MTB Front Light
Discussion
I know, I know… This one again.
Any recommendations on a new front light for off road? 18m ago I had a Glo-worm fail on me (refunded) and my replacement Monteer 8000 has just shat itself 1m out of warranty (hugely unimpressed with that one), so prefer to avoid those two options.
I know the Exposure lights are well regarded (and I have two Diablos as helmet lights - both of those have had to be repaired too!), but my god they’re expensive, even on cycle to work… Ideally I also need something easy to swap between bikes too, so a Garmin style mount.
I ride off road in the dark 2-3 times per week up to about 2 hours at a time. Any other options people may have?
Any recommendations on a new front light for off road? 18m ago I had a Glo-worm fail on me (refunded) and my replacement Monteer 8000 has just shat itself 1m out of warranty (hugely unimpressed with that one), so prefer to avoid those two options.
I know the Exposure lights are well regarded (and I have two Diablos as helmet lights - both of those have had to be repaired too!), but my god they’re expensive, even on cycle to work… Ideally I also need something easy to swap between bikes too, so a Garmin style mount.
I ride off road in the dark 2-3 times per week up to about 2 hours at a time. Any other options people may have?
I just use a couple of those 'zoom lens' led torches from ebay, with a handlebar mount.
Surely the light you have which is broken can be repaired?
Presumably it's an LED, a driver circuit and a battery?
You don't need megawatts if it's just you, but it can become an arms race when other people ride behind you with 10x the power.
Surely the light you have which is broken can be repaired?
Presumably it's an LED, a driver circuit and a battery?
You don't need megawatts if it's just you, but it can become an arms race when other people ride behind you with 10x the power.
https://www.merlincycles.com/brand/ravemen/
These are good value, not as good as Exposure, but not as expensive!
These are good value, not as good as Exposure, but not as expensive!
Exposure are expensive but they’re well worth the money if you’re riding trails in the dark. I’ve tried loads of cheap ones which were invariably useless / short-lived then ended up shelling out for a Six Pack on the bars and Diablo helmet light. There’s no better combo for night time MTB!
Also worth considering that after care from Exposure is excellent - if you damage it they’ll repair at very reasonable cost.
Also worth considering that after care from Exposure is excellent - if you damage it they’ll repair at very reasonable cost.
OutInTheShed said:
Surely the light you have which is broken can be repaired?
Presumably it's an LED, a driver circuit and a battery?
It's a battery issue it seems. I can replace the battery for £100, but crux of the issue seems to be the waterproofing - water gets in and shorts the light out.Presumably it's an LED, a driver circuit and a battery?
ThisInJapanese said:
https://www.merlincycles.com/brand/ravemen/
These are good value, not as good as Exposure, but not as expensive!
Ahh, now that might be just what I'm after. The PR2400 looks like a good fit, taThese are good value, not as good as Exposure, but not as expensive!
von vardo said:
Exposure are expensive but they’re well worth the money if you’re riding trails in the dark. I’ve tried loads of cheap ones which were invariably useless / short-lived then ended up shelling out for a Six Pack on the bars and Diablo helmet light. There’s no better combo for night time MTB!
Also worth considering that after care from Exposure is excellent - if you damage it they’ll repair at very reasonable cost.
I do agree to an extent, but I've had two Exposure lights break on me already. You're right that they were repaired for reasonable cost, but wasn't blown away by them (though as I said, I do have two Diablos as helmet lights!). How easy is it to move the Six Pack between bikes?Also worth considering that after care from Exposure is excellent - if you damage it they’ll repair at very reasonable cost.
Appreciate the thoughts, thank you.
I use a Maxx-D. Swapping between bikes is very quick if you don’t mind paying £20 for an extra handle bar mount.
Me and my son both use one with no issues so far (2yrs). I really like the accelerometer that dims the light when climbing to preserve battery life. I can’t remember what setting we use but it gives 3hrs run time with plenty enough light which is more than ample for us.
I’ve also got an Axis helmet light but the battery life vs brightness isn’t great TBH. My sons Moon helmet light is much better in that regard.
