Ultra bright lighting

Signal_ rabbit

Hi guys, I want some ultra ultra bright lighting for my road bike for cycling on unlit roads, I want to be able to take the light on and off easy enough for day rides. Any ideas? oh, and being a tart they need to look nice!:)

scottreynolds

Signal_ rabbit wrote: »

Hi guys, I want some ultra ultra bright lighting for my road bike for cycling on unlit roads, I want to be able to take the light on and off easy enough for day rides. Any ideas? oh, and being a tart they need to look nice!:)

http://ayuplights.co.uk/

--Great lights. I just purchased them. They aren't cheap though. I bought the MTB set and have 12 hours of batteries in that. I wanted to be able to have a helmet option as well incase I used the mountain bike and wanted the additional 6 hours of battery life. oh yes.... not cheap though

Morgan

Get a decent LED lighting system, e.g

Hope Vision 4
http://www.hopegb.com/voir_visled4.html

Exposure D-Maxx
http://www.exposurelights.com/products/maxx_d/index.php

Neither is particularly cheap - but you wanted ultra bright!

scottreynolds

scottreynolds wrote: »

not cheap though

Actually compared to some they seem cheap.

Morgan

True, I could have suggested these:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Lupine_Wilma_10_Front_Rechargeable_Light/5360038397/

Raam

Light and Motion Vega LED

No cables on the bike.
Very bright.
Charges like a mobile phone.

blorg

I am going for a torch, probably a Fenix TK11. I borrowed a Fenix L2D from Verb and it was more than enough for riding on completely unlit roads. More lumens than the Light and Motion Vega for a fraction of the price. Only issue I would have would be the mount, but there are two options, one if which looks a bit better (the sort of circular one.)

scottreynolds

Raam wrote: »

Light and Motion Vega LED

No cables on the bike.
Very bright.
Charges like a mobile phone.

how long do the rechargeable batteries last?

Lumen

Having bought an Exposure Joystick, which failed after a couple of rides (and will be returned), I have some suggestions.

- Decide whether you want integrated or separate batteries. The Exposures are self-contained, which is neater I think, but the Daddy is quite big.

- Find out if the batteries are changeable. In my Exposure, the battery seems to be wired in. Li-ion batteries won't last forever - do you really want to spend €500 on something that will die in a year or two?

- Consider torches (see FAQ). They are much better value, and look nice.

- Understand what LEDs you are buying. See table here.

- Consider whether the light will be too bright for road use. I had to angle my Exposure down to avoid blinding motorists, which slightly defeats the point. And that's only 240 lumens. The brightest lights seem to be designed for trail use, where there is no oncoming traffic. In this respect you might consider getting a bright single led light (e.g. Lupine Tesla) and masking off part of the lens (obviously won't work on a light with multiple reflectors). Or you can get an light with a remote switch like the Exposure and turn it down when you encounter cars (probably not that practical though).

- If you have unlimited budget, please buy a Lupine Betty 14 so I can see what it's like.

Raam

scottreynolds wrote: »

how long do the rechargeable batteries last?

Don't make me post the link again

zzzzzzzz

Raam wrote: »

Light and Motion Vega LED

No cables on the bike.
Very bright.
Charges like a mobile phone.

That looks fairly slick. Have you used it on an unlit road?

Lumen

Raam wrote: »

Light and Motion Vega LED

No cables on the bike.
Very bright.
Charges like a mobile phone.

That's not great lumens/€. And NiMH too - I'd expect LiIon for that price.

Raam

aidan.offbeat wrote: »

That looks fairly slick. Have you used it on an unlit road?

I have. It's not as bright as this, but it works very well.
That is my older light, which seems to be discontinued. It has a separate battery which is strapped to your frame. I would expect there are new models of it.
The roads I've used both on are the back roads around Portmarnock, which can be quite dark.

Raam

Lumen wrote: »

That's not great lumens/€. And NiMH too - I'd expect LiIon for that price.

Perhaps not, but it works damn well.

zzzzzzzz

can anyone explain why this version:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Light_And_Motion_Vega_120_Rechargeable_Front_Light/5360037945/

is cheaper but has a higher lumens output?

Raam

aidan.offbeat wrote: »

can anyone explain why this version:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Light_And_Motion_Vega_120_Rechargeable_Front_Light/5360037945/

is cheaper but has a higher lumens output?

