Hi all,

This is not exactly a ‘what lights for the dark’… 😉

A lot of you out there have been night riding for years and I’ve been doing this for 2 years myself. Most will appreciate the fact that it was you lot that got me into this – Thanks!

With so much experience out there, please tell me what is the best light combo you’ve used for off road. I’ve got my favorite. Mine’s the MJ872 so far. Guess what though – I’m after more power so go ahead and tell me what you’ve favorite is.

Currently Lupine Betty on the bars and Lupine Piko on the helmet.

Tried *lots* of alternatives but will stick with this now.

MJ-872 here as well. Quality little unit, proper designed-for-bike optics, controls and power modes rather than being basically a funny shaped torch like most of the far eastern lights. Decent battery, quality charger too with mine, and absolutely lovely beam pattern… Nothing I’d change about it in all honesty, other than the helmet mount, but that was easily sorted.

Basically first I had that wasn’t a cheap light- it’s just an inexpensive great light, outright better than a lot of the pricey competition.

There’s better out there now but nothing that’s convinced me to upgrade yet.

Lumenator on the helmet. Sorted.

Smudge’s Lumenator on the bars and neninja’s gloworm on the helmet. Very very good combo IMO.

I’m obviously biased but a Gloworm X2 on the bars running Flood/Spot optics combined with another Gloworm X2 on the helmet with Spot/Spot optics is by far the best combination I’ve used. Enough light to run both on low/medium settings most of the time.

I can’t wait to try the new Gloworm X1 on the helmet when it’s available in about 3 weeks time. A genuine 850 lumens from a light head weighing sub-60g including mount and remote switch.

Christman tree formation

Ay Up V4s here. Love them.

My set up is trout spider eye on the helmet and an Exposure 6 pack, as back up, on the bars. I can ride with just the spider eye on, it’s that good.

Four4th Holy Moses on the bars and Four4th Genesis 3 spot on the lid!

Just got a Lumenator delivered, and it is literally all the light anyone could need, even on the 40% setting – insane brightness……HOWEVER…..with it mounted on my helmet (edit: and using nothing on the bars), I was really struggling to get any sort of perception of depth when it comes to pot holes, sticky-up rocks, etc. I’m assuming other people have a similar issue…unless its my eyes!

So to summarise, IME I would recommend the Lumenator on the bars, and some sort of cheap spot for the helmet maybe?

I like my ay-up V4s, they’re great for riding around in the dark!

Hope r4 on the bars and a gloworm x2 on the helmet- pretty much all the light I need!

Four4th Holy Moses on the bars, Exposure Diablo on the lid

Custom CNC machined Adjustable angle 7 x XML with aspheric lense on bars. Hope stem plate mount (8000 lumens in stupid mode)
Custom made single MC-E with Fraen reflector (tight spot) on helmet(1000 lumens)
Custom Rear saddle rail mounted 3 x XP-G Red Light.

More light than I need but it’s a hobby I enjoy playing with..

Ay-Up V4 lamp and battery on the lid still weights less than some lamps from other places. Narrow/Inter beam pattern for focussed looking.
Bar mount with battery on stem or frame for the other. Wider beam pattern to give a flood over the ground.

Only problem is when being followed by someone with a tactical nuclear weapon of a light….

MJ-872 at the moment, been going strong for a year, but looking into a second light, perhaps for the helmet and put the MJ-872 on the bars as it’s more of a flood rather than a beam.

Maxx D for me. I could supplement with something on the head for round the corner looking if I was being pedantic. Using the three light levels only uses one blob of batery on a 2hour ride. My old cateye was like the lowest setting and burned out in 3hrs.

I reckon its good value too when you think about light vs burn vs weight.

Liking my relatively new Maxx-d on the bars and diablo on my head. Run times and amount of light is fine for me but what really does it is the lack of cable-and-separate-battery faffing.

Just got a Lumenator delivered, and it is literally all the light anyone could need, even on the 40% setting – insane brightness……HOWEVER…..with it mounted on my helmet (edit: and using nothing on the bars), I was really struggling to get any sort of perception of depth when it comes to pot holes, sticky-up rocks, etc. I’m assuming other people have a similar issue…unless its my eyes

It’s fine but then I’ve pretty much always ridden with just a helmet light.

It’s fine but then I’ve pretty much always ridden with just a helmet light.

Cool – its probably something i’ll just get used to then 🙂

Good ol’ Hope Vision HID on the bars & nothing else as it’s all I own & can’t afford anything newer 🙁

Lupine tesla 5 on the bars, cheap china XML on my lid, the lupine light is far far far superior, then again one was £20 the other was £300. Exposure flash/flare for commuting.

😉

Troutlight lumen liberator Mk2 is all i need

Money no object and for a total faff free experience, hard to beat a Six Pack and a Diablo.

I actually think the L&M Seca 1400 is a better light than the Six Pack but once you go self contained, it’s hard to go back.

Troutlight lumen liberator on the bars, Ultrafire XML torch on the helmet – great combination but may be tempted with the new Gloworm X1 for the helmet lamp.

Hope Vision 4 on the bars and Lupine Tesla 4 on the helmet. Use this combo because I got the Hope at a great price a few years ago and won the Tesla in a Singletrack competition. As luck would have it they work really well together.

Lupine Wilma on the bars (on it’s fourth winter)
Lupine Piko on the lid (on it’s third winter)

Expensive? Yes, although I didn’t pay full price for either.
Both lights have been faultless, as you would expect for that sort of outlay!

I run a Baja Designs Strykr on the bars and just bought their Strykr SL for the helmet. Awesome power, quality and reliability…