Realistically, how many lumens? Handlebar, helmet or both? What’s the minimal set up? Spare lights I assume are a must too?

20% more than everyone else you ride with.

if you’re on your own, you wont need that much, as your eyes will adapt to the darkness.
this has the added benefit of making every tiny noise a million times more exciting.

EDIT: i’ve only ever used bar mounted lights, ymmv.

We started off with these in the late 80’s

So anything up from that will be a shitload better as long as you’re on your own.

if you’re on your own, you wont need that much, as your eyes will adapt to the darkness.

You weren’t trying to night ride in the late 80’s were you. 😆
When you’re pushing that few lumens you’re still riding in the dark even if you stand there for a week letting your “eyes adapt to the dark” 😆
Back then we’d all try and ride side by side just to even find the trail. 😥

Werewolf repellant

I was gong to say garlic a cross and big kahoonys 😀

A bike is s good start.

The ability to out pedal your imagination ….. Did you hear that?

> Realistically, how many lumens?

Depends how fast you ride

> Handlebar, helmet or both?

Depends on if you can cope with turning into darkness? 😉

> What’s the minimal set up?

Exactly as you would in the day but with lights

> Spare lights I assume are a must too?

Never bothered. Can always roll down a fireroad in the dark if needed.

One on the bars and one on the helmet, 1000lumens each as a start would be my suggestion. I have a maxxD on the bars and a diablo on my helmet.

I use one light on the helmet , one on the bars . Brighter on the bars. I carry a spare mini torch so if it
all goes tits up I can at least walk home. I use some Solar storm copy from China I think , was all detailed in that massive thread last year .

As above, your eyes will adjust but that doesn’t happen if everyone else is carrying mini suns. Also, if you’re being followed down a trail then the person behind will cast your shadow right where you want to see. So if their light is more powerful than yours, that’s a problem.

I have a 1500 lumen light which is completely fine on low power which I guess is approx 700 lumens. Realistically, I reckon if everyone had a 1000 lumen limit we’d probably be OK.

Other things like beam spread and reliability are probably more important. I have a spare headtorch for emergencies (LED Lenser), but that’s because my cheap chinese lights are prone to failing. I once did a midnight lap of Mountain Mayhem with a Petzl headtorch at 70 lumens, but that really wasn’t enough 😆

Trust fire Dr11 on the bars, Solarstorm x2 on the helmet, 18650 torch in the rucksack (with a bar mount, just in case).

I probably carry too much stuff, but ride alone so I’d rather be safe.

If riding on my own I find a 400 lumen is enough for easy singletrack at mid pace. If going faster or doing more technical stuff I prefer around 700 lumen.

But when riding with mates they insist on using 1000 lumens so I either ride at the back or put my lights up to full power.

if on my own I carry a small spare torch so I can slowly make my way back.

I also prefer to have a spot on my head and a flood on the bars. If I had to use only one light i’d stick it on my head as I like to be able to light up the corners before I enter them.

One on the head and one on the bars definitely, as others have said brighter on the bars than the helmet, helps you pick out the texture of the trail better.

I went out with just the one on the bars this morning, it was crap, fine in a straight line but as soon as you turn there’s no light where you’re looking.

Glen geldie was fine lastnight with a mk3 joystick on low.

My mate rode in fine with a petzl as his light dies early on

if you’re a half decent rider you’ll only need a light on your helmet.
not even a very bright one if riding familiar trails.

bar mounted lights are rubbish if you manual, jump, ride drops or even just like fast tight twisty trails.

A helmet light is pants in any type of cloud or fog though…

Sstu- I had those lights, those batteries used to weigh as much as the bike. Think I will get some cheapish lights and see what works for me. Interesting no one seems to need the 3.5k lumens they seem to be able to do these days

2 lights is a very, very good idea- all it takes is to catch a cable or bash a mounting or just forget to charge a battery and you’re boned without a spare.

Lumens aren’t that important, beam pattern more so- most of the cheap XML lights have really terrible beams, you end up just chasing around a superbright dot. The old P7 cheapos were better imo. But it’s harder to sell “decent beam pattern” than “5% more lumenz”.

The big question is, what do you want to do? DO you want to “night ride” or do you just want to go for a ride, at night? Night riding can be great with very little light, but the more light you have the more like a normal ride it gets and the faster and less cautious you can go. I love riding with hardly any light, and I love riding with tons of lught, it just depends what mood I’m in.

A helmet light is pants in any type of cloud or fog though…

All lights are useless in fog. The more lumens you have, the more get bounced back at you.

