Ayup old vs new?

[jerrah]

I have a very old set of Ayup lights (originals) and I've seen since then that they now have "40% brighter" and 700 lumen models. I've been searching around for reviews comparing the old to the new and I haven't found much beyond a few people saying "yes they're brighter" or the info on the Ayup page.

Finding specific information on how much power my old units have is also difficult but I suspect they're in the 200 lumen range?

I emailed Ayup and asked if they had any comparison information comparing the old to new units and they were unable to provide any information or example photos.

Is there anyone on this forum who has used both the older generation lights and the newer lights and can give some impressions?

[queequeg]

I have an original set and a set purchased late last year. I have no way of measuring the output, but the new lights are significantly brighter than the original ones, with less gains on the head units released in between.
I could probably put together a comparison, but my old and new set have different optics so they cast a different spread of light. If you can ignore that, I'll see if I can find a suitable place to do a comparison. Personally, I am not fussed about Lumens, just about reliability.
My next commuter light will be Dynohub powered light so that I can ride beyond 6 hours without needing a spare battery.

[jerrah]

Thanks Queequeg, a comparison would be fantastic!

My current set (helmet narrow and bar flood) are still working great and the batteries suprisingly hold a good charge. I had the idea of upgrading the lamps if it's a significant increase in light and maybe donating them to a friend without lights.

A dynamo sounds like a good idea in theory but I grimace at the idea of pulling apart my perfectly good DT Swiss wheels to install a different hub. Maybe if I had a dedicated commuter bike, but my road bike is my everything that isn't mountain biking bike.

[cameronp]

A dynamo sounds like a good idea in theory but I grimace at the idea of pulling apart my perfectly good DT Swiss wheels to install a different hub. Maybe if I had a dedicated commuter bike, but my road bike is my everything that isn't mountain biking bike.

I built a whole new wheel (actually a wheelset, I went overboard) to put dynamo lighting on my road bike. There's a thread on it here if you're interested. Cost was only slightly more than a set of Ay-Ups or equivalent lights from elsewhere. Subjectively, I can't notice the increased drag and weight, although I'm sure it's measurable. The lighting is fantastic - wide, bright shaped beam similar to a motorcycle headlight - as is the "just works" convenience. It's only been about a month since I fitted it, but no regrets.

[queequeg]

Thanks Queequeg, a comparison would be fantastic!

My current set (helmet narrow and bar flood) are still working great and the batteries suprisingly hold a good charge. I had the idea of upgrading the lamps if it's a significant increase in light and maybe donating them to a friend without lights.

A dynamo sounds like a good idea in theory but I grimace at the idea of pulling apart my perfectly good DT Swiss wheels to install a different hub. Maybe if I had a dedicated commuter bike, but my road bike is my everything that isn't mountain biking bike.

The difference is pretty significant, and the loyalty discount you get from Ay-Up makes a new light $99 I think. I have four head units dispersed over three bikes, with my original 2008 light doing double duty as an head torch for working on the bike or going up in the roof.

I have priced a Dynohub at $135, but have not looked at the lights yet. I have all the bits to make a new non-Dynamo front wheel, just need the check if the Dynohub PCD is the same or close enough to the hub I already have that I don't need to buy a whole new set of spokes. If it is, I will build up my new wheel as originally planned and then strip my current wheel and rebuild that as my Dynohub wheel.
I have a dedicated commuter bike, but you could just as easily build a new front wheel to use when commuting, and pull it off when you don't need the light. Of course, the light on a dedicated bike is usually also permanently attached to the front forks.

[Dr_Mutley]

I can understand u wanting to hang onto AyUp and continuing to use their lights.. I have for years, have 4 different lightsets, but I just dont think they remain in the race these days... As much as I wanted to stay with ayup and go with a new "40% brighter" headset, I resisted the loyalty urge, and tried an 1800lumen, all in one, exposure light. After a few months of constant use I now wonder why I continued using a dull light, with a separate, dodgy battery. I can now descend my Favorite 80kmh descent in the dark with safety, or ride fast singletrack, or use it as a torch, or night light around the house...

I know it's off topic, and not a old vs new comparison, but it may be time to go in a different direction?

