Lighting systems part deux

Isnt it amazing how far lighting systems have come in the last few years? And what is even more amazing: THEY STILL SUCK!!!

I borrowed 2 digital headtrips with 4 batteries for my recent 24 hour race at Tahoe. I have had lighting problems before so I was determined to do it right this time. No such luck.

It took me 2 days to drive to Tahoe. So once the race started it was the third day since the batteries had been charged. So what a surprise to find near the start of my first night lap that they were all dead. My bad I guess, i should have known this.

Consider that a digital headtrip takes 15 hours to go through the full charge cycle. Now when I am travelling to and camping at races, where, and when am I supposed to get this charge done? Niterider has a service at the races for charging lights with a super fast charger: it takes two hours. This is the saving grace for most riders. How else could you do it? The catch: they charge you for the service and they only charge niterider batteries. So I guess if you want to be a 24 hour racer you have to use Niterider? Light and motion had a charging station also, but I'm not sure how long it took. So 2 choices. That sucks.

What is up with the battery technology being used? Can't it be ANY batter? Maybe the charge meter needs to be on the battery rather than on the light so you can monitor its discharge before a race? And the power meters on Niteriders digital systems leave a lot to be desired. These lights are EXPENSIVE! I expect more!

I used to work in an underground mine. Ya know those little lights the miners clip to their hard hats? 10-15 watts for over 8 hours, running from a not-so-huge lead acid battery. Should we go back to lead acid? What about lithium-ion? I just know a company could come along with some decent technology and blow away the current contenders.

[Revol]

Originally posted by ridemonkey
Should we go back to lead acid? .

In a word,yes.We (Cupid Stunts ) use a lead acid battery on our Smart light systems and get 2 hours at 12.5/15 watts.These lights are dirt cheap too,aprox £40.Recharge time is 8 hours but cos they are lead acid they hold their charge very well.
IMHO these are all you need for 24hr racing.We've done two Red Bull 24hr races without problem.All our systems are over two years old and still going strong.