a e-bike rear light so one would need to double check that the Supernova E3 E-Bike tail light would work or other DC rear lights or use a battery/USB one.

I will have to have a think about this and decided if I want to wait to see how your inverter works out or jump over to Supernova and keep my Busch & Muller 179B for another bike, maybe put it on my mountain bike which I use for off-road touring. It has a dynamo for electronics charging but no lights fitted as yet other than a USB front light I chuck on the bars for emergency purposes and battery powered rear flasher … I do like the look of the Mini as well and given it uses the Terraflux 2 lens adds to its "value", but the V1260 is more appealing given it will power the rear tail light directly where as the voltage of the rear light is such a DC-DC converter seems to be needed if wired directly.

If any one is looking at Bike24, you need to set the currency to your country (e.g., US or Australia) as this then removes the 19% VAT from the pricing. Also Bike24 charge a flat rate of ~ US$28 shipping which needs to be added to the prices quoted. They are a good source for European product such as lights and Schwalbe tyres if one can put a decent order in to "spread" the postage.

[1] The US prices are based on today's Euro to US dollars exchange rate as quoted by xe.com so will vary.

For those interested there is a fairly good if at times quirky review site in the Netherlands which is worth a read.

Regards

Andrew

 

[Chris Nolte]

Thanks. From a retail perspective they can be easily purchased from Bike24 in Germany but don't know what the distribution setup is like in the US. Is this Peter White's domain? I vaguely recall reading somewhere which I cannot find now that the Busch & Mueller 179E is only being sold as an OEM light.

Bike24 also sell the Philips "pedelec" lights but I understand that Philips are getting out of bike lights so not sure if buying one of them is a smart move or not. They are certainly cheaper but.

In the Supernova range at a "SUPERnova" price [1] they stock the:

Supernova E3 E-Bike V6s - 6V 165 lumens - US$159
Supernova E3 E-Bike V6 - 6V 205 lumens - Terraflux 2 lens - US$189
Supernova E3 E-Bike V1260 - 12V - 60V 205 Lumens - Terraflux 2 lens - US$193
Supernova E3 E-Bike Mini - 4 to 10 V - 205 Lumens -Terraflux 2 lens - US$193

Supernova E3 E-Bike Tail light 2 - Rack mount only - US$68

The Philips SafeRide is 80 Lux (~ 270 lumens but some of that light is lost so not as bright as the numbers suggest) and is on sale for US$81.

Philips don't offer a e-bike rear light so one would need to double check that the Supernova E3 E-Bike tail light would work or other DC rear lights or use a battery/USB one.

I will have to have a think about this and decided if I want to wait to see how your inverter works out or jump over to Supernova and keep my Busch & Muller 179B for another bike, maybe put it on my mountain bike which I use for off-road touring. It has a dynamo for electronics charging but no lights fitted as yet other than a USB front light I chuck on the bars for emergency purposes and battery powered rear flasher … I do like the look of the Mini as well and given it uses the Terraflux 2 lens adds to its "value", but the V1260 is more appealing given it will power the rear tail light directly where as the voltage of the rear light is such a DC-DC converter seems to be needed if wired directly.

If any one is looking at Bike24, you need to set the currency to your country (e.g., US or Australia) as this then removes the 19% VAT from the pricing. Also Bike24 charge a flat rate of ~ US$28 shipping which needs to be added to the prices quoted. They are a good source for European product such as lights and Schwalbe tyres if one can put a decent order in to "spread" the postage.

[1] The US prices are based on today's Euro to US dollars exchange rate as quoted by xe.com so will vary.

For those interested there is a fairly good if at times quirky review site in the Netherlands which is worth a read.

Regards

Andrew

Thanks Andrew, we sell all those lights too, but the supply in the US is very limited right now. I'll keep you posted on the inverter, hopefully it shows up soon. Let me know if you have any questions in the meanwhile.

