Front light

bj639

Now the days are drawing in I need to get some lights on my bike. I am looking for a budget option (£30-40ish) that will be used just for on the road (predominantly empty country lanes). I dont plan to be doing any off roading when I have lights on.

Seen a couple of Leyzne ones

First is slightly over budget but I may be able to stretch if its really worth the extra its 350L

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/lezy ... -prod86383

cheaper version at 200L
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/lezy ... prod111708

obviously there are a ton of others out there too. IS 200-350 lumens overkill for what I need? Would I be better just spending £15 on something cheap and cheerful?

Just found the Leyzne Macro on ebay for £28 new

Chunkers1980

I have a few Lezynes and they are great. If you use them for commuting they are great as you can USB charge which is simple and everywhere these days.

If you want cheap but bright then look to China and places like Deal Extreme where you'll find a bright bargain but battery quality and charging can be dubious and more hassle than simply plugging them in to USB.

stubs

dealextreme or ebay is good for cheap and cheerful headlights. I got a 1200lumen torch and bar mount for £20 it has 3 settings and the low setting lasts about 3 hours and it charges up from a USB port in about 2 hours. Personally I would like a lot more power than 200lumen you need to be seen by the driver who is more likely looking at his phone than through the windscreen.

bj639

thanks guys.
someone recommended the Cree lights. Theres 7200 Lumens for £25!! Bit more than I need that though but they seem cheap lights for the power (2200 lumens for £13)

anyone used these?

stubs

7200 is the theoretical maximum power but you will actually get a lot less. A mate has just got one of these and it will have its 1st run out tonight.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-CREE-XML-U2-5000LM-Front-Head-LED-Bicycle-Lamp-Bike-Light-Headlamp-Headlight-/321439891042?pt=UK_SportGoods_CyclAcces_RL&var=&hash=item4ad74f7e62

Chunkers1980

Take a look through the lights thread.

JodyP

These two threads will be of use to you for cheap powerful lights.

viewtopic.php?f=10002&t=12967618&start=20

viewtopic.php?f=20005&t=12807034&start=2760

bj639

thanks guys, I did look at the lights thread but it overwhelmed me!!

Just thinking for what I need I think an all in one would be more convenient?

other concern with the crees is them being too bright? I dont want drivers getting blinded by me and mowing me down!

njee20

That won't happen. The Lezyne in your OP won't be bright enough to be much cop on unlit roads IMO.

JodyP

bj639 wrote:

other concern with the crees is them being too bright? I dont want drivers getting blinded by me and mowing me down!

Its only the same as badly adjusted headlights on a car. I have a SSX2 (linked above) and its great for the road but the main concentration on the beam is pointed down towards the floor.

drlodge

Chunkers1980 wrote:

I have a few Lezynes and they are great. If you use them for commuting they are great as you can USB charge which is simple and everywhere these days.

If you want cheap but bright then look to China and places like Deal Extreme where you'll find a bright bargain but battery quality and charging can be dubious and more hassle than simply plugging them in to USB.

I have the older (now discontinued) Super Drive front light, and its great even on un-lit roads. The battery lasts 90 mins on full brightness and I have a spare which is easily changed for longer rides. Charging is also simple via USB as Chunkers says.

bj639

njee20 wrote:

That won't happen. The Lezyne in your OP won't be bright enough to be much cop on unlit roads IMO.

yeah just seen the beam pattern on it, dissapointing!

So any single units worth looking at or am I going to go down the speerate battery to get what I need? If so are they a faff to take on and off? a 2 minute job is ok but dont want to be faffing on!

the cree x2's seem to suffer from poor battery?

qube

Lezyne Mega Drive for me!!

Lights the darkest of dark lanes... not sure if CRC are still doing it. Get the loaded pack if you can. Gives you a backup battery as well!

bj639

Qube wrote:

Lezyne Mega Drive for me!!

Lights the darkest of dark lanes... not sure if CRC are still doing it. Get the loaded pack if you can. Gives you a backup battery as well!

bit above my budget Im afraid

Chunkers1980

They are. But the Loaded version of the Mega is around £140! It comes down to what you value. Mega bright and cheap (great for just actual MTB off road) but more hassle (due to probably having to take the batteries out and the risk of dodgy Chinese electronics) or a quality bit of kit that doesn't chuck out quite as much light as you can get from China and can be changed easily in most places.

diy

The summary of the big light thread is really do I want to go with torches and have the faf of making up a mount, sourcing cells and a charger and having to work them as individual lights or a dedicated unit and have the faf that goes with unreliable power packs, fixed throw's and limited mid-ride cell change options. Once you have got your head round that its about how many and how much. Providing you go with a decent LED at decent driven amp, from a low cost direct supplier (or ebay if you prefer) there really aren't too many dumb choices.

- Avoid the hundreds of LED options connected to a tiny Ah pack, they wont be driven high enough to work efficiently.
- Forget zoomable lights they just screw up the beam.
- Avoid legacy LED technology and brands that add nothing.

One thing I will say, is its like talking about the quality of a hifi, nobody can appreciate just how much more powerful an XM-L2 at 2-3A will be than any branded version at 150% of the price.

