Zen Katana E-bike Light (DOT compliant)

[BlackHand]

Thanks Ravi. Yes, my commute is in the dark 1 direction now and will be dark both directions by the end of the month.

I'd love to check out the light and one of the Zen bikes in person, but Ashland is a bit of a trek from Seattle in these covid times. Maybe in the spring/summer....

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

If you are an E-bike nerd, you will enjoy reading this article and learning the nuances of the light certification process.
Fascinating things like:

1. How is beam cut-off engineered for certifiable lights?
2. What is an approval mark?
3. How are E-bike lights tested for EU/StVZO standards?
4. What should be the UV resistance of these lights' shell material?
5. How high of a temperature these materials need to endure?

Full document here: https://unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/main/wp29/wp29regs/2013/R113r3e.pdf

 

[BigNerd]

Got excited... thought Zen was making a light ebike, not an ebike light.

 

[BigNerd]

I'm half in/half out of the ebike world. I use my regular bike on shorter rides and rides without hills... I use the ebike on hills and long rides. It would be nice to have one bike that I could use for all rides.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

thought Zen was making a light ebike

Curious to know what is your definition of a light E-bike?

 

[BigNerd]

Curious to know what is your definition of a light E-bike?

Definitely less than 40lbs... 30 to 35 would be ideal.

Cannondale has 2 rear-hub bikes, the Neo Treadwell and the Neo Quick SL that are both around the 30-35 lb range.

The Specialized Vado SL is also in that range but that's a mid-drive bike... and I actually prefer rear-hub for cost control and maintenance.

 

[Asher]

In case you haven't checked them out already, see about Roxim Z4E lights for a good value priced model. DM inbound

 

[FlatSix911]

In case you haven't checked them out already, see about Roxim Z4E lights for a good value priced model. DM inbound

Nice find. https://www.roxim.net/en-gb/E-BikeHeadLights

 

[Asher]

Nice find. https://www.roxim.net/en-gb/E-BikeHeadLights

Theyre apparently compliant with speed pedelec spec in the EU, a much higher bar than regular bike lights.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

In case you haven't checked them out already, see about Roxim Z4E lights for a good value priced model. DM inbound

Roxim, Lupine, Supernova are all great lights. It's a matter of not just features but also the price point.
The Stromer ST5 uses the higher-end Supernova but their ST3 uses Roxim light. Sticking with one supplier helps with building a deeper relationship and get volume pricing. So, in the end, we are focused on providing the highest value to the end user.

 

[Neezydeezy]

Any update when this might be available?

Thanks