Lights for dark country roads
Discussion
AcidReflux said:
Thanks for the info. I think I need some lights...
You bought the pair of lights, or the single? Where does the battery pack fit? I can find lots of photos of the lights but none showing the battery. Is it a heavy set-up?
Do you find them adequate on their own or do you have a helmet-mounted light as well?
Was the pair, one has a fair spread of light, the other a more focused beam. They are linked to the battery by a 'Y' lead and booted connector (a good length of lead is provided). The battery is a triangular profiled module (think three AA cells stacked one on two) with rubberised ends that will velcro to the frame or possibly stem (if long enough); wide velcro strap included. I just wrapped the excess lead around the frame and it stayed put no problem.You bought the pair of lights, or the single? Where does the battery pack fit? I can find lots of photos of the lights but none showing the battery. Is it a heavy set-up?
Do you find them adequate on their own or do you have a helmet-mounted light as well?
Light output was fine for the terrain I was on (muddy rutted bridleways and tight woodland singletrack) and I did not use any additional lighting. One lamp on low would be enough for most familiar roads if/when battery life is an issue. Seem a good product to me but I've not tried Lupines or anything similarly exotic to compare against.
I have these
Hope Vision 2. Easy to fit. Rechargeable and give a good spread of light on pitch black country roads. Very comfortable riding along at 20mph as can see well enough ahead.
I partner it with
An Exposure Redeye. This is so bright that cars slow down wondering whether you are a tractor trailer.
Can't recommend these lights highly enough. Very bright and I feel safe with them on.
Hope Vision 2. Easy to fit. Rechargeable and give a good spread of light on pitch black country roads. Very comfortable riding along at 20mph as can see well enough ahead.
I partner it with
An Exposure Redeye. This is so bright that cars slow down wondering whether you are a tractor trailer.
Can't recommend these lights highly enough. Very bright and I feel safe with them on.
I'm going to go with the ones that r-kid suggested on page 1 of this thread:
http://www.magicshineuk.co.uk/front-bike-lights/ma...
At £80 each I can buy two - one for the bars and one for the helmet - and they get universally recommended in online reviews at this price.
http://www.magicshineuk.co.uk/front-bike-lights/ma...
At £80 each I can buy two - one for the bars and one for the helmet - and they get universally recommended in online reviews at this price.
Just bought a set of these babies: http://www.brightbikelights.com/index.php?option=c... arrived today
Off to the pub to test them out.
Off to the pub to test them out.
Samcat said:
Just bought a set of these babies: http://www.brightbikelights.com/index.php?option=c... arrived today
Off to the pub to test them out.
1400 lumens. That's mental.Off to the pub to test them out.
O.K. who has the most powerful lights on their bike?
Those Magicshine lights look like great value but on my ride in snotty conditions on Tuesday, I turned my less bright lights down on more than one occasion just to avoid glare, not least from debris beinf thrown up by teh fron twheel. Guess you can't have too much potential light but....
el stovey said:
Samcat said:
Just bought a set of these babies: http://www.brightbikelights.com/index.php?option=c... arrived today
Off to the pub to test them out.
1400 lumens. That's mental.Off to the pub to test them out.
O.K. who has the most powerful lights on their bike?
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=601973
It's still unbeatable value-for-money though. I'ma get me one when it's back in stock.
AcidReflux said:
el stovey said:
Samcat said:
Just bought a set of these babies: http://www.brightbikelights.com/index.php?option=c... arrived today
Off to the pub to test them out.
1400 lumens. That's mental.Off to the pub to test them out.
O.K. who has the most powerful lights on their bike?
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=601973
It's still unbeatable value-for-money though. I'ma get me one when it's back in stock.
They'll be cheaper but will prob take about 3 weeks to arrive from HK.
I've been using the 900 lumen lights from dx for a year now and they're great for commuting and night riding in the woods, plus from this thread am now using the superflash rear light from Amazon which is also suitably bright for the commute. Fronts worked out at £43 and rear £10, so all in I'm well chuffed.
