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eBay is full of 1000+ lumen lights for <£20 which is great but you know they won't be up to spec.
'brands' of lights offer the same for >£100
Assuming a 3,000 lumen Chinese light does half of what it says it is still about 1/4 or less of the cost of a brand light.
Remind me why I shouldn't just cough for a crappy Chinese light an bin it at the end of winter please.
I have had a couple of chinese lights for a year or so and they are great.
Minor gripe is that the velcro straps for the battery holders could be better, although I have noted that some of my mates who have purchased more recently have ones with double straps.
Factor in the battery may be a refurbished laptop battery so may not last, but still a decent battery for about £50 [i]if[/i] needed, is still cheaper.
Yes the quoted light output is often [i]enthusiastic[/i] but they are still damn bright.
The lights are great. Perfectly good for night riding at a bargain price. The batteries are a bit hit and miss. I've had a couple of good ones and one duffer. Easily upgraded though.
Remind me why I shouldn't just cough for a crappy Chinese light an bin it at the end of winter please.
Don't forget to budget for when the crappy battery explodes while being charged and burns your house down
Remind me why I shouldn't just cough for a [s]crappy[/s] Chinese light an bin it at the end of winter please.
cos you'll get several winters out of it so, so don't bother binning it.
I run a couple of these, well made, nothing like claimed lumens, but very very bright. Run at medium it's fine for high speed off road in the peak district. just got another for the helmet. £15 delivered...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/301912453511?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
helmet mount I use the supplied o-rings and helmet mount. on the bars I use a Lumicycle QR mount.
Battery life on medium is over 3 hours, never ridden longer but the gauge LED is still green.
Buy a Chinese light. Buy an intellicore charger, your own waterproof 18650 case and a load of batteries from torchy the battery boy off eBay.
Aldi have a cycle gear special next Thursday (or pre-order online now), which includes a Moon Nebula front and rear replica for ~£13 each.
The real Nebula rear is amazing!
Might not be so good for off-road, but commuting...
If you ride a lot, then the >£100 lights are a better bet. Better sealed, better batteries, better cables etc and they will last many winters, not just one. If you factor in the cost of a battery and charger upgrade, the cheap light is pushing towards £100 anyway.
I should have mentioned, I have just bought a battery pack from smudge at MBT Batteries so that issue is covered
Some of them used to just quote the maxium possible output from their LED compliment, something that wasn't acheivable when you factor in heat, regulation, etc.
Now they just quote numbers that are completely impossible.
The battery packs are hit and miss and the chargers can be dangerous.
By the time you have bought a safe charger and batteries you are approaching the cost from somewhere like mtbbatteries, and definitely past C and B Seen.
So I would suggest C & B Seen as the first port of call, and then mtbbatteries if you feel flusher.
Get a bar and helmet set.
If you get the mtbbatteries set I wager that you won't be buying another set for several years.
http://www.candb-seen.co.uk/category-cycling.html
http://www.mtbbatteries.co.uk/mountain-bike-lights/
In that case, get a luminator head unit from Smudge. Job done.
It's the batteries that are the big cost and they are the biggest upgrade
I have a good chinese bar light (Nitefighter BT40s) with a separate 4 cell battery pack, good panasonic 18650s and a 4 bay charger (that I had already)
That lot is probably pushing £100 on it's own I guess. My solarstorm was cheap but the battery pack was cheap too. Only upgraded the head as water got into it, it still works but I don't trust it enough on a night ride
The cost is all in the battery and a warranty with a UK based seller.
Typically the ~£100 2000lm lights are all much the same, they are all using 2xXML U2 with similar housings/optics etc.
Since you've already got the battery, you can spend ~£20 on a head lamp from ebay, or you can spend ~£15 more to get it from a UK distributor that'll help you out if something goes wrong.
These are great:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01HHNBPYW
(5000lm might be a [i]slight[/i] exaggeration!)
Had one of the older, single LED ones and the battery just packed up. Unfortunately didn't explode, could've done with the insurance payout. It just refused to charge.
Is there a good budget bike light that does not have an external battery pack?
Most of the lights with integrated batteries tend to be high end, or commuter lights.
For a budget helmet light I'm using this torch from C and B seen...
http://www.candb-seen.co.uk/product-cb-seen-900-lm-multi-focus-flashlighttorch.html
Add in a couple of 18650's and a charger from Torchy.
After years of using "Cheap" chinese lights, I bit the bullet and bought an Exposure Diablo and haven't looked back. All in one design, plenty of modes UK firm etc. It cost a reasonable amount but I'm confident in it not packing up like all the other chinese ones have. I've had 5 or 6 head units of varying strengths (nearly all of them had the cable come loose and let water in, they were also intermittent, you could happily be riding along and they'd pack up. The last solarstorm I bought registered that it was connected to the battery which had full charge but wouldn't switch on. Dissapointing as when the light worked it was great. The reliability has been so poor. Having had numerous batteries I've never experienced any fireballs or explosions during charging!
eskay - MemberIs there a good budget bike light that does not have an external battery pack?
