AndrewEH1 Posted November 28, 2011 Report Share Posted November 28, 2011 (edited) I am planning to perhaps do some night rides at one of the local trail centres. Obviously it is dark at the moment so I'll be needing a bright, efficient front light. For the back I'm planning a cheap red light just to ensure I am seen from behind. Any recommendations? It needs to have a good solid mount as I don't want it to fall off or rattle about too much. Edited November 28, 2011 by AndrewEH1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crashbanggg Posted November 28, 2011 Report Share Posted November 28, 2011 These dealextreme lights seem to have have massively conflicting reveiws, but for the price seem alright. I'm hopefully getting one for Christmas so can't really comment from personal use yet My link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winchman Posted November 28, 2011 Report Share Posted November 28, 2011 What about a LED mag lite and a handle bar mount? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewEH1 Posted November 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2011 What about a LED mag lite and a handle bar mount? I've always found Mag Lites to be under powered and over priced for what you get... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winchman Posted November 28, 2011 Report Share Posted November 28, 2011 I've always found Mag Lites to be under powered and over priced for what you get... Not a bad point we get them for free at work so not bad for me. Our local £1 shop sells these We have a few for the kids for camping and they are very good and wouldnt be the end of the world if lost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haydon_peter Posted November 28, 2011 Report Share Posted November 28, 2011 I recently got one of the XML lights from mtbbatteries.co.uk I wasn't really up for buying a deal extreme/magicshine/other ebay bargain. I didn't want to have to wait for it to be shipped from Hong Kong and I had also heard different stories regarding the build and battery quality. I found out about the MTBBatteries lights while searching the Singletrack World Forums for reviews of the deal extreme lights. I have used it on my road bike and also for XC and am very impressed! Yes it is twice the price of the cheap ebay offerings but I am happy I have supported a small UK based company and also have his backup if I have any problems. There is loads of info about all the different lights available on the STW forums Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weirdoku Posted November 28, 2011 Report Share Posted November 28, 2011 A lot of those XML lights are similar to each other. Go on ebay and search for something like CREE LED bike light along with either Q5, T6, XML, Ultrafire and you'll get loads of results. It's not just limited to the 4 I said, there's loads, they were the ones that came to mind first. Some have built in rechargeable batteries, some take AAs, some take AAAs, some come in pairs, some don't. LOADS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theta2 Posted November 29, 2011 Report Share Posted November 29, 2011 http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/hawking-900-lumen-rechargeable-front-light-id60950.html Can vouch for these Bright with good battery life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomm Posted November 29, 2011 Report Share Posted November 29, 2011 Most of the lights are kind of similar - whether they're from ebay/deal-extreme/mtbbatteries or those ones from JE James. They're all the same design, with a few very subtle differences, none of which are really worth paying more for. The XML T6 is supposedly a brighter LED but I don't think it makes much difference. The only real difference is aftercare, apparently the mtbbatteries ones (and probably the JE James deal) have quite good support, and obviously they'll arrive quicker. Whether that's worth paying double is up to you - I didn't think so, so I ordered some from eBay. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Fashion-CREE-XML-XM-L-T6-LED-1600-Lm-Bicycle-Light-HeadLamp-HeadLigh-/150698078984?pt=UK_SportsLeisure_Cycling_Bike_Lights&hash=item23164e3308#ht_5377wt_1008 I paid £36 also, but I'm not sure if that was the same seller. Mine took 10 days to arrive, but I've got friends who waited 30 days! As for the lights, they are B-R-I-G-H-T! They're fairly solid, I've got no concerns about build quality (though obviously they're not posh like Hope ones) and the mounts are solid enough. My only real criticism is that the light beam is quite focused, the main beam is only about a foot wide at a normal riding position (beam on the floor ~6 feet in front of me), which means I have to move my head around to light up different bits of the trail. This also means it's amazing for shining in the eyes of oncoming drivers and lighting stuff up from 200 yards away. I think some of the other variants may have different reflectors in which may be better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haydon_peter Posted November 29, 2011 Report Share Posted November 29, 2011 I believe a single T6 Cree LED is only capable of producing up to ~1000 lumens so don't believe all the ebay stuff saying 99million lumens from a single LED. Realistically most people should be fine with 1000 lumens, I am getting on OK with just the mtbbatteries light on the handlebars although I sometimes wish I had an extra light on my helmet with a more focussed beam to light up where I am looking. A useful feature to check is with any of the lights is what power settings it has, a lot of the cheaper offerings only have 3 settings, High, Low and