Which XC / Trail lights - £150 - £250?

[GraemeP]

Hi all

Trail riding around 2.5 hours a time, what is best kit to buy?

I have been looking at the following 2 set ups, anybody any experience or alternative recommendations??

Airbike Everlight: http://www.on-one-shop.co.uk/?p=1121

Hope vision 4: http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/18031/Ho...

Thanks!

[Pablo16v]

The On One lights look to be good value but are new to the market so performance and longevity are still to be tested. I almost went with a set but plumped for the Hope 4 LED instead as I previously had the 2 LED set up and felt that I knew what I was getting with regards to quality and performance. Also, Hope customer service is second to none if something does go wrong. I don't pick up my new light until later this week so can't comment on how good it is but even if it's less than the 900 lumen quoted it should still be a great light.
Another option I'd consider is the Ay Ups http://www.ayuplights.co.uk/content/view/19/71/ They appear to be getting some good write ups in the press and on other bike forums.

[pdV6]

I run the Hope Vision HID @450 lumens and that is plenty bright enough so the Vision 4 LED should be excellent @900 lumens.

The real benefit will be that you don't have to run it at full power all the time (the HID version is either 'on' or 'off') so you can eke out a really decent run time by knocking it back from full power when you don't need it.

[pdV6]

Plus the price on that site is at least £20 cheaper than anywhere else I've seen it. Just a pity they don't seem to have any in stock.

[GraemeP]

Thanks for responses - my understanding is that the 900 lumens is for the highest setting which for some reason wasn't really useable?

I would rather buy something with sensible power reserves as well that should be ok for 3 hours and not loose life - I have heard that some battery kit (and I have no clue about that electrickery stuff) will "loose" charge memory as it ages and therefore burn time reduces over use. If I ride twice a week should I expect to get a couple of seasons from the battery pack with 2.5 hours use??

[Pablo16v]

pdV6 said:

I run the Hope Vision HID @450 lumens and that is plenty bright enough so the Vision 4 LED should be excellent @900 lumens.

The real benefit will be that you don't have to run it at full power all the time (the HID version is either 'on' or 'off') so you can eke out a really decent run time by knocking it back from full power when you don't need it.

That's exactly what I found with my 2 LED Hopes. The second highest setting was sufficient for a lot of the riding and the highest setting was only used on faster or more technical sections. The longest night ride I did was 3 1/2 hrs with no loss of performance.

[pdV6]

Even on "high" setting, you should be getting ~650 lumens (which really is *more* than enough) and that should last you a fair while. AFAIK the "max" (960 lumens) setting is pretty wasteful of power but still manages 2.25 hours.

FWIW, the battery on my HID gets used once a week most weeks and is still happy to give me over 2 hours burn on a charge after using it for a year.

[Parrot of Doom]

My Vision 2 LED is excellent on full power. It gives a really nice spread of light and I can pelt along at full pace without fear. You can't really go faster than around 20mph off-road, unless you know the terrain.

They are not completely waterproof though - splashproof perhaps.



Saying that, they're simple to open up and clean out.

The clamp on mine needs tightening up hard to keep the light from rotating downwards. Perhaps on the new model they've put a rough edge on there to stop this.

Interestingly, my mate has just bought 2 of those Tesco LED torches. £12 each running from 2 C-batteries. They're very directional, and pretty darn powerful - much better range than my Hope, although the spread is far too directional. He's going to experiment by sticking a small piece of tin foil on the lens, to reduce the directionality. I might just buy one myself as a backup, if nothing else they're an excellent torch.

Edited by Parrot of Doom on Tuesday 14th October 14:53

[GraemeP]

Well, went back to the Winstanley site and they had the Vision 4 in stock, and the On-One site has the newer version of the other lights posted above (sorry forgot what they were called) with "improvements" at £185. So I have ordered the Vision 4s. Bargain price (£231) and free delivery, the order page told me they will be shipped within 24hrs as well.

Thanks all - for those that are interested I will respond with my comments next week following first trial (might even try and get some pics).

G

[Parrot of Doom]

My advice at this time of year is to smear a thin layer of grease around the light, to help keep the water and muck away. You should be amazed when you get it though - and don't try to look down the lens at full brightness!

[GraemeP]

Nice one - do you mean where the lense meets the casing?

Can't wait to get out and give it a try - ipod, lights and blair witch style forest riding - yeeehaaaa!

[gbbird]

I am on the cusp of a Hope Vision purchase - probable the 2 version

g

[Parrot of Doom]

GraemeP said:

Nice one - do you mean where the lense meets the casing?

Can't wait to get out and give it a try - ipod, lights and blair witch style forest riding - yeeehaaaa!

Wherever the join in the case is, where it comes apart. There will be an o-ring but IME it isn't enough. Also on any switches, around the edges.

[medicineman]

I've got the Hope LED four (ps thanks for the reminder need to charge it for tomorrow!) - absolutely and quite literally brilliant. The other "make" me ridfe behind so I can light everything up for them. (Like I'd be in front anyway!)