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Bike Lights

canadmos

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
20,591
19,618
Canaderp
Fall is coming up and the days are getting shorter, so I need to purchase some lights for my bike.

The last time I rode at night was about 10 years ago. I had a pretty sweet Light and Motion handle bar light that was bright as hell, but the battery was the size of a water bottle.

Any suggestions on something that won't break the bank, burn my house down while charging or melt my helmet?

I don't really have a set budget. But I'm probably looking for two lights. One for my helmet and one for the bars. To note, my bike doesn't have a water bottle cage and I always ride with a hydration pack that has extra storage. What are the batteries like these days?

I am also looking to get about 2-3 hours of good solid light.
 
AngryMetalsmith

AngryMetalsmith

Business is good, thanks for asking
Jun 4, 2006
21,239
10,151
I have no idea where I am
I've been running Light and Motion stuff for several years now with great success. No failed connections and batteries continue to hold a charge. There is a lot to be said for reliability, and having a light go out on you can suck really, really bad.

Currently using a Stella 300 and a Seca 750. Both can be mounted on the helmet or bar.

I've used several brands and Light and Motion are by far my favorites. They are bright and more importantly have a very even beam pattern. Of course mine are old and the current models are silly bright. But a cool thing about L&m is that they sell the heads by themselves. So if you already have an older light you can use your older battery and charger and upgrade just the head.



 
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StiHacka

StiHacka

Compensating for something
Jan 4, 2013
21,560
12,505
In hell. Welcome!
http://www.trailled.com/xxx/

Pricey but worth every penny. Super lightweight, has power, throw, good color, lasts for 2+ hours on highest output, fully charged in 2 hours. I don't ride with a handlebar light with this thing on my head. And the odd mounting method works very well.
 
StiHacka

StiHacka

Compensating for something
Jan 4, 2013
21,560
12,505
In hell. Welcome!
johnbryanpeters said:
Screw that, buy a Cree for $20 to $40.
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I did one season with a pair of those before I got the XXX and the the experience just is not the same. If you spend 2 hours on a bike every night through the whole winter, you appreciate every bit of comfort a good light give you.

YMMV though.
 
Westy

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,500
20,296
Sleazattle
johnbryanpeters said:
I had two expensive light setups, a NightRider and an [iforgetwhat] when I did 24 hour races. Neither was reliable and they were a PITA to maintain. I'm now a pretty firm believer in cheap lights.
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NiteRider makes complete garbage. My $70 chinese e-bay lights are superior in reliability to any NiteRider product I have owned.
 
slyfink

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,351
5,099
Ottawa, Canada
slyfink said:
Have a look here. I have the Gemini lights, and they're good. But I'm curious about the Gloworm lights.
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I should add: I've dealt with Action LED a few times and his customer service is top notch. He's super helpful and very fair.

I have a Gemini Xera as a spot on the head, and a Duo on the bars. I use the two-cell battery with the Xera, that I strap to my helmet. Both lighthead and battery are so light that I don't really notice them on my helmet. It's a good setup, though I find the Duo sometimes lacks a bit of "punch" or throw. I'm going on my 4th season with them, so longevity and quality are good. I think I might need to replace batteries though as burntime is starting to diminish. In terms of price, I'd say they slot in higher than the Chinese knock-offs, but less than the established brands (NiteRider, Light n' Motion etc), but the quality is better than the former, and equal or better than the latter.
 
L

local717

Monkey
Apr 11, 2010
260
27
Mt.Gretna/Lancaster
http://www.lupine.de/eng

They can be pricey at the top end, but also have a very good bang for the buck option in the Neo. And the best part about Lupine is that every light and battery are interchangeable. So you can start with an entry level system and upgrade as you go. My personal current set up is a Betty R on the bars and a Neo on the helmet.

BettyR.jpg
 
Jm_

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
19,024
9,683
AK
Round these parts in Alaska, you can get by with just 500 lumens at night in the winter, but more is always better. I use an 800 cygolite and it has good battery capacity and run time. I also have a cheap chinese light that I got for like 25 bucks that's way brighter as a strobe, so I use that for commuting. The battery life is noticeably less though and it's somewhat unpredictable in terms of run time. I like having one decent light to fall back on with a cheaper one to supplement. The nice light goes on my helmet, the cheap one on my handlebar (not always though, depends on how much light I want).
 
