What lights?

Dan_Giant

I'm going to need a headlight in a couple of months for when I'm working nights as I will be riding home in the early hours down country roads with no street lights. I've got lights to be seen by but need a light to see where I'm going!

What's the minimum watts/lux/lumens I need to be any use?

Budget I'd say is max of £100 really. If I can get a second rear light too that would be good.

masonsteven

i bought a front light from dealextreme,900 lumen for arounnd £30.. best buy ive ever found.. used it for over 1 year and it has never let me down. lasts for over 4 hours on full power..

supersonic

Try one of these. Unbeatable for this money:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006YOADFS/r ... B006YOADFS

Dan_Giant

supersonic wrote:

Try one of these. Unbeatable for this money:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006YOADFS/r ... B006YOADFS

That looks perfect! Thanks for the link.

freezing77

Dan_Giant wrote:

supersonic wrote:

Try one of these. Unbeatable for this money:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006YOADFS/r ... B006YOADFS

That looks perfect! Thanks for the link.

Whilst the XML-T6 is very bright the beam is quite narrow, if you need more "flood" a P7 may be a better option
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Waterproof-Lumen-Outdoor-Bicycle-Headlamp/dp/B007IGEYHE/ref=sr_1_13?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1341096989&sr=1-13

Dan_Giant

Got these lights from eBay for £55 delivered in the end. So got a total of 2400 lumens. Plenty bright enough and good flood spread.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mountain-Bike ... 3798wt_752

supersonic

Is a very good light for the money - but is not 3x XML as described in the title, but one (plus 2 XPE). Actual output is about 1300 lumens.

Dan_Giant

Yeah i knew it wasn't 3 of the XML lights.

So those smaller lights are only 150lumens each? Either way, they look pretty good for the money as you said.

tarbot18

Thats a pretty blatant copy of a magic shine 816 light even down to the switch !!
Talking of which i cant recommend the 816 s enough great light you can choose different combination s of the 3 lights to have on and it has a good spread of light plus a good quality light for the £90 i paid last year.

samsbike

are these waterproof, and do they need to be?

cheers

bails87

samsbike wrote:

are these waterproof, and do they need to be?

cheers

The cheaper ones probably have poorer sealing than the more expensive ones. Especially on the battery, I've got one of the £30 T6 ones and a Magicshine MJ-872.

The £30 T6 is a VERY narrow beam, but you can buy a lens for a few quid that diffuses the beam. Other people have mentioned sticking some 'frosted' tape over the lens to spread the light out a bit.

I much prefer the Mj-872, an even flood of bright light, much better build quality, a decent (to my untrained eye anyway) level of sealing and waterproofness on the battery. I used it all through winter, in all weathers, without a hint of trouble. Plus you can connect it to a MJ818 rear light. The T6 is still working, although I've used it much less, and I'd trust it much less to keep working in the wet.

maf_1

I bought this light. 'O'' ring sealing on the lamp itself seems fine, for the battery I took a belt and braces approach and put the pack inside a balloon with a tie wrap around the neck . I have some silicone sleeving lying around as well, a short section to cover the connector could be employed if water ingress becomes an issue.

Dan_Giant

Well i've got the lights fitted to the bike now.

Seem really good quality for the money. Really bright lights, so will more than do the job i want them to do.

Haven't used them in the rain or the dark yet, so don't know what they are like on a ride or in the wet, but don't envisage any major issues with them.

bails87

Put a bit of grease or vaseline on the o rings to help keep water out, and be VERY careful about blinding other road users. Keep the light on low power and angled down if there's anyone else around.

mick_cornick

Try a lezyne super drive £100, 450 lumens. nice build quality and seems to be very reliable.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/lezyne-super-dr ... ont-light/

tarbot18

maf_1 wrote:

I bought this light. 'O'' ring sealing on the lamp itself seems fine, for the battery I took a belt and braces approach and put the pack inside a balloon with a tie wrap around the neck . I have some silicone sleeving lying around as well, a short section to cover the connector could be employed if water ingress becomes an issue.

Another method is to use an old plastic water bottle and put the battery in with a tap washer round where the cable goes in, helps keep the water out and keeps the battery warmer which apparently helps it last longer.

1@ATIME

Hi is this too good to be true http://preview.tinyurl.com/bnqxaxr 29.99 for 1800l take it its nowhere near 1800 but would it be over a 1000? also can I just ask are these the latest recommendations: viewtopic.php?p=17265285#17265285 cheers looking to order soon in time for dark country roads

jonomc4

Mick Cornick wrote:

Try a lezyne super drive £100, 450 lumens. nice build quality and seems to be very reliable.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/lezyne-super-dr ... ont-light/

I have this - really bright - enough to blind so point it down a bit!

But more importantly it is a reasonable weight and size to put in your pocket at the end of the ride and not adding to much extra weight for the amount of light (and a built in battery so no messing around with battery packs).

1@ATIME

The majicshine rear light (MJ-818) is awesome at about £40