Don’tforgetf that if wearing a helmet light, its traditional to turn around and talk to the guys you’re riding with and stare straight into their face from 3ft away, thus completely blinding them! 😀

This is what I started with, later upgraded to the twin set with a lead/acid battery pack that weighed a kilo. (only lasted an hour or so, too).

I did a bit of night riding last year with a 100 lumen torch rigged to the bars and sometimes a 50 lumen headtorch. Don’t get me wrong, the legit setups were way more powerful, but if it’s familiar trails then you can get out and try it for little outlay.

Look up the Solarstorm X2.
Great little light.
Weighs little, leads long enough to sit the battery pack in a camelback.
About £20 from EBay, Amazon etc.

Don’t bother with the X3, in my opinion its less effective for some reason.

Charge them outside if you can, certainly not in the house unattended.
The battery packs are ok, but the Chargers are cheap Chinese electronics, & there have been errrm…stories…

And always take Holy Water, Crucifix, garlic etc.
I was actually chased the other night, could hear it’s cloven hoofs, even felt it’s breath on my neck.
Whatever it was, it ran off when I came out of the woods.

Night riding what do you need?

Some whisky & some cash for a pint & some crisps. Also Some cold ones in the fridge waiting at home & some good tele or a movie ready.

Lube for the doggers.

I wish I had a photo of one of my early rigs.

A motorbike headlamp and 2 very substantial lead acid motorbike batteries. I’d ride out until the first battery was almost flat and then change to the other to get me home. Must have weighed 25-30lbs all up, but it was a great spread of light and there was no one else on the trails.

Needless to say I love LEDs. 🙂

I started out with just a cheapie chinese led jobbie bungeed to the helmet (single 18650 battery, its a WF501B) and a decent red rear light for the roads home. I’ve got a few “proper” lights now, but for anything on my own and under 2hours of riding I go back to the original setup.

After a bit of research this could be expensive or cheap if I want to charge the batteries in a tin at the bottom of the garden. Are there any good, powerful, safe and cheap lights around?

A pub car park with some good lighting to change and pack your bike up in.
Then into the pub for a pint and some tucker – the only good reason for going night riding really.

We started off with these in the late 80’s

I was telling a yoot about these the other night while riding.

I’m sure he thought I was exaggerating, but I’m sure they’d be even worse than I’m remembering.

As noted spread is more important than lumens

if i only had one light i would have a helmet one but i use both – as this way you have a spare anyway
more on the bars than the helmet light
I reckon anything from 500 real lumens onwards is acceptable for familiar trails.

The solar storm are ok as a starter light but the battery is pants.

munkyboy – Member

After a bit of research this could be expensive or cheap if I want to charge the batteries in a tin at the bottom of the garden. Are there any good, powerful, safe and cheap lights around?

TBH it depends on what you think cheap means. A lot of people seem to jump from the £10 jobbies straight up to branded lights but at the top end of the far eastern lights you’ve got your fluxients, high end magicshines etc that come with proper batteries and chargers for generally around the £70-£100 mark. IME this is where one of the sweet spots is- you get durable, reliable kit that performs well. And you start to pick up MTBbatteries Lumenator, stuff like that, at a little bit more.

I don’t really understand the people who get a cheapie then buy a charger and a battery pack… By that time you’ve spent enough to have got something better.

Now disclaimer- I’m completely out of date, because I have 2 MJ-872s from a few years back and I’ve no reason to replace them. But this looks good:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Latest-Fluxient-4xXP-G2-1600-lumen-Endurance-6600mAh-battery-c-w-helmet-mount-/291580344995?hash=item43e38afaa3
Torchy is a gentleman, the spec’s sensible, the battery’s a cut above the norm… It’s not cheap, when you can get something usable for a tenner, but it is value.

Have just got a Lezyne 600XL for not a lot of money (£60?) Liked it cos it’s an all in one. Most of the (cheaper end) lights I’ve had the achilles heel has been the battery pack of the connectors.

can do easy stuff on 250 lumens, 400 for most stuff and full chat for downhill. s’alright but could do with a helmet light for back up/corners. might get a cheapy chinese job for my b’day. Always tqke a cateye opticube I’ve had for years as an emergency back up to get me home too.

Lid light’s a must as well as a bar light imo. For investigating & fixing a mechanical & shutting gates as well as seeing around corners.

Awaiting my new neutral white shipment of Chinese goodies from Gearbest, a step up from the real cheap ebay T6 stuff that’s done me proud the last few years, ‘cept it’s a bit glarey.

The MaxxD & Diablo pairing above though, that’s the proper job (and proper money too of course).

Dibs – I had those. What were they?!!