It's that time of year...Lights

[Andeh]

Thoughts on the OL Trail Evo? Looks pretty rad and not much more than the Taz 2000. I've been meaning to get into the light game for years now and things seem to be getting really dialed. I figure I could use it on my commuter as well which helps justify the cost of the full Evo package.

It's very good. The beam is less intense/concentrated than the Taz (so it might seem less bright side by side), but it carpets a wider/taller area in front of you for less tunnel vision. The mount is also far better. I seldom was able to get any of the rubber strap mounted lights to stay put for more than a couple minutes without needing to readjust them.

I was told that the designer from OL used to work at Cree, and I'd believe it. Their lights are just incredibly well thought out, balancing a useful beam pattern over ALL THE LUMENS, a light weight, useful battery life, and heat management (helps battery life and also doesn't burn your hands when you try to take them off after your ride). I've been doing Thursday night group rides for something like 5 years straight now, and we need lights from basically mid-September through mid-March, so I've gone through the whole light learning process for sure.

[Dantheman]

I just ordered the whole Outbound Lighting Evo package. Gonna use it on my MTB and my e-bike commuter and will report back.

F it, did the same. Who knows how many units they have in stock and how long re-stocking could take if they run out. If I have regrets I'll return it.

[jackstraw]

I'm running my hangover on a gopro mount, works great.

Thank you. I just bought one. Give it a shot with my tweaked neck.

[snowaddict91]

F it, did the same. Who knows how many units they have in stock and how long re-stocking could take if they run out. If I have regrets I'll return it.

I think I'm gonna pull the trigger on the downhill package as well. Friends here all have lights and I've been wanting to do it for a while so it seems like I should just do it.

[jamal]

I just bought a hangover, have only used it once so far and not for very long. First impression is could be a bit brighter. I have a light and motion taz 1200 for the bars and it doesn't add all that much on top of it. If I put that taz on medium it gives more the balance i was hoping for.

However, it was that just getting dark time of day where nothing seems that bright, and i had my photochromatic glasses on that don't get completely clear, and I only used it for about 6 minutes. This week I should get a little more use out of it at tnr and will have clear glasses.

I do like how small and light and low profile it is, and I wasn't coming up with much else that seemed better in that price range, even stuff I get at cost. But I guess it would either need to be heavier, have a shorter battery life, or have an external pack to be brighter.

[snowaddict91]

Just ordered a hangover for myself and one for the wife. I already have a 1000 lumen nite rider for the bars, will probably get a bar light for the wife as well at some point, but money is a little tight at the moment. I'm hoping we will both enjoy night riding!

[Tech Tonics]

I’ve been using these cheap Chinese lights for years. When I purchased it was branded a “magicshine”, though after a cursory google search I don’t see a match.

I have 3 of the lights and 3 of the batteries, but now only one of the light heads is working.

Is there a replacement light that will work with those batteries?

Or, is the hangover “worth it”? Or the taz1200? Are they much better?

Also I get a deal on NiteRider, but their latches look lame.

What should I do?

(Most night rides are not longer than 2 hours. I’m not doing any 24hr races thank god)

[John_B]

I’ve been using these cheap Chinese lights for years. When I purchased it was branded a “magicshine”, though after a cursory google search I don’t see a match.

I have 3 of the lights and 3 of the batteries, but now only one of the light heads is working.

Is there a replacement light that will work with those batteries?

Or, is the hangover “worth it”? Or the taz1200? Are they much better?

Also I get a deal on NiteRider, but their latches look lame.

What should I do?

(Most night rides are not longer than 2 hours. I’m not doing any 24hr races thank god)

I'll dig around but at one point I had 2 of those and I haven't used them in a real long time. If I've got them you are welcome to them

[jamal]

Yeah after using it a few more times, still same opinion on hangover. Nice light, just could be a bit brighter. When I put the taz on medium (600lm) and the hangover on high (1000ish?), that's the balance of light I'd like to have between the helmet and the bars.

