Front light for off-road
Discussion
Morning all,
Looking for a front light for trails/mountain biking in the middle of nowhere, ideally something with a few settings so I can use it on the roads on the way to/from the fun stuff, without blinding motorists etc.
But, I have no idea where to begin. Looking at my local shops website, or Evans/tredz, something like a Bontrager 1000 lumen front light is say, £90.
Or, you can go on Amazon, and buy something you've never heard of that claims to be 2400 lumen, for £40 odd. To take it to an extreme, you can go on aliexpress and find stuff claiming to be 3000 lumen for £20
What's the difference between a good one and a bad one? An expensive one and a cheap one?
What do you use, and is it any good?
Cheers
Looking for a front light for trails/mountain biking in the middle of nowhere, ideally something with a few settings so I can use it on the roads on the way to/from the fun stuff, without blinding motorists etc.
But, I have no idea where to begin. Looking at my local shops website, or Evans/tredz, something like a Bontrager 1000 lumen front light is say, £90.
Or, you can go on Amazon, and buy something you've never heard of that claims to be 2400 lumen, for £40 odd. To take it to an extreme, you can go on aliexpress and find stuff claiming to be 3000 lumen for £20
What's the difference between a good one and a bad one? An expensive one and a cheap one?
What do you use, and is it any good?
Cheers
Try Cateye lights, I've got them on mine and they're bright enough on full power to see where you're going, but you can change to a flashing or lower power when needed;
https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/CatEye/page/24DC98...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/CatEye/page/24DC98...
The answer is magicshine. There really is no comparison for cost vs performance.
You can go as bright as Martion fighting machine's heat Ray at 8000 Lumens.
The cost difference between cheap vs expensive is typically down to the battery and LED bin quality.
At the very expensive end you're into fancy electronics and wireless remotes, which are largely pointless.
I have a magicshine 6500 lumen head unit and a exposure diablo helmet mount. Exposure make THE best helmet mounts, but their bar mounts are not good value.
You can go as bright as Martion fighting machine's heat Ray at 8000 Lumens.
The cost difference between cheap vs expensive is typically down to the battery and LED bin quality.
At the very expensive end you're into fancy electronics and wireless remotes, which are largely pointless.
I have a magicshine 6500 lumen head unit and a exposure diablo helmet mount. Exposure make THE best helmet mounts, but their bar mounts are not good value.
I have this beast from Halfords, £60. 1600 Lumen, good battery life, also has a battery life indicator too which is handy.
https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-accessories/...
https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-accessories/...
thewarlock said:
What's the difference between a good one and a bad one? An expensive one and a cheap one?
What do you use, and is it any good?
Good ones - Magicshine, as already said.What do you use, and is it any good?
Cheap ones - AliExpress / Gearbest / DealExtreme.
I have both (well, 1 Magicshine and 2 cheapies). They are all a few years old now (getting close to 8-10 years at a guess
but my night riding days are few and far between.Magicshine (or 'better' lights) will have a better beam pattern and probably better heat management of the LED. On a couple of night rides (Wiggle Mountain mayhem and Bontrager 24/12) I've had all 3 running. There is a slight difference in light quality (whiteness of light) and a definite difference in beam pattern (bright white middle spot vs a more equal spread of light) but ultimately I'm more than happy with the cheapies. Think they were less than about £20. I did look into getting new battery packs for them but the cost was pretty much the same as a complete new light. I have a few old 18650 LiPo cells from dead laptop batteries etc, so just unsoldered the pack and put my known good cells in to make my own battery pack (I kept the circuit protection that was on the old pack before anyone says - FIRE RISK).
TL:DR - you pay's your money, you take's your chance.
I brought one of the Amazon ones for around £40, it was OK...then one of my friends brought one of the lights from these guys https://www.olightstore.uk/allty-2000-powerful-bik... and it quickly became apparent that not all lumens are created equally.
Feels like a chunk of cash to spend but they are very, very good...regular sales once you register on the site too, I think I paid £80...I also run a 1200lumen Moon helmet lamp, which I brought second-hand. PinkBike and eBay patience required though
Feels like a chunk of cash to spend but they are very, very good...regular sales once you register on the site too, I think I paid £80...I also run a 1200lumen Moon helmet lamp, which I brought second-hand. PinkBike and eBay patience required though
https://www.mtbbatteries.co.uk/mountain-bike-light...
MTB Batteries for me - kind of in between in price, but the service is excellent. You might not want a separate battery pack but they work for me.
My oldest light is getting on for 6 years old - still very good
MTB Batteries for me - kind of in between in price, but the service is excellent. You might not want a separate battery pack but they work for me.
My oldest light is getting on for 6 years old - still very good
As noted there are lots of dirt cheap ali-express/ebay/china options, and lots of very good quality options (Exposure, Hope etc)
In the middle ground its tricky however:
Magicshine
MTB Batteries
Chilli Tech
are all tested, known options where you will get proper bakcup and warranty etc for a lot less than the expensive stuff.
Personally I use a cheaper bar light with a seperate battery bag teamed with a smaller but 'high end' helmet light (Exposure Joystick).
In the middle ground its tricky however:
Magicshine
MTB Batteries
Chilli Tech
are all tested, known options where you will get proper bakcup and warranty etc for a lot less than the expensive stuff.