flashing. The light I linked to has High, Medium, Low and flashing, I am always finding myself using the 50% power mode on easy/slow sections of trail to lengthen the battery life! The Magicshine MJ872 is another light getting good reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Dunstan Posted November 29, 2011 Report Share Posted November 29, 2011 (edited) Snip Edited November 29, 2011 by Luke Dunstan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Dunstan Posted November 29, 2011 Report Share Posted November 29, 2011 I recently got one of the XML lights from mtbbatteries.co.uk I wasn't really up for buying a deal extreme/magicshine/other ebay bargain. I didn't want to have to wait for it to be shipped from Hong Kong and I had also heard different stories regarding the build and battery quality. I found out about the MTBBatteries lights while searching the Singletrack World Forums for reviews of the deal extreme lights. I have used it on my road bike and also for XC and am very impressed! Yes it is twice the price of the cheap ebay offerings but I am happy I have supported a small UK based company and also have his backup if I have any problems. There is loads of info about all the different lights available on the STW forums Would you say they're a bit over kill for a 3 mile commute to work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haydon_peter Posted November 29, 2011 Report Share Posted November 29, 2011 It depends what the commute is like. On the road bike if I am out on my own on pitch black country roads I often use the 50% medium power setting, if I am out in a group of other people or on roads with street lights I just stick to the 10% low setting. I only use the 100% setting off road. Either way it will certainly make sure you get seen by other road users, I have had cars flashing me quite a few times Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Dunstan Posted November 29, 2011 Report Share Posted November 29, 2011 It depends what the commute is like. On the road bike if I am out on my own on pitch black country roads I often use the 50% medium power setting, if I am out in a group of other people or on roads with street lights I just stick to the 10% low setting. I only use the 100% setting off road. Either way it will certainly make sure you get seen by other road users, I have had cars flashing me quite a few times Excellent, how soon did they arrive? I have a halfords super bright LED, but it's just not dazzling enough. And it's all country roads with pretty dangerous drivers rushing to get home. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haydon_peter Posted November 29, 2011 Report Share Posted November 29, 2011 As long as he has them in stock I believe he posts them out the same day. When I ordered mine he was waiting for a batch from his suppliers but he kept me up to date with emails and it was luckily only delayed by a few days. I just checked their facebook page and on the 22nd he stated he had stock and was also due another batch this week so hopefully you won't have any delay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Dunstan Posted November 29, 2011 Report Share Posted November 29, 2011 Awesome, thanks for the recommendation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake. Posted November 29, 2011 Report Share Posted November 29, 2011 My Dad recently bought a £30 1200 lumos light from china, it's f**king good. I'll ask where he got it from when he's back from work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt rushton Posted November 29, 2011 Report Share Posted November 29, 2011 Pretty bright light good price aswel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomm Posted November 29, 2011 Report Share Posted November 29, 2011 Pretty bright light good price aswel. 240 lumens? It's not 1999. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krisboats Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 240 lumens? It's not 1999. Lumens are a very poor measure on the brightness of a light as there are no industry standards when measuring. Some quote "potential output" based on the optimum configuration, some quote diode output in general (not after being soldered to the manufacturers circuit or power supply) and some quote brightness at 1 metre from the output. Most chinese websites quote lumens as a best case scenario from the diode. What comes out of a claimed 1600 lumen light might only be a little brighter than that of a 300 lumen one from somewhere else. In the case of the mj872 though, it's somewhat comparable to the hope vision 4. Not my own personal experience mind, but this website seems pretty reliable and has loads of lights in an easily comaparable chart. Should be a good port of call for anyone looking to buy a new light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomm Posted December 6, 2011 Report Share Posted December 6, 2011 Well I've used both a Hope Vision 1 and a Magic Shine light and the Magic shine is many, many, times brighter. I don't know if it's 8 times brighter as quoted (It may well not be) but it's a daft comparison. The Chinese one is far brighter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trialsmax04 Posted December 7, 2011 Report Share Posted December 7, 2011 Ive just brought the same as you suggested tomm. Looking forward to bolting it on. I brought it with the intention of if it lasts the winter then its not a bad £35 spent to be honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomm Posted December 7, 2011 Report Share Posted December 7, 2011 Cool, enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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