Good quality front light
hamboman
Posts: 512
I have a cheapish halogen cateye and it is really rubbish. Keeps cutting out, especially in the wet, just when I need it most. Have also had probs with my cateye led rear.
Can someone recommend a higher quality brand? Looked on wiggle and there are so many to choose from!
Can someone recommend a higher quality brand? Looked on wiggle and there are so many to choose from!
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SIngle Shot, great for commuting on road - bright and flashing mode attracts attention.
SIngle Shot Plus, great for unlit road and going fast.
I have the former, my audax-ing cycling buddy has the latter and she is very pleased with it. Both are pricey, waterproof, rechargeable and work well. CyclingPlus says to the effect that you brace yourself for the cost, and it makes sense on the first dark night.
The Cateye 1100 rear light is a mobile disco. Again expensive, but waterproof, VERY bright and I am very happy with mine.
I realise these are both Cateye units, but ater a lot fo research and a timemly CyclingPlus review two months ago this is where I put my money.
My ride is a variety of well lit roads, trunk roads and wide B roads.0 -
The Smart 1 watt front is OK - mine has been reliable, pretty bright - you could ride carefully on unlit lanes with it. I've found Smart lights to be more reliable than cateye - try the half watt rear - I did 2.5 hours in the rain with no mudguards the other day - constant stream of water onto it and it was still working - albeit I had to take the batteries out to turn it off when I got in.
it's a hard life if you don't weaken.0 -
sdjones2 wrote:SIngle Shot Plus, great for unlit road and going fast.
I got one of these after the C+ review.
I'm impressed with the battery life. Officially they are supposed to last 3hours on high power, C+ got 4hours, I got 30mins of flashing and another 5hours on high brightness.
How long have other people found the battery life?
I'm really impressed, £70 though, more than I wanted to pay for a light really.sdjones2 wrote:The Cateye 1100 rear light is a mobile disco. Again expensive, but waterproof, VERY bright and I am very happy with mine.
I've got this for the rear aswell, another bloody good light.0 -
...reddraggon, I have a single shot Cateye light, 8) and it is excellent, like you, I'm getting way more than three hours burn time and it lights the unlit lanes and tracks I ride...I have been using Cateyes for years and they have been nothing but good...sorry to hear yours is rubbish hamboman......all the way...'til the wheels fall off and burn...0
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Have a look at this thread. Dinotte level power for a fraction of the cost.0
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I just bought the Single Shot Plus and it's terrific.
Make sure it's the PLUS (EL610, NOT EL600). The shop made a mistake and gave me the 600 and it was rubbish. Give them their due they exchanged it and beat Wiggle's price to boot (Primera Sport, Bournemouth)0 -
It's ayups for me, folks!
www.ayup.com/au
check the gallery section for beam shots.
Not only do they look fab ,have rechargeable battery are light, guaranteed for 10 yrs (if it beaks they want it back, will replace for free and pay shipping both ways) and are virtually indestructable.
Not too mention bright as f**k.
£150 all in.<a><img></a>0 -
URL for Ay-Up is actually http://www.ayup.com.au
Not cheap, but plenty of bang for your buck, and things of beauty. IMHO this company will go far if they get a UK/European distributor sorted!
Rufus.0 -
I have bought the Cateye single shot (not plus) and find that it is bright enough for me. Not sure about the run times though. Have been caught out a couple of times with it going out before i expected it to, but could just be me making a mistake. Other night it was very cold and I got about an hour and 15 minutes out of the light. I'm now timing it to make sure.0
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RufusA wrote:URL for Ay-Up is actually http://www.ayup.com.au
Not cheap, but plenty of bang for your buck, and things of beauty. IMHO this company will go far if they get a UK/European distributor sorted!
Rufus.
I posted the wrong link :shock: muy bad
<a><img></a>0 -
I posted the above link t this thread.alfablue wrote:Have a look at this thread. Dinotte level power for a fraction of the cost.
Well, I just got my Fenix L2D Q5 Cree LED flashlight this week, and I have now tested it against my Dinotte 5W Ultra. It is amazing! It cost £37, plus £5 for a bike mount, it takes 2 AA NiMH batteries (Dinotte takes 4), and on High mode (107 Lumens) it gives well over 4 hours of light that is significantly brighter than the Dinotte (which runs for 2 hours). It also has a Turbo mode (180 Lumens) that will give over 2 hours. It may not be a bike specific light, but IMHO it blitzes the performance of bike lights up to £150.
Fenix and Dinotte
Beam shot (not mine)
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alfablue - it looks and sounds superb. One question - do you find the mount holds it securely in place?0
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The mount (a Twofish Lockblock)
is pretty secure, it will wobble slightly when riding on a rough surface but it isn't going anywhere and its not a problem. It will also fit on a helmet. There is a more substantial rigid mount available as well (the Fenix 360 degree bike mount) that would probably be preferable for off road MTB'ing use.
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Best advice I ever got was "better get a bike then"
Cycle commuting since 1994. Blog with cycle bits.
Also with the old C+ crowd at Cycle Chat.0 -
to echo alfablue:
I've also just recieved a Fenix L2D Q5 Cree LED flashlight and 'twofish' mount - both are fantastic and more than sufficient for riding unlit lanes - even on lower power settings (i.e. not turbo). My commuting buddy is gutted as he has been showing off his single shot plus and he's convinced the fenix throws out a better light
i've suggested he get's one too and keeps the singleshot as a back up Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are more pliable0 -
Exposure turbos are good too though the company are w@nkers (at least theywere in my dealings with them). That ayup looks a good bet as well though and a lot cheaper.Dan0
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driverpm wrote:to echo alfablue:
I've also just recieved a Fenix L2D Q5 Cree LED flashlight and 'twofish' mount - both are fantastic and more than sufficient for riding unlit lanes - even on lower power settings (i.e. not turbo). My commuting buddy is gutted as he has been showing off his single shot plus and he's convinced the fenix throws out a better light
i've suggested he get's one too and keeps the singleshot as a back up
Interesting, I have a Fenix P3D!0 -
Yup, it's on my 'bent. Pretty bright, perfect for unlit lanes too. I'm less impressed when there's vehicle traffic around, perhaps because of the mirrors shining the light right into my eyes.0
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I've also just recieved a Fenix L2D Q5 Cree LED flashlight but with the 360 mount. The light is very good, battery life only one hour on the supplied batteries, but will try now with 2700mah rechargeables. The batteries were very cold which does not help.
The mount rattles a lot in the straight ahead position but not when slightly off straight ahead, I have put a small bit of card in to stop it now as well.0 -
The light will perform much better with NiMH batteries, mine does 4hrs 10 minutes on high which is more than bright enough for my ride on an unlit railway path.t_rifles wrote:I've also just recieved a Fenix L2D Q5 Cree LED flashlight but with the 360 mount. The light is very good, battery life only one hour on the supplied batteries, but will try now with 2700mah rechargeables. The batteries were very cold which does not help.0