Me and my son both use one with no issues so far (2yrs). I really like the accelerometer that dims the light when climbing to preserve battery life. I can’t remember what setting we use but it gives 3hrs run time with plenty enough light which is more than ample for us.
I’ve also got an Axis helmet light but the battery life vs brightness isn’t great TBH. My sons Moon helmet light is much better in that regard.
Edited by benny.c on Tuesday 21st January 09:01
I started off with a Lupine Edison 5 way back in the day (19 years ago). I still recall they were £580 even then but they were a game changer that actually made full offroad night MTB ing possible.
I've been using Hope Vision 4's with a 4 cell pack for over 12 years now and find them to be extremely good - my last set was bought for around £180 on a special offer. If they go wrong send them back for repair (Hope never charge and seem to operate an unofficial liftetime guarantee).
The kit they come with is comprehensive too, including a headband for dog walking duties, helmet mount and a bayonet bar mount fitting
...a dip function would be cool to avoid blinding drivers on road sections.
I've been using Hope Vision 4's with a 4 cell pack for over 12 years now and find them to be extremely good - my last set was bought for around £180 on a special offer. If they go wrong send them back for repair (Hope never charge and seem to operate an unofficial liftetime guarantee).
The kit they come with is comprehensive too, including a headband for dog walking duties, helmet mount and a bayonet bar mount fitting
...a dip function would be cool to avoid blinding drivers on road sections.
Edited by Lotobear on Tuesday 21st January 10:14
I was lucky enough to get a Scorch for Xmas, really nice bit of kit and perfect for helmet...some bar mount options too.
https://www.four4th.co.uk/collections/lights
https://www.four4th.co.uk/collections/lights
I've had a MagicShine front that I've been running for occasional use offroad for years and has been very good. If properly riding trails I'll normally use a the Magicshine on the bars and then an Exposure Joystick on my helmet and this works really well.
The Hope lights although expensive are very good and reliable from the experience of some my mates. I think they are quite serviceable too in the event of any issues.
The Hope lights although expensive are very good and reliable from the experience of some my mates. I think they are quite serviceable too in the event of any issues.
Mr Scruff said:
OutInTheShed said:
Surely the light you have which is broken can be repaired?
Presumably it's an LED, a driver circuit and a battery?
It's a battery issue it seems. I can replace the battery for £100, but crux of the issue seems to be the waterproofing - water gets in and shorts the light out.Presumably it's an LED, a driver circuit and a battery?
ThisInJapanese said:
https://www.merlincycles.com/brand/ravemen/
These are good value, not as good as Exposure, but not as expensive!
Ahh, now that might be just what I'm after. The PR2400 looks like a good fit, taThese are good value, not as good as Exposure, but not as expensive!
von vardo said:
Exposure are expensive but they’re well worth the money if you’re riding trails in the dark. I’ve tried loads of cheap ones which were invariably useless / short-lived then ended up shelling out for a Six Pack on the bars and Diablo helmet light. There’s no better combo for night time MTB!
Also worth considering that after care from Exposure is excellent - if you damage it they’ll repair at very reasonable cost.
I do agree to an extent, but I've had two Exposure lights break on me already. You're right that they were repaired for reasonable cost, but wasn't blown away by them (though as I said, I do have two Diablos as helmet lights!). How easy is it to move the Six Pack between bikes?Also worth considering that after care from Exposure is excellent - if you damage it they’ll repair at very reasonable cost.
Appreciate the thoughts, thank you.
Benson11 said:
I've had a MagicShine front that I've been running for occasional use offroad for years and has been very good. If properly riding trails I'll normally use a the Magicshine on the bars and then an Exposure Joystick on my helmet and this works really well.
The Hope lights although expensive are very good and reliable from the experience of some my mates. I think they are quite serviceable too in the event of any issues.
I think Hope have stopped making lights, could be a consideration.The Hope lights although expensive are very good and reliable from the experience of some my mates. I think they are quite serviceable too in the event of any issues.
