Lights

Thanks for the suggestions. Look forward to making an appearance in the spotted thread as a well lit old git gently progressing around west London on his ss genesis.

I've now had problems with 2 Lezynes. First a Powerdrive which stopped indicating when charging/end if charge and now a Superdrive which is hard to switch on now and swaps modes while riding.

Apart from this both were great lights. I may have been unlucky but at present I'm looking for another brand.

A colleague loves his new Microdrive though. He says its the best light he's ever had.

Cranky I never replied re Hope Vision 1. Most of my night riding is in zones 1-2 so I don't spend a lot of time in unlit lanes at night so hard for me to say. I think however the TNRC crowd rates it, so maybe they can weigh in. For what I do I am very satisfied. I think also if you search this thread for Hope vision you will find lots of opinions on it.

^ Ta. Who's the TNRC crowd?

I used a hope vision 1 on the dunich dynamo. Obviously most of the time there were other people's lights also on the road. But when I found myself on my own for sections and put it on the brightest setting it lit up a surprising amount of road. It was more than enough even on a pitch black country lane. The only gripe is that my light doesn't have a warning light when the battery is running low. I've heard the new models have one though.

I have a pair of hope vision ones, and I run both of them on high for just over 2 hours a day in winter. I got fed up with swapping 8 NiMH batteries in and out every day, so I bought one of these and wired it in:

Anker® Astro E5 15000mAh Portable Charger Ultra-High: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

Now I have 10 hours of runtime. I've also wired my moon shield and moon comet into it, so I no-longer have to charge those individually either. Taking lights permanently cabled together on and off the bike took a bit of getting used to, but now it's quite smooth: unclip all the lights, gather up, drop into the pannier that holds the battery.

Only 3% cashback if you've already reached the amount of cashback Quidco take for their annual fee.

They abolished that last year (probably to compete with topcashback). You can now opt to pay your £5 and get 'premium membership', the benefits of which are rather nebulous.

^ Ta. Who's the TNRC crowd?

Tuseday Night Ride Club

I think however the TNRC crowd rates it, so maybe they can weigh in. For what I do I am very satisfied. I think also if you search this thread for Hope vision you will find lots of opinions on it.

IIRC the two minimum lights they recommend for riding in pitch black on lanes are the Hope 1 and the Exposure Spark.

I picked up a spark and its ace, really like the pulsing light mode, and is more than enough for seeing in the dark. That said the mount is a bit rubbish

If you're going to ride outside the city in the dark then you can do a lot better than a Hope vision1.

The most common light (out here in the sticks) are the Magicshine clones from ebay/dealextreme? They're around £50 and a lot brighter than a Hope. Spare parts are easy to get and they tried and tested. There are various versions but even the mountainbikers aren't spending £200 on lights these days, there's no need.

I've just backed the Magniclight. They are powered by 12v germanic geekiness, magic and (you guessed it) magnets.

I have some Reelights and they are almost there and quite good for the pub bike.

The most common light (out here in the sticks) are the Magicshine clones from ebay/dealextreme

How many lumens and hours are you getting for £50. My boss has a Magicshine but from Magicshine abd it cost lots more.

What put me off was the battery pack and the short, ~3hr, run time. I had a Cateye light and battery pack years ago and removing the light, wires and battery every time I locked up (and the reverse) was a faff.

£50 sounds ok though, any in particular that you recommend?

Considering backing that Kickstarter project as well.

Earthloop, like the battery pack did you put a plug on the Hope and does that effect water resistance.

Branwen, thanks for the recommendation I'll look at the Exposure as well. I take it by "two minimum lights" you mean one or the other?

Yes either one :)

^^^ I don't think there are any proper lights that don't have external batteries (other than dynamo setups). Sticking the pack in a bar bag, under the stem or TT or in a cut water bottle are the usual ways. I've run the cable along the TT to a saddlebag before.

Propriety external battery packs allow you to replace knackered old batteries cheaply. I replaced a 4 cell unit with a 6 cell when the the original died (3 or so years from new). I get 12hrs at low (depending on temperature) and around 3hrs at full beam (which is a claimed 900 lumens).

I leave it on the (unlocked) bike each end on my commute, the rest of the time it's not a problem – again I'm out in the countryside and people aren't quite so desperate for each other's property. :)

I've no idea about the actual lumens on the low setting, but it's brighter than a Hope Vision1 on full.

Here you go >>>

^^^ I don't think there are any proper lights that don't have external batteries

have you seen http://www.use1.com/homepage/exposure-lights

Earthloop, like the battery pack did you put a plug on the Hope and does that effect water resistance.

I drilled a small hole in the bottom of the hope, the cable comes out there and is fixed to the mount with a cable tie. A bit of silicon sealer where the cable emerges and it's waterproof.

^^ there are a couple of people I know who ride with those. Not sure which model but they spent about £150. They run out of juice often, for whatever reason.

What is run-time like when running at ~ 300 lumens?

Mine lasts for 24 hours at about 300 lumens, about 9 hours at 1000 lumens and about 3 hours at 2000
They also have a battery warning indicator and when it changes from green to amber it gives at least an hour on low

Sounds great. Which model do you use?

9 hours at 1k would be nice.

I have this, it's been superseded now by more power, more light, longer run times!
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/exposure/six-pack-mk2-front-light-ec030102#features

The internet says you can get the MK4 sixpack for £360. A serious bit of kit.

Which light are you using exactly. The hours and lumens sound good and I'm gradually changing my thinking about battery packs.

I commute out in the sticks as well. But unfortunately bits still go missing from bikes in the rack. If tools are required to remove your OK but lights, computers etc no chance. Wouldn't even leave my bottle on the bike.

Here you go >>>

There is a glut of these on eBay. you should be able to get one with a 4-cell battery and no manual for £12-£20 depending on your patience and luck.

My Magicshine MJ880 is super-awesome but I left it at a mate's house in Northampton in October. I decided that it would be better in the long run to pay £14 for a 1 LED, 4 cell light clone, and wait til the next time I see him to get my Big light back, whereas posting a 6-cell Li-ion battery is expensive, and when I get it back, I will have a spare :-)

Rutland Cycles clearance, some good deals on Exposure and Lezyne lights

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