£160 for lights- Hope LED, Lumicycle or other?

plumby

Hi guys.

Im new to the forum so hello!

I have £160 odd to spend on lights. Should i get hope LED's, Lumicycle 12w + 20w or are there any other options i should consider?

Thanks

El Capitano

Okay, I'm biased as I've got a set (or two), but definately go for the Lumicycle system. Excellent build quality, burn time and brightness.

One thing to consider, is that spares and upgrades are easily available for the Lumicycle system.

scholarsgate

I'd have to agree lumicycles are good especially with the new lithium batteries.

The Exposure Joystick Maxx is also receiving good press.

Underscore

I've just ordered a set of Ay-Up!s which should output 280 lumens instead of the Hope's 300 and have a run time of 3 hrs (I choose the little (70g) battery) instead of the Hope's 1hr 45min. They have cost me ~£100 including shipping (but not any potential duty or VAT). I'll post some thoughts on here once they arrive, but owners generally seem to like them, especially for the money.

_

stevieboy

If you look around Hope's can be had for £135

dirtbiker100

I bought hope LED's (endurance battery pack version) from merlin for 162 but don't know if they still have the offer on. i was just about to buy the exposure joystick maxx. lots of good reviews. winner of mbuk/wmb reviews also a triathlon mag. 144 on wiggle i think but not in stock till first half of november as i last heard. those are my two picks.

Outdoorbunny

I'm loving my Light and Motion Solo Logic light - £120 from some websites. Rode with a friend the other night who was using a Lumicycle system and there wasn't really any difference in the amount of light both units threw out. Advantage of the L&M - gives you 15 minutes warning before the battery dies which is pretty useful!

Fuzzyboy

I have ordered a set of Ay-Up's. A bundle which includes a helmet unit and a bar unit, a 6hr battery and 2x 3hr battery.

http://www.ayup.com.au/kits-regular.php

At £187 a bit more than your budget. Everywhere I searched I found great reviews. Should be here Monday.. can't wait!!

FSR_XC

Fuzzyboy wrote:

I have ordered a set of Ay-Up's. A bundle which includes a helmet unit and a bar unit, a 6hr battery and 2x 3hr battery.

http://www.ayup.com.au/kits-regular.php

At £187 a bit more than your budget. Everywhere I searched I found great reviews. Should be here Monday.. can't wait!!

Be interesting if you can comment on their performance and show a pic.

Fuzzyboy

I'll definately do a mini review. I'm a numpty with a camera.. so dunno about photo's.. some good pics here though..

http://www.ayup.com.au/gallery-beamshots.html

(I went for the narrow beam helmet and intermediate beam bars.. that's what they recommend for general XC use).

I did quite a lot of research and was swayed by the number of positive independant reviews I found (as well as the fact you get 2 light units). If you go googling for info, be aware that they changed to CREE LED's in August.. which apparently are a significant improvement over the older ones. Having said that, the old LED models were pretty well reviewed as well.

Fuzzyboy

Some more useful photo's..

http://www.users.on.net/~fathers/lightsvslights.htm

dirtbiker100

I wish more companies would do that sort of photo with a trail and distance to a marker etc. v interesting

robinta

I`ve ordered a NIterider Minewt X 2 for £149 which I should get early next week. Will pass opinion on them when I try - but have bee impressed by the reviews. It was a toss up between this light & the Exposure Joystick Maxx

remy martin

Plumby,

I too purchased the Ayup's last month and they are fantastic. I bought the roadie kit and for a £100 you cant really complain. They are bright, well machined, come in a whole range of colours and light.

I have also previously owned the Hope LED system (not anymore after I was robbed) and though a stronger output in terms of lumens, the Ayup's are much better value for money light. They are also individually adjustable.

I have the 2x3 watt Luxeon system but the CREE version that they are now selling emit twice the light. If you can stretch it, I would second Fuzzyboy's recommendation to get the regular kit for £187. You won't be disappointed particularly when you compare what you would have got if you just bought the Exposure light.

forgotrafe

See this thread for an alternative:

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12546680

I've got most of my DIY stuff on order. Total cost looks to be less than £90 but am expecting great things!

PM me if you want me to let you know how I get on.