I've had Exposure lights for many years. Currently use a Six Pack for MTB with a joystick, which I prefer to the diablo I had
The warranty is a real boon, although I've rarely had to use it in the years I've had them. Swapping lights between bikes is easy, I have exposure mounts on all my bikes so I just move the light in a couple of seconds. Have to remove it to charge it anyway.
I have another light that I used to lend out and use when needed, I put the exposure mount on the bottom and now I can swap that between bikes using the same mounts. Usually gets left on the bike that I ferry the kids around on as I'm less worried about leaving it attached to the bike when left outside
Surely if you have a Monteer 8000 you're happy with spending a bit on a decent light?
The warranty is a real boon, although I've rarely had to use it in the years I've had them. Swapping lights between bikes is easy, I have exposure mounts on all my bikes so I just move the light in a couple of seconds. Have to remove it to charge it anyway.
I have another light that I used to lend out and use when needed, I put the exposure mount on the bottom and now I can swap that between bikes using the same mounts. Usually gets left on the bike that I ferry the kids around on as I'm less worried about leaving it attached to the bike when left outside
Surely if you have a Monteer 8000 you're happy with spending a bit on a decent light?
benp1 said:
Surely if you have a Monteer 8000 you're happy with spending a bit on a decent light?
You're right, I use my lights a lot so would be a good investment.It’s a bucket load of money though! Extremely hard to rationalise spending that amount on a light. Younger me would be horrified, my entire bikes used to cost much less than that…
Regardless, have invested in a Six Pack and a couple of mounts. Will burn the invoice when it arrives.
Mr Scruff said:
benp1 said:
Surely if you have a Monteer 8000 you're happy with spending a bit on a decent light?
You're right, I use my lights a lot so would be a good investment.It’s a bucket load of money though! Extremely hard to rationalise spending that amount on a light. Younger me would be horrified, my entire bikes used to cost much less than that…
Regardless, have invested in a Six Pack and a couple of mounts. Will burn the invoice when it arrives.
von vardo said:
Mr Scruff said:
benp1 said:
Surely if you have a Monteer 8000 you're happy with spending a bit on a decent light?
You're right, I use my lights a lot so would be a good investment.It’s a bucket load of money though! Extremely hard to rationalise spending that amount on a light. Younger me would be horrified, my entire bikes used to cost much less than that…
Regardless, have invested in a Six Pack and a couple of mounts. Will burn the invoice when it arrives.
Joystick or Diablo (pronounced Die-ar-bol-oh
) for helmet.Exposure refurbished my old Diablo for not much. It’d run for years but a good few impacts had sent it a bit temperamental and they put it back as good as new. In winter, I take it as backup for the Joystick, because the burn time on the smaller torches seems more impacted by cold.
Staggered at the price of those Monteer 8000's.
When Magicshine first emerged around 10 or so years ago a rider pal on a budget was buying them for around £45 off Ebay - they were extremely bright and very cheap but clearly Chinese made tat. But worth a punt nonetheless for the price/performance ratio.
Are these now considered a quality brand, ....surely they must be for the price now charged?
When Magicshine first emerged around 10 or so years ago a rider pal on a budget was buying them for around £45 off Ebay - they were extremely bright and very cheap but clearly Chinese made tat. But worth a punt nonetheless for the price/performance ratio.
Are these now considered a quality brand, ....surely they must be for the price now charged?
I see the OP has gone for Exposure which (and I say that as an Exposure user) is the go to choice for the minted modern day Santa Cruz riding, POC wearing discerning Mountain Biker!
However for those with less deep pockets I can recommend this Halfords light. Bought one as a cheap fall back and it actually pretty decent for the money. Just needs a better mount but works fine as is;
https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-accessories/...
Can't go wrong with exposure - UK based, great technical support and backup, and a two year warranty. They are not expensive when you consider what you get, provided you use them a lot. Mine stay on my bike all year round and i'm out on trails every 3-4 days through winter regardless of the weather. I've had the odd leak, covered under warranty with a replacement.
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff