Lights?

[sauce]

I'm in the market for night bike lights. I want to move my weekday rides to the night ... if anybody's looking to sell theirs, let me know!

[Neccros]

whats your budget???? You might find some good HIDs for pretty cheap online

[Pho'dUp]

Hey Sauce,

I don't anyone right now, but after having a few systems I'd recommend, if possible, saving up and getting a Light & Motion HID system. The connectors, charger, the brightness, and beam I think are a step above Niterider.

Yeah, these aren't cheap. Retail is like $450. But I was able to get one from nashbar.com a while ago using coupons and stuff for abour $300 shipped.

Goodluck

Carl

[klutter]

If you're on a real shoe-string budget but don't mind a DIY light solution, you might want to give this a try instructables : Ultimate Night Vision Headlamp - 500+ lumens with only 8 watts. I've seen numerous attempts on mtbr to build a DIY light, but this is the best step-by-step set of instructions I've seen yet.

[dstepper]

Sara I am also looking to buy a new light.

I have needed to replace my NiteRider Halogen light for a couple of years. The run time is barely a hour. I am not able to ride as much during the day so I need to buy a new light to get in my usual riding time.

I was wondering if anyone has tried the Jet Lights they are a bit cheaper and I wondering if they preform as well as Light and Motion HIDs?

Dean

[tkblazer]

sara, as i don't think i'll be able to do any night rides any time soon... i have a Jet Lights Phantom helmet mount halogen light you can borrow until you find a light to use.. its a 20W light thats pretty dang bright... the only drawback to helmet mounted lights is that in dusty situations, its pretty hard to see..

[ka0t1c07]

Sara, I just use two Led Flashlights. They last a long time and are very bright. I have one on the bar and the other on my Helmet. Its light weight.

[Keith B]

I got a discounted Nite Rider helmet mount HID. If I could afford some new lights I wouldnt get this one again for the simple reason that the HID light from the helmet makes the terrain seem very flat. I'd go for a bar mount HID and a small helmet mount light.
Nite rider do a new system I saw on someones bike recently - very light and pretty impressive NiteRider

Best system I saw was John (Chelle's bloke) he had an HID from an ATV that he'd wired up to a bike battery pack. As ATV's travel faster than a bike its focal length was set longer which is my pet hate about most bike systems which dont seem to have enough depth.

[1x1clyde]

I have been using Niterider for years and not a single complaint. I highly recommend a HID, I have the new Flight and it kicks major butt!
I've been doing 12 hour and 24 races for 5 years and have made all the levels of progressions from halogen to HID and HID will keep you alive at night.
I also have the MiNewt single lamp which is excellent for commuting and the fully loop but "ok" for out in the woods night time single track, it would be best to know the trail before hand if you are going to use a LED.
If you can, get the real deal. You will be much happier in the long run
just my .02 cents

[cH4os]

There are some decent lights at Performance... there is a NiteHawk, that is a good Spot for the Head for $100, and a Dual Handerbar mount floods, with a BottleCage Battery, for $64! the Dual is like 2.5hrs or so... and the NightHawk is like 9 hours.. they both together work well in non foggy conditions.

[0gravity]

Keith up there mentioned he got a discounted Niterider HID that's only helmet mount. I wonder if that's the same one I got two of last fall. I got two Niterider "Enduro" lights for $250 a piece. That was some special deal I got through a shop but I've seen them retailing for $300 elsewhere online. I agree too with Keith's point on the helmet mount not being ideal. Since the angle of the light is in line with your eyesight, there's little or no shadow definition to help you guage the terrain. I use both at the same time now anyway. One as helmet and one on the bike. That's a lot of candlepower for $500.

Even running just one, I still HIGHLY recommend this light if you spend the extra $25 to get a bar-mount and a battery-pack pouch (another $20). I just used a bungee for the first 4 months and that was fine. Some may disagree, but I think if you're only running one light, it ought to be mounted on your bar. The Enduro is, as far I can tell, the same HID found in the higher end Storms and others but was released as a cheaper, helmet mount-only kit to get folks into the HID game. Just get that mount and it's just as good as some of the pricier models.

You should also consider what other friends have because it can be a big help on the trail if you have the same equipment in case something goes wrong and you need a cable, or a battery, or something else.

lastly, money spent on good lighting might sting a bit but it is so worth it. It's cheaper than going out with an underpowered light and ending up paying insurance co-pays when you wipe out.

That's my 2 cents. I ride every Wednesday night in West side LA.

[sauce]

Thanks guys ... I got this Nightrider light on sale at Performance Online. Still waiting for the darn thing to show up! I'll be hitting the Santa Monica mountains weekday nights.

[Collette]

Originally Posted by sauce

Thanks guys ... I got this Nightrider light on sale at Performance Online. Still waiting for the darn thing to show up! I'll be hitting the Santa Monica mountains weekday nights.

You could've gone to a Performance Store, used their "Red Phone" service, saved shipping costs, and gotten it a few days quicker. i've used that service a few times, it's great.


FYI: Red Phone is an actual red phone in the store that you place online orders on, they ship it to the store, and it usually takes a few days less.

[sauce]

thanks ... good to know for the future!