It's that time of year...Lights

[Dirty.Harry.]

Something bright and well-mounted to the bars with a battery that lasts for the entire ride. After that, the brand seems irrelevant.

I run a CatEye of some sort and then stick a Petzl RXP on my head. The combo works well and I can recharge/top off the batteries using a USB plug in my truck before and after the ride.

The People's Lights coming out of China are cheap and bright, but you'd better be prepared with a backup battery and light source because the battery life is jaaaanky.

[Shredhead]

Super night, out there tonight.
Just get your ass out the door.

[Groomer Gambler]

I got a couple Lezyne Macro Drive 1100XL from Wiggle several months ago for like $68 each, shipped. Way better than any other deal I could find on a brand name light.http://www.wiggle.com/lezyne-macro-drive-1100/
They've upped the price a bit, but still a sweet deal. Arrived in like 5 days.

Thinking about buying one of these too: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0727N3L9B...ing=UTF8&psc=1

Worth the $70 price tag? I have a regular hiking headlamp, and a 300 lumen front light currently. I was borrowing a friend's fancier 1000+ lumen light that worked really well on the bars (coupled with the 300 lumen on the side) but it was something like $150+. Not looking to spend that much as I ride about 1-2x at night a week for ~1-2hrs. Light singletrack with some decent climbing oftentimes in the rain during winter.

[SchralphMacchio]

My take is if you are riding 1-2x per week then it's a no-brainer that it's worth spending money on good shit that can handle the rain, and also has a solid warranty backing behind it. It's probably only worth squabbling over dollars if you literally going to do like 5 night rides a year, so missing that 6th ride because your gear is down won't really make all that much difference.

Most electronics short of space-grade or life-safety products can easily conk out, even if made by solid brands - because I can tell you that LeZyne or Black Diamond or whomever don't exactly have their lead engineer standing in the factory making sure that every solder joint is perfect, that all the solder flux is cleaned or that there are no residual PCB bromides on every single PCB coming off the line before it gets into the lamp assembly. A solid brand warranty gives you that peace of mind once your product goes.

After 1 year you have what, like 40-50 night rides? If you spend $150 on a lighting setup that's a buck-fifty per ride after 2 years.

What's the cost of not being able to type in grad school, because you ate shit not being able to see that the 4" root was actually a 14" dropoff, and now your right wrist is broken?

Redundancy is also a good thing - separate helmet light, bar light, and backup hiking headlamp in pack. If the helmet or bar light conk out you can finish your ride but going more slowly. The hiking lamp gets you home when everything out of batteries, or at least it gives you great mood lighting while sipping your flask at the trailhead after your ride is done.

FWIW, my MagicShines are still running after 5+ years, and I have no regrets having spent about $180 for that setup.

[snowday]

Definitely need a helmet and bar light...trust me, it sucks with just one.

Between myself and 3 other guys we all have magic shines and have had no issues after a couple of years. I have one mounted on my helmet and a Lumina 750 on my bars. I like the Lumina because it is easy to use as a flashlight too. The other guys have 2 magic shines each.

[jm2e]

Thinking about buying one of these too: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0727N3L9B...ing=UTF8&psc=1

Worth the $70 price tag?

Yea, if you can still get that deal, it's definitely worth it. As mentioned, most 1000 =/- lumen lights are north of $100 bucks. The Lezyne is a solid light and the strap works good on the bars. I bought the $10 helmet mount which is less streamlined than a GoPro type mount but works well. No MTBing at night as often these days, but mrs jm2e has been commuting and using this light every day in sub freezing temps, rain and snow. No problems. Since we have 2, one is on bike and one is charging. Expensive commuter light, but hey she's worth it!

[jm2e]

I made an okay set with a couple of these:
https://www.amazon.com/UltraFire-WF-...cree+led+18650
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
And I used double stick tape & zip ties to attach these:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Already had gopro mounts on helmets. This is what I toss in the bottom of my pack when I'm worried about being nighted on afternoon rides. And they pair well with the Lezyne lights for proper night rides. As with a lot of knockoff lights, I've found that the beam is too narrow work well as an only light. Good for the helmet though, to complement a more flood like beam from the bars.

[Groomer Gambler]

Definitely need a helmet and bar light...trust me, it sucks with just one.

