Halfords lights - bikehut etc.

DodgeT

They have got a 3 for 2 on at the mo which includes lights etc. Me and 2 friends need some, so thought this could be a good way of saving a bit of cash.

Anybody on here used any of their current range and recommend?

Want them for off road use, so I guess beam needs to be more wide as opposed to long beam?

Just a couple of examples
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_525193_langId_-1_categoryId_165636
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_525123_langId_-1_categoryId_165636
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_736219_langId_-1_categoryId_165636
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_751653_langId_-1_categoryId_165636

Thanks in advance

101_North

None of those lights would be any use off-road really. They'll be decent enough for communitng as a 'be seen' light but that's about it. Best option is to check out the 'what lights discussion' or the 'lights' sticky - links below.

For off-road use you'd really need to be looking at the LED torches and mounts if you're on a budget.

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12730302

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12660193

101

The Rookie

Agreed, the daughter uses one of those on her commuter, OK for being seen or seeing while riding on a (fairly predictable) road, no way would you want to go off road, you could drop down a ravine you hadn't seen!

Simon

diy

I agree with north, but if that thread is too techy, then a couple of things to watch out for..

If a light says "super bright LED" but doesn't say how many lumen is produced or the brand and model of the LED, then assume its not going to be super bright.

For commuting (being seen) you can get a way with a light with 50-100 lumen or even less, but for off road needs, a you need at least 3-400 Lumen. Fortunately that can be had as:

2 x 501b XPG Ultrafire lights £12.75 each link
2 x 18650 cells £6.24 link
2 bay charger £5.26 link

= 660 Lumen for 3-4 hours for 37 quid (will run for 10 hours at lower output). or if run time is not so important change the XPG for an MC-E or P7 which will produce over 800+ lumen as a pair (ignore the fact that they can produce 800 or 900 lumen each),


There are many mounting options available.

DodgeT

Cheers guys.

@ diy - they look spot on, thanks for the links saved me a lot of trouble searching through the thread, I had a look, but probably would have come up with more questions :oops:

I've never heard/seen BoB before until being on here, so I guess its a good site/company as lots on here sem to buy off it.

So, just need to sort some mounts now..

diy

There are some risks, approximately 1:20 people on here have problems. I have been lucky, plus I don't mind making a few mods to improve the light.

It will take 3-6 weeks for delivery unless you opt for express.

DodgeT

ah ok, & I guess the express delivery sends the price rocketing

diy

adds about 13 quid,

but these lights are truly in a different league to the shite halfords (and any other LBS) are selling for similar money.

Seriously a couple of XPG, MC-E or P7, will give you more usable light than almost any branded light in the £100-150 range. All the top end lights use either XPG or P7 chips, with a few MC-Es

The 1watt lights in your link are probably pushing 60-100 lumen.

DodgeT

Thats not bad at all, good thing being that I can use them for walking dog etc. aswell with them being an actual torch as opposed to "just" bike lights.

bartimaeus

DodgeT wrote:

Thats not bad at all, good thing being that I can use them for walking dog etc. aswell with them being an actual torch as opposed to "just" bike lights.

They are great as torches... but on full beam think 'car headlight' type brightness rather than 'ooh nice torch'.

slackin101

What are the mounting options for these?

bartimaeus

you can get cheap mounts... from DX and BoB in Hong Kong you can get:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.15642
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.8274
and for helmet/bar mounting
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12000
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.31871

All these can also be bought in the UK (for more)... e.g.
http://www.totalcycling.com/index.php/p ... ncy&id=GBP

I have all 4 of these... I have not tried my smaller 501b torches in the first two mounts but I think they will fit. For my P7 I prefer the sku 15642. The lockblocks also work fine... sku 31871 will fit your bars.

DodgeT

Cheers Bart, think I'm going to go with the mounts in your second link, can get these with the same order from bob for £6 for 2, bit dearer than dealextreme, but at least can combine the shipping.

Is there express delivery reliable and quick, I don't mind paying the extra if it is the 3 - 5 days as stated, but obviously dont want to pay this if they still take weeks.

Saviola

Can only agree with diy, after reading through the threads on this I got the ultrafire MC-Es and they are awesome.

My buddy rides with Ayups and there is little difference, well to my untrained eye

diy

you can always make your own mounts using a couple 22mm and 22/30mm pipe clips.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.8274 are poo, I have a couple they work, but they aren't adjustable, which limits the usability.

These

can also be modded easily to hold two lights

slackin101

Cheers everybody, I'll take a look.

slackin101

diy wrote:

2 x 501b XPG Ultrafire lights £12.75 each link
2 x 18650 cells £6.24 link
2 bay charger £5.26 link

Sorry, another noob question. The two lights, is that one for the handlebars and one for the helmet or two for the handlebars?

diy

Either works. But you get more flexibility with a lid light and a bar light.

slackin101

diy wrote:

Either works. But you get more flexibility with a lid light and a bar light.