I don't want to get too off-topic in a thread about lights for road-riding, but since they were discussed in this thread I thought I might add a link to a short review of the Magicshine lights I've just bought:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=919...
No good for roads, but great for mountainbiking.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=919...
No good for roads, but great for mountainbiking.
Just wanted to resurrect this thread as it really is time to get some lights and get out on these dark evenings and do something useful.
I'm thinking weapon of choice will be my Inbred, riding a mixture of roads and bridleways locally. I want something that's good enough to see on totally unlit stuff, but that is not going to blind every driver on the way back. It might find it's way onto my roadie, and I could be tempted by some proper night time trail stuff at some point in the summer.
Is this still the one to go for at the price? Really don't want to spend any more.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.44459
Or should I hang on, because by the time it arrives from HK (possibly after crimbo) I could have picked up something UK based in the sales?
I'm thinking weapon of choice will be my Inbred, riding a mixture of roads and bridleways locally. I want something that's good enough to see on totally unlit stuff, but that is not going to blind every driver on the way back. It might find it's way onto my roadie, and I could be tempted by some proper night time trail stuff at some point in the summer.
Is this still the one to go for at the price? Really don't want to spend any more.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.44459
Or should I hang on, because by the time it arrives from HK (possibly after crimbo) I could have picked up something UK based in the sales?
Hard-Drive said:
Just wanted to resurrect this thread as it really is time to get some lights and get out on these dark evenings and do something useful.
I'm thinking weapon of choice will be my Inbred, riding a mixture of roads and bridleways locally. I want something that's good enough to see on totally unlit stuff, but that is not going to blind every driver on the way back. It might find it's way onto my roadie, and I could be tempted by some proper night time trail stuff at some point in the summer.
Is this still the one to go for at the price? Really don't want to spend any more.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.44459
Or should I hang on, because by the time it arrives from HK (possibly after crimbo) I could have picked up something UK based in the sales?
Just bought a set of them brand new off STW.I'm thinking weapon of choice will be my Inbred, riding a mixture of roads and bridleways locally. I want something that's good enough to see on totally unlit stuff, but that is not going to blind every driver on the way back. It might find it's way onto my roadie, and I could be tempted by some proper night time trail stuff at some point in the summer.
Is this still the one to go for at the price? Really don't want to spend any more.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.44459
Or should I hang on, because by the time it arrives from HK (possibly after crimbo) I could have picked up something UK based in the sales?
I paid £55 and saved myself a month's wait.
Order them then forget about them.
Great lights btw
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/smart-lunar-35-lux-front-l...
Not sure if these have been mentioned, but I bought one and its been great so far and if you really wanted to you could buy two, I usually do 20k on unlit roads. Its a good option for those on a restricted budget, just make sure to buy some rechargable batteries too.
Not sure if these have been mentioned, but I bought one and its been great so far and if you really wanted to you could buy two, I usually do 20k on unlit roads. Its a good option for those on a restricted budget, just make sure to buy some rechargable batteries too.
DrMekon said:
I haven't seen those before - they look decent. I don't know how lux works, but I am impressed that they are only 5 lux less than ixon IQs, but get the same runtime on max with half the batteries and are a bit cheaper too.
Lumens is a measure of light output. Lux is a measure of illumination of a target. It needs a distance to have any meaning - the Ixons are measured at 10m. Beam pattern is obviously important - a tiny laser can produce 100 lux at a mile away, but it's not much use as a bike light.My entry into the candlepower willy waving, this is my best light, a troutie "Lumen Liberator".
http://troutie.com/?page_id=633
Fantastic light, you can go as fast in the dark as you can in the daylight. About the same brightness as the "spot" on one of the DX Magicshine specials, but with massively more spread.
Far too bright and non-directional for road use though, which was what the question was. Ah well.
http://troutie.com/?page_id=633
Fantastic light, you can go as fast in the dark as you can in the daylight. About the same brightness as the "spot" on one of the DX Magicshine specials, but with massively more spread.
Far too bright and non-directional for road use though, which was what the question was. Ah well.
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