I’m currently using Ay Ups, which were pretty good when I got them, but are no match for what I see other people using at 24 hour races these days.
My commute is 12+km each way, depending on route, with 10+km of that off road. Depending on my shift rota, one direction or the other is in the dark. I’m racing 12 and 24 hour races as well.

So, I think I’ve narrowed it down to Trout or Luminous. Budget is not quite unlimited, but I just worked out I’m saving £500 a year on LPG for the Land Rover by cycling to work and if that, plus a bit more, is what it costs for the best bike lights, then so be it.
Which ones do I get for bars and helmet ?

Whichever of the two you prefer the packaging /look of as they are using similar leds, lenses and stuff.

Exposure?

Oh yeah, the other thing I should have mentioned is I want to use them at SITS, the weekend after next, so In Stock or not is going to be a big deciding factor.

Exposure for me as you can clip them off the bike really easily, a MAxxD is all you need and maybe a joystick/diablo on your lid.

Now a 6-pack would be awesome too.

Probably overkill for comuting, but try Full Beam http://www.full-beam.com/index.html

Get 2 batteries for SITS (if solo)

http://www.full-beam.com/compare.htm Somewhat brighter than a six-pack!
There’s some beam-shot photos on the website somewhere too.

For commuting, what about dynamo lights? Then no hassle with charging batteries.
Something like a Supernova E3 Triple with a SON dynamo hub would do (plus some sort of helmet light).

Liteoption are very nice: http://liteoption.com/home.html

Trout and luminous will give far more light / £ than any of the others mentioned.

But at the price of batteries and cables though?

Personally, get straight on the phone/email to Troutie to see if he can sort you out in time.

If not, then there’s the Lupine Betty’s or Wilma’s for ridiculous amounts of money (though still a lot less than RRP) from Merlin Cycles, or an Exposure Six Pack.

Will get more performance for your money via Troutie though…

Have a Trout Liberator setup for regular night rides. I wouldn’t look anywhere else ever again personally, they are the best thing since sliced bread.

IMO I dont think Exposure can be beaten for simplicity or compactness, its a big plus being cable free.
My Toro has plenty of light for pitch black trails and lasts ages on Med setting, coupled with a Joystick or Diablo on your lid you are laughing.
If I were to look anywhere else id go Trout.

RealMan – Member

But at the price of batteries and cables though? ?

Not sure what you mean

he means youll have to lug around battery packs and cables.

troute are very neat, but still fiddly in the long run. Plus not that much more bang for buck.
Id be amazed if anyone genuinely wanted more light after firing up a 6Pack or MaxxD, Toro’s have more than enough for most users at 900lumens and last for hours

For commuting, what about dynamo lights? Then no hassle with charging batteries. Something like a Supernova E3 Triple with a SON dynamo hub would do (plus some sort of helmet

I’d agree – dynamo lights are by far the best for commuting. I’d use a shimano hub, as last I looked they were lighter and similarly efficient and way cheaper. My single led light is fine for unlit roads, I imagine the super nova is pretty darned bright.

Id be amazed if anyone genuinely wanted more light after firing up a 6Pack or MaxxD, Toro’s have more than enough for most users at 900lumens and last for hours

The Toro’s a road light surely? I’d recommend a Six-Pack and a Diablo. It’s not that you need that much, but why not have it on hand? Nothing more annoying than being followed by someone with brighter lights than you – you just end up riding in your own shadow – even with a Maxx D and Joystick it happens to me loads at 24hr races.

I use a Exposure six pack and diablo with a triple cell pack, weight is unnoticeable on the move, each to throw on in the pit, battery indicator is very usefull and they seem to have dropped in price if you look in the right places

6 Pack

Have you looked at Lupine Tesla or Wilma? Very well made and clean light.

Like TJ says, they all seem to use the same LEDs and batteries, so Trout and Luminous look the best value.
Neither of them have much information on their web sites though.
Pictures of the battery packs and helmet mountings would be nice, as would prices for extra batteries for 24 hour solo.
Luminous have got the 701 & 601 on offer at the moment, so they are cheaper than the 401, but they don’t come with a helmet mount.

Both have got contact details, rather than an on line shop, for ordering.
I’ll email both and see what they recommend for me.