I like the light output of the taz 1200. I don't trust the listed battery life and don't like how the battery life lights work because it goes from green to orange to red but you can't really tell the difference between orange and red. So you use it for like 30min and the light is orange and you're like "is this about to die?" It's heavy and the strap doesn't keep it in place on my cross bike on gravel, but on the mtb it seems to stay in place, mostly because I can cinch it down and the slide it onto the thicker part of the bar near the stem so it gets tighter than i can make it on a straight round bar. It also attaches to the mounting base with a very, very tiny screw and I won't be surprised if it just snaps right off some time.

So yeah I think I'm done buying l&m stuff. I had an urban 500 that broke the usb port off after a few uses and while they warrantied it now I'm just expecting that to happen with the other ones. And I wish I had the seca 1500 instead of the taz 1200. Not much more $, same battery life, brighter.

I think what I'd try next is one of the big niteriders like the lumina max or dual for my handlebar light. Or the outbound trail evo thing, except that it's like $250.

https://www.niterider.com/collection...umina-max-1500
https://www.niterider.com/products/6...mina-dual-1800

[Touring_Sedan]

I’ve been using these cheap Chinese lights for years. When I purchased it was branded a “magicshine”, though after a cursory google search I don’t see a match.

I have 3 of the lights and 3 of the batteries, but now only one of the light heads is working.

Is there a replacement light that will work with those batteries?

Or, is the hangover “worth it”? Or the taz1200? Are they much better?

Also I get a deal on NiteRider, but their latches look lame.

What should I do?

(Most night rides are not longer than 2 hours. I’m not doing any 24hr races thank god)

I'm still rocking the same lights. I keep that particular model, an MJ 808 as a spare, but I'm currently using the same batteries with one of these....

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

.....on the handlebars and one of these.......

https://www.amazon.com/skyweon-Headl...=BICYCLE_LIGHT

on the helmet.

[Tech Tonics]

Perfect man! Thanks.

Lol@ “6000 lumens”

[evdog]

^^^ I've still got a couple Magicshine light heads and batteries of different generations, they seem to be interchangeable with the Amazon chinese knockoff lights I also own.

[buttahflake]

I’m a fan of light and motion, they just work without taking up space and they’re not heavy. However I just ordered a Bontrager Ion Pro RT based on the great reviews and the warmth of the light beam. I find that the l&m beam is kinda harsh.

[Peruvian]

3 years later and the Shenkey N6 lights still work very well. One on the helmet and one in the bars. I also use them for around town. I hate remote battery packs and don’t usually ride for more than 2 hours at night.

It looks like the price is up to $30 each.

[Andeh]

I’ve been using these cheap Chinese lights for years. When I purchased it was branded a “magicshine”, though after a cursory google search I don’t see a match.

Or, is the hangover “worth it”? Or the taz1200? Are they much better?

What should I do?

(Most night rides are not longer than 2 hours. I’m not doing any 24hr races thank god)

I started out using a Magic Shine light for trail riding. It got supplemented with a Taz1200 on the helmet, then replaced with a Taz2000 on the bars. The L&M put out closer to their purported lumens than the Chinese ones, and their beam pattern is more coherent. Then I replaced the Taz set with the Hangover & Trail EVO. The OL lights care less about lumens than L&M, and more about delivering a more useful trail riding beam pattern, lighter weight, better battery management, and better mounting. I prefer them, and everyone that has gotten them after I recommend has liked them as well.

I also typically only do 2 hour rides with lights. The OL adaptive battery mode (the default) does a good job of very slowly tapering down the brightness, and managing heat to keep it uniformly bright as long as possible, as opposed to being super bright for 45 min then abruptly dropping off.

The Hangover is also only ~100g, and is very low profile. When mounted on the top of your helmet, it's barely noticeable. With the Taz up top, it felt a bit bobble-head-like, and I had to ratchet down the helmet straps or use goggles to keep the helmet from moving around.