It depends what you mean by "budget".
I've just ordered an Ituo Wiz20 from Bright Bike Lights @ £94.50 which gets great reviews and Trevor is a top bloke to deal with.
http://www.brightbikelights.com/wiz20-1500-lumen-mountain-and-commuter-light
Alternatively you could take a chance on one of these which could truly be described as budget.
Doesn't include batteries but then at least you can source some decent ones from Torchy.
When commuting on an off-road cycle path what you really need is a million lumen chinese light on BOTH your bars and your lid which has such a shitty beam pattern that you look like an exploding supernova visible from 10 miles away. At least, thats what half of the ****s heading the other way around here seem to think. 😀 Makes me really dread the winter which is a shame as I love night riding otherwise!Might not be so good for off-road, but commuting...
I'm a long time user of Lumicycle for bar lights. They're well made, reliable (in 15 years I've had 1 issue, which happened at the house not on a ride, and it's never recurred - and I've only needed 2 sets of lights in that time, admittedly not riding every week any more, but I suspect that's what did in the first light, leaving the batteries uncharged for so long) and with good backup (I phoned re. the issue, got assured I could send it back if I wanted but it didn't sound terminal to them - it hasn't happened again).
When I bought the replacement, I though about getting a cheap light, but the "oh they're fine if you just make your own sealed battery bag for on the bike and charge them in a biscuit tin" didn't fill me with confidence, and for the money saved it wasn't worth it (plus it's nice to get an honest number of lumens).
When the current light wears out, the only thing that might put me off lumicycle is the seperate battery bag, which doesn't work too well on my frames these days and stems are all too short for it, so it hangs on the bars in a slightly imperfect way. That said, nothing wrong with the cheap lights if you can be arsed faffing.
I admit I have a non-lumicycle helmet light, but if that fails I'm not so much up shit creek as when I used to use bar mounted lights only, and it's form a relatively reputable manufacturer.
I'm a fan of cheap Chinese lights, or at least the Head units (XML U2 LEDs or whatever they come with now) and just paying out for a less explody battery/charger, the lights themselves are an indeed an almost disposable item, the real place for any "Investment" is in batteries IMO.
The only thing at the minute is I prefer not to have wires trailing all over the place on my road bike and Gravel bikes so 18650 call torches and/or lights with integrated batteries suit that need better, I am still impressed with the USB chargeable Magicshine MJ-890 I bought after a PSA here earlier in the year for ~£12, still not bad at £20 I'd say, might buy another.
On the MTB, For helmet mounted lights, definitely go with cheap single or double XML head units with a decent battery in a back pocket or rucksack, for a bit of grunt on the bars same again with the battery in a storage bottle mounted on the frame....
I'll concede the reflector design and beam spread on exposure lights is far better than that of cheap Chinese lights (which all use basic torch reflectors and lenses) but ebay specials still do the job...
I've used various lights over the years, mostly Chinese, Hope or Exposure.
In general, my favorites have been the Hopes but the easiest to live with have been Exposure. Chinese ones, whilst cheap, tend to take a lot of looking after / fettling / replacing bits / binning in my experience.
eskay - MemberIs there a good budget bike light that does not have an external battery pack?
[url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/road-riding-in-the-dark/page/2#post-7972568 ]see my recommendation on another, recent thread. I am very impressed with it and so very cheap[/url]
Of the two chinese sets I had, one battery expoded, the other lamp fell apart, no recourse.
I've had MTB batteries for 3 years and all positive correspondence from Mark one might expect.
YMMV
I run 2 of these, one on bars and one on helmet.
Going into there third winter and still running great.
I've used the Chinese lights for about 4 years now. Had a battery die and had to replace for nominal cost. Other than that they have been great.
However - my friend had one explode in his house, melting a shelf and his bedroom carpet. So I would advise a charger that cuts out, or charging them in a cake tin in the garage!
Is there a good budget bike light that does not have an external battery pack?
NiteRider Lumina 750 - it's not just decent, it is very, very good! Pair that with a Lumina 400 on the helmet (the helmet bracket comes in the box with the 750, but not with 400!) and you've got a properly reliable and powerful setup for Winter for very little money (in a good light's world)!
For solo riding the LOW settings on both is sufficient for 95% of fast XC riding. Goes up to MED on scary stuff.
Cheap, self contained and bright as the sun. Running Torchy batteries so non exploding too. Used a clip on water bottle cage as a mount. It can rotate on a big bump if positioned above the bar. Underneath is not a problem.