Between myself and 3 other guys we all have magic shines and have had no issues after a couple of years. I have one mounted on my helmet and a Lumina 750 on my bars. I like the Lumina because it is easy to use as a flashlight too. The other guys have 2 magic shines each.

Thanks everyone for the input! By Magic shines, meaning something like this? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...L3JRXLHD&psc=1

[SchralphMacchio]

Yes, but that particular model may be better as a helmet light than bar light due to the 20 degree (narrow-ish) beam spread. It could possibly pair well with a wide-throw, diffuse (large lens) light on the bar. I can’t remember their models but they have a I wish I lived close enough to Mac Dunn to come up to ride at night, but it’s a good hour from these parts ...

[snowday]

Thanks everyone for the input! By Magic shines, meaning something like this? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...L3JRXLHD&psc=1

I'm pretty sure they have that one x2, it is definitely finned to dissipate heat.
Mine is the older 872 model: https://www.amazon.com/MagicShine-Bi...AX5YDVTND8VQFM

[jackstraw]

I'm just here to say fuck Amazon. Buy from somebody else.

[zion zig zag]

Bump, getting to be that time of year.

Anyone have anything to say on Magicshine vs Light and Motion?

[evdog]

Magic shines are still working great for me, as are the $17 amazon chinese knock offs. I also bought a usb chargeable light from Portland Design works that has been good. And nice since there are no wires for helmet mount.

[plugboots]

I sell http://www.ravemen.com/index.html and will give mags 20% off. PM me, they're stocked in Boulder.

[RootSkier]

Where are the prices on that website? Also, if you were going to recommend a two-light system, which two would your recommend, and why?

[plugboots]

Oops, I spoke too soon. We're running a special, so I'll give an additional 5% off the 25% on this site: https://www.velosportimports.com/ravemen-lights
The dual light units are for road/commuting AND mountain bike. The single light units are designed for road/commuting.
The website has decent pictures of the way the light pattern looks on the 2 light units. If you are using it for mountain biking, it would be better to have the HiLo beam system so the light shines up and not just low to the ground.
The model numbers are the lumens, so get the most lumens, if you can.

[Magic Carpet]

PR1200 looks enticing. Any thoughts on that vs Lezyne 1100?

[plugboots]

The Lezyne 1100 is probably sturdy, but the PR1200 is waterproof to 2 meters for 30 minutes. PR1200 has a nice small display, that helps you to keep track of the mode and power output, and battery, etc. that the Lezyne lacks. It has a instant max mode which is kind of like the Lezyne's overdrive/recovery mode, but maybe more useful. The PR1200 also comes with a wired remote button that is nice to place right next to your grip or finger. It also has a USB so you can plug in your phone and use it as a charger. $64.01 is a very good price. This includes a free TR20 tail light as well.

[Magic Carpet]

Plugboots, Velosports would be the vendor of choice?

[plugboots]

Plugboots, Velosports would be the vendor of choice?

Yes. If any other mags want to partake, PM me. Cheers.

[Peruvian]

Any thoughts on NiteRider 900?

[plugboots]

Any thoughts on NiteRider 900?

No personal experience, but:
Comparable to PR900, the NiteRider 900 has:
- No small display
- No wired remote
- No dual light, (which is a cool feature, to not blind cars, BTW)
- No USB port to charge another device
- A lower ipx rating, (6 vs 8), PR900 is more sealed for waterproofness.
Pretty close in price, we're probably cheaper, but maybe our free tail light makes it a better deal.

[Eastcoastdan]

Bump, getting to be that time of year.

Anyone have anything to say on Magicshine vs Light and Motion?

I have a Light and Motion seca 1800, no experience with Magicshine but I really like my light. Compared to my buddies Niterider 1400 it lights up a much larger area and seems to be more yellow less blue on the color spectrum. Have had it a couple of seasons now, no issues.

I would never buy a Serfas light again. Even the warranty replacements were failing on the first ride out for myself and a handful of friends who bought them on sale. Plus my 1800 seca lights up a larger area and throws more useful light than the 2500 Serfas I had.

[bean]

What's battery life like on the PR1200?

[John_B]

Plug what is your recommendation on helmet/bar lights, run the PR1200 on the bars and...on the head?