Night riding on local trails

[Tony]

I was invited last week by some cross riders to do some night riding on some of the local trails in my area. I have never did night riding on single track before and don't want to spend a lot of money on lights. What are your recommendations for lights on a budget?

One more question, I've been down some of the trails they ride and have not had any problems with my current setup with tubes however I've stayed off the designated horse trails that these guys ride at night and was warned that there are lots of star thistle and several other plants with sharp spikes. I'm running Hed C2 rims with Mich cyclocross mud 2 tires with tubes. Would you convert to tubeless, tire liners, use this current setup with sealant in the tube....?
Thanks

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . 600, 700, or 750 (the newest one) Small, self-contained, nice secure bracket that fits larger bars, and USB charging. You can get a 750 for anywhere from $110-130 and for that you can use it for 3 hours at 350 lumens, plenty for almost any situation. Get 1.5 hours at 750 lumens which is damn bright. I've got both a 600 and a 350 and they work great.

Another benefit is put it on the "strobe" setting and ride around town. The cars don't know what the heck you are and some actually pull off the road until you pass. Fun! . . . or open your own disco.

BBD

[zachateseveryth]

best bang for the buck lights are the magicshine clones on Amazon. $13 gets you a 1200 lumen deathray.

http://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-Light-...words=cree+xml

[Tony]

Originally Posted by zachateseveryth

best bang for the buck lights are the magicshine clones on Amazon. $13 gets you a 1200 lumen deathray.

http://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-Light-...words=cree+xml

WOW! That's a lot of light/features for the money!

[marsh]

True story: I have been called names by other commuters going the other way because my light blinded them on the path, on the low setting. Could not recommend more.

[zachateseveryth]

Originally Posted by Tony

WOW! That's a lot of light/features for the money!

Yeah, it's bright, cheap, and with decent battery life. I've had one for two years and it does a pretty solid job. There are some downsides to be aware of:

1. While it's a very high power bulb, the lens is not optimized for cycling. It functions as more of a spot light so some of the lower powered (but much more expensive) cycling specific lights can match it's performance over all because they throw a wider, less focused beam. You can get a replacement lens though if you really want.

2. The external battery pack can be kind of clunk to mount on a handlebar. It's great for a helmet mount though.

3. There is a batch of lamps out there with battery packs that don't hold a charge super well. It seems to be less of an issue with the current lights though. The overall price point makes it worth rolling the dice though.

[Idris Icabod]

Originally Posted by zachateseveryth

best bang for the buck lights are the magicshine clones on Amazon. $13 gets you a 1200 lumen deathray.

http://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-Light-...words=cree+xml

I night ride at least once a week and have Niterider lamps (a 1800 Lumen on the bars and a 700 Lumen on my helmet). I bought one if the SecurityING ones from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/SecurityIng%C2...ds=securitying

a couple of weeks ago and I can say that I kind of feel like I over paid significantly now for the Niteriders. The mount on the cheapies is a rubber O ring which seems to hold fine over the rough stuff but I bought a Hope mount to replace it for about $12:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/u...Q&gclsrc=aw.ds

now it is the equal of the Niterider at about 1/8th the cost. A buddy bought the version with 5 CREE bulbs in it and it is too big and bounces about so he uses 2 of the 3 bulb CREE units, they are small and bright enough. The only downside is when the cheapies run down the battery they just go out whereas the Niteriders turn themselves down to low setting so you'll get out not in darkness. My buddy carries a spare battery and they all have a universal connector so he is good to go and they are only about $15 for a spare instead of the $100+ Niterider charges for a new battery.

[Admiral Ackbar]

whats the battery like on the securityING?

[weisan]

I bought this cheap contraption a few months ago for commuting use. 5000Lumens!!!
http://www.amazon.com/Lumen-Cycling-...Z0GGFHWD620NGA


It worked fine. Drivers have to beg off that I turn it down to its lowest setting.

as Idris-pal said, instead of giving you advance warning, when it runs out, it just go "black" and I mean "pitch black". At the highest setting it runs for about an hour....and no, you don't want to set it at highest setting unless you want to cause an accident by blinding someone.

[Idris Icabod]

Originally Posted by Admiral Ackbar

whats the battery like on the securityING?

It is a small, shrink wrapped bundle of batteries in a velcro case (same as the MagicShine ones I've seen). The strap on the case isn't so great so I use a second d-ring velcro strap to tighten it down. I believe mine is 4600 mAh version (4 cells) and I know you can buy bigger (6 or 8 cells) to increase run time. I strap mine to my stem (120 mm Thomson) to give you an idea on size.

[Admiral Ackbar]

whoops i meant battery life wise, any insight?

[Idris Icabod]

Originally Posted by Admiral Ackbar

whoops i meant battery life wise, any insight?

Last ride we were out for 2 or so hours in the dark, mine lasted the entire time but I ran it low/medium. My friend had one run out after maybe 1.5 hours and I think he had his burning high/medium. I think when he first charged it after buying he discharged it in his garage and if I remember he got about 90 mins on full.