Recommend a Front Light
Stuart_NI
Posts: 31
Hi im currently on the hunt for a front spot light for my bike, don't really want to spend more than £50, what does anyone reccomend?
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Would help to know what sort of riding you need the light for. For example are you riding on unlit roads. This will impact how many lumens you need0
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Got this as part of a set http://www.sigmasport.co.uk/item/Niteri ... lsrc=aw.ds
Brilliant light and has LED display so you know how much battery you have left which for me is a great function to have.0 -
I have the Cateye Volt 700, since superseded by the 800, which is excellent for me on unlit roads. Unfortunately it's above your budget, around £70.0
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Xeccon spear 600 Lumen for my unlit country lane 24 mile round commute,picked mine up for £29, v pleased with it.0
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Stuart_NI wrote:Alex222 wrote:Would help to know what sort of riding you need the light for. For example are you riding on unlit roads. This will impact how many lumens you need
Will mostly be totally unlit country roads
Then I suggest 600 lumens min. Try some of the one thats already been suggested.
I have the Cateye volt 700 and I think it is brilliant.
Right now I use Exposure Sirius 550 lumens. I use this one because it is one of the lightest for the amount of lumens you are getting. But not under £50 though.0 -
I have a Cree XML-6 from ebay, had it about 2 years now and use it predominantly if the same conditions as you will be using yours for (country lanes etc), Find it is plenty bright enough on dipped setting for normal riding and it also has a full beam and a flashing setting.
I have the smaller battery last year which lasted about 2.5 hours on dipped and then around 45-60 mins on full, this year i bought a higher capacity battery for it which I haven't tested to its limit yet but I am hoping I can get more like 3 to 3.5 hours on dipped (although I never ride more than 2 hours in the dark after work in reality).
I only paid about £16 for the head unit and the smaller battery, then another £12 for the larger battery, so its well within you budget, there are of course negatives with these units (as they are so cheap),but the only one I have found is that the smaller battery started losing charge more quickly by the end of last winter, but I thought that given the low cost I could just buy a new complete unit every year and still save money over the more expensive units. In reality I now use the smaller battery as a backup and use the bigger one the rest of the time.
This is almost the same as the one I have, although is slightly more expensive as it has a rear light with it: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nestling%C2%AE ... e+xml+t6+5
Although for a little more (£27!!) you can buy the one with the larger battery from the start: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Headlight-Head ... ttery+Pack
EDIT: by the way, ignore the lumen ratings as they mean nothing in reality on these lights, they are though bright enough for 99% of the riding you will be looking to do with them.Obsessed is a word used by the lazy to describe the dedicated!0 -
Wow they advertised as 10,000 lumens on Amazon! And more than once!0
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For that budget if you're looking to ride unlit roads I'd suggest £20 for an Amazon/Ebay Cree special and the rest on something like a Lezyne Micro drive which you can run alongside the other one in pulse mode for extra visibility plus it will get you home at a push if the Cree one packs up for some reason.0
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I use a Lezyne macro drive 600xl. Found it plenty bright enough on unlit country roads and battery life is good. You can pick them up online for about £40-45. The 800 lumen version is only about a tenner more expensive.0
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I've had a Cateye Volt 1200 for over 3 years now, and it is a fantastic light that has never let me down. I'm now using it with the Cateye fork mount bracket at the front brake instead of up on the bars, and it's even better. Need to use a high power USB charger (such as an iPod charger) to avoid very long recharge times.0
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Alex222 wrote:
Wild times, right?0 -
bobones wrote:I've had a Cateye Volt 1200 for over 3 years now, and it is a fantastic light that has never let me down. I'm now using it with the Cateye fork mount bracket at the front brake instead of up on the bars, and it's even better. Need to use a high power USB charger (such as an iPod charger) to avoid very long recharge times.
Interesting. What difference does the fork mount make?0 -
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Alex99 wrote:bobones wrote:I've had a Cateye Volt 1200 for over 3 years now, and it is a fantastic light that has never let me down. I'm now using it with the Cateye fork mount bracket at the front brake instead of up on the bars, and it's even better. Need to use a high power USB charger (such as an iPod charger) to avoid very long recharge times.
Interesting. What difference does the fork mount make?
My B&M light is on a fork mount on the winter bike. Being closer to the road it seems to illuminate it more brightly, and it definitely picks out potholes much better. It also puts it out of the way of the gear cables that sprout from the sides of my old Tiagra 9 speed shifters, and gives me more space on the bars.0 -
keef66 wrote:Alex99 wrote:bobones wrote:I've had a Cateye Volt 1200 for over 3 years now, and it is a fantastic light that has never let me down. I'm now using it with the Cateye fork mount bracket at the front brake instead of up on the bars, and it's even better. Need to use a high power USB charger (such as an iPod charger) to avoid very long recharge times.
Interesting. What difference does the fork mount make?
My B&M light is on a fork mount on the winter bike. Being closer to the road it seems to illuminate it more brightly, and it definitely picks out potholes much better. It also puts it out of the way of the gear cables that sprout from the sides of my old Tiagra 9 speed shifters, and gives me more space on the bars.
Basically what he said: better angle for lighting up road in front of you, closer to road so near field is brighter, lower position is possibly less dazzling to cars, keeps bars clear, doesn't interfere with cables, central position is aesthetically pleasing, still easy to adjust angle of beam by reaching down and twisting.0 -
bobones wrote:keef66 wrote:Alex99 wrote:bobones wrote:I've had a Cateye Volt 1200 for over 3 years now, and it is a fantastic light that has never let me down. I'm now using it with the Cateye fork mount bracket at the front brake instead of up on the bars, and it's even better. Need to use a high power USB charger (such as an iPod charger) to avoid very long recharge times.
Interesting. What difference does the fork mount make?
My B&M light is on a fork mount on the winter bike. Being closer to the road it seems to illuminate it more brightly, and it definitely picks out potholes much better. It also puts it out of the way of the gear cables that sprout from the sides of my old Tiagra 9 speed shifters, and gives me more space on the bars.
Basically what he said: better angle for lighting up road in front of you, closer to road so near field is brighter, lower position is possibly less dazzling to cars, keeps bars clear, doesn't interfere with cables, central position is aesthetically pleasing, still easy to adjust angle of beam by reaching down and twisting.
OK, thanks
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I've found a Cateye Volt 400 to be a good balance between putting out enough light for good visibility (even on unlit roads when on full power), without blinding oncoming traffic. Pulse mode is perfect for riding in city traffic. Robust, good rain resistance and fast to recharge. Battery cartridge can be changed when exhausted.0
