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Esqo

What's up everyone! I'm looking to participate in one of the night rides that are frequently posted on Trailhead but I guess I'll need to purchase a bike light first. Can I get by with just a helment-mounted light? Or just a handlebar light? Or do I need both?

And any thoughts on specific lights? Can I get by with a cheapo Cateye or will I need one of those expensive ones with the huge batteries?

Thanks.

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sdyeti

Check out some of these archived threads:

Bike Mag LED light test

holy bright lights!

Anyone ever build their own mtb lights?

Lights?

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Esqo

Thanks dude. I guess the search function is my friend.

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sdyeti

No worries...you're learning the ropes. With "common" topics, chances are a quick search is all you need to get lots of info.

Cheers

Steph

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BrewMaster

Build your own light. That's all you need to know.

How I Built My Own MTB Light

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0gravity

Don't bother with anything besides HID lights. They're worth the extra cash.

If you run only one light, run in handlebar mount because that gives better trail contour definition.

If you start riding a lot, get a second one for helmet mount.

Figure out if you're going to be riding with others and what lights they normally use. If you've got a regular night ride crew, it can be helpful to have the same lights as them in case there's an issue and you need to borrow a light, or a cable, or a battery, etc.

Just personally, I have two Niterider Enduro HIDs that I bought for $279 a piece. Very happy with them. Although, they both come as helmet mounts so you have to buy the bar braket ($25) and the battery isn't well designed to fit on the bike without either buying a battery bag ($15) or wedging it into your bottle cage, and securing with a strap or bungee. That being said, I think it's still one of the best deals going for HIDs, which is why I got two of them.

Good luck

Esqo

Geez, pretty awesome, MacGuyver. Do you still have that? How's it holding up?

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Bryguy17

+1 for building your own light.

if you are handy and know how to solder, you can make a really good functioning light for cheap. the ones i'm making run at 500 lumens for 5 hours and only cost me 200 (if i include batteries/chargers/time taken to build) not bad, considering a comparable HID (only ~100 lumens brighter) cost 3x more and weighs 2x more

office

prepare to drop some serious cash. A previous poster suggested HID lights, but LED lights are arguably just as good nowadays. Plus they'll probably be available at your local bike store for purchase and they might have a demo model on hand for you to check out. HID lights are crazy expensive and the bulbs are $100+ and really fragile. Halogen just doesn't cut it in terms of battery life anymore. LED's are tough, cheap and small.

Niterider has some new models out that I tested out and they totally rock:
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/LS306A05-Niterider+Minewtx2+Dual.aspx

MiNewt.X2 & MiNewt.X2 Dual, Lithium ion batteries, great runtime, and they're super light. Or you could get the TriNewt. Its so bright it's insane! Even freaks cars out if you ride around on the road.

Also one of my friends had good luck with the cateye DoubleShot & Tripleshot.
http://www.cateye.com/en/product_detail/258

I use a 15W halogen niterider helmet mount. Not a lot of light, but it works well enough. Its got a weird computer problem and needs to be reset a lot (sucks when it goes into low power mode at the WRONG time) so avoid older niterider halogen stuff. New stuff rocks though. I would get a helmet light first, and add a bar mount later.

BrewMaster

It's holding up great and it is easy to make. I am not am not skilled with electrical engineering at all. Making that light was my first time soldering in my life.

BTW, I strongly disagree with the above statement to look only at HID. New LED technology is actually surpassing HID in brightness, not to mention that LEDs consume less power so you get more run time out of the same battery. On top of all this, HIDs need time to warm up and cannot be turned on and off during a ride. Plus HID bulbs cost a fortune and can be broken. LEDs are cheap and are pretty hard to break.

I personally think HIDs are on their way out and will not be sold as bike lights in 5 years.

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0gravity

With all due respect to the poster below....I disagree.

The Mini-Newts, while hella bright, are not something I'd want to go flying down my local trails with. I've been out with someone that had a brand new one. Better for street commuting, I'd say, but not mtn biking. HIDs are still the brightest and what you want if you plan on going fast on your downhills. Yes, the bulbs are a lot more breakable than LEDs, but I've had mine going on two years, with a few crashes and they're still fine. And that last LED there, the Triple-shot retails for $400! You can get most HIDs for that. Mine were $279 a piece.

