MTB Winter Lights?
Discussion
Gizmoish said:
Watchman said:
I used to frequent the candlepower forums - OK, I'm a sucker for anything "gadgetty".
(...)
Gwnerally SMO gives you better distance but with "artifacts" in the light (like concentric circles of different brightness lights) where various OP reflectors smooth out the light into one consistent circle, but at the expense of ultimate throw.
Realistically, I think since the advent of high power LED emitters, outright distance has ceased to be a consideration. With the pidding little filament bulbs rubbing off two C-size Evereadies the mirror needed to give it as much help as possible, but when was the last time you actually needed to see something 1km away?(...)
Gwnerally SMO gives you better distance but with "artifacts" in the light (like concentric circles of different brightness lights) where various OP reflectors smooth out the light into one consistent circle, but at the expense of ultimate throw.
bicycleshorts said:
fk me it's bright. Should be great if I choose to cycle along the unlit canal though.
Good to know. My commute includes about 4 miles of unlit woodland bridle path What's good in the rear light world? I might go for a Magicshine MJ-818 at £30. Anything else to consider?
dudleybloke said:
Watchman said:
Magicshine for a little over 17 quid.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bike-Bicycle-HeadLight-C...
Don't be fooled by the fact that it isn't branded. It's the real deal (I've got two).
just ordered mine.http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bike-Bicycle-HeadLight-C...
Don't be fooled by the fact that it isn't branded. It's the real deal (I've got two).
Edited by Watchman on Tuesday 18th September 18:06
Might order another one for my helmet but I'll see how I go with just one to begin with.
minimoog said:
Good to know. My commute includes about 4 miles of unlit woodland bridle path
What's good in the rear light world? I might go for a Magicshine MJ-818 at £30. Anything else to consider?
The Knog Skink is a nice, low profile design which allows you to mount it on the seatpost or the seat-stays.What's good in the rear light world? I might go for a Magicshine MJ-818 at £30. Anything else to consider?
Whatever you decide to use, if you're on the road, get a couple of separate lights to ensure issues like dead batteries or water ingress don't leave you with no lighting at all. I have a couple of Skinks - they can be set to flash at different intervals which make them especially eye-catching.
Watchman said:
minimoog said:
Good to know. My commute includes about 4 miles of unlit woodland bridle path
What's good in the rear light world? I might go for a Magicshine MJ-818 at £30. Anything else to consider?
The Knog Skink is a nice, low profile design which allows you to mount it on the seatpost or the seat-stays.What's good in the rear light world? I might go for a Magicshine MJ-818 at £30. Anything else to consider?
Whatever you decide to use, if you're on the road, get a couple of separate lights to ensure issues like dead batteries or water ingress don't leave you with no lighting at all. I have a couple of Skinks - they can be set to flash at different intervals which make them especially eye-catching.
I've got a Skink, it sits on the seat tube just under the top tube / seat stay point. Good idea to get mudguards though, because it's not especially waterproof.
Gizmoish said:
You must have really fat seat stays?
I've got a Skink, it sits on the seat tube just under the top tube / seat stay point. Good idea to get mudguards though, because it's not especially waterproof.
Doesn't work on mine admittedly but does on my bro's Focus CF frame. I think they are still relatively thin but "shaped" enough that the Skink has enough meat to hold on.I've got a Skink, it sits on the seat tube just under the top tube / seat stay point. Good idea to get mudguards though, because it's not especially waterproof.
Digga said:
Had a guy with a Lupine Betty follow me once and I nearly got a sunburnt neck.
Same bloke behind me on a singletrack section last night and, partly due to his 'brighter than a thousand suns' gear and also due to my recent lack of night riding (I've spoken to a few riders who say it takes the eyes a few weeks to properly dial-in) I got the front wheel jammed into something and smakced my knee off the handlebar stem.I either need a brighter light or for this guy not to ride behind me!
minimoog said:
My order placed too. I also ordered a wide angle lens as it's reportedly a bit 'spotty' as stock.
