Lights 2015

Our Community Forums Bikes & Equipment Lights 2015

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 99 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #917144
    eminva
    Participant

    Hello —

    Okay, my old Exposure Diablo charger died, taking the light with it. :( I’ve never been totally happy with it — the light works fine, but I’ve never gotten anywhere near the promised battery life, even after a long trip to the UK for warranty service.

    So, in the three years since I bought it, has technology improved? Anyone find something they like better? This would be for commuting year round between DC and the wilds of central Fairfax County. Thanks in advance.

    Liz

    P.S. If you have an Exposure light and your smart charger starts to alternately flash red and green, do NOT, under any circumstances, plug it into your light! You will have two problems instead of one.

    #1034636
    Tania
    Participant

    Thank you for starting this! I have a cateye that seems like it might be ok (and it was free) but I’ve been thinking about possibly upgrading or also getting a helmet light.

    #1034639
    Emm
    Participant

    So my recommendations are probably not “cheap”. Other people here can explain some ways to hook up flashlights and headlamps. I always spent a little more money to not have the hassle of thinking things over ;)

    1. Cygolight 800 This light can light up the darkest, most unlit sections of the trail. I’ve biked home at 10-11:00 at night in the pitch black on unlit trails, and this light made me feel safe. It comes with helmet, or handle bar mount. Downside is it’s heavy as a helmet mounted light. (note–I paid under $100 for this light. It always eventually comes down to that price on amazon).
    2. Bontrager 700 Ion Fiance has this, same general review as the cygolight (Works awesome), but no helmet mount. Fiance paid $100 for this at Revolution Cycles, where it’s still at that price.

    This website is pretty helpful too: https://www.bikelightdatabase.com/

    #1034613
    dbb
    Participant

    I have been a pretty big fan of Niterider lights. I have three or four of them and have a helmet mount. The rail mount is good (they improved it a few years ago).

    A couple of the lights have been in for service and I’ve been pretty happy with their support. They even replaced the cases on a couple of lights (after they dived for the asphalt due to my error) for about $15.

    All charge off USB so there are no charger issues.

    #1034614
    mstone
    Participant

    I swear by my B&M Ixon IQ premium (stupid name). It uses 4 AA batteries, so it is admittedly heavier & bulkier than many lights. I have it mounted over my front wheel, so I don’t really care. You can get a charger that plugs directly into the unit to recharge NiMH batteries, or you can pop them out and use a standard battery charger. One nice thing about using regular batteries is that you can stick some extras in your bag for added peace of mind or even buy some replacements at the closest convenience store in an emergency.

    The important part is the beam shape, which puts the light where it’s needed on the road and not up in the air where it isn’t needed. They have some other models with the same optics but different power options, like dyno hub or lithium battery pack.

    #1034619
    jabberwocky
    Participant

    I’ve owned a few sets of fancy lights over the years, but eventually the batteries or lights died. These days I just get whatever cheap chinese LED is available on Amazon. Typically systems are ~30 bucks, work fine and last a few years before the battery goes.

    #1034620
    GovernorSilver
    Participant

    My colleagues recommended a helmet light to supplement the headlight that came with my bike, so that I could use the helmet light to more easily spot broken glass, metal shreds, dogs suddenly running in front, and other hazards on the road and trails, especially on bits of the MVT where there’s no street lights or anything. I’m happy with my Cygolite Expilion 850. I showed it to a couple of folks at this month’s happy hour, then used it for my first ever night-time ride.

    I first heard about Cygolite in an article reviewing a bunch of bike lights, including the Expilion 800. Then I realized the 800 had been replaced by the 850 model.

    My only complaint is that it took several attempts to figure out how to secure the helmet mount as tightly as possible. Once I did have it secured, though, the light was fairly stable. You can set the angle for the light, then lock it in place with a little knob on the mount, so that it illuminates the area you want to see in front of you instead of blinding oncoming drivers, cyclists, etc.

    My bike came with a dyno hub and hub-powered lights made by B&M, but these were apparently the cheapest B&M models – the tail-light seems serviceable, but the head-light is probably 20 Lux or less – it might be bright enough to let people know I’m there, but not enough to illuminate poorly-lit MUPs in the dark of night – at least not enough for me to feel confident..

