£200 Front light system... HID or LED?

pware
pware Posts: 44
edited April 2008 in Workshop
Hi Guys,

What do people recommend for spending £200 on a front light system?

I quite like the CatEye Triple Shot Pro, but the reviews say they are sitll overshadowed by HID lights of similiar price....

Also would it be correct in saying a HID light would not have as much burn time than a LED light with similiar battery pack?

Cheers,
Phil.

Comments

  • APIII
    APIII Posts: 2,010
    Hi,
    I came across this review, which I found very helpful. I ordered some Knog lights a month ago, and have had two sets, neither of which have worked, so I gave up and bought some Lupines yesterday. I like the look of the Dinoitte 200 at around £150. I've heard good reviews elsewhere about these, but this test does at least allow a side by side beam comparison with all the other major players.

    http://reviews.mtbr.com/blog/lights-sho ... troduction
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    If you're looking for longer run times, the LEDs are the way to go, whereas HIDs are better if you're looking for pure light intensity - in time, with more and more powerful LEDs becoming available as de-militarised technology, then HIDs are likely to become increasingly redundant. Both USE and Dinotte LED systems have excellent reviews - I have a Dinotte, which is very compact and versatile plus the fact it uses AA rechargeables.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • pware
    pware Posts: 44
    Cheers! the cateye didn't get many stars!
  • maddog 2
    maddog 2 Posts: 8,114
    Hope Vision LED, with the stem mount battery. That's what I bought.
    Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true! - Homer
  • Pirahna
    Pirahna Posts: 1,315
    I've got Dinotte and Ayup lights. Similar money but the Ayup is a lot better. On unlit lanes the Dinotte is good for around 15MPH, the Ayup will allow much faster speeds, no problem dodging potholes on 30mph downhills. The beam is a lot wider on the Ayup as well.

    The AA batteries for the Dinotte mean I have to stop and change half way through a commute, so 4 lots of batteries for a round trip to work (it's 40 miles each way and I ride it once or twice a week). The Ayup has a 6 hour run time so 1 charge gets me to work and back.
  • APIII
    APIII Posts: 2,010
    Just wanted to add that my Lupine Wilma's (LED) came on Tuesday. I went out Tuesday night for a couple of hours, and wow, these things really perform. Ok, so they are bleeding expensive, but the quality of the light, and the spread is excellent. In fact, on several occasions, cars coming the other way slowed right down, almost to a stop - probably trying to work out what the hell was coming the other way :D
  • timoid.
    timoid. Posts: 3,133
    200 quid for a light?

    Why not buy a 20 quid light and put the rest towards some wheels or something worthwhile?
    It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.
  • whyamihere
    whyamihere Posts: 7,700
    Timoid. wrote:
    200 quid for a light?

    Why not buy a 20 quid light and put the rest towards some wheels or something worthwhile?
    A £20 light will be useless for actually seeing where you're going. They're just about acceptable for riding well lit roads in towns, but taking them out on a country lane would just be suicidal.
  • piedwagtail91
    piedwagtail91 Posts: 781
    schmidt hub and a lumotec iq fly light.brightest dynamo light i've used or seen.
  • graham_g
    graham_g Posts: 652
    piedwagtail91 wrote:
    schmidt hub and a lumotec iq fly light.brightest dynamo light i've used or seen.

    To go even brighter then a Supernova E3 could be used, but that would break your budget for the hub + wheel build and light.

    I went for my first night ride just the other week on my schmidt/IQ fly combo and when i got home I found my top speed was 34mph and my shorts weren't even soiled!
  • daniel_b
    daniel_b Posts: 11,572
    I would heartily recommend these:

    http://www.ayup.com.au/uk-shop-kits.html

    The roadie kit is around £160 delivered, and if you get hit for import tax it should still come in at under £200.
    Felt F70 05 (Turbo)
    Marin Palisades Trail 91 and 06
    Scott CR1 SL 12
    Cannondale Synapse Adventure 15 & 16 Di2
    Scott Foil 18
  • pware
    pware Posts: 44
    I've ending up buying 2x Dinotte 200L AA @ £67 each from Planet-X

    They are very tiny but quite powerful, and the AA batteries means that I never have to worry about buying another Lith-ion battery pack when it dies. (rechargables do die eventually).

    The 600, 800 and 1000 lumens lights were tempting though! ;)

    cheers,
    Phil.

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