Personally I use a cheaper bar light with a seperate battery bag teamed with a smaller but 'high end' helmet light (Exposure Joystick).
I was using a £20 light from Amazon that claimed to be about 3000 lumens and it was OK to be fair, but the light spread is not very good - it just lights up a small area directly in front quite well.
I recently purchased a Lifeline Pavo motion 2400 lumen (£135) and the difference is significant - much much wider area illuminated and much further in front aswell. Other benefit is it doesn't have an external battery like the cheaper light did.
I recently purchased a Lifeline Pavo motion 2400 lumen (£135) and the difference is significant - much much wider area illuminated and much further in front aswell. Other benefit is it doesn't have an external battery like the cheaper light did.
Thanks guys, some great posts and links, much appreciated.
I have no issue spending the money if it's worth it, and I'm coming around to the idea of an external battery pack as I can probably hide it in the bottom of my SWAT compartment and route the cable nicely; I dislike clutter.
I'll check out all the links in more detail later, but the magicshine 6500 looks like a solid contender. I'd probably 3d print my own mount for it, like I said, I dislike clutter, and I'd like some sort of communal mount for the light and my garmin nav.
I have no issue spending the money if it's worth it, and I'm coming around to the idea of an external battery pack as I can probably hide it in the bottom of my SWAT compartment and route the cable nicely; I dislike clutter.
I'll check out all the links in more detail later, but the magicshine 6500 looks like a solid contender. I'd probably 3d print my own mount for it, like I said, I dislike clutter, and I'd like some sort of communal mount for the light and my garmin nav.
I use this and find it excellent, good spread of light, very bright and the battery lasts well too.
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/lifeline-pavo-...
I've also got an amazon special which is 5000l but not as bright or as good as the LifeLine. I'd also have a helmet light too so you can see where you are looking, not just where the handlebars are pointing!
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/lifeline-pavo-...
I've also got an amazon special which is 5000l but not as bright or as good as the LifeLine. I'd also have a helmet light too so you can see where you are looking, not just where the handlebars are pointing!
EddyBee said:
I can’t help you with what light however you might want to look at getting 2.
One helmet light and one for your bars.
I’m guessing you’d want the more powerful on mounted to your helmet.
Other way round. Too easy to dazzle yourself when on narrow Bush / tree lined single track or in mist with a very bright head lamp.One helmet light and one for your bars.
I’m guessing you’d want the more powerful on mounted to your helmet.
I was out the other morning and had to turn mine off - the dazzle off the fog meant I couldn't see s
t. my mate has one of these from Planet X as a second light - https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/LIPXAHL1600/planet-x...
bargain for 30 quid compares very well to his Hope R4
I would recommend 2, one for bars and one for helmet if you are doing fast single track.
If you only have one on your bars you find the light is not always where your head is pointing!
bargain for 30 quid compares very well to his Hope R4
I would recommend 2, one for bars and one for helmet if you are doing fast single track.
If you only have one on your bars you find the light is not always where your head is pointing!
Edited by gp1699 on Friday 28th January 11:53
take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey said:
EddyBee said:
I can’t help you with what light however you might want to look at getting 2.
One helmet light and one for your bars.
I’m guessing you’d want the more powerful on mounted to your helmet.
Other way round. Too easy to dazzle yourself when on narrow Bush / tree lined single track or in mist with a very bright head lamp.One helmet light and one for your bars.
I’m guessing you’d want the more powerful on mounted to your helmet.
I was out the other morning and had to turn mine off - the dazzle off the fog meant I couldn't see s
t. Yet to do a night trail it’s something I’d like to give a go mind.
esuuv said:
As someone stated above you really can't do better than Exposure.
Not cheap but bullet proof and if you do break it / wear it out they'll service / fix it for you.
I can vouch for this, they replaced the battery in a 6y old Joystick and didnt charge meNot cheap but bullet proof and if you do break it / wear it out they'll service / fix it for you.
Optics - or lack of mention of them in the thread so far
One of the most noticeable differences between cheap and premium lights is the beam pattern. This is less of an issue off road especially if youre packing several thousand lumen although you'll completely blind anyone coming towards you but on road its potentially dangerous. As a motorist I find it really difficult to judge speed and distance when a cyclist is using one of those psycho nutter cheap Chinese lights, especially on flash, and can easily picture how a couple of club mates got knocked off by cars pulling out of side roads despite using lights which can illuminate the dark side of the Moon.
Cheers
Moon Meteor Storm Pro.
So good when I lost my first one I immediately went and bought another.
Can go up to 1700 lumen but many options to save battery life.
All in one unit, no external battery.
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/moon-meteor-storm-pro-lig...
So good when I lost my first one I immediately went and bought another.
Can go up to 1700 lumen but many options to save battery life.
All in one unit, no external battery.
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/moon-meteor-storm-pro-lig...
Edited by mie1972 on Sunday 30th January 10:50
Edited by mie1972 on Sunday 30th January 10:51
I had a Moon Nebula rear light for a while. Was great when it worked (perhaps too bright) but failed early form water ingress, being only IPX4 rated. If you're planning on much wet riding it might pay to check the water resistance rating - IPX6 is better. Perhaps rear lights collect more spray and crud than fronts though.
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