Lights

I have been using my magicshine lights (dealextreme) for a few weeks now and I am very happy with them.
They have 5 modes (100%, 50%, 25%, strobe, SOS) and an external lithium battery pack that
lasts about 2.5-3 hours on full power. I only run them 30-45min per day so don't have any
issues with run time.
I think the design requires that they are air cooled as you cycle along since they get very
hot when used off the bike.
can't compare them to any modern high end lights since I don't own any but I used
to have a home made 80w halogen system years ago with a motorcycle style battery.
the lights would run around 45min on full power and the system was over 3kg.
So these LED lights win in usability and don't cost much more.
I also added a RSP astrum light recently since its on sale at a few places.
Cheaper and brighter than the cateye POS that likes to break after a while.

http://www.sooshee.com/tmp/lights/lights.jpg

my old lights. the battery is the box in the middle of the frame connected to the
lights with an XLR audio cable. no issues with water over the years.

http://s2.enemy.org/~sooshee/bike/bike1.jpg

I see the B&M Ixon IQ is in the big list, but bike24 is cheaper than dotbike. Mine worked out at £54.37 including shipping. I gather it is not as bright as the Hope Vision 1*, but does have a run time of 5 hours on full power and is a very well designed piece of kit (integral battery holder, proper reflector design putting a nice big patch of light on the road, doesn't just shut off when batteries can no longer provide full power output). I'm using in on unlit and unmarked country lanes. The only time it feels a bit lacking is on soaking wet black tarmac when I still have to play a spot of "guess where the potholes are".

• The Lumotec IQ Fly is the dynamo equivalent to the Ixon IQ.
  

I have been using my magicshine lights (dealextreme) for a few weeks now and I am very happy with them.
They have 5 modes (100%, 50%, 25%, strobe, SOS) and an external lithium battery pack that
lasts about 2.5-3 hours on full power. I only run them 30-45min per day so don't have any
issues with run time.
I think the design requires that they are air cooled as you cycle along since they get very
hot when used off the bike.
can't compare them to any modern high end lights since I don't own any but I used
to have a home made 80w halogen system years ago with a motorcycle style battery.
the lights would run around 45min on full power and the system was over 3kg.
So these LED lights win in usability and don't cost much more.
I also added a RSP astrum light recently since its on sale at a few places.
Cheaper and brighter than the cateye POS that likes to break after a while.

http://www.sooshee.com/tmp/lights/lights.jpg

my old lights. the battery is the box in the middle of the frame connected to the
lights with an XLR audio cable. no issues with water over the years.

http://s2.enemy.org/~sooshee/bike/bike1.jpg

Just bought mine yesterday, isn't two a bit overkill for cycling on the road?

I have been using my magicshine lights (dealextreme) for a few weeks now and I am very happy with them.
They have 5 modes (100%, 50%, 25%, strobe, SOS) and an external lithium battery pack that
lasts about 2.5-3 hours on full power. I only run them 30-45min per day so don't have any
issues with run time.
I think the design requires that they are air cooled as you cycle along since they get very
hot when used off the bike.
can't compare them to any modern high end lights since I don't own any but I used
to have a home made 80w halogen system years ago with a motorcycle style battery.
the lights would run around 45min on full power and the system was over 3kg.
So these LED lights win in usability and don't cost much more.
I also added a RSP astrum light recently since its on sale at a few places.
Cheaper and brighter than the cateye POS that likes to break after a while.

http://www.sooshee.com/tmp/lights/lights.jpg

my old lights. the battery is the box in the middle of the frame connected to the
lights with an XLR audio cable. no issues with water over the years.

http://s2.enemy.org/~sooshee/bike/bike1.jpg

How long did they take to arrive from dealextreme?

And would they be suitable for lighting up unlit country roads?

I seriously need some better lights as the clock change has made my home journey pretty much a case of guessing where the road is using my 6 year old cat eye.

Am considering the P7's or maybe Hope Vision 1. Or maybe Fenix.

I don't really want to spend megabucks so any recommendations would do. Have tried to read through the thread but it's difficult to work out conditions people are using the lights in.

Just bought mine yesterday, isn't two a bit overkill for cycling on the road?

On the road it is, but in parks or unlit areas it is quite handy.

@ goodhead
check my review of the electron terra 2's, post 1047 in this thread.
took them on another overnighter at the weekend and got 8hrs mixing between mid andfull beam and they still had juice left.
rode to brighton, plenty of unlit country roads
good value and they work!

How long did they take to arrive from dealextreme?

And would they be suitable for lighting up unlit country roads?

I seriously need some better lights as the clock change has made my home journey pretty much a case of guessing where the road is using my 6 year old cat eye.

Am considering the P7's or maybe Hope Vision 1. Or maybe Fenix.

I don't really want to spend megabucks so any recommendations would do. Have tried to read through the thread but it's difficult to work out conditions people are using the lights in.

I don't remember the exact time but it took a while. A few weeks I think. The shipping is free so they use the cheapest shipping method.

It's definitely suitable for unlit country roads.

Just bought mine yesterday, isn't two a bit overkill for cycling on the road?

Think of it this way.

Motorists will automatically think you're a motorbike/scooter and will act accordingly.

work extremely well in my case (Hope Vision 1 on the lowest setting is more than enough).

As other said, unlit area is much easier with a good light, now I just need to find my Exposure light that I've (hopefully) misplaced...

Thanks for the replies chaps.

@Skive - is the 80 quid you're quoting in your earlier post for the terra 2's or the single terra 1? The terra 2's seem to be 99.99 on the site link.

They look good though but thought I'd ask if you got them cheaper before ordering.

80 pound from chain reaction for the two.
link.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=55125

Nice one Skive. Just placed my order ;-)

keep us posted on how you get on with them.