Lens from here: http://www.action-led-lights.com/collections/acces...
I ordered one and it arrived today. Very impressed for the money. Came with UK plug adapter and it all works nicely. The only thing is it is very 'spotty' as mentioned so i've ordered those lenses and another light :-)Lens from here: http://www.action-led-lights.com/collections/acces...
Edited by minimoog on Wednesday 3rd October 10:33
Pick of my Lenzye super drive for comparison. paid best part of £100 for it 6 months ago.
£18 ebay jobby....
Both on...
Viperzs said:
I'm surprised how many people are buying cheap instead of quality. I'd love to know how long those MagicShines will last.
I happen to know that the genuine ones and the unbranded ones are largely the same - at least to begin with. My bro imports from China. He's been to a number of factories where branded items are made, including these. The Chinese make the batch they were commissioned for, then they continue making them AFTER they have filfilled the brand order, selling the unbranded ones directly.Where it goes wrong is when they run out of original materials they substitute inferior items - well, cheaper ones. Sometime this doesn't necessarily mean inferior.
The batteries these ones are shipped with are not the same as the genuine ones but the 2 I bought last year (still working well) appear to have the same circuitry, same cabling, grommet, mount, internal chassis and case. One has a thinner lens but that's the only inconsistency I could find.
I do chuckle sometimes when there are these "if its not expensive then it must be rubbish" As the previous poster said, its often the case that its the same manufacturer only due to there being no copyright laws, they sell the items themselves after the original run.
Sure, there may be a change in some things but when the price is so vastly different, sometimes its worth a punt.
Oh, and Im still waiting for delivery !
Sure, there may be a change in some things but when the price is so vastly different, sometimes its worth a punt.
Oh, and Im still waiting for delivery !
I ordered the 3600 lumen monster from light malls, last month, its awesome, but last night i recieved a letter from FedEx expecting £18.50 from me! now i recieved the light 3 weeks ago and i paid the extra for FedEx, anyone else had the same issue?
I never have with my lights ordered through DealExtreme.
I never have with my lights ordered through DealExtreme.
Viperzs said:
I'm surprised how many people are buying cheap instead of quality. I'd love to know how long those MagicShines will last.
Last years single T6 generic Cree lamp which has seen all sorts of crappy weather is still going strong. Bought a triple T6 this year just becuase Compared to the overpriced stuff that is touted as 'quality' I am still quids in. £21 for the whole of last winter and £37 for this one, I could probably eBay last years one if I felt like it actually?! A couple of guys in the club said 'they're bloody crap those things' and have subsequently ended up buying some themselves this year. Sorry but £100+ and £200+ lights are a very poor purchase...but if you have the money and it makes you happy then why not
Viperzs said:
I'm surprised how many people are buying cheap instead of quality. I'd love to know how long those MagicShines will last.
Who says they are cheap? Who says they are not quality? They only appear cheap when compared to the competition.
For example stuff like this:
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/accessories...
I mean WTF? £850 for a bicycle light?
At what point does someone say, "hang on, it's only a battery, an LED, a switch and a few wires". Bike lights are not exactly rocket science, the profit on them must be astronomical.
As for the quality of the battery and LED, I would guess if you sourced the parts you'd find they came from the same Chinese factory, it happens all the time.
yellowjack said:
And with comments like "Reliability of previous Betty and Wilma lights hasn’t matched their vast price either." I know that I would rather risk c£30 than c£850 to end up with something that's not entirely reliable.
I returned a Lupine light which had cost me about £450 because it was an utter pile of bork. It stopped working within a month or two from new, sent back with a 2 - 3 week wait (no immediate replacement) and then some of the cheap, crappy fixings bust so I gave up and returned it for credit. Never again.Hope 2-LED light isn't as bright but their service back up (I had work done out of warranty period at a very reasonable fee) is faultless.
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