So I want to do a bit of midweek riding after work, I think it’s what I need to up my fitness a bit and avoid the “get home, open a beer” syndrome i’m in. I’m a bit put off/intimidated by the cost of lights. It seems a bit of an arms race to have the most powerful beam on the hill.

So what do I need to get started? What’s the Specialized Rockhopper of lights?

Set yourself a budget and work to that.

If you solo nightride, then pretty much anything will do, only really becomes an issue when you are riding with other people and they run significantly brighter lights than you. You end up riding in your own shadow then!

Despite what some muppets will tell you, you can get a light that’s easily up to the job of night riding for comfortably under £100.

for example, plenty of options here: http://www.magicshineuk.co.uk/

Even the cheapest ones (the 808 models) are very good.

Smudge of mtbbatteries has just put his new light up on the website £67 bargain, all you need.

Although after this week, you won’t be needing them very much.

Some of the cheapo china ones on ebay aren’t bad. To be honest though I use it as a second helmet light to back up my lupine, but I wouldn’t spend that much unless you’re really loaded or going to get a lot of use.

I got a 20 quid ebay torch and a 6 quid headlamp and they’re more than enough for night riding.

The torch came with a charger and two batteries, bargain.

Despite what some muppets will tell you, you can get a light that’s easily up to the job of night riding for comfortably under £100.

£26 for me. 😉 Although I do only ride on my own.

Have a looky at this thread for inspiration:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/ebay-cree-xml-20-torch-out-of-the-box-pics-review

First questions – bars or lid? Either of these are more than enough to see all the trail and have a good ride. Only add more light if you want to go faster!

Narrow beam for the helmet:

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/t6-waterproof-xml-t6-3-mode-1200-lumen-white-led-bike-light-with-battery-pack-set-82510

These are wide beam and great for the bars:

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/p7-water-resistant-ssc-p7-3-mode-1200-lumen-white-led-bike-light-with-battery-pack-set-82734

These are a notch up and have ‘up/down’ power switch rather than on/high/low/flash/off

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Magicshine-MJ-872-1600-Lumens-LED-Bike-light-SALE-/180835230229?pt=UK_SportsLeisure_Cycling_Bike_Lights&hash=item2a1a9ea215

I was in the same boat a couple of months ago. New job and winter meant less riding so after many years somehow not doing it decided to try night riding.

Quickly got sucked into finding the most powerful light possible (on a budget of course) and spending hours trawling the web.

In the end I knew lighter nights were on the way so thought best to go easy on the cash and get something to test first that was fairly cheap.

So got myself an ultrafire 501b from torchy the battery boy (big_f_d_d on ebay) along with decent charger and batteries. He threw in a free helmet mount, it’s actually for a rifle barrel but does job.

Works a treat, super bright, lasts a while. Only problem was over bumps it scrolled through modes but putting a post it note round the battery stopped that.

So for about £40 I was sorted and night riding just adds to the whole mtb experience no end. May get a handlebar mounted light next winter but to get started this set up was fine.

Hope that helps.

Cheers for the posts and links, much appreciated. The lads I ride with at the weekend have a whole bunch of kit that looks like it’s off the bottom of a 747, but I doubt i’ll ride with them on week nights so i’m confident I won’t have to worry about the pedalling in the shadows thing.

I kinda set myself a budget of less than £100 for a bar light and a helmet light (is it true you need both, or is it it just an idea?)

Thanks.

Although after this week, you won’t be needing them very much.

This is true, I just didn’t want to get caught out.

Wont really need them as from next week….
but the magicshine are superb. I have an exposure joystick helmet mounted which does the job but my mate has the magicshine for less money than my far less powerful light. Saying that though I will grab a magicshine for next winter and ride with both as the helmet mount light is way better for tracking the trail with a bar mounted light to flood the area.

As above you won’t need anything thermonuclear for solo night rides and the MJ-872 is more than enough imo. A helmet light is useful because it illuminates what you’re looking at but not essential if you know where you’re going.

Now is a good time to get started because after the weekend you will probably be pushing off in the daylight and coming back in the dark. Mid-winter off roading is like being in space.

Wont really need them as from next week….

You lot must do very early night rides… 🙂

+1 for smudge, I’ve been really impressed with his light that I got just before Christmas.

You lot must do very early night rides

Or bloody short ones 😉

I need my lights for all but a few “night” rides in mid-summer. I’d say don’t get a torch, get one of the bike lights like smudges. The torches always seem to have the odd little niggle IME.

