Lights 2015

[Powerful Pete]

Very, very, very easy to operate while riding.

[kwarkentien]

@Powerful Pete 122664 wrote:

Very, very, very easy to operate while riding.

+1

[hozn]

Yes, the button is on front light unit and is very large and tactile; turning it off is just a ~2-second press.

The only disadvantage to the vis360 is the extra weight on the head, but most is in the rear light unit (battery) in back of helmet. It is a great light. I have the regular (non-plus) version which may be a bit under-powered as a sole light when it gets really dark, but I use a bar light too in winter.

[worktheweb]

Like Steve O, I have a Schmidt SON generator hub from Peter White Cycles. I use a Supernova headlight with the StVZO compliant cut-off. The setup has done thousands of miles in rain, snow, sleet, tropical storms, and blazing sun while always on without a single hiccup. The system isn’t cheap, but I would not want to ride without it. I never need to worry about the charge status of my lights. The light it puts out is perfectly adequate to see and be seen. Also, having a daytime running light really makes you significantly more visible.

Lately I’ve started using a helmet mounted flashlight during the Winter months (Zebralight SC600 L2 MkII with some velcro cable ties) to be able to get light that follows my head and not my handlebars. It is something that is nice to have, but it isn’t something that is strictly required for safe riding. In a pinch, it would well work solo, too. Usually I have the head mounted light on a very low setting so as not to blind anyone, unless I’m on the MVT very late at night South of Alexandria, where being able to use it in full or half brightness allows me to see deer from a distance via eye shine and illuminate all the trees nearby. Having a light you can direct also helps get the attention of drivers. At low brightness, it lasts for weeks of usage between charges of its 18650 battery. At a full 1100 Lumens, about an hour. And just to reiterate, I don’t shine the full blast power in anyone’s eyes — 95% of the time it is at around 70 Lumens.

[Tania]

So…I may have gone a little overboard buying lights.

I got the Light & Motion Urban 800 , two cheapy SecurityIng lights that My Personal Bike Gear Guru Jabberwocky recommended (3600 & 5600 lumens) and then a 1200 lumen Bright Eyes light that was well recommend on Amazon and also crazy stupid cheap. I didn’t realize the cheap lights have external (and REALLY FREAKING HEAVY) battery packs. The light and motion is just the light. All can be used at helmet lights (battery packs would go in my backpack).

Then it turns out my CatEye that wasn’t charging is either because the rechargeable AA batteries are dead or the charger is busted – so easily fixable. No clue on make/model for the CatEye. (It’s not a super bright light but perfectly fine for for when it’s not pitch black plus it was free.)

All are charging right now so I’ll post beam pics (and weights) of each when they’re done.

Editing with more details. I’m too lazy to take pics and post them all so you’re going to have to trust my assessments!

All three external battery packs seem to be interchangeable and now I have no clue which one went with which light. They weigh 274, 216, and 208 grams and all came with little velcro packs to strap onto your bike. I have a triangle-shaped frame bag that fits under my top tube so I can’t just toss the batter pack in there. At least now I have use for that pack because it’s usually empty.

The light and motion urban 800 is super bright with a large even beam. It’s only 121 grams, no external battery pack although what I don’t like (minor nit pick) is that the mounting is all or nothing, meaning there’s no separate mount to attach to the handle bars and the light clips on and off. So it’s the light (and mount) on the bars or all of it off. My Cat Eye has a slide in mount that I kinda like. But…it’s 121 grams with no external battery pack! And plenty bright. Digging it.

The Bright Eyes headlight was only $35 when I bought it although now it’s priced at $41. It has a flashlight type effect, meaning there’s a bright center spot and then a less bright outer ring. I bought a diffuser lens which turns the round center bright spot into…a longer oblong circle. The light itself only weighs 88 grams so for $35, I’ll hang onto it as a spare. It mounts similar to a garmin with those little elastic rubber bands. The two SecurityIng lights use this mounting style as well (and they all actually can be mounted to your helmet but the set up looks way too complicated).

The SecurityIng 5600 is 173 grams and has three modes (high, bright strobe). It’s the heaviest (173g) and plenty bright. But it’s the heaviest. The two SecurityIng lights came in nondescript boxes and now at this point I can’t tell which battery pack/accessories came with what so I’ll keep it. It was cheap and I’m crazy enough to need two back up lights. Maybe I’ll keep it at work in case my light fails on the ride on in.

The other SecurityIng light (3600) I think is actually brighter than the 5600 light and it has four modes: obnoxiously blinding, super bright, bright, low and strobe. It’s 137 grams and was only $28 (wut?). I’m thinking for really dark ride rides I’ll use this as my bar light and my L&M urban 800 on my helmet.

I’ll have to test drive the L&M and the SecurityIng 3600 to see which one I’ll use on my commute. I like them both but it will depend on how easy on/off the L&M light is since I don’t want to leave it on my bike in the bike cage at work. If someone steals the SecurityIng light I won’t really care since it was so cheap.

Edit Sept 03 – I absolutely loathe the rubber band mounts of the SecurityIng and L&M Urban 800 lights. They’re a pain to put on and take off (don’t want to leave them on my bike while bike is locked up) and THEY MOVE. Ugh.