Will do.

The main things that were putting me off the dealextreme P7's were some of the comments on the dealextreme site. Mainly charger failure/broken on arrival and dealextreme's inability to deal with refunds / exchanges if/when this happens. That and the long wait time due to them being in Hong Kong.

That said, the only people likely to comment are those that have had an issue, so would be interested to know how Sohi gets on with his/hers.

Received my order of two of these lights from eBay
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150440339821&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

Along with 12x AAA 1100 batteries and charger it came to under £40.

I previously ran a Cateye Single Shot Plus light along with an additional Cateye 'flasher' to be seen; however the output on the new lights is just far superior. The flash option is more like a strobe light, which will certainly get the attention of oncoming vehicles. I used a MARS 4.0 on the rear, which is also very good IMO.

I will get some 'light' pictures when im back in London

I also have a Dealextreme magicshine light. It works extremely well, and is one of the best cycling buys I've made. I use it for commuting on full beam as I'd had enough of being cut up by cars. Now they don't ;-)

On flashing mode it's too much. I get a headache. But it does show the amazing throw of the beam. You'll notice reflective signs about half a mile away switching on and off. Very very good!

If the charger doesn't work on arrival, don't panic. Get down to your local model aeroplane shop. They will sell you a battery charger which will charge pretty much any type of batteries. It is more costly, but avoids all those wall warts. You just have to solder up an adaptor cable and you're done.

I have been using the Exposure Flash + Flare combo. Bought with the recharge kit.

At first I thought these were incredibly overpriced wastes of money (I'll explain shortly) but after a few weeks I am impressed.

Pros:
As they are purely for commuting I run them on the flash setting. The front has a very good flash pattern. The light is always on with a super bright pulse every half second or so. Enough to grab attention but not cause a bad strobe effect. On constant mode you could just scrape by if you were caught in a dark laneway. Because the head of the light is clear plastic side visibility is also good.
The flash lights up reflective signs at least 100mtrs up the road.

The rear light is great. When you check over your shoulder you can see a nice pulsating red glow following you.

Both lights are tiny and weigh virtually nothing. Also runtime seems very good.

Cons:
Not many. The silicone strap mount might not last a long time. It does hold the light securely but I'm not convinced about longevity. For £70+ I would expect spares. I paid £74 on wiggle with the charger and batteries. But really, £50 for the pair would seem more fair. When I opened the box, which is a lovely, but useless foam case and saw the lights It was a bit of a letdown to see no spares.

Also the switching mechanism is fiddly. You have to rotate the head to switch modes. Luckily they have memory and will turn onto the last used mode. I can imagine water getting in if you turn the head too far out.

Thats about it really. I'd say a 8/10 for a commuting light.

Received my order of two of these lights from eBay
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150440339821&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

Along with 12x AAA 1100 batteries and charger it came to under £40.

I previously ran a Cateye Single Shot Plus light along with an additional Cateye 'flasher' to be seen; however the output on the new lights is just far superior. The flash option is more like a strobe light, which will certainly get the attention of oncoming vehicles. I used a MARS 4.0 on the rear, which is also very good IMO.

I will get some 'light' pictures when im back in London

much cheapness - reports please?

much cheapness - reports please?

Seriously. £1.50 for (a claimed) 270 lumen lamp? Really?

Seriously. £1.50 for (a claimed) 270 lumen lamp? Really?

I can't speak for that particular model, but it's insane what you can get very cheap now. A colleague who's got an unhealthy obsession with torches and lighting showed of his latest purchase to me this week - a £6 (delivered) torch that's about twice as bright as my Cateye singleshot.

Think of it this way.

Motorists will automatically think you're a motorbike/scooter and will act accordingly.

work extremely well in my case (Hope Vision 1 on the lowest setting is more than enough).

As other said, unlit area is much easier with a good light, now I just need to find my Exposure light that I've (hopefully) misplaced...

I completly get what you're saying and couldn't agree more, but..... two 900* lumen lights seem a bit much for anything but MTB enduro racing, surely?

*Big emphasis on *claimed*900L more like 600L

Will do.

The main things that were putting me off the dealextreme P7's were some of the comments on the dealextreme site. Mainly charger failure/broken on arrival and dealextreme's inability to deal with refunds / exchanges if/when this happens. That and the long wait time due to them being in Hong Kong.

That said, the only people likely to comment are those that have had an issue, so would be interested to know how Sohi gets on with his/hers.

I've ordered the newer updated version with a different seal battery pack, but for £50 you can't complain! (Provided it works as it should)

DX stuff usually arrives in about 3-4 days in my experience.

However, their customer service is essentially non-existent - if anything goes wrong, they just ignore warranty etc and leave you high and dry. It's cheap for a reason!

I used the Moon XPower 300 at muddy hell for my distance light with an old cateye aimed just in front of my front wheel and have no complaints with visibility. On the road the moon has a good strobe at 300 lumens and full beams of 300, 200 and the two lower than that. Stats for power and run time compare to a joystick but the moon only has a bar mount so for helmet use a bit of blu-tac and gaffer tape might be required. Two big advantages though are price (£55 from Parker International) and charging (standard mini USB).

I can't speak for that particular model, but it's insane what you can get very cheap now. A colleague who's got an unhealthy obsession with torches and lighting showed of his latest purchase to me this week - a £6 (delivered) torch that's about twice as bright as my Cateye singleshot.

Craziness. Think I might buy a few of them just on spec.

DX stuff usually arrives in about 3-4 days in my experience.

However, their customer service is essentially non-existent - if anything goes wrong, they just ignore warranty etc and leave you high and dry. It's cheap for a reason!

Really, I've heard people saying its taken up to two weeks to come from chinaland