[}SkOrPn--7]

I can only echo Dr_M sentiments if your thinking of upgrading there are far better lights on the market now it just seems AY-UP have slipped while still maintaining a high end price while other lights have now got high end lights with low end price tags. I too have walked away from AY-UP I thought about the upgrade offer but it wasn't worth my time and money. There still quality just haven't moved to innovate there product.

Ricky

[HappyHumber]

Still.. even staying with your existing head unit, and every few years replace the battery; they're still a good, rugged unit, IMO if you're not splitting hairs about how many possums you fry per KM.

Even if as a back up set or hand-me-down to a family member or mate. They still have a residual quality value I think.

[Dr_Mutley]

Depends on your expectations I guess... If u want to see, and be able to dodge pot holes, wild life, or ride at speed, then look elsewhere... If your demand for seeing is lower, and u just want visibility, then Ayups is fine.

As skorpn7 eluded to, the $$/lumen value of ayups now is way behind the majority of others in the space. Ayups reliability / robustness however, is still up there with the other higher end brands.

[Drizt]

The current ayup narrow lights are awesome as helmet lights. I've bombed down done decents at 50km/h+ in pitch black and felt pretty comfortable

For bar mounted lights I think it is best to look elsewhere. Some german shaped lights are better for such tasks

[queequeg]

I kind of look at it this way, my Ay-Ups have shown the way in the dark for 7 years for me, without a single failure even in Torrential rain. I suspect if I wait for them to die I will be waiting a long time.
The only thing that annoys me as a commuter is the batteries, and on my road bike it is the inflexible mounting system (although with a carbon aerobar, any light is tricky to mount).

To simplify the commuter bike I will move to a Dynohub with something like an Edelux II Light and a USB charger. No more batteries!

The lumens arms race is just as silly as the old CPU clock speed wars with computers. How bright do you really need to go!

[kb]

The lumens arms race is just as silly as the old CPU clock speed wars with computers. How bright do you really need to go!

Speaking as a shortsighted commuter who's getting on a bit, around 300 lumen.

Oh, I see. Rhetoric. Sorry

[cameronp]

The lumens arms race is just as silly as the old CPU clock speed wars with computers. How bright do you really need to go!

I somewhat agree, although the brighter lights have more efficient LEDs in them (i.e. more light for a given amount of power), so the other advantage is longer battery life at sensible output levels.

[bychosis]

Yup, I run my cheapo solar storm lights on low or medium most of the time. Only need hi for fast (over 30kmh) open sections with no other lighting.

[jerrah]

I'll probably keep running my Ayups for a while longer. It doesn't make sense to spend money on lights unless it's a clear improvement or the current units fail. When I'm commuting I only see a few people with brighter lights. Most people seem to use flashers (with no main beam) or lights which are so dim they seem ineffective. When mountain biking I'd light a greater flood and penetration as even with the bar and headlight there is a lot of shadows to throw you.

One thing I have found in my online research is most of the reviews are borderline subjective and you'd really need to see them in action to make a determination.

That said when I first got my Ayup's they seemed really bright compared to what I was using previously but for one reason or the other they 'feel' less effective as time goes on. I seriously doubt they're putting out less light, maybe I'm less reckless as I'm older or better car headlights has raised my expectations?

I found and tried a current generation Ayup and whilst it is brighter than the older head unit it feels dwarfed by flood and range of the Light and Motion Urban 800 which is a self contained unit the size of a cigar... Obviously the Ayup would have a better run time and interchangable batteries but it did leave me feeling a bit disappointed that the Ayup's aren't massively competitive to what's effectively a commuter light.

Hmm, appears they have a new 850lm L&M Urban. That said it might be a bit dazzling to oncoming traffic with the round beam but I guess you could angle it down.


http://www.gizmag.com/review-light-and- ... ght/38303/

[queequeg]

The lumens arms race is just as silly as the old CPU clock speed wars with computers. How bright do you really need to go!

I somewhat agree, although the brighter lights have more efficient LEDs in them (i.e. more light for a given amount of power), so the other advantage is longer battery life at sensible output levels.

Ay-Up actually reduced the size of their big battery pack and gave it 3 power levels plus a flash mode. I run my commuter with the second generation batteries right now, which have hi/Lo flash. I run them on low power most of the time.