My current off-road set-up is on par with a set of HID car headlights. Its cheap enough to throw away every year.

bj639

Chunkers1980 wrote:

They are. But the Loaded version of the Mega is around £140! It comes down to what you value. Mega bright and cheap (great for just actual MTB off road) but more hassle (due to probably having to take the batteries out and the risk of dodgy Chinese electronics) or a quality bit of kit that doesn't chuck out quite as much light as you can get from China and can be changed easily in most places.

Oh I agree with you and I believe some places you can save money and other its worth spending that bit extra. Unfortunately I dont physically have the extra in this case! I blew all my budget on the bike itself!

supersonic

Could try this:

http://www.dx.com/p/y-002-2-x-cree-xm-l ... supersonic

I have one on review, is very good. 2 hours on max, and is bright with a uniform beam.

The Rookie

I use the Lezyne Macro drive for commuting on unlit roads and it's fine, in reality the beam pattern works well.

Of course it's nowhere near as bright as my big light for offroad, which when used on road has seen me being flashed at for dazzling oncoming drivers.

arran77

This site is good for looking at the performance of different lights, he also sells on eBay where I bought from for about £30.

http://www.torchythebatteryboy.com/

bj639

ok I have spent far more time than I should looking at lights and getting my head around the big lights thread. In the end I cam down to getting either the Solarstorm or torches. I think for me torches would be the best option. At present I head out at 6.30am (roughly sunrise until the clocks change) so its not dark and gets lighter by the time I get back around 2 hours laters so the Solarstorm would be overkill on this. If I go for torches I can buy a couple but usually only need one on so if one packs up I still have one as backup. Come January I will be night riding in total darkness so I would probably grab another torch then so I can run two and have one as backup. Also IF i use torches I can angle them seperately and away from oncoming traffic.

If I have got things right I would need 2 x torches, 2 holders some batteries and a charger. Am I correct in thinking that the batteries fit direct into the torch like a standard AA torch setup? How does this work with the battery packs you can get (which might be better to use when doing night riding?) Can you use the packs instead or are they different torches for battery packs rather than in housing batteries?

Would running a torch with in housing batteries have enough juice for 2-2 1/2 hours of night riding or is a pack essential for that? I cant find anywhere that states how long they will run on the single batteries rather than the packs


Assuming I am ok with in housing batteries would this lot be correct to buy?

Holders: (style 1??)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291116371266?var=590267634601

Torches:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/141252543236

batteries:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-Trustfire- ... 46274c305f

Charger:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Trustfire-TR- ... 43cf5e577a

(the bottom two items are both from Torchy as he seems to have a good rep and I want to not burn the house down!!

I could then go for a battery pack in january for the night riding?
Am I thinking this right and would those items be ok?

The Rookie

I find the Lezyne macro drive better than a torch and it's smaller and lighter with a better mounting - and not much more once you've added that lot up.

mcnultycop

On my road bike on country lanes, because they are not too bright, I use these, which come with the bracket you are looking at for only a few quid more. My 501b style torches, like the one you linked to, even on the low settings, are likely to dazzle drivers. The ones I linked to are enough to see with on a country lane.

I use this charger.

I use torchy batteries too, generally but his slightly more expensive Sanyo or Panasonic ones.

bj639

see this is my dilemma, some folks tell me too bright, others say not bright enough!!

biking was so much easier when I was 12 and had a grifter with £2 lights!

tempted by that charger though as our AA one is ready for scrap anyway

The Rookie

The Lezyne has an internal battery and uses a USB lead to charge.

stubs

stubs wrote:

7200 is the theoretical maximum power but you will actually get a lot less. A mate has just got one of these and it will have its 1st run out tonight.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-CREE-XML-U2-5000LM-Front-Head-LED-Bicycle-Lamp-Bike-Light-Headlamp-Headlight-/321439891042?pt=UK_SportGoods_CyclAcces_RL&var=&hash=item4ad74f7e62

Well I was so impressed with this little light on Tuesday night that I ordered one for myself as soon as I got home. Its arrived I have done the traditional blind myself by looking at the beam and I cant wait for Friday night when it will get a run out.

cube1961

I've just bought a Cateye Volt 1200 not had chance to use it yet

luklagun

Been using this for over 5 months now and must say is great. Cost me 27quid from ebay.
Got stop once by police because blind them ) More powerful then some cars headlights

The Rookie

I see no need to annoy the traffic unnecessarily......

bj639

thanks for all the advice folks. takema few days to sort and I think to be honest the big light thread gave me too much knowledge making me over think things!

In the end I have gone for torch as it gives me a bit more flexibilty for what my needs are.

Got myself a Ultrafire XM-L2 c8 (tried to get a 501 body but only ones were gold (Im buying off ebay as I dont do chinese shipping so was more limited) and they wouldnt suit my bike

added some panasonic batteries and a nitecore charger someone on here recommended (it also does AA and AAA and our AA charger was in need of replacing anyway so its handy)

Also bagged a Smart 1/2 watt rear light.

I only ordered a single torch for now as at the moment its to be used at sunrise rather than full darkness. Means I can see how it gets on and when I go to riding at night I will by another torch which I can match if I am happy or go for something different depending how I fare.

Appreciate all the help, hopefully I have worked it out correctly!