Hope Vision single LED for trail use?
Comments
-
Ah, yeah, the Cateyes are utterly s**t
Uncompromising extremist0 -
Hope 2 on the bars and a set of ayups on the helmet mint combo.
Good thing about hope is there service is second to none,
Bad thing about ayup they dont sell in the uk anymore
0 -
Thanks for your comments.
I probably should have elaborated more on the issue. The light would have the double duties of commuting and trail riding, the latter with the aid of a helmet mounted halogen (a 6v/10w halogen unit)
The reasons why the Hope unit appeals to me:
1. it is self contained
2. it runs on std. cells
3. it can be switched between bikes while leaving the bars free of clutter
Also, from what experience I have of other Hope products, I feel pretty confident about buying their stuff qualitywise.
And the truth be told, the damn thing looks so good it makes me drool. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to justify spending good money on appearance alone, but I'm prepared to pay some extra to have beatifully finished metal on my bar instead of e.g. black plastic.
The one point that got no clearer is this: How does the Hope unit (or equivalent) compare to a 6v/10w halogen? This is important to me since, believe it or not, up to now I've been using halogens exclusively.0 -
As said above, the Vision One is a great light. The beam is tight with a hard cut-off but it's OK for 10-12mph on easy trails. If looks are important (no-one can see it at night :? ) you won't be disappointed and it can be attached to your bike in seconds.
Compared to halogens, the Vision One has a very comfortable colour temperature and is easily the match of my ancient Cateye halogens.
Biggest drawback is that it is at least £50 overpriced.0 -
No-one has said that the Hope isn't "a decent bit of kit"
I'll happily say that. For that price, it's an absolute joke. Vision 2 and Vision 4 are superb lights, but if you're spending under £100 you can do SO much better than the Vision 1. The only thing I can say in the favour of the Vision 1 is that some numpty paid more for mine on ebay than I paid for it brand new. Ah well...0 -
It seemed that surf_matt thought someone had said the Hope was a rubbish light 'full stop'. When what we were actually saying is that it wasn't a good light for the money, and it wasn't the P7 users who were being negative about the Hope, but the Hope user who was implying the P7 torches were poorly built, unreliable and had a poor beam. Which simply isn't true.
I'll happily admit that the customer service from a Hong Kong bargain website probably won't be as good as Hope's, but I know people have got refunds/replacements when there's been problems. And when you charge so much for something that can't cost too much to make, you're going to have plenty left to pay for customer service
I've never used a Hope 1, so couldn't comment on the brightness and runtimes, but Northwind has, and it seems that a 3 day runtime is pointless, because the output is so low. Fine to be seen by perhaps, but then why not just buy a cheap LED thing for that?
Have the people knocking the torches and MagicShines ever used one?
From a Hope user: "OK for 10-12mph on easy trails", simply put, a P7 torch combo is capable of so much more than that, and at the end of the day isn't that what you want in a light, for it to 'light'?0 -
I've not used nor knocked it either. I just read through the http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12660192 thread and plenty of people who have bought them are having problems with chargers, beam spread and faulty switches.
I don't think that Hope, Exposure and the like are making massive markups either as anyone who has read Trouts of Troutlight posts on the building expense of LED lights in the UK will see that there isn't massive profits in it and if there was then they would be able to undercut the competition and flood the market.
I don't mind paying the extra for the support backup and over engineering than go for a ride and find that the light fails and my ride that I've looked forward to is cut short and I have to wait weeks for a replacement. Time is a scarce resource for me and paying the extra to ensure that it's not wasted is worth every penny to me.
I think that if you get the cheap import, it works and continues to then you are laughing all the way to the bank but on the other hand it doesn't then you took the risk and it didn't work out.0 -
As usual it comes down to what you are happy with, and happy paying for. If you don't mind paying extra for a British product, the aftersales service, or it looks good, then that is fine.
But given I can buy seven torches that are as bright as the Vision 1 for the same money, I can't justify the Hope.0 -
As an aside, I was seriously considering the Hope 4. Anything else MADE for MTBING (!!) that I should look at?0
-
I am not sure that 'made for mTBing' actually means much to be honest! Given that beam spreads vary as much with bike lamps and torches, and mounts are readily available for the latter.0
-
It might not mean much to most but it means a lot to me.
Just like I don't want to replace my car headlights with a pair of torches, I also don't want a torch for my bike.0 -
A Vision 1 as a spot and a Vision 2 as a flood works really well. Or you could buy several torches 0
-
Surf-Matt wrote:It might not mean much to most but it means a lot to me.
Just like I don't want to replace my car headlights with a pair of torches, I also don't want a torch for my bike.
Well your choice, but I think the end product difference is minimal, just words. And I think even most hardened fans would admit that the Exposure Diablo is a P7 torch! The same can be said with a lot of bike specific clothing too.0 -
So most of my MTB clothes are in fact torches?
I thought they chaffed a bit too much TBH.0 -
?
A lot of MTB specific clothes and brands are the same as generic stuff you can get from many places ie base layers, mid layers, jackets, etc. Only really shorts with liners and gloves, and SPD shoes are genuinely specific.0 -
Read what you last posted SS veeeery slowly... you'll then realise I'm being damn hilarious.