Not as many brightness settings.

zzzzzzzz

Raam wrote: »

I have. It's not as bright as this, but it works very well.
That is my older light, which seems to be discontinued. It has a separate battery which is strapped to your frame. I would expect there are new models of it.
The roads I've used both on are the back roads around Portmarnock, which can be quite dark.

Nice one. I've been looking for something that will give enough light to light a dark road and not use an external battery pack.

Thanks for your help

Raam

aidan.offbeat wrote: »

Nice one. I've been looking for something that will give enough light to light a dark road and not use an external battery pack.

Thanks for your help

It may not be the best, nor the cheapest, but it's the only "non-external battery light" that I have used.

Gavin

aidan.offbeat wrote: »

Nice one. I've been looking for something that will give enough light to light a dark road and not use an external battery pack.

Thanks for your help

Really, we are in a recession ! For less than half price you could get the L2D. 4 hours at 107 lumens, with the option to go to 180 lumens when you need it. Swappable rechargable batteries so if you run out you have spare. Option to mount it on the helmet if you want. Weighs less. And it's still a quality piece of machined kit, not some plasticky yoke.

Lumen

Pricing of bike lights is nuts. It's as much about perceived value as anything IMO.

I have read some mad threads on US boards where people say "I don't care that the Lupine Betty costs $1500, I need the best engineered thing on the trail". I think these are people who have tens of thousands of dollars worth of bikes (nothing against that, but it explains the pricing).

You are paying for three things:

1. LEDs and electronics. (More money seems to add little or nothing).
2. Batteries. (More money buys higher capacities).
3. Construction and fixings. (Mostly bling factor).

If you don't need over 90 minutes of uninterrupted light on max power, a torch will do fine. You can get 600 lumens for £50. The only problem with torches is that they get longer with more batteries, and you don't want to get impaled on your lighting system.

If you're on a long recreational night ride, it only takes 2 mins to swap batteries in a torch.

If you're doing some mental overnight race, get something with a bottle battery.

scottreynolds

Raam wrote: »

Don't make me post the link again

Okay let me reprase the question... in your experience how long do the batteries really last not as per the manufacturers specifications

Signal_ rabbit

Thanks for all the help guys, the Fenix looks good and the bar mount is Velcro, (what could be easier to remove?) it seems reasonably priced too. The back roads where I live are really dark, here's hoping it'll be bright enough.

Raam

scottreynolds wrote: »

Okay let me reprase the question... in your experience how long do the batteries really last not as per the manufacturers specifications

From memory of last year (not used them much this year yet), I think I was getting what it said on the box.

scottreynolds

Raam wrote: »

From memory of last year (not used them much this year yet), I think I was getting what it said on the box.

-- Good answer

Lumen

Have just ordered a TrustFire SSC P7 C-BIN 900-Lumen 5-Mode LED Flashlight to replace my faulty Exposure.

With charger, two batteries, Fenix bike mount, express shipping it came to just under $100. Import duty will add a bit more.

It's rated at 900 lumens, but probably about 700 lumens. 1 hour runtime at max power, although I can't imagine I'll use that level for commuting .

Will report back when I get it set up.

This should at least settle the argument about what constitutes too much power.

Raam

scottreynolds wrote: »

-- Good answer

If you wanna check it out, let me know and we can arrange something.

Howitzer

Great rear light! http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Reviews.aspx?ModelID=16534

Raam

Howitzer wrote: »

Great rear light! http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Reviews.aspx?ModelID=16534

Hey Blorg is there!

Blorg from Ireland Owner 09 May 2008 11:55
Great light, can't go wrong for the price. Very bright, especially visible in flashing mode. Only potential downsides would be: battery life, not as good as some others (but they would not be as bright either); the switch can get finikity in the wet but this is fixable; visibility from the side is perhaps not quite as good as some other lights. This light is particularly good if used in flashing mode with another light in steady.

fenris

If I were shopping again it I would have a serious look at these guys!

http://www.nightlightning.co.nz/index.htm

The Ayup's look good and have a serious following among the MTBers of the web, the pack with all of the accessories looks like an apprentice suicide bomber kit!


I am currently using a Lupine Passubio XL, which does the job very well thank you very much.
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-Lupine-Lupine-Passubio-XL-light-set-14711.htm

Lumen

I suspect the next year could be interesting for bike lights, as the SSC P7 LEDs start coming in (like in the Lupine Tesla, which is due shortly).

As much light as most of the multi-led heads, but a single reflector should make it easier to tune the beam pattern for the road.