SkaredShtles

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,847
12,834
In a van.... down by the river
canadmos said:
Might have to ask about these, if he's still doing them?

The Light and Motion stuff is (still) too expensive, although the light I had before was absolutely awesome.

@jdcamb and @Jm_ Cyglolite looks promising too, but doesn't look like they sell in Canada. Hmmm
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Yes - and he is good people. Tell him that SkaredShtles sent you. I have two sets of lights for my kids to commute to school and goddam are they bright.
 
Jm_

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
19,024
9,683
AK
jdcamb said:
Cygolite Mitycross OSP 800. Good battery. bright, durable, and cheap ($150). Charges fast also. Bombproof.
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I have that one too, it's all those things. You'll see the difference between the 800 and one of those "3000 lumen" chinese ones real fast. in that the chinese ones really aren't all that bright, maybe about the same. The 800 uses the same battery as the 1200, so if you are going to run on the 800 setting anyway for decent run-time, no reason to get the 1200. I've never had the 800 quit on me, out in the cold - temps for hours.
 
canadmos

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
20,591
19,618
Canaderp
I think I'm going with Cyglites. They seem to be priced fairly well, even up here in Canada land and almost all the reviews on them that I have read, have been quite positive.
 
Serial Midget

Serial Midget

Al Bundy
Jun 25, 2002
13,053
1,896
Fort of Rio Grande
Night lights brought me back to the monkey - I bought 2 sets a Marwi Night Pro Kamakazi lamps in 2003 or 2004 and used them 2 times a week until 2007, at that time they replaced a Cygo lamp that was a 5 and 10 watt bulb, the Night Pros have a 12 and 20 watt bulb. In my various moves I have lost the batteries and set to replace them today but it seems the company no longer makes them or supports replacement parts. I was very happy with them and could get over 2 hours with both bulbs burning.

I'd like to replace the batteries, 1 bottle and 1 pack. Any suggestions?
 
Jm_

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
19,024
9,683
AK
Serial Midget said:
Night lights brought me back to the monkey - I bought 2 sets a Marwi Night Pro Kamakazi lamps in 2003 or 2004 and used them 2 times a week until 2007, at that time they replaced a Cygo lamp that was a 5 and 10 watt bulb, the Night Pros have a 12 and 20 watt bulb. In my various moves I have lost the batteries and set to replace them today but it seems the company no longer makes them or supports replacement parts. I was very happy with them and could get over 2 hours with both bulbs burning.

I'd like to replace the batteries, 1 bottle and 1 pack. Any suggestions?
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What do you mean bottle and pack? Are you talking about those gigantic bottle-battery things from years ago? I used my LED Cygolite for 2 winters, usually 5 days a week. Battery pack is tiny, best in a pack or top-tube gas-tank type bag.

If you really want to resurrect those lights, you probably just need to make the batteries yourself. Batteries+ or similar businesses can usually help. Not terribly complicated usually.
 
Serial Midget

Serial Midget

Al Bundy
Jun 25, 2002
13,053
1,896
Fort of Rio Grande
Damn, it looks like I really backdated. I'llet look into the mighty cross. Thanks!

Edit = I couldn't find a reason not to buy one so I made a $140.00 offer on ebay, reviews of the 800 model are quite good, thanks for the tip.
 
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Serial Midget

Serial Midget

Al Bundy
Jun 25, 2002
13,053
1,896
Fort of Rio Grande
Jm_ said:
What do you mean bottle and pack? Are you talking about those gigantic bottle-battery things from years ago? I used my LED Cygolite for 2 winters, usually 5 days a week. Battery pack is tiny, best in a pack or top-tube gas-tank type bag.

If you really want to resurrect those lights, you probably just need to make the batteries yourself. Batteries+ or similar businesses can usually help. Not terribly complicated usually.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure I'm that smart, I have tremendous respect for IT tech temps...
 
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