That all being said, I do think there's big promise in LEDs and they may ultimately replace HIDs, but I don't think those days are here yet.

0gravity

Maybe HIDs have improved since you last gave them a chance. Warm-up probably averages 5 seconds--tops. And I don't know what this "can't shut them off and on" business is all about. Since I run two, I shut the head-mounted one off all the time as I ride to save battery life or blind my friends.

I'm open the possibility that LED riding lights might be brighter now than HIDs and will eventually take over, but what can a rider go out and buy right now off the shelf that's brighter than the top HIDs? That mini-newt certainly isn't it.

(PS: By the way, props on building your own light. That's impressive work)

J_Sims

I like both.... I run a triNewt on the bar which provides a great flood effect while climbing or riding flats. When it gets tech or fast at night I switch on the helmet mounted HID spot and life is perfect... One note about a bar only solution, althouugh a great place to start out as soon as you launch off something and your light is pointed to the sky ponder how nice it would be if you could look down and see where you are going to land...

And on a side note.. I have riden with Brewmaster and his light kicks some serious @$$

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Esqo

Hmm, the TriNewt gets some love from mtbr.com if that means anything. Serious coin though (costs more than my Monocog)! : )

http://reviews.mtbr.com/blog/niterid...newt-wireless/

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hoovermd

I use a Schmidt Nabendynamo (SON) hub on my MTB commuter. Combined with the Schmidt E6 light and the pattern is real nice.

Serious coin though, but you ALWAYS have your light. No more run out batteries etc.

Were I to get into serious MTB night riding I would combine this light and a head mounted LED or something like that.

Here is the link to Hub info auf English:
http://www.nabendynamo.de/english.htm

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mtnbikerfred

So... The LED/HID argument rages on. Is between 3 1/2 hours at 220 lumens or 2 1/4 hours at 500 Lumens good enough? how about an included LED array that is bright enough to climb with or use on the road that doesn't seem to have any effect on burn time (100hrs)? Oh, and should the charger bring the battery from dead, to fully charged in 90 minutes? How small should the battery be? How about the size of a deck of cards and weighing about 227g?

Go ahead. Answer yes to more than a couple of these questions and you'll find yourself looking at the NiteRider Flight.

I'm not saying LED's and their respective batteries suck, but I've ridden many moons on halogen & NiMh. Solarc and LiIon Rule!!

92se-r

Many homebrew LED are brighter than the brightest HID's out there. LED technology has caught up and surpassed HID technology. Lumens/watt is better on LED's now. Soon commercial manufacturers of LED lights are going to be putting out lights that are cheaper and brighter than HID's. LED's are way more durable as well. Keep in mind, after a few years of use, HID's dim considerably compared to LED's, so rated Lumens output for HID's are only for when they are brand new.

I used to be on the HID bandwagon and think LED's were overrated. I've been converted in the last year with the advances in LED technology. Supposedly the new R2 Cree's are putting out 270ish lumens at an amp. Run 3 of these and you are at some serious light output.

I'm thinking of making a 1200-1500 lumen light with about 2-2.5 hours of runtime soon just for giggles. I wonder if it will cause permanent damage to opposite traffic.

What does battery type have anything to do with light output? The only perceived difference will be weight.

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katonk

I'll do a "me too" post and recommended the Trinewt. I got mine for $266 on a price match at Universal Cycles. It's pretty easy to find them on ebay for about that.

I just checked now and Universal offered $260 on a pricematch request with an ebay listing for $258. They offer free shipping and no sales tax as well.

That's $260 for about 500 lumens at little over a pound, with a smart charger and no bulbs to break or burn out and a 3.5 hour burn time on high (7 on low). You won't regret getting this light.

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dfioc

I have the miniNewt dual for my bar and SolMate for my helmet. Plenty bright and great run time!

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Pain Freak

I have a TriNewt, and an HID Enduro. Using both makes a pretty good combination. I also have a Minewt, but this isn't much help off road as it's just not bright enough and easily over run when even on the flats. But it does make a good road light as cars will easily pick it up.

One night I took my two mtb lights and put them on for a road ride. I must have been flashed a dozen times from people thinking I was running my highbeams. At first I laughed, but by the end of the ride I was getting annoyed.

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