Front lights - about to despair!

rodgers73

At the moment I have a cheapo front light thats starting to get me down. Most of my ride in is on roads that are partly lit or dead straight and/or level, apart from the first 4 miles that is pitch black on twisty rural roads. I dont need a floodlight, just something that can light those roads adequately.

My budget is £30-40 and I'd rather not have a light with a separate battery pack. Just because.

Cateye seem to offer loads in that price range but the reviews seem to say they're really poor build quality.

Can anyone reccommend something decent on that budget? I'm going mad reading endless mixed reviews on every light out there!


Cheers

Tom

wyadvd

the top end cateye rechargeables such as the single shot or even single shot plus are good and almost in your price range. rechargeables are genrally brighter than ones that take batts but might need recharging more often than you might change the batteries on your cheapo. i went( for my unlit rural 30 mile daily round trip) from cheapo cateye ( help im blind) to catee single shot plus ( relief i can see the worst of the potholes) to exposure maxxd. ( i prefer cycling at night because i can see more) once you have tried a proper light like that you never go back. Google magicshine

rodgers73

Thanks for the tips!

fastbatard

I was in a similar predicament myself and almost went for the Cateye EL530 until I read reviews that said it wasn't all that great. After some research for myself I think the light you're after isn't available on your budget other than the ebay type torches but I would then worry about dazzling other road users etc. I maybe wrong and welcome any advice to the contrary!

I read this article http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/headlights.asp
and as a result I ordered this
http://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=8;n ... d=39;pgc=0
Comes in at just over 80 euros (approx £70) including batteries, charger and extra clamp for oversize bars.
You can buy the light on its own though for 55 euros (approx £48 ) and use standard AA batteries.
I have just received mine today and haven't yet had chance to use it but wow it is bright and seems to be a controlled, focused beam. It's made in Germany and it seems that the law there is quite strict about bike lights and this gave me confidence in the light.
I will report back when I've tried it out properly but 1st impressions are good.

simon_e

fastbatard wrote:

I was in a similar predicament myself and almost went for the Cateye EL530 until I read reviews that said it wasn't all that great.

IMHO it isn't. Cateye build quality is passable but they're plastic. More importantly the output is not great.

There aren't many lights for £30-40 that will be bright enough for unlit roads. If you can spend a bit more something like the Fenix LD20 (2xAA, waterproof) with Twofish Lockblock would be my recommendation. It is far better than the Cateye EL-320 it replaced.

There have been lots of recent discussions on this subject (e.g. http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12728585), so try here.

wyadvd

btw the single shot plus had an issue with the mounting breaking. that has been resolved on the model I had (redesigned) and mine is just about to enter its second winter sitting next to my maxxd or on my helmet.

WesternWay

rodgers73 wrote:

At the moment I have a cheapo front light thats starting to get me down. Most of my ride in is on roads that are partly lit or dead straight and/or level, apart from the first 4 miles that is pitch black on twisty rural roads. I dont need a floodlight, just something that can light those roads adequately.

My budget is £30-40 and I'd rather not have a light with a separate battery pack. Just because.

Cateye seem to offer loads in that price range but the reviews seem to say they're really poor build quality.

Can anyone reccommend something decent on that budget? I'm going mad reading endless mixed reviews on every light out there!


Cheers

Tom

I find bike lights an utterly frustrating piece of kit, you pay a ridiculous amount of money for a pretty crappy torch. I have an ultralight torch which I bought from lumenjunkies.co.uk (no connection with these people, just a happy customer). I attach it to my handlebars with an old inner tube which is a) very, very stable and b) pretty easy to adjust/remove/replace. I have a backup cateye rubbish thing, just because I like to have two lights front and back.

jeremyrundle

£40 not much though personally I would buy a mount and a LED Lenser P7, brighter than any cycle light for me.

That is an LED Lenser NOT something of the same name.

http://www.ledco.co.uk/content/productV ... x?prodId=9

Have you read all the previous threads about lights that are very recent.

alfablue

I would not buy an LED Lenser P7, whilst cunningly using the "P7" name it doesn't contain a P7 emitter and whilst it is nicely made and has a zoom function it is not a particularly good buy.

Better to get something like an an UltraFire WF-501B with XPG emitter (very bright, longer run time) or one of these lights with P7 emitters (brightest you can get for the money). You also need one or two 18650 lithium cells, and appropriate charger and a mount, should cost around £40.

See the New What lights thread

jeremyrundle

I don't believe they say anything about the emitter in their adverts or on the site.

I agree to an extent, however, I do not simply buy because it may be a cheaper or a little brighter.

As you said, first you need a £30 charger AND lithium batteries, I use and have dozens of NiMh batteries, Uniross, £2.50 for 4 1000mah

http://cellpacksolutions.com/Search_Dat ... ID=EN0032A

which fit all my other llights so I dont have different types and different chargers, and ( Uniross charger £6 which takes ALL sizes and 9v).