One of my buddies who wears bibs uses a L&M light that's not the Taz (don't know the model offhand), with an external battery pack that he stows in the bib pocket. That keeps the helmet weight down, but he's got to deal with a cord coming down the back into his shirt. Then he runs a pair of Taz2000s on his bars. It's like an offroad rally truck level of light, kinda ridiculous.

[t.odd]

While I'd generally agree that I wish the Hangover had a bit more brightness punch, for me I realized the other night that I feel like overall the OL setup/beam pattern doesn't cause as much strain on my eyes, and it just overall feels a lot more natural. On my old cheap Chinese lights that claim more significant lumens I felt like I was having to focus a lot harder to chase the narrower beam pattern on the trail, instead of focusing on the trail and obstacles.

[Andeh]

While I'd generally agree that I wish the Hangover had a bit more brightness punch, for me I realized the other night that I feel like overall the OL setup/beam pattern doesn't cause as much strain on my eyes, and it just overall feels a lot more natural. On my old cheap Chinese lights that claim more significant lumens I felt like I was having to focus a lot harder to chase the narrower beam pattern on the trail, instead of focusing on the trail and obstacles.

Yup, this sums it up well. My unicorn light would be a Hangover that weighs and has same beam pattern the same but about 50-100% more lumens. I'm sure that's just not possible with current battery technology.

[jackstraw]

While I'd generally agree that I wish the Hangover had a bit more brightness punch, for me I realized the other night that I feel like overall the OL setup/beam pattern doesn't cause as much strain on my eyes, and it just overall feels a lot more natural. On my old cheap Chinese lights that claim more significant lumens I felt like I was having to focus a lot harder to chase the narrower beam pattern on the trail, instead of focusing on the trail and obstacles.

Yeah, I agree with that. I think a dimmer wider beam spread is better than a brighter spot beam spread. Lighting a bigger broader area with fewer lumens feels better on my eyes and brain. It helps your eyes adjust to the peripheral between the light and the dark.

[Andeh]

Outbound Lighting is having their black Friday sale - 10% off.

[EWG]

Just bought a Light and Motion Urban 1000 for my commuter. Found it on sale for $50. I ride some dark, unlit roads, so the brightness should help, and it has that elastic strap that makes it easy on and off for bringing inside when I get to the office.

I'll report back if it sucks.

[Beaver]

Bought a Lezyne macro 1000 for my e fat bike. Fucking shitmano took the light activation button off thier app and the buttons on the bike dont work until activated by the app. The bike maufacturer has been quiet for 3 days since i asked them about it. Perhaps one day I'll get to use it.

[Sandbox]

Bought a Lezyne macro 1000 for my e fat bike. Fucking shitmano took the light activation button off thier app and the buttons on the bike dont work until activated by the app. The bike maufacturer has been quiet for 3 days since i asked them about it. Perhaps one day I'll get to use it.

Your e bike has buttons for lights??? That’s kinda cool….


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[jono]

Bought a Lezyne macro 1000 for my e fat bike. Fucking shitmano took the light activation button off thier app and the buttons on the bike dont work until activated by the app. The bike maufacturer has been quiet for 3 days since i asked them about it. Perhaps one day I'll get to use it.

Shoulda built your own fucking e-bike

[Beaver]

I have built my own, a few of my own in fact. I've also built 30ish for other people.

I got it sorted. If anyone else has a Shitmano and can't turn on thier lights and has an android phone... I had uninstall E-tube and turn off automatic updates then install the app APKPure. Then I had to search for a version of E-tube older than 4.0.0 from May 2019. Install that using APKPure, open the app, turn off the automatic passcode request screen then finally activate the fucking light circuit.

What a shit show. I activated 2 other bikes in the shop while I was at it so whoever buys them doesn't come back asking how to do it because I'll have forgotten by then.

[jono]

I have built my own, a few of my own in fact. I've also built 30ish for other people.

Kidding. You've posted pics of some interesting ones, too. Congrats on figuring that one out!