[Raymo853]

@Tim Kelley 120821 wrote:

+1 for Light and Motion. From winter commuting to night time mountain biking.

Also, they have pretty great customer service.

I concur. I had a TAZ 1200 that I melted the lense when it turned on in a bag. They gave me a full credit of the retail cost to spend at their on-line store. Bought two Urban 800 and a tail light.

Was planning to get Stella 500 soon for night MTB racing, but my wife got Dinotte set of lights. Man, they seem well build and crazy bright compared to any thing else I have seen.

[jabberwocky]

@Tania 122814 wrote:

Edit Sept 03 – I absolutely loathe the rubber band mounts of the SecurityIng and L&M Urban 800 lights. They’re a pain to put on and take off (don’t want to leave them on my bike while bike is locked up) and THEY MOVE. Ugh.

Yeah, I moved from L&M and Dinotte (which have the more rigid clip on style) to these, and they aren’t great. I put the lights on and tend to leave them there though. I do make sure to wrap a little electrical tape around the bars where they go which helps keep them from sliding around.

The rubber band mounts seem to be where a lot of the industry is though. Cheaper to make and more adaptable to different bar diameters. They are common even on expensive lights.

Self contained is definitely nicer if you have to take them off and on a lot.

[lordofthemark]

@Powerful Pete 120804 wrote:

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

I have the light and motion urban 350. Its okay, but maybe I am doing something wrong, because it runs out after about an hour of usage – which meant, during freezing saddles, that I often had to recharge it every night. Which meant removing it from the helmet every night, as it is not easy to plug in the recharger when the light is on the (standard Bell) helmet.

I probably need something brighter anyway – when its completely after dark, and I am on a trail with no other lighting, I have to slow down to be confident I don’t outrun my light, and I do not go very fast to begin with. One ride last year I came close to running into a gentleman who was wearing dark clothing walking down the WOD (I was on the WOD after dark because I was coming home from Columbia Pike)

[Tim Kelley]

@lordofthemark 123518 wrote:

I have the light and motion urban 350. Its okay, but maybe I am doing something wrong, because it runs out after about an hour of usage

Sounds about right if you’re running it on high the entire time.

[sethpo]

I have a Cygolite 450 that works really well. I typically put that on my helmet and use the lower setting so I can aim it at drivers as needed. A helmet light, however, is not only useless in fog or rain but dramatically limits your ability to see (which I consider a requirement for bike riding) since the light reflects off the moisture in the air. You simply can’t use a helmet light in those conditions imo.

I went with a cheap generic light like this on my bars for main visibility on unlit trails and dark county roads. It works really well with plenty of light and modes (I run it on blink during day rain or in the city for example). I use top tube “bag” to hold the battery pack.

I would LOVE to find a way to mount a light lower either on the fork or somehow around the headtube. I don’t have brazons on the fork to use for this — has anyone seen any solutions?

Btw: Is it too soon to start complaining about trail ninjas; being blinded by on-coming riders; using blink mode on dark trails; or people who complain about other people’s lights?

[KWL]

@sethpo 123523 wrote:

I would LOVE to find a way to mount a light lower either on the fork or somehow around the headtube. I don’t have brazons on the fork to use for this — has anyone seen any solutions?

This looks cool. http://problemsolversbike.com/products/quick_release_nut_light_mount

[eminva]

@eminva 120787 wrote:

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.

As the person who started this thread, I just realized I forgot to give you an update.

Shortly after I wrote this, I remembered I have a USB charger. I plugged the light into that and it came back to life! Also, I contacted Exposure and they sent me a new charger — free! So their reputation for excellent customer service lives on. As does my light.

To be fair, it is a good light and more than adequate for my needs (1 hour 20 minute commute at the most). It is tough and has survived several falls. The mounting system is great and I am invested in three mounts at this point. It looks sleek and the black with red accent color scheme matches both my bikes, and we all know how important that is. If I were doing some crazy 24 hour mountain bike event I would want a couple of backups, but otherwise, I can recommend this light.

Liz

[sethpo]

@KWL 123540 wrote:

This looks cool. http://problemsolversbike.com/products/quick_release_nut_light_mount

ORDERED!!!!!! Can’t wait to give this a try on a dark trail.

[Raymo853]

If you are in a DIY mood, you could also try this. Assume it will end up costing more the ordering the ready made part.

http://www.ikeahackers.net/2012/03/grundtal-fork-light-mount.html

[AFHokie]

@worktheweb 122714 wrote:

Lately I’ve started using a helmet mounted flashlight during the Winter months (Zebralight SC600 L2 MkII with some velcro cable ties) to be able to get light that follows my head and not my handlebars.

Something to keep in mind for those deciding to mount a light (or camera) to your helmet. Unless specifically designed with a built-in mount, a light/camera as well as the mount itself can negatively affect how the helmet functions in a crash. Velcro cable ties will likely allow the light to break away quickly and cleanly in a crash, however a lot of people mount devices in ways preventing the device from quickly breaking away in a crash.

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