mountain bike lights

[richard s]

i have just started mountain biking and as we go after work its not long before it goes dark. im after some advice/reviews on lights. one of the lads has this awesome light but it cost £100 i had a cheap light on my bike last week but i fell off and so did the light and i didnt notice as i had a head light. both lights arent/werent very bright so im after something a bit better on a budget.
has anyone tried one of the cree led torches from ebay as they look bright and come with a bracket for bikes or recomend a light sub £20 that is bright with a good beam spread.

[Dan n Nic]

You seriously need to consider whether you are going to make this a very regular ride or not. I go every week and am picking my new light up tomorrow and this is it...

http://www.exposurelights.com/product/000074/maxx-d-mk.4/

And this is my helmet light...

http://www.exposurelights.com/product/000079/joystick-mk.6/

The best thing about these is that there is no separate battery pack.

There are others that aren't quite as expensive, but the build quality are far less superior. Have a look at older hope lights or lupine, ay-up or there is another company local to me whose name escapes me, but I'll post it if I remember. You really need 900 lumens plus I reckon if you gonna hammer it through the woods etc as I do. I absolutely love it!

Oh, & I'm sorry to say that £20 ain't gonna get you much unless you get lucky on eBay maybe?

Good Luck!

[Dan n Nic]

The thing to remember is that you need lights to "see with" rather than lights that make you "be seen" therefore this makes them more expensive

http://www.lumicycle.com/pages/default.aspx

http://www.ayup-lights.com/

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/lights-reflectives/

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Categories.aspx?CategoryID=675

[richard s]

i am enjoying riding at the minute and think i will keep it up. the run we are doing for now is more a walkers gravel trail and not technical its a fitness builder/get used to riding a bike again for me
i want a good light but cant afford one at the minute so im after cheap stuff to start with then build up in stages
im needing helmet. lights. waterproofs. bike carrier. then after christmas im looking to start upgrading starting with a better bike

[Ridg]

I've got two of the cree led torches, they dominate the branded light in terms of the light output, but they have a burn time of about 90 mins on full, so you either need a low power backup like the exposure of multiple batteries for long rides.

mine were actually from http://www.dealextreme.com/

[Dan n Nic]

Have a word with your local "independent" bike shop as they may have demo lights that you can try before you buy, however I expect that these also will be of the higher end of the market, but they will at least be able to show you what is available.

[richard s]

cheers guys
i understand that you gets what you pays for regarding these lights but as im starting out a light with a burn time of 90 mins is about how long the ride takes and the first 10-20 minutes i can do without a light as we are all riding next to each other so the path is lit up from the bright light my mate has. its when we get a bit further in that we get a bit spread out as my fitness is crap at the minute that i could do with some light

[sprout99]

cheers guys
i understand that you gets what you pays for regarding these lights but as im starting out a light with a burn time of 90 mins is about how long the ride takes and the first 10-20 minutes i can do without a light as we are all riding next to each other so the path is lit up from the bright light my mate has. its when we get a bit further in that we get a bit spread out as my fitness is crap at the minute that i could do with some light

i've just gone for this


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140590491335?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

and bouhgt a universal mount for helmet

http://www.gadgetgogo.co.uk/Lasers/Mounts-Accessories/Universal-Nylon-Mount-for-Flashlights-and-Lasers/prod_1210.html

[richard s]

have you used it yet and whats the verdict
i was out again last night and strapped my head light to my bars and all it did was light up my front tyre a bit. i was following the light in front and because of this when my chain wedged between gears i got off the bike into a bunch of nettles

[sprout99]

it's fooking awesome. it has 5 modes (2 strobe ones WTF!!) but on full power i could see about 100 metres
ahead and you can see very well just in front too. The beam has a long distance spot in ctr and a nice wide
spread for close up.

I've just bought these

 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bell-1006411-Wo-Light-Set/dp/B004HCMMJ4

i wanted a really compact LED rear light.

Cost £8 for the pair in asda and need no tools to fit and look quite cool.

Front will be ideal for road stuff and the Ultrafire for the offroad