Light recommendations?

[bluedog]

After the ride last Thursday out at Shaeffer and getting back using every last minute of light, I'm thinking that it may be time to get a light to be able to extend my riding hours. I started shopping the deals on mtbr.com and all the various sites and became overwhelmed with the wide selections and even wider price range. I can certainly afford more than $20, but upwards of $600 is a bit much for a bike light.

Anyone have any advice on what to get that's a good buy for the money? Are the $40 lights not worth it and anything worthwhile is $150 and up? Seems like a rechargable unit is the way to go, but the ones with the waterbottle type external battery are a bit much.

Thanks for helping out a n00b! :)

[halfinch]

if you're looking for a light to use in the event you riding back out and it's getting dark i'd suggest the performance viewpoint flair 5. i've used it for camping, easy rides on paved trails, commuting and such. it is in no means worthy of singletrack use at the likes of shaffer's or such - but it's a good light to have in your pack as needed.

for night rides, you can get an entry level light for 70 to 130. older and heavier equipment, but will be adequate to get you started. the run time will not typically exceeed 2 hours at best. use it for a season or two, then consider upgrading if you're into night riding.

if you want to spend more, i like the cat eye double shot. two led lights that has a burn time of 5 hours. you can mount it to the h-bar or your helmet.

nightrider makes fine equipment also, and others will chime in about HID and other systems. HID isn't my personal favorite type of system, but they do provide more than enough light.

finally,
'd reccommend coming down to wakefield for one of the group night rides. see what people are using and get a feel for what you may like.

enjoy.

[jabberwocky]

There are two classes of lights. There are "be seen" lights, which only serve the purpose of making you more visible and don't really throw off enough light to ride by. And then there are "to see by" lights, which are much brighter. Pretty much all the self contained and LED lights fall into the former catagory. They just don't throw off enough light to ride by.

If you want to ride off road, you want to look for a halogen or HID setup. I would recommend at least a 15 watt halogen, but you may be able to get away with 10 watts. HID lights are the best (I have both an HID and a 20 watt halogen), but they are very expensive (upwards of $300). Look for a light that comes with both handlebar and helmet mounts.

[wrench177]

Some time ago I was looking for lights as well. I had the same concerns about price and durability. Another major concern was the price for replacement parts, especially bulbs. HID systems provide exceptional light, however, their prices are outragous and replacement bulbs are close to $100 bucks. Too rich for my blood. Not to mention I've heard stories about how delicate HID bulbs can be. If I spend a hundred bucks on a bulb it better last longer than a 20 dollar Halogen.

After posting on the board I believe it was BikerRob that directed me to BatterySpace.com and their overvolted Li-Ion halogen setups. The prices are great and the Li-Ion packs they custom make are incredible. I'm getting 4+ hours of run time out of my light. The shrink wrap cover over the battery pack is very thick and durable. Best of all the Li-Ion batteries are lighter and provide much better burn times over the stock Ni-MH batteries Marwi uses. The light housing itself is very nice milled aluminum and looks sharp. Basically I have been very happy with my purchace and would do it again in a second. Here is the link to the setup I bought:

http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2339

If the price is more than what you want to spend, they still have great prices on other systems. However, these setups may not use a Li-Ion battery or come with a smart charger. Both of which make a huge difference in my opinion.

Good luck shopping.

[yueq]

Basically I have been very happy with my purchace and would do it again in a second. Here is the link to the setup I bought:

http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2339

If the price is more than what you want to spend, they still have great prices on other systems. However, these setups may not use a Li-Ion battery or come with a smart charger. Both of which make a huge difference in my opinion.

Good luck shopping.

Looks good. Does it come with a frame mount for the battery pack? I might get this to mount on my handlebar as the 2nd light.

And the 20w bulb replacement is only $3, incredible!

[jabberwocky]

And the 20w bulb replacement is only $3, incredible!Thats because it uses the same bulb you would put in something like a halogen desk lamp. And I don't mean that in a bad way. Economy of scale is a good thing.

I have heard pretty good things about the batteryspace setups, although I have heard reports of people with problems, too. I would certainly recommend anyone on a budget check them out (I believe they make an HID setup, too).

I will chime in and say that HID bulbs are pretty durable, and should last for a while. I've smacked my lamp on branches several times without affecting it. The thing to keep in mind is that the main factor in how long HID bulbs last is not really run time, but on-off cycles. They are very poorly suited to situations where the lamp needs to be turned on and off frequently. But for off road riding, where you turn it on at the start and leave it on for the duration of the ride they should last a long time. Like I said, I own both a 20w halogen setup and an HID light, and the HID is a superior light. Better beam pattern, projects light further, light color is more natural and the battery life is significantly longer.

My opinion is that if you are going to be serious about riding off road at night, a good HID setup is money well spent. If it will only get occasional use, save the money and grab a halogen.

[rmac]

price point.com has the Nightrider Enduro HID on sale for $250 & Performance has the same for $299. Performance should price match. I've had mixed results with my batteryspace.com set-up - loose connector, one of 2 li-ion batteries seems to hold less of a charge, but I'm using these to power some older marwi's - so it might be my rigged set-up.

[bikerRob]

Looks good. Does it come with a frame mount for the battery pack? I might get this to mount on my handlebar as the 2nd light.

And the 20w bulb replacement is only $3, incredible!

9/02/06 >> The light you (& Jabberwocky) mention is a good one. Yes, they do sell a handlebar mount and it is sold on the BatterySpace web site. The standard bulb is a 12 watt flood pattern and works great on the handlebar ( which is how I use mine ) This would make a good helmet light also if you get a spot pattern bulb. Whatever you do, Don't buy the replacement bulbs from Batteryspace. Their halogen bulbs are CRAP. Buy the replacement bulbs made for the light by Marwi. See link > http://www.bicycletires.com/tek9.asp?pg=products&specific=jmmnnorqg