Light for 24 hr race

[AKPogue]

Does anyone have any recommendations for or have a Mt Bike light for a 24 hr race they want to sell? I see how some are crazy expensive some are and not sure what is good enough.

[HobieTony]

The Magicshine lights have got to be the best price value around - I got a 900 lumen light for $89. A quick search shows a 1000 lumen for the same price. Pure Chinese made generic light goodness

[lvsper]

Does anyone have any recommendations for or have a Mt Bike light for a 24 hr race they want to sell? I see how some are crazy expensive some are and not sure what is good enough.

I have been pleased with the Baja Designs Stryker SL. I use it helmet-mounted, works very well in that regard. Plenty bright enough last weekend in a 24hr race with a new moon, for example. Quite durable.

There are lots of opinions available, you might try searching the MTBR forums.

I have one NIB (order f/u) -- $210 shipped.

[AKPogue]

So around 1000 lumen is adequate for Mt Biking?

[F#*k you cat]

Go with night-sun crazy bright. PS also bring a "aa" flashlight just in case. I have done 2 24 hour races and did not need the flashlight but handed it off to some poor sap that had a low charge. He was so grateful to at least be ridin rather than walking.

[mrryde]

I have a magic shine 1600 lumen on my bars and the 1000 lumen on my helmet. Along with 2spare batteries, this is the best combo ive ever owned

[supermodel159]

Does everyone buy their magicshine on amazon?

[Skithebird]

Does everyone buy their magicshine on amazon?

Check out Action-LED Lights if you're still looking for a magicshine

[supermodel159]

^ I picked up a magicshine a while ago and love it.

[Shredhead]

How long do your batteries last on the magicshines?


I'm lucky to be getting just over an hour on my old L&m's in the cold.

[chaka]

another option worth considering... Dinotte. Really nice stuff, and somewhere in the middle pricewise.

http://www.dinottelighting.com/Products.htm

[rideit]

This is currently the MOST bang for the buck.
Buy two, an upgraded battery and a 'smart' charger, and you will be pretty well set up for under $175.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281031070985...84.m1438.l2649

[Finstah]

I've never heard of Magic Shine before, but after looking at some of those images of 'em why not just buy a halogen truck headlight and strap a car battery to your downtube?

[Shredhead]

This is currently the MOST bang for the buck.
Buy two, an upgraded battery and a 'smart' charger, and you will be pretty well set up for under $175.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281031070985...84.m1438.l2649

What battery would you choose, how long do they last and will my current Light & Motion Multi Chemical Turbo Charger, work on it?

[rideit]

Well, I don't know anthing about your L&M charger, so i can't comment. But I would definitely run the supplied batteries, and see what kind of performance you get, and supplement them with a reliable four or six cell made with genuine Panasonic or BAK batteries (NOT generic trustfire/ultrafire clones!!!)
like this:
http://www.mtbrevolution.com/index.p...&product_id=83

[willmtbike4food]

This is currently the MOST bang for the buck.
Buy two, an upgraded battery and a 'smart' charger, and you will be pretty well set up for under $175.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281031070985...84.m1438.l2649

My problem with this is they claim 4000 lumens. The diodes used in the light (Cree XM-L T6) have a peak output of 1040 lumens. 1040x3 = 3120, which is of course much less than the advertised 4000. Makes me wonder what other wool they're trying to pull over the eyes...

Depending on course conditions and your comfort level while riding at night (especially after 8 long hours of riding during the day), 200-300 lumens with a good beam pattern should get you through a 24 hr race no problem. Is brighter better? Sure. Is brighter always better? Not necessarily. Get too much light, and all of a sudden, catch a quick glimpse of the light in your periphery and you'll have difficulty adjusting your pupils rapidly enough to be able to see what's ahead. For the majority of my night riding, it's on trails that I'm already somewhat familiar with - using 400-550 lumens seems to be plenty. I can see wanting more in a short-track elbows-rubbing race, and that's what Light and Motion's Seca 1400 is for.

Beam pattern, beam pattern, beam pattern. A light can be bright, but if it doesn't cast the light in the correct direction, what's the point?

I have a CygoLite Turbo Jet 740 (lumens) extra (battery run time - on low (~300 lumens), ) that I'd be interested in parting ways with. Price? It'd be cheap - make me an offer.

[Finstah]

^^^ This.

Also, when you get up over 1000 lumens you can make it particularly harder for other riders in front of you to see. Like, in a dangerous, shadowy way.

300 lumens on the bike and another 200-300 on your helmet should really suffice.

[rideit]

Well, all that said, ALL of these lights have low beam options.
And they run a looong time on those low beam options.
Forget the claimed lumen ratings anyway, the consumer reviews will tell you what you need to know.
(I fully addressed the 'wool' by reccomending a different battery, that is where they skimp)
I just posted these as great 'bang for buck', not 'best'.
These are also awesome if you are a DIY-er, and tinker.

[reynolds.trailrun]

I have the two lights from Magicshine, the 400 and 1000 lumen light. From my experience the 400 lumen light mounted on my helmet is more than adequate. I rarely run the 1000 lumen light on the brightest setting. I have run the 400 on my handlebar and the 1000 on my helmet... seemed useless to be throwing that much light out there. I could not tell the difference between having the 400 on or off. I actually preferred having the handlebar light turned off so I did not get an eye full when I really got with it on the climbs.

After geoman died I switched to Magichshineusa.com for buying purposes. Still china but at least with some sort of "warranty/support".