    #1034622
    GB
    Participant

    +1 for the cygolite. The brighter ones come with bar and helmet mounts. Plus the batteries are replaceable/interchangeable. $100 should get you 700+ lumens that will last for a long time. I’ve had mine for 2 years the battery is still strong and the light is indestructible. I’ve dropped it countless times and it holds up to the rain just fine.

    #1034624
    Powerful Pete
    Participant

    A couple of votes for Light and Motions…

    For BAFS this year I picked up a Light and Motion VIS 360 helmet mounted set. Verdict: awesome. Really helps to see and be seen.

    I already had a Light and Motion VIS 180 red blinkie which I have been impressed with.

    Also borrowed a Light and Motion Urban (not sure which model) from Proteus that I will be returning that has equally impressed me.

    Over time I have found lights have become smaller/lighter, easier to install and remove on the fly, with impressive light outputs and increasingly useful battery life.

    #1034625
    americancyclo
    Participant

    @dbb 120793 wrote:

    I have been a pretty big fan of Niterider lights.
    A couple of the lights have been in for service and I’ve been pretty happy with their support. They even replaced the cases on a couple of lights (after they dived for the asphalt due to my error) for about $15.

    All charge off USB so there are no charger issues.

    I’d echo everything dbb said.
    Five years on and I still love my NiteRider MiNewt USB. $20 bench fee when i sent it in for a cracked case and a torn USB plug cover, and they replaced some of the internal circuits as well.
    if you search the forum for NiteRIder I’m sure you’ll find a glowing review from me.

    the model i have is 250 lumens and old. The line is now named the “Lumina” line
    Current price points on Amazon:
    [TABLE=”width: 500″]
    [TR]
    [TD]Lumens
    [/TD]
    [TD]$$$
    [/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]750
    [/TD]
    [TD]99
    [/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]550
    [/TD]
    [TD]76
    [/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]350
    [/TD]
    [TD]44
    [/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]’micra’ 250
    [/TD]
    [TD]32
    [/TD]
    [/TR]
    [/TABLE]

    I also have a spare helmet mount if anyone needs it.

    #1034626
    Crickey7
    Participant

    I like it when a manufacturer keeps mounts and plug interfaces uniform. That’s a big reason I’ve stayed with NiteRider.

    #1034628
    mstone
    Participant

    @Powerful Pete 120804 wrote:

    For BAFS this year I picked up a Light and Motion VIS 360 helmet mounted set. Verdict: awesome. Really helps to see and be seen.

    I’ll second this–I use the vis 360 as my second light, usually on low unless I’m in the boonies and want a brighter pointable light.

    #1034601
    KWL
    Participant

    @Powerful Pete 120804 wrote:

    A couple of votes for Light and Motions…
    Also borrowed a Light and Motion Urban (not sure which model) from Proteus that I will be returning that has equally impressed me.

    Over time I have found lights have become smaller/lighter, easier to install and remove on the fly, with impressive light outputs and increasingly useful battery life.

    The L&M Urban series, besides being light, self-contained and bright, also pivot. This solved my problem of not much perpendicular space on my mustache bars.

    #1034606
    notlost
    Participant

    I’ve got one that looks like this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C2MHNJK

    I picked it up in 2013 and it has been on my bars ever since, through rain, shine, and snow. Shoe Goo was used to semi-waterproof the battery.

    #1034607
    hozn
    Participant

    @americancyclo 120805 wrote:

    I’d echo everything dbb said.
    Five years on and I still love my NiteRider MiNewt USB.

    I had to send my MiNewt 250 off for warranty repair once — it got overly wet, I guess, and the power button was half green and half red (and the light wouldn’t illuminate). But since then, that light has worked just fine. My usb port cover also came off — it’s lost — so I don’t use it when raining.

    I’ve had less good luck with the Lumina 350 that I originally bought to replace it. That went back for warranty repair twice in the first year or so and now (a couple years old) the battery won’t hold a charge of more than 30 minutes.

    I might buy another Niterider since I have so many mounts now, though am looking harder at L&M lights for next winter, since I have really enjoyed my Vis 360 helmet setup for the dark months. I’ll probably just use my Supernova Airstream light this winter, though, as primary light (360 as secondary).

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 99 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.