I’m looking for a front bike light that takes AA batteries with a reasonable trade of between run time and light output.
I’ve found the Fenix BT10 which seems ok.
We already have rechargeable light systems but will be doing a few multi day events this summer where we want to have limited night riding capability. We can’t rely on getting power and I’m not buying a dynamo front wheel and all before anyone suggested it 😉
Any other things to look at?

They’re generally a bit pants (presumably you’re talking about off road lights, which usually calls for moar power)

Have you thought about using battery packs to recharge your lights in the day? You can pick them up fairly cheap and they’re pretty useful things to have.

I have a double 18650 Anker pack from Amazon. Good for phones etc but also recharges bike lights (and my headtorch!)

Not so good for recharging the bigger battery packs but single cell lights (e.g. Exposure Diablo) will be fine like this

I used to have a Hope Vision 1, which takes AA batteries. Very reliable and great for non-technical light duty off road riding. I’d still be using it now, as a back-up light, if some git hadn’t stolen it.

Why AA batteries? If it is for replacability to give extended run times then 18650 would be better. Loads more options for bright lights and lots of high capacity cells available. Or if you already have a light can’t you just buy an extra battery or two for that?

Fenix works for me and also lies around the house for poking around in the dark. For night riding I put it on my helmet to complement a magicshine on the bars and it’s sufficient but I always carry a spare set of AA’s.

well, the ‘smart lunar 35’ (2x AA) is alright, you’ll get a couple of hours on ‘high’ – which is nearly bright enough to see roughly where you’re going.

with the addition of a 2xAA torch (like a fenix e20 or something) on your helmet, you’ll get by, without dying, probably…

(it’s what i use for commuting, including some gentle offroad sections)

Basically, we want the ability to ride in the dark, the majority on Strada Bianche. If I need more battery then I’m pretty certain I’ll be able to walk into a small Italian store and buy a pack of AA batteries, if its 18650s then I’m really not convinced. Its a trade off that we’re ok to run with. There won’t be a million Brits with 2000 lumen lights sitting behind me so and it’ll be in back country areas so once you’re eyes have adjusted it’ll be fine. I could take my 2000+ lumen lights with me, but I don’t want to carry them, and I’ll have no means of recharging them if they do run short.
I’ll take a punt on the Fenix and see how they go.

I’d go for 18650 torches off ebay for multi day. AA batteries aren’t bright enough and don’t last long enough. Buy many 18650 from a reliable source like torchy and go that way.

normal torch style lights will run on AAs run, but anything good is usually on lithium cells. You can replace these so that might be an option – either as CR123 cells or rechargeable 18650s

I use a battery box for 4x18650s for my bar light. If I was in your situation I’d take 4 spare 18650s to lob in, or maybe an old battery pack

My headlight is an Exposure Diablo so I’d recharge that with a battery pack.

If it was a multi-day bikepacking trip I’d probably use my bar light on low, and take a battery pack to charge my headlight (for riding). The headlight is bright enough to use on its own. Long long trips are where dynamos come into their own

There are 2AA torches that would work ok, but runtime and power won’t be amazing

Basically, we want the ability to ride in the dark, the majority on Strada Bianche. If I need more battery then I’m pretty certain I’ll be able to walk into a small Italian store and buy a pack of AA batteries…

Sounds reasonable. I did about 1000m of descending in Morzine using my AA Tesco torch many years ago. Got me down OK and way better than nothing. I still might be tempted to get a couple of 18650 batteries and a light and use that as the main light and an AA light as back-up. You might find the 18650s last the whole trip. You can also get an AAA adapter to run those in 18650 torch but they will be a bit low on capacity.

Fenix do some good AA torches that are bright

I’ve got one that around 4 years old now

It hasn’t got a good spread, I use mine on the helmet

How about one of these – http://www.portablepowersupplies.co.uk/portapow-4x-aa-usb-rechargeable-battery/

B&M Ixon IQ premium. Proper road beam, powerful enough, and 5 hour run time on full power.

i use the cheap chinese lights that have usb lead and a4 aa battery pack with a usb female lead, however i found the usb connector was a bit pants dodgy connector, so i cut them of and soldered the standard plug and socket u find on most lights works fine and its as bright as the ones with the standard recharable battery pack,

Perhaps slightly OT, but not entirely:

On my 9 month cycle tour I took a Mk 1 Hope 1, loads of good AA batts (2000mAh+, low self discharge) and a pair of simple solar chargers. This allowed battery swapping on the fly with the light, my Fuji camera, the radio and probably other things I have forgotten.

Admitidly it was a really sunny part of the world, but it was bloody useful.

Phillips Saferide? Like the B&M a proper road beam. It uses rechargeable AA cells so don’t see why they couldn’t be exchanged with disposables if needed. You would need to unscrew the bottom cover to swap the batteries over though.

I’ve used these for a few years now: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TrustFire-R5-A3-Mini-CREE-XP-G-R5-LED-Flashlight-Torch-Light-3-Switch-DH6T/221927779067?_trksid=p2141725.c100338.m3726&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20150313114020%26meid%3Dddff572bccda47d9aa4e64c8c44251bc%26pid%3D100338%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D19%26sd%3D321335706859
Best with 14500 Li-ion batteries, which are 3.7v, but they will work with AA batteries. I used them on the bike with Twofish Lockblocks, on the bars and on my helmet, and they chuck out enough light to see at normal riding speeds, there is a good bright centre spot, with a diffuse ‘halo’ that easily shows up the whole width of a normal country lane. Well made, can’t fault them, especially at the price, I got mine from dx.com at double the price.