So confused about lights!

shadowx

First post but I am tired, so I will mostly skip the intro for another time but in short:
I commute about 8 miles, which is nothing compared to some of your rides I know but nonetheless...
Depending on my route (IE if the river has flooded) it's about 3 miles on relatively smooth tarmac through a country park which is an unlit tarmac path through grass fields and around a lake, the rest is well lit 30mph roads.

I need a front headlight that will be bright enough to let me keep riding the unlit route at night but I don't want to spend more than £30 ideally. I was looking at getting something like an Ultrafire (UltraFire XM-L CREE XML T6 502B if that helps) and a mounting block to securely fasten it to the bars, but I have read on a fair few sites now that the Ultrafires will just overheat if left on high for more than a few minutes which is useless to me. Is this true?

At the moment my light setup consists of a cheap and cheerful front flasher/constant beam from tesco (Which is actually amazingly bright in all fairness, but it's for road visibility, not for seeing what's ahead) and a couple of rear flashers so I am completely unequiped for night riding on unlit paths.

Can anyone recommend something for about £30 that I can just buy and fit and get on with? The bike has oversized road handlebars on it. At the moment I am so confused with all the different combinations of torches, batteries, chargers, mounting systems, then the high end Cateye products which are a bit too expensive at the moment. As the clocks change in England at the weekend I need to get something before Monday so I'm not left in the dark!

Sod's law, having posted this thread Ive just seen this on ebay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SSC-P7-1200-Lumen-Rechargeable-Waterproof-Head-Torch-Bike-CYCLE-BICYCLE-Light-/320856078083?pt=UK_SportsLeisure_Cycling_Bike_Lights&hash=item4ab4833703

Any advice on whether this is as good as it looks? At the moment it looks perfect for me but as I know next to nothing about these things I want to make sure it's decent before I buy it.

MarksMintness

Well I just referred to the lights thread sticky and ordered the light similar to the one you have indicated. These torches are brilliant for seeing the road ahead. Mine cost 15 quid and it is a brilliant main light. I back it up with a USB light with 3 powerful LEDs. This setup is great for commuting I have found anyway.

crossborderreiver

That ebay advert is a bit odd in that the seller appears to be in London but the light details look like a very poor translation from another language. The video also shows the battery pack being fitted the wrong way round on the bike.

bartimaeus

An XML on Medium is still VERY bright - plenty bright enough for road riding - and will last for 3 hours on an 18650 without overheating at all. If you want to run an XML on full then you may need to improve the thermal conductivity (you want the outside to get hot as that means it is dissipating heat) - and you can do this with thermal paste (apparently) or just by wrapping the drop-in in silver foil. Oh, and this youtube video (courtesy of diy) is very handy.

shadowx

Thanks for the replies. I do like the look of the torch type lights but I am still concerned about the build quality and heating issues. Your points are valid crossborderreiver, the ebay add does look a bit dodgy! I have since seen the same (but more reputable) light on Amazon.co.uk with 7 5 star reviews here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/lumen-Cycling-B ... 518&sr=8-3

Seems to be a reputable seller with a good product, also comes in a box with head strap (wont be using for the bike) battery pack, extension lead, extra rubber fitting rings, charger etc and UK/English instructions.

More expensive than I was hoping at £40 delivered but seems good, unless anyone can recommend a better light for £40 delivered I will probably order this one later today!

supersonic

Those can be got on ebay for £30.

The torches don't overheat in my experience.