Cool, thanks mate. I've got a camera mount on my lid at the moment so will need to have a think about how I do it.

slowslowslow

+1 for the ultrafire. They do a brilliant job.

+1 for one on the lid. DX do a very cheap, simple head mount, but you could use a variety of other methods. Check the what lights thread.

bennett_346

Ive done an hour of off roading with the first light and a cheap headtorch and it worked really well, but we only rode the trails we know like the back of our hand, and the slower ones.

If you're serious about night riding more expensive lights are a necessity.

101_North

bennett_346 wrote:

If you're serious about night riding more expensive lights are a necessity.

No they're not. Cost shouldn't come into it. Reliability and suitability for purpose are a necessity. There are plenty of options at lower price points.

101

joshtp

I have a P7 on the bars, and an XPG on me lid.


Genuinely awesome

totally recommended!

bartimaeus

joshtp wrote:

I have a P7 on the bars, and an XPG on me lid.
Genuinely awesome
totally recommended!

What he said.... totally awesome, and pretty damn cheap (I think you are looking at about £50)

diy

You do need more than 2 for serious night riding. but given you can get 4k lumen (same as a pair of HID car lights) for £80 I can't see why you need to spend more?

gonga

diy wrote:

You do need more than 2 for serious night riding. but given you can get 4k lumen (same as a pair of HID car lights) for £80 I can't see why you need to spend more?

Hi mate

how many torches would you need for roughly 4k lumens?

I modded one of my xpg's last night and did notice it looked brighter than my other
cheers for the heads up.

sniper68

diy wrote:

You do need more than 2 for serious night riding. but given you can get 4k lumen

4k Lumen ...why?
I've been using an ultrafire on my helmet and Ay-ups on the bars and TBH that combo is about as bright as you need.I've just bought a magicshine(£43 from DX) for the bars and the Ay-ups will now go on the helmet and this combo is probably overkill(900L +340L)
Not so long ago we were using a 5watt+10watt electron set,perfectly OK but battery was too big and heavy.If you want the trail lit up like daylight then why not just ride in daylight

bennett_346

101_North wrote:

bennett_346 wrote:

If you're serious about night riding more expensive lights are a necessity.

No they're not. Cost shouldn't come into it. Reliability and suitability for purpose are a necessity. There are plenty of options at lower price points.

101

So you're saying you can provide me with a link to some lights suitable for serious night riding that cost at or below the price of the first item listed by the OP?

gonga

ibbo68 wrote:

diy wrote:

You do need more than 2 for serious night riding. but given you can get 4k lumen

4k Lumen ...why?
I've been using an ultrafire on my helmet and Ay-ups on the bars and TBH that combo is about as bright as you need.I've just bought a magicshine(£43 from DX) for the bars and the Ay-ups will now go on the helmet and this combo is probably overkill(900L +340L)
Not so long ago we were using a 5watt+10watt electron set,perfectly OK but battery was too big and heavy.If you want the trail lit up like daylight then why not just ride in daylight

The 4k lumen thing was to prove a point on cost mate.

Not everybody can ride in daylight during the week
Why have a 900 lumen magicshine?
would that not light up the trail like daylight?
surely you would be better to just use the moon for proper night riding!

supersonic

bennett_346 wrote:

101_North wrote:

bennett_346 wrote:

If you're serious about night riding more expensive lights are a necessity.

No they're not. Cost shouldn't come into it. Reliability and suitability for purpose are a necessity. There are plenty of options at lower price points.

101

So you're saying you can provide me with a link to some lights suitable for serious night riding that cost at or below the price of the first item listed by the OP?

Yes. Look on Bestofferbuy for the 501b MCE torch at 13 quid. You need batteries and charger, as per the What lights thread. This kicks out over 500 lumens, more than double the Hope Vision which costs 5 times as much. Use two, and you'll put most 200 quid lights to shame.

bennett_346

supersonic wrote:

bennett_346 wrote:

101_North wrote:

bennett_346 wrote:

If you're serious about night riding more expensive lights are a necessity.

No they're not. Cost shouldn't come into it. Reliability and suitability for purpose are a necessity. There are plenty of options at lower price points.

101

So you're saying you can provide me with a link to some lights suitable for serious night riding that cost at or below the price of the first item listed by the OP?

Yes. Look on Bestofferbuy for the 501b MCE torch at 13 quid. You need batteries and charger, as per the What lights thread. This kicks out over 500 lumens, more than double the Hope Vision which costs 5 times as much. Use two, and you'll put most 200 quid lights to shame.

So really by using two it works out more expensive doesn't it