Decent MTB lights for winter fun

[gonzales]

I am looking to get some new MTB lights for my Lapierre for over winter so I can still go out and play.

I have heard about some Hong Kong jobbies that you can get off e-bay for £30 but not sure I fancy a gamble as there are mixed reviews of them.

I need something that has a life of at least 3 hours and won't mind getting the occasional bash, also would be good if it had the option of helmet mounting.

What are you currently running on your P&J? What would you recommend?

[AndyS2]

I've just got one of these off the bay:-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/320758454614?ssPageName=...

Took a couple of weeks to arrive but it was worth the wait. The rear light is just your average flashing LED, but the front is like a WWII search light, really bright. Not sure it will last 3hrs but you get 2 batteries with it so it should on both.

[shouldbworking]

gonzales said:

I am looking to get some new MTB lights for my Lapierre for over winter so I can still go out and play.

I have heard about some Hong Kong jobbies that you can get off e-bay for £30 but not sure I fancy a gamble as there are mixed reviews of them.

I need something that has a life of at least 3 hours and won't mind getting the occasional bash, also would be good if it had the option of helmet mounting.

What are you currently running on your P&J? What would you recommend?

This is the same kit as you can get from hong kong etc, but from aldi, with a 3 year warranty.
http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/special_buys3...

Add an 18650 battery (the torch as sold contains an adaptor to run off aaas), a charger and a generic helmet mount and you're away.

I use one of these as a helmet mount torch and I have another one for a bar mount (flood on the bars, spot on the lid)

[rhinochopig]

The lights mentioned are those from dealtime extreme. My mate has just ordered some so I'll feedback what he thinks of them - they're the new magicshine 1000 lumen model, which replaces the older one that everyone (well the majority) raved about.

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/mj-808e-ha-iii-cree-x...

£52 delivered.

If you're riding properly off road at night it's worth getting some bright lights. When you've gone over the bars because you didn't see that root and are laying contemplating how much your collar bone hurts, you'll wish you spent that little extra on some bright lights

[matt-ITR]

If you want a good quality set of lights that will last and be covered by a proper warranty then look at Exposure lights.

[nammynake]

Can't fault my P7 light. Battery will last around 90m to 2 hrs on full, although you can knock it down to low output for slow/ uphill sections. Batteries are small and cheap so just carry a spare to double your run time. Lots of companies sell them. I bought mine on eBay from trailblaze. The torch is very rugged, made from metal and has rubber seals so is water tight (I don't bother removing mine even when hosing the bike down). Not as bright as the latest lights (Cree XML I think they're called) but still ridiculously bright and IMO bright enough for all but pure downhill riding.

[AndyS2]

matt-ITR said:

If you want a good quality set of lights that will last and be covered by a proper warranty then look at Exposure lights.

I'd want a proper warranty for £450

http://www.exposurelights.com/product/000073/six-p...

[matt-ITR]

You need to try one before dismissing it.
Lights are high tech bits of kit, Exposure make the very best there is.

[AndyS2]

I'm not dismissing them, just at £450 they don't look that much better than my £20 chinese light

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZAmZwUXuEQ

[Hard-Drive]

I started a similar thread here recently...have a look at that.

Very, very pleased with my Bikeray III and the battery life does seem a lot better than my mate's Magicshine.

[okgo]

matt-ITR said:

You need to try one before dismissing it.
Lights are high tech bits of kit, Exposure make the very best there is.

We don't really though do we?

A video on youtube of a light working is fairly conclusive...£450 is a silly amount of money to spend on a light, there isn't much more to be said than that.

[matt-ITR]

okgo said:

We don't really though do we?

A video on youtube of a light working is fairly conclusive...£450 is a silly amount of money to spend on a light, there isn't much more to be said than that.

I guess it depends how important lights are to you and what you use them for.
Personally the Six Pack is more than I need. I prefer to use the Exposure Maxx-D.

But for someone who wants a bright light and for it to last 10hrs+ then the Six Pack is perfect.

There are people who think it is silly to spend £10,000 on a car or £100 on a car tyre. Everyone has different needs and opinions.

[okgo]

True enough I guess.

I'm lucky (or unlucky) un that 90% of my journey is lit so anything will do, almost.

But today in a pitch black Richmond park I had to draft someone with a good light as mine just died (how can cold effect a battery??? As they get better in the warm)...

[gonzales]

matt-ITR said:

If you want a good quality set of lights that will last and be covered by a proper warranty then look at Exposure lights.

Unfortunately my maximum budget is less than half of the price of the Exposure.


Cheers guys some good ideas on here - I will have a nosey.

[matt-ITR]

okgo said:

But today in a pitch black Richmond park I had to draft someone with a good light as mine just died (how can cold effect a battery??? As they get better in the warm)...

Batteries get worse when they are colder, but LED's become more efficient when they are colder.
So a well designed light that cools the LEDs but doesn't exposure the battery is hard to get right.

[Matt106]

Another vote for the P7 here! I currently only use it for walking the dog but I'm currently looking into a bike mount for it.

Only problem with the P7 is they don't recommend using rechargeable batteries! I've done a fair amount of research into it and most people seem to use them anyway without any issues....

[nammynake]

Matt106 said:

Only problem with the P7 is they don't recommend using rechargeable batteries! I've done a fair amount of research into it and most people seem to use them anyway without any issues....

I've not heard that before. Unless you are referring to batteries without a protection circuit? No problems with mine so far, just make sure they are protected.

[Fluffsri]

On Ebay there is a 950 lumen torch for £17.99. It comes with a bike mount and has an adjustable zoom. You could buy 2 and have one on spot and one on flood. I cant post a link at the mo as at work, I cant even tell you the name of the torch as someone thought it was so good they stole it last week!

Ill post a link tonight.

[Matt106]

nammynake said:

I've not heard that before. Unless you are referring to batteries without a protection circuit? No problems with mine so far, just make sure they are protected.

I was going to use the Eneloop ones as people seem to rave about these! £10 for four AAA's though....

[Pablo16v]

I run a combination of Hope Vision 4 on the bars, and a Four4th Genesis on my helmet. Neither light was particularly cheap but they both have a good beam pattern, have a very long battery life, and more importantly to me the after sales service from both companies is top notch. After nearly 3 years use my Hope light developed a fault. They fixed it and sent it back to me FOC……which was nice.