Rafe

plumby

I've now found a Hope HID system for £200, is this better again?

DR650s

robinta wrote:

I`ve ordered a NIterider Minewt X 2 for £149 which I should get early next week. Will pass opinion on them when I try - but have bee impressed by the reviews. It was a toss up between this light & the Exposure Joystick Maxx

Me and a friend have these, brilliant light, with great durantion on the battery. I ride with a group that have been night riding for some time and they were all very impressed with this light, and they have spent around the £500 mark a few years ago on there's.

daniel_b

Numpty question for all you peeps that have bought the ayup lights, are you buying direct from Aus, and if so, do you not get stung for import duty/VAT?

Dan

justal

I had the same question myself a week or so ago... Went for the Lumicycles Halogens in the end... Certainly bright enough and well made too, but the light is quite a lot yellower than the Hope HIDs or LEDs.

Al.

Brighty

Hi guys

Currently umming and arring between the hope LED and the ay ups.

Can't see the need for a helmet light at the mo (happy with my petzl headtorch), so am comparing a single ay up unit with the hope.

After having a good look at the ay up website, i have a couple of reservations that are swaying me towards the hope.

From what i can tell, the ay ups...

a) They have no power settings, just on or off.
b) Speaking of which, there is no on/off button, you have to pull the lead in and out.
c) Bar mounting is via cable ties, so mount has to stay on even on day rides.
d) Bar mount is sized for oversize bars, and their solution for standard bars is liberable use of rubber or insulation tape.
e) The light attaches to the bar mount via a rubber strap, which doesn't look all that secure

All of the above are pointing me to towards the hope, which is about £30 more.

Any ay up owners disagree with any of my points or think they are not that important?

Cheers

Brighty

forgotrafe

Brighty,

Did you see http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12546680 ?

Have ordered the bits to make my own light - won't be spending more than £80 - and everyone else that has done it is raving about it.

You don't even need to wave a soldering iron about. Ebay item 250180482187 is ready made and ebay item 220164928677 is for a compatible Li-Ion battery.

Rafe

Fuzzyboy

Here are my thoughts..

a) They have no power settings, just on or off.

True. If you want multiple settings the Ay-Up's aren't for you.

b) Speaking of which, there is no on/off button, you have to pull the lead in and out.

True. This troubled me a bit when I was deciding whether to get them. However, with the battery life I don't think I will need to switch them off. If I do need to, it is very easy to plug in and unplug the lead even on the helmet light should I need to.

c) Bar mounting is via cable ties, so mount has to stay on even on day rides.

It's so tiny, light and unobtrusive this is not an issue.

d) Bar mount is sized for oversize bars, and their solution for standard bars is liberable use of rubber or insulation tape.

Yep. I had some rubber knocking about that was perfect for the job. But you could do a completely proffesional job with an inner tube or similar. Again, this is really a non-issue.

e) The light attaches to the bar mount via a rubber strap, which doesn't look all that secure.

Again, I had similar reservations, but trust me, from an engineering point of view, these things are perfect. The thing to remember is the light unit (and battery for that matter) are EALLY small and lightweight. You could probably blu-tac them on and they wouldn't come off. So the fittings that are supplied are definately more than enough.

I'd like to point out, I'm not blindly defending these lights. I have limited experience of night riding (having previously used Smart dual 10w halogens) and can't comment on competetive products. But I can tell you, from a design / engineering point of view they are perfect... really.

I haven't used them yet (I only got them today), but I will tonight. I can offer comments on the beam etc tomorrow.

Brighty

Cheers fuzzy

Keep me posted on how you find them.

What colour did you get btw?

Brighty

Fuzzyboy

Ha! That's important bit!!

I got light blue for my helmet (it's not really light blue... more like the colour of the Chelsea home shirt). And gun metal grey for the bars. Both look great. I would advise getting different coloured units as telling them apart would be annoying.. having said that, pointing them at a wall, even in daylight, shows the difference between tight beam and intermediate.

I am dying for it to get dark..!!

FSR_XC

forgotrafe wrote:

Brighty,

Did you see http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12546680 ?

Have ordered the bits to make my own light - won't be spending more than £80 - and everyone else that has done it is raving about it.