MTQG – I think most of the big manufacturers will be using LEDs one generation older than trout and luminous although I ain’t sure – they might have caught up. The small guys can react quicker and will also be able to give you some degree of
customisation of beam pattern

Another vote for the exposure lights. As an added benefit you can get a piggy back battery of the enduros which may come in useful (I know you like to go it alone!) on the long night stints and the lights are superbly made. I bought the maxx d, have played with the 6pack it’s a great light just a little too big for me

Edit: oh yeah, you can get remotes for them as well if that’s your bag

I like the remote you can get with the luminous

and the 701 pro seems to be a higher spec battery and more Lumens than the trout liberator

wish I had the £££

Have a look here http://www.nightlightning.co.nz/ – you would get them in time. I’ve got an Endurenz that i’ve had for 5 years which has had 3 LED upgrades in that time and been heavily abused. Bulletproof, amazing output, well made.

Has anyone mounted a Luminous 701 on a helmet ?
I’ve been in touch with both Trout and Luminous and a pair of 701s while they’re on offer at £270 is looking favourite at the moment.

Chris says he doesn’t do a helmet mount because of the weight, most people would want the lighter 401 on a helmet.
I just checked the figures and my AY UPs are 58g for the lights plus 90g for the 3 hour battery, so that’s 148g.
The 701 light unit is 152g, near enough the same.
I’m still not sure about the battery. I take it goes in a jersey pocket with a cable to the light ?

So, has anyone improvised a helmet mount for a bar mount light ?

Troutie for me, great kit, made in UK, superb support and a great bloke.

Also add in light in arm fulls its a no brainer

My Lumi triple XPG + endurance battery will run for about 24 hrs on the mid setting, which is more than enough to ride by.

Well made, support and back up is good and it’s all backwards compatible.

http://www.lumicycle.com/product/237/single-light-systems.htm

Recommended

helmet mounts are easy to make with rubber and velcro straps maybe acable tie or two You want it low profile and easy breakaway anyway

battery goes in your pocket

do you really need 14 xpg leds? Flat out that will be more than 4 car headlights its a really mad amount of light

Exposure all the way here – excellent lights in every respect.

No, I don’t really need 14 LEDs, it’s just that I want a helmet light as well and it seems daft paying £320 for a 4 LED light when the 7 LED version is on offer at £270.

Lumicycle looks good, but as with Exposure, your getting 3 or 4 LEDs and a 2.6Ah battery for round about the same price as Trout or Luminous do 6 or 7 LEDs and a 5.2Ah battery.

I’m sure I could bodge a helmet mount. It would be nice to see something I could copy.

I have some Wilma’s and Bettys to sell, not much use, 1500 and 1850 version of the betty @ £350 and £400 if intrested..12 mths warrant as well 8)

£315 for the XPG ATL + 5.2Ah battery, not a lot in it really MTG. Plus the Lumi has a very low and a flash mode for commuting, which I don’t thing the Luminous/Troutie does? Admittedly, the Luminous/Trout lights probably give more light, but how much light do you need!?

Anyway, your money, your choice 🙂

Well, no-one else has said it … get a DX bastid with the new waterproof battery or two, pocket the £450 saved and use towards race entries and beer. Plenty enough light, you won’t cry if you crash and break it, helmet or bonce mounted.

Used mine for commuting all winter, all conditions, and for 24h events and audaxes. No problems. Even light enough to mount on your lid for MTB, unlike many of the newer multiple LED unit things.

😉

I off road and commute with my Troutie Liberator. More light than you will ever need. The flash mode for commuting sends drivers and pedestrians recoiling in horror.

Wow. How did I miss this thread.
🙂

Luminous lights do have flash mode, and I think Troutie’s ones do too.
😉

I have ridden with a 401 lite, head unit and battery mounted to the helmet.
Works Ok, but I wouldn’t want to carry any more weight on my noggin, as it would probably just start to wobble around.

401 batteries come with a long cable as standard to allow for jersey pocket stowage as TJ correctly points out.

The ideal light combo is a 7 / 601 on bars, 401 on the helmet.

S1s are sold out now.
I am however, debating whether to make the last S1 available.
Its a bit special as it has been fitted out with XM-Ls.

Cheers.
😉

I have to say my vote goes with Exposure. The cable free experience is unbeatable. Personally I run a Diablo.

Luminous, could you, or anyone else, post a picture of a 701 mounting so I can get some ideas for a helmet mount conversion please.
I wear a Trek helmet because most other manufacturers only go up to size 62, which isn’t big enough for me. 😕 A bit more weight up there won’t make much difference, so I might as well go for the 701 if I can bodge a mount if it’s £50 cheaper than a 401.

MTQG.

I’m stuck on site at Warwick Uni right now, but I’ll see what I can do.

😉

Right then. Not the greatest piccy as the owner had it mounted to the narrowest part of the handle bar, hence his packing out with foam in the bar clamp.

But ignoring that, this picture will give you an appreciation of the mount used with the 7/601

Sorry for picture quality, best I could do for now.

🙂