Base layers can be any brand (I use Finisterre and Patagonia), jackets need to be cycle specific or they are the wrong shape, shorts need to be cycle specific or they chaff you to bits and are too stiff around your ar5e, socks can be anything but Sealskinz are hard to beat when it's wet, helmets need to be bike specific, gloves need to be cycle specific.
So in fact, most stuff is cycle specific - I know because I refused to wear cycle branded kit for ages (surf shorts, cotton Ts, etc) and suffered for it.0 -
But our shape varies so much - there isn't a definitive cut for all people and types of cycling. Apart from my helmet, which I don't really regard as clothing, none of my cycling gear is cycling branded nor specific.0
-
That's because your a tight ar5e from Sheffield.0
-
Hehe, can't argue with that!0
-
General 'sports' shorts, base layers and t shirts are fine. If you're riding in jeans and cotton t shirts then yes, it's going to be uncomfortable, but you'd be uncomfortable running or playing football or tennis in non-sports clothing. But football shirts and general purpose base layers are perfectly good for biking in. Likewise with the 'trail shoes' I wear. Not bike specific but great for MTBing.
The only cycle specific clothing I regularly wear are padded shorts, gloves and helmet (if that's clothing?) I've got one pair of cycling specifc shorts, which are more suited to the job, but at £50 a pair they ought to be, for a short ride the only difference between them and my £5 Umbro ones is the number of pockets.
Matt, your problem wasn't that you weren't wearing cycle clothing, it's that you were wearing the wrong clothes to be doing any sport in.0 -
You can surf in boardshorts.
And football shirts are wrong for ALL sport. As are Umbro shorts...
I just find my cycle gear better than non cycle gear - jacket, gloves, shorts and shoes (SPDs)0 -
Phwoar, check these out!
Whats wrong with those?!
Well, duh! I meant proper sports...You can surf in boardshorts.
My point is that I already own football shirts, and Umbro shorts that are the same length and size as my Endura Humvee 3/4s, so why not wear those?
I've said it before, specifc gear does do the job better, but rarely ten times better (in the case of the shorts). Now that I bike more than I play football, I'll balance stuff I buy towards MTB suitability, but there's no point throwing away perfectly good stuff just because it was hanging up in the Football or Running section of a sports shop, instead of in the LBS.
I just think there's a lot of snobbery towards being a 'proper' biker, whether that's because of how much the bike costs, where you ride, what you wear, what pedals you use or if you use mudguards, it's all a bit stupid really.0 -
No snobbery - I just find cycle shorts last longer (worn through many non cycle shorts), don't garrot your nuts and have pockets in the right places.
If something doesn't need to be cycle specific (base and mid layers) then save money. It's not about labels - in fact I don't find bike labels very attractive. It's about durability and comfort.
As for "proper" biker - who wants to be one of those anyway?!0 -
Surf-Matt wrote:If something doesn't need to be cycle specific then save money.!
I'm glad we agree
Everyone wants to be a proper biker Matt, just like the pro's, with no mudguards because we love getting muddy, and FS so we can be gnaaaarly dude! 0 -
I do wear footy shirts in the summer when larking about in the woods. Baggy, comfortable, let sweat through and cheap.0
-
But make you look like a low rent chav... :twisted: 0
-
If you must go "proper bike light" and you don't want a Magicshine, check out the Light and Motion Seca 900. Absurdly expensive but it really is a lovely bit of kit. The output numbers don't sound too good but the optics are superb, the beam's just perfect. My 2 P7s do outperform my mate's one Seca, just through brute force, but it's a very close thing and it's just one light. Impressive stuff.
Or, a Troutlite of some description. Everything from small and efficient to Portable Sun is covered...Uncompromising extremist0 -
Well, this'll make your day Matt, guess what broke tonight?!
I got carried away drifting in the snow, fell over, ended up sliding on my side, the handlebars were twisted the wrong way. I, and the bike, slid into the kerb at about 10 mph, the torch mount took the impact, and has now snapped
Managed to fix it with a cable tie, unfortunately it's now a pain to remove.
Also, my shoulder hurts!0 -
bails87 wrote:Well, this'll make your day Matt, guess what broke tonight?!
I got carried away drifting in the snow, fell over, ended up sliding on my side, the handlebars were twisted the wrong way. I, and the bike, slid into the kerb at about 10 mph, the torch mount took the impact, and has now snapped
Managed to fix it with a cable tie, unfortunately it's now a pain to remove.
Also, my shoulder hurts! Stumpjumper FSR 09/10 Pro Carbon, Genesis Vapour CX20 ('17)Carbon, Rose Xeon CW3000 '14, Raleigh R50
http://www.visiontrack.com0 -
bails87 wrote:Well, this'll make your day Matt, guess what broke tonight?!
I got carried away drifting in the snow, fell over, ended up sliding on my side, the handlebars were twisted the wrong way. I, and the bike, slid into the kerb at about 10 mph, the torch mount took the impact, and has now snapped
Managed to fix it with a cable tie, unfortunately it's now a pain to remove.
Also, my shoulder hurts!
No garantee that a Hope would have survived any better though........ I ride therefore I am0