You don't even need to wave a soldering iron about. Ebay item 250180482187 is ready made and ebay item 220164928677 is for a compatible Li-Ion battery.

Rafe

The 2 items you have highlighted will cost £95 + p&p and then you'll still need a charger.

dirtbiker100

I recieved my hope LED's over the weekend and I really cannot ask for any more in a light. Rode across my local park started with low, went to medium and smiled, then to high power and just laughed open mouthed as it lit up the whole park. Its crazy bright, much whiter light than I was expecting too. On the uphills I'll be putting it on low then high or medium for the rest of the ride. The battery pack has a velcro strap round the battery and I've put mine under my 60mm stem and its happy there. In my set I got oversize bar/normal bar mount, helmet mount, long cable, 2 battery packs (endurance set), charger and the light, all in for 162 during merlins deal. Is it still on? Like fuzzy I can't compare to others but I'm totally happy with my hopes

Brighty

Merlin deal is still on, but out of stock of the std and enduro at the mo. If they get more in and still have the 10% off. i think i'll get them over the ay ups.... maybe... oh i don't know.

Brighty

forgotrafe

FSR_XC wrote:

The 2 items you have highlighted will cost £95 + p&p and then you'll still need a charger.

You're right - I didn't make myself overly clear did I. Sorry.

I've spent £80 on 2 x 4300mAH NiMH race packs & chargers (£60) + the ready made unit I mentioned (£20). And if I'm 100% honest I've also had to buy a new water bottle to carry the batteries in. This method takes a little effort to wire up etc.

If like me you want a "cheap" way into night riding, to see if you like it/don't think you'll do it too often then I think the way I've gone is a good compromise.

The Li-Ion battery I mentioned was if you wanted a no-solder, no-hassle approach but would make it considerably more expensive.

The Ay Up lights look excellent and cost-effective compared to Lumicycle/Hope etc. and I must admit to wanting a set But I can't justify the extra £100 - at least not until I've got addicted to night cycling

Rafe

Fuzzyboy

I just noticed something else...

With the Ay-Up's they give you a bright orange wrist band (A bit like the Lance Armstrong 'Livestrong' one). It's bright orange and says 'Ay-Up' on it.

I can't imagine anyone in there right mind wearing this.. but take a pair of scissors to it and it would be perfect for the non oversize handlebar modification. Maybe that's what it's for even?

El Capitano

justal wrote:

Certainly bright enough and well made too, but the light is quite a lot yellower than the Hope HIDs or LEDs.

I'm looking at getting some LED bulbs for my Lumicycle system, I'll let you know how I get on with them. (they aren't from Lumicycle, but from Ultraleds).

Fuzzyboy

Just got back from a quick blast with my new Ay-Up's.

I am really pleased with them. They do exactly what I hoped for. The light they give off has a sort of lilac hue, I guess this would be similar to all LED's? They are very bright, and do the job very well. It's true to say the beam drops off sharply at about 35 - 45 meters. I had previously read this in another user review somewhere so I was expecting it, to me It's not a real problem though. I'm sure HID's would be better at these distances, halogens too but personally I don't need to see that far.

This was the first time I have ridden at night with both bar & helmet lights (previously used bar only), and it totally makes sense. The ability to look around to see where that monster noise came from, or a quick glance down so check which chainring I am on is invaluable, especially without loosing your forward beam. Even getting my bike out of the shed was much easier because of the helmet light. If you had to fix a puncture or do minor repairs it would help a lot too. I certainly wouldn't want to ride really fast down technical stuff with just the helmet OR the bars.. I guess that's why they sell them as a set. I'm not saying they can't be used individually, but you would have to ease off somewhat to do so. I plan to go out with my g/f later in the week and we will have one unit each, however we will be riding at low-ish speed around areas we know.

All in all, I am really impressed with them. They are brilliantly designed and built make and riding at night really fun. I can't really fault them, apart from the minor fact that the beam drops off at long distances..If you need that kind of range I think you will need to spend some more money. The robustness and the timy package makes LED's look like the most sensible choice of technolagu to me. The Ay-Up's are excellent, but again, I can't compare them to Hope's or USE's LED offerings, only Smart twin 10w halogens.. which now seem dim, fragile and heavy.

Hope this is of use!