Lights - I'm confused and need advice

16simon

Hi people

I'm after some lights for commuting and evening training, on unlit roads for 1-2 hours, and I'm confused by the different options, and in need of advice

I need enough light to ride at a decent pace, but runtime is more important than a huge output. At the moment, I'm using a Smart HID, which gives the right amount of light, but uses Smart's own battery and buying a spare will cost as much as a decent lightset. I'm not sure how many Lumens it puts out, I can't find a figure for it anywhere.

So, I was thinking of getting two Tesco torches.... or for a bit more money I could get a Fenix LD20 (with orange peel reflector).... or for a bit more money I could get a Hope Vision 1.

The Hope looks nice, has a bike mount, and a good runtime. Or will I be ok with the cheap option of Tesco torches? Or the Fenix? Help me make my mind up.....

philbill1973

I would naturally say buy my DiNotte 200 L-AA for £70, however I think everyone else would say the Tesco torches. Cheap and powerful, it's a no brainer I think.

m0scs

I guess it depends on how much money you want to spend.

Like you I ride in the dark alot this time of year, down some pretty hariy narrow unlit pot hole filled lanes. Vey dark. (Cant see your hand in front of your face dark.)

I decided last year to invest in a really good LED light and after looking around bought a Lupine Wilma 6. You can program the light for different intensities which is useful.

This will run for about 6 hours full power output of about 830 lumins and is superb. I recharge the battery overnight and its good to go again.

Top bit of kit and in my opinon, worth the money for the use I put it to, but was about £380 when I got mine last year.

There are of course many others to choose from.

16simon

Thanks guys but this is why I'm confused.... cheap or expensive?

Something like the Lupine is out of the question.... I'm not shy of spending money on bike kit, but for that money I'd rather just ride slower Anyway, I don't think that big money light systems are necessary for road riding.... but are, say, the Tesco lights good enough?

spasypaddy

i just bought a niterider and im very very happy with it, used it 3 times now and can recommend it

AndyManc

Everyone has their own personal preferences, I would look at the bike websites, find a few lights you fancy (price range, style etc ) , then do a google for reviews of the lights .... you will find loads. 8)

mrchrispy

i bought a dinotte last year (front and rear).
the rear blows my mind its so good and the front is more that enough for the dark, id want a little more light if was was propper off road but for the dark lanes and such its ace. the flashing gets you noticed miles away. the only negative i have is the battery is seperate which can be annoying.

if i was buying this year id seriously look at the hope single LED. slightly more power that the dinotte 200L and it all one tidy unit.

cougie

Bloody nuts to spend £400 on a system to ride on the roads.
I got by doing 50 mile night rides with my trusty crappy everreadly nightriders back in the day - sure they ate batteries - but I never crashed and I dont think night has got any darker has it ?

I would say - try a tesco light for a tenner and fit it on your helmet as the first route.

If you need more run time - get an LD20 from Fenix - high power is fine for the road - and you have five hours - so total spend - £50 not including chargers.

Ngalbrai

Ay-ups get my vote, just got the roadie set. Seperate battery but it attaches to the stem. The lights themselves are really small and unobtrusive but throw off a good amount of light. 6 hours burn time. Can also buy in sets, one for bars, one for helmet but that might well be overkill, but it would give you the option of only running one set when in more lit areas.

ince

Get a Tesco torch for a tenner, try it out. If it has enough light you can always splash out on another, if not it's only a tenner and you have a great little torch for the house, car, shed etc.

Check the thread about the Tesco torch there are some pic's of the light out put.

girv73

I've ridden with two Tescos on pitch black country roads but felt I had to take it very easy. I'll qualify that though by saying it was the first time I'd been riding in such dark conditions so I'd obviously be unsure of myself anyway. If you're more experienced in the dark (fnarr), a couple of Tescos might do you fine. Be aware that the beam they emit is pretty narrow though - I think a Fenix LD20 has a wider spread and almost as much light.

I can just about get 4x45 minute commutes out of two 2900mah AA batteries in the Tesco torches, but they are noticeably dimmer on the final leg of that, so a runtime of ~2hrs on 2AAs would be about right.