Also I have returned broken Lenser torches that were YEARS old and no longer made and received NEW torches thanks to their "Lifetime" guarantee.

I dropped a P14 from a loft, MY fault, totally smashed as it fell onto concrete, a week later a NEW replacement, will UltraFire offer that.

It isn't just the torch I buy it is peace of mind.

alfablue

The cells and charger should cost no more than about £15.

I take your point, I just favour best bang for buck and given that LED emitters are progressing at a fast rate I see little point in a more expensive, less efficient item that may survive for many years beyond its obscelecence. We just have two different approaches

WesternWay

jeremyrundle wrote:

I dropped a P14 from a loft, MY fault, totally smashed as it fell onto concrete, a week later a NEW replacement, will UltraFire offer that.

It isn't just the torch I buy it is peace of mind.

I just buy a torch, and then if I drop it from my loft, I buy it again :-)

jeremyrundle

[quote="WesternWay" I just buy a torch, and then if I drop it from my loft, I buy it again :-)[/quote]

The point is I didn't have to buy again.

SimonLyons

If you want bike lights rathe than torch+mount.


I ride about 6 miles in the dark on each leg of my journey.

Currently I use 2x Smart Lunar 25 which are adequate. - white light thinnish beam
3 modes - high beam,low beam + flash. If one failed I think I could still get home.

I bought 2x sets with the 1/2 watt Smart back light from Evans for £33 last year - not sure if you can still get this deal.
The front lights take 2xAA batteries(good for recharging + carrying spare batteries) + have a good bracket.

As it happens one set is my wifes and she wants them back so I am looking at getting a Smart Lunar 35 for myself - I think I should be able to get this for around £27 - should be more light but shorter battery time.

I have some older Cateye lights but wouldn't buy again. I don't rate the brackets.
Maybe one day I will move over to a torch+mount system.

Headhuunter

Simon E wrote:

fastbatard wrote:

I was in a similar predicament myself and almost went for the Cateye EL530 until I read reviews that said it wasn't all that great.

IMHO it isn't. Cateye build quality is passable but they're plastic. More importantly the output is not great.

There aren't many lights for £30-40 that will be bright enough for unlit roads. If you can spend a bit more something like the Fenix LD20 (2xAA, waterproof) with Twofish Lockblock would be my recommendation. It is far better than the Cateye EL-320 it replaced.

There have been lots of recent discussions on this subject (e.g. http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12728585), so try here.

Yep, my Fenix torch and 2fish lock block have served me perfectly. V bright, built out of aluminium and very solid. Had enough of Cat Eye lights, the plastic brackets wear and then they get to a piont where they drop off into traffic and get run over. I lost a few Cat Eye lights like this and then gave up on them. The Fenix is probably so solid that it would probably survive being run over!

cyberknight

I have bit the bullet and for x mas i am getting ....





HA-III Cree SSC P7-C (SXO) 5-Mode 900-Lumen LED Bike Light Set (4*18650 included)

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.30864
$77 , approx £50

unixnerd

If you're on a budget get a used 10 watt halogen system, the kind with a battery pack that fits in your water bottle holder. I recently sold mine for 20 quid as I upgraded to a Magicshine MJ-836 (the new version). Loads on ebay.

simon_e

Headhuunter wrote:

Yep, my Fenix torch and 2fish lock block have served me perfectly. V bright, built out of aluminium and very solid. Had enough of Cat Eye lights, the plastic brackets wear and then they get to a piont where they drop off into traffic and get run over. I lost a few Cat Eye lights like this and then gave up on them. The Fenix is probably so solid that it would probably survive being run over!

I'd agree. I haven't tried any of these P7/Ultrafire etc Lithium torches but the LD20 is beautifully engineered and genuinely waterproof. I know 3 other people who use the same one daily and are all happy.

Cateye front lights are adequate for the occasional (urban) pootle home from the pub but output is weak and the flex-tight brackets are absolute rubbish. On wet country lanes the EL-320 is scary-weak, I struggled to make out the verge and any stones or potholes were felt rather than seen.

For the rear lights spending £2 each on the proper seat post mount (SP5 / 6 / 7 / 8 depending on seat post diameter) and bracket is really worth doing.

Unclemonty121

I have a similar 3 mode to the

A-III Cree SSC P7-C (SXO) 5-Mode 900-Lumen LED Bike Light Set (4*18650 included)

that I got from deal extreme, got it on the back of an MBUK review, fantastic light, the battery pack sits on the stem and really bright.

The only thing that annoyed me is that after buying one, I then found you can get the same set with a helmet mount, which I wished I'd have ordered.

Great light though

Initialised

I use and EL530 Cateye and find I could use more. My ride is mostly lit. I find the worst bit is going from streetlights to unlit parks/paths.

bartimaeus

See the MTB What Lights sticky - http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopi ... 0#15720460 and the new discussion thread http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12730302

P7 or XPG torches are the way to go - depends on how long a run time you need.