Lightmalls delivery faster than Dealextreme although ordering from someone with stock in the UK should be quicker again.

For £30 you can get the popular “1200 lumen” bike light with a red or silver crown

http://www.lightmalls.com/red-color-head-bicycle-lights-headlight-with-cree-xml-t6-emitter-1200-lumen-3-modes-bike-light-kit

http://www.lightmalls.com/beamteeh-high-power-head-light-bicycle-light-with-ssc-p7-emitter-3-modes-led-bike-light-kit

Oh, and watch the sealing on the battery packs. Some of them had issues with water ingress causing failure.

Wont really need them as from next week….

You do. You just go for longer rides. Last orders at your local is the only limiting factor 😀

I use a Hope Vision 2 on my lid and a Magicshine (cheapish one) on the bars which is more than enough.

Even on lighter nights in summer we ride from 8ish until 10:30ish so lights are needed even if only to get back from the pub safely!

Wozza,

Send me an email and I can do you a slightly used light kit (still mtbbatteries guaranteed) for a reduced cost to give you a taste of nightriding.

Smudge

YGM. Cheers Smudge.

Muddy Ground

Maplin do some under £30 torches that are OK – you need to find a way of mounting them though; best as helmet lights as on the bar torches wobble a lot, sometimes rotating right around as the mass is all wrong. It does soon become a personal arms race though – the first few rides out everything scares the pants of you, but after that the speed gradually inceases and the light output [or beam quality] becomes the limiting factor.

Even with the clocks changing if you are in hill country you can still get caught out in some of the dips and valleys, especially amongst trees, or returning home along roads at dusk. Honestly you feel a right muppet in the bottom of some valley not being able to see where you are whilst on the tops everything is still fine.

I kinda set myself a budget of less than £100 for a bar light and a helmet light (is it true you need both, or is it it just an idea?)

With both you can have wide and tight beams plus see ‘shadows’, which indicate ‘ruts’ etc.

If you solo nightride, then pretty much anything will do,

he’s right you know, set your own pace and not get your night vision ruined by others bigger lights and you can manage on pretty feeble (compared to modern stuff) lighting. Blinging up your lights is a nice way to be able to do daytime speeds/distances but the tunnel vision effect of lesser lights all adds to the ambience.

You only need one. Both is nice but not remotely necessary.

Best advice, get the best you can afford, but make sure you have a back up, most guys run a handlebar and helmet in case one fails in the middle of a forest. This is even more a necessity if you intend riding on your own.
And make sure you tell someone your route in case of a fall.

br, as I just posted the reason for two lights is if one fails, you will be surprised just how dark the woods are at night and to be on a trail with no light is a recipe for disaster.

I use an e-bay torch style light on the bars. It’s an ultrafire cree LED with lithium rechargeables so I had to buy a lithium recharger too. total cost was about £30.00 for both. The batteries are cheap so I got a few. The torch boasts a beam that is as powerfull as a car headlight! I have had it for over a year now and apart from a slight modification which I read about on the net on one of these torch forums, it has been faultless. I have done Mountain Mayhem with it and did not see anyone there with anything better. If you go down the torch route read reviews on the net first. There are plenty of torch addict websites.

if you would like to take advantage of my last ten years of light buying across pretty much the full spectrum of bulbs, batterys, suppliers etc.

mtbbatteries is where its at. The combination of light, uk supplied, cheap, reliable, great customer service can NOT be beat.

in second place are Niterider from 2Pure.

Cant be bothered to read all the posts sorry but I bought a set of lights (china imports) for £35 off ebay and they are awesome! I have one on helmet and one on bars and can’t fault them!

Since buying them about 6 people I know have bought them as so impressed!

Search for CREE XML on ebay.

I’ve just bought one of Smudges lights for £67 – looks like a great light and I’m going to need something for Mountain Mayhem.

I’m also going to need stronger legs and a fitter body but that’s another story 😳

You do. You just go for longer rides. Last orders at your local is the only limiting factor

Nope, 9 o clock pub whatever time of year 😀

wors knows it. 2100 is pub oclock

These should be fine – worked ok when I were a lad. Don’t need any of that expensive LED nonsense!

http://bit.ly/GF8QNm

These should be fine – worked ok when I were a lad. Don’t need any of that expensive LED nonsense!

Lol

Took Smudge up on his offer and i’ve got one of his lights on the way. Thanks for all the posts.