 

[Brian(J)]

For a lot of people the Lumotec IQ Fly E will work very well and it accepts 6 to 42 volts. The Peak and the Dash come with built-in converters and dedicated 6 volt output so it will work with those bikes as well.

 

[Aushiker]

Busch & Muller have a few options now listed on their website. Some appear to new variants and very hard to come by such as the Lumotec IQ Cyo with the IQ Premium lighting technolgoy.

Andrew

 

[Wilco]

In order to run lights on the Easy Motion bikes you need a light kit from Easy Motion, it runs $50 retail. It's essentially a step down converter which takes the 36V and steps it down to the 6V you need to run lights. Certain lights, including one of the Supernova models can accept a variety of different voltages, but 6V is more common. Keep in mind this is DC, so you need to run a light that accepts it, as most dynamo lights are AC. There are three headlights we work with, 2 Supernova and 1 Busch and Müller. Currently they are all sold out at both of our distributors, but we have a bunch on order.

If I am in the US, where could I order this light kit? I caught a glimpse of it in this YouTube video but can't for the life of me find it anywhere.

Not even sure what the part number is. At any rate, I was able to wire my B&M Cyo to the unused connector that presumably plugs into this light kit (the Cyo accepts anything from 6-60V), but I'm not getting the on/off control as demonstrated in that video (which I presume the light kit also does). I would love to find the kit just for that reason (as silly as that sounds).

 

[orlans]

Hi Wilco,
I called John, who is tech support at Easy Motion Electric Bikes, with just that question early this week. http://www.emotionbikesusa.com 866-752-4872 He told me that I had to order the $50 light kit from the dealer where I bought the bike. In other words, he couldn't sell it to me directly, although I would've bought one on the spot.

I also want to install a light that will turn on and off from my LED control, as in the video. I haven't gotten around to contacting my dealer, and ordering the part, but hope to do this in the next week or so. If you do this, can you please let me know how it goes?

John did mention that it's not that easy to snake the wire, but do-able if "one is handy".

 

[Wilco]

He told me that I had to order the $50 light kit from the dealer where I bought the bike.

Good to know! I'll probably try and do just that with the shop that sold me the bike either tomorrow or sometime next week.

John did mention that it's not that easy to snake the wire, but do-able if "one is handy".

Heh, I can attest to the difficulty. It's definitely a pain to do, but with some persistence it's doable. I actually managed to snake the wire through the downtube but only after resorting to using my electrical pull rod intended for pulling wire through walls (you could probably rig up a coat hanger to do something similar).

Anyway, I'll post up some results once I make some headway! Maybe take some photos or video as I do it if I can remember.

 

[orlans]

Wilco,
Will you add a rear light also connected to the battery? If so, will it also turn on/off from the LED display?

 

[Admin]

I'll post up some results once I make some headway! Maybe take some photos or video as I do it if I can remember.

Have you made any progress on this Wilco? Sounds like an interesting project, hopefully the lights weren't too expensive.

 

[Chris Nolte]

We just got word our Supernova order is in route if anyone is in need. The ebike lights have been out of stock in the states for a couple of months now. We also have the Easy Motion Lighting Kits.

 

[James]

The Supernova light is awesome! Go buy one!

 

[orlans]

Hi Chris,
How do I go about purchasing the Easy Motion Lighting Kit? I've bought a Phillips SafeRide 80 for pedalecs and need the hookup for my Neo Cross.

 

[Chris Nolte]

Hi Chris,
How do I go about purchasing the Easy Motion Lighting Kit? I've bought a Phillips SafeRide 80 for pedalecs and need the hookup for my Neo Cross.

I just added it to my site here to make it easier to purchase. Please be sure your light can be powered off a 6V DC lead. It looks like your light is an internal battery light from a quick Google Search, but maybe you have a different version. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[orlans]

I ordered the kit this afternoon ... thanks! Any tips on threading the wire through the frame? Have you done it yourself?