Spent over £200 on a set of Fluxient lights a couple of years ago. Used them for the first winter, they were great. They were ok for the next winter too.

Tried to use them the other day, batteries are kaput. Apparently Li-Ions discharge completely over time if unused. It’s going to smart at £52 for replacements for all of them each winter.

Anyone else using these? Do more expensive lights have the same problem? Should I save for Exposures instead? What’s good if I want the best for a helmet mount and a bar mount? Looking at using Cyclescheme accessories to get myself sorted for these, so cost isn’t too much of an issue.

They shouldn’t die in one year. They aren’t a fan of being stored full or empty. Ideally leave them around 50% and they be happy for quite a while. Also some light will self discharge their batteries if left plugged in. Things like power meters or standby modes drain power. Best to take the batteries out if you aren’t using them for a while. My oldest are probably 7 years old. I’d replace the cells then try and look after them a bit. No need to buy expensive lights IMO.

Exposure use the same type of batteries, just not so easy to replace.

But as above, you shouldn’t have to replace annually. One of mine is very tired now but it’s 3 years old. I got an ebay cheapie to replace it and tbh I can’t recommend this, it’s supposed to be a 6600 mah pack but it performs like a 4000.

Don’t know if you are being serious?

Presuming not as you say you got 2 years out of the first batteries but then flap on about replacing each year.

I think most light these days use Li-Ion so if you can’t get on with what you have there is little point in upgrading.

Li-Ion batteries do discharge over time and improper storage will ruin them quicker than you may like.

Charge the batteries before storing them. If they are to be stored for over 3-4months give them another charge at that point as above look to store with 50 -70% charge

All modern lights use Li-ion batteries so you won’t get away from that.

Store them properly (or keep using them, it does get dark at night all year round), and if you get 2 years out of them then although a bit less than ideal it’s still 2 years!

My Exposures are starting to show signs of battery degradation now at 4 years old, but they get used all year round, I’ve got cheaper lights too and I’ll be happy with 2-3 years out of a battery.

house of many exposures oldest of which is 8 years old here … never had a need to replace the batteries regardless of how hard they are to replace.

They just work and continue to work for some time – and if at such time they dont continue to work – such as the wifes spark light after it was subjected to an alpine storm on alpe dhuez ….. they take it back and replace it if your straight up with them and not a lying scuzzbag its often free…. The maxx D i dropped down the stairs was 15 quid to have a new emitter fitted and it took 96 hrs from posting to recieving back

Message this guy:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/big_f_d_d?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2754

He’ll make sure you get good ones.

I must confess to being a newbie to night riding. I honestly didn’t think this would be a problem.

What do people do? Set a reminder to charge them every 3 months? How do you know they’re at 50% charge short of timing how long it takes to get to full charge? Or can you use a voltmeter to check?

For some reason I thought a product that can easily not be used for 6 months of the year wouldn’t have this problem. I stand corrected!

Apparently Li-Ions discharge completely over time if unused

No, that’s NiMH or NiCad. Li-ions shouldn’t do this hardly at all.

Talk to these people:

http://www.mtbbatteries.co.uk/

I never touch mine over the summer, they are always next to fully charged in the autumn.

I got they from http://www.mtbbatteries.co.uk 🙂

Yours are faulty somehow.

tbh i just use them the last time of the season – then chuck them in the utility room till next year…. or some time when i am doing a silly over night ride with not much thought to charging cycles.

early/shit/cheap li ion had shit charging circuits that used power being dormant …. see the well documented case of early makita liion power tools which had self bricking batteries if not used ….

battery life is limited by over-discharge or charge cycles. you can google typical charge cycles on li-ion just as well as i can ( 🙂 ), but it’s in the thousands. over-discharge in actual use is pretty unlikely as there are circuits in place to prevent it – but don’t try to circumvent those to get a few minutes more light if you run it out.
left with too low a charge for a long period will kill them. otherwise stored cool and partly discharged is good as mentioned.
the reality for many I suspect is that they’re only not used for a few weeks a year. if you meet at 6 or 7, ride for a few hours, and stop for a pint on the way home, you’ll be using them all year round like me.
i ran a bottle battery from lumicycle for about 7 years. only changed it as i was getting a new light from exposure ( cable free ).

Was told I would get about 600 cycles with these batteries. Not 1000s. What lights are you using?

Not sure what most people’s reality is, but most of my riding is on the road. I don’t need a massive 3600 lumen light for that. A 200 lumen is fine for the commute. The 1100 lumen on low is fine for the Wednesday chaingang, or late night training rides. Weekends are on the MTB. I don’t need lights for that.

2 years ago in the winter, I found myself squeezed for time at the weekends. So I bought some lights to get my MTB fix. I used to go for a quick hour or 2 after work a few times a week. These lights were amazing for that.

I can easily not use the big light for 9 months.

Thanks for the link to mtbbatteries.co.uk, I’ll see if they can get me sorted with a battery pack for my Fluxients.

I have three batteries used in random rotation. The Oldest of which is over 7 years old and still working fine – Hell even my Lumi Nimhs will still give me 3 hours on a 500 lumen light and they are pretty goosed and perhaps a decade old.

Never done anything special re storage so your battery experience is atypical.

Dont by cheap the chinese battery packs – I have solar storms for the kids are gash and dont last more than a couple of years. They are poor so buy quality

Who else sells quality batteries then?

My Moon X-Power is still going strong for close to 6 years now. I thought they may not be Li-Ion? The wife’s X-Power is still going strong too, despite not being used for over a year now.

You have to look after Li-ion if you want them to last.
As above, storing them at 50% is recommended, (3.8v) and keeping them cool is the most important.
I use mine quite a lot and store them fully charged, but as I keep them in the fridge, there is no issue with that.
I keep all mine in the fridge, you need to keep them around 4c.
Heat kills Li-ion batteries, that is why laptop batteries don’t last very long.

Some good info here.

storing them at 50% is recommended, (3.8v)

Per cell!

So a nominal 7.2V battery would be stored when it’s reading 7.6V across the terminals with no light attached.

I don’t bother with putting them in the fridge or anything – I put them away after I’ve used them the last time, without charging (LEDs last so long nowadays that they are rarely below half charge) then I leave them in the garage.

I have had 6 years use out of my last set from smudge at http://www.mtbbatteries.co.uk/ and am 1 year into my second battery from him. I do tend to use it a couple of times a year in the summer, surely people ride after 9pm. I use it 2 / 3 times a week for at least 6 months of the year. Really cant recommend his batteries enough. He does frequent this forum from time to time.

These days by 9pm I’m in bed. If I’m still on my bike at 9pm then something has gone horrendously wrong on the commute.

In the summer, if I’m not in bed by 9pm then I’m home.

My batteries live in the garage.