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@zippy I looked at some of those 'skyray' torches last winter but didn't bother in the end, how is it on battery life? I only really fancy the 3 LED version TBH as 7/9/11 etc seem a bit OTT.
My commute is off road and normally takes 20 minutes. Admittedly it's not on all the time but I charge them at the end of the week . So far it's never gone flat.
Obviously I wouldn't expect it to run at 100 minutes continuously and not go flat.
It will easily do an hour full beam.
Just carry extra batteries and you can go forever. It takes 4 batteries but will run on one to get you home.
Every time I turn it on I still get excited!
Remind me why I shouldn't just cough for a crappy Chinese light an bin it at the end of winter please.
Sustainability. We need to stop treating our environment as disposable. I've had the same set of Lumicycle bar lights for around five years now. Still working, still brilliant, great customer service on the one occasion I needed it for an ageing switch. They've been used a lot.
Buy a Chinese light. Buy an intellicore charger, your own waterproof 18650 case and a load of batteries from torchy the battery boy off eBay.
This is exactly what I've done, they're still going strong 3 years later.
I've had three Chinese lights and the only problem I've had was the mount falling off, easy enough to fix either by replacing the bolt or with Jubilee clips.
However, if you have access to a CNC, I made a collar for mine that means I can fit it on a tripod mount and therefore a GoPro mount. I'm currently making a version that can be 3D printed.
[img] http://imgur.com/2Tjdymy [/img]
[img] 
[/img]
I've got a couple of Solarstorms which came with some amazingly bad batteries.
I think they were about £15 each, spent £20 on a decent battery off the ebay guy people recommend & it's great for the handful of night rides I do, and commuting.
Tend to run a couple as I commute pretty much all the way on back roads, so want to scare off the wildlife with s death wish 🙂
I've tried some mega expensive Exposure lights which were lovely, but at over 10 times the price after my UK source battery, it was complete overkill for my needs.
The problem with the solarstorms is that you have ot have a bit of luck whether you get a good one or not.
I've opened up 3 of them, all very different inside. I presume because it's only the casing that is the solarstorm part and they're getting fitted out inside by different manufacturers with different electronics inside. (Chinese manufacturing innit)
of the 3 the first i had was brilliant, the two i have had since have been terrible.
Worth going for a light from someone who will back up their product. I just bought an mtb light from torchy off ebay and a spare battery.
850lumen from a single LED, a re-celled 5200mah waterproof battery and a smaller backup battery for £60
I got one of the CREE MTB lights from Aldi. £39.99 and 3 year warranty, plenty bright enough too.
Can you get 18650 battery cases without the USB cable? EBay says no.
Why? as somebody said sustainability.
My first set of proper lights were AyUp's they lasted 4 years and are still a backup set, replaced with an exposure diablo more than happy with that so far. As far as lights lumens are one measure but they need good optics and all that to make them a good light
These are my favourite at the moment:
Full setup (with decent cells according to reviews)
http://www.gearbest.com/bicycling-gear/pp_180805.html?wid=21
Head unit only (buy batteries from MTB Batteries or [url= http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/m.html?_odkw=magicshine&_ssn=hunk_lee&_sac=1&_osacat=888&_from=R40&_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1313.TR9.TRC1.A0.H0.Xmagicshine+panasonic.TRS0&_nkw=magicshine+panasonic&_sacat=888 ]Hunk Lee[/url])
http://www.gearbest.com/bicycling-gear/pp_182282.html?wid=21
These are great:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01HHNBPYW
(5000lm might be a slight exaggeration!)
Had one of the older, single LED ones and the battery just packed up. Unfortunately didn't explode, could've done with the insurance payout. It just refused to charge.
They are just like mine, although I think mine have a different name on them (same price, same design, from Amazon).
I decided I needed some as I don't want to just be a summer rider. I've used these a few times now off road and everyone's been impressed. Being from Amazon I would [i]hope [/i]they would have been tested and unlikely for the battery to explode.
I thought about a head unit too but don't think I really need one.
Has anyone tried the recent Alpkit offering?
Mid price range at £100ish - I'd link if I could get their website to work...
Not sure if they're anymore reliable than standard chinese fare but at least you know the warranty / customer support will be excellent?
I think they are MagicShine lights rebranded. MagicShine are pretty well regarded and I think the price is similar from Alpit compared to anywhere else, so agree that their CS makes it worth buying from them.Not sure if they're anymore reliable than standard chinese fare but at least you know the warranty / customer support will be excellent?
Sorry, but anything like £100 for what is, frankly, a torch is just mental. I could maybe understand it if you were talking about unsupported forays into the artic circle or similar where robustness and longevity were at a premium but we're mostly pootling around in woods and/or on the commute. 2 years of all weather commuting for me on cheapo Chinese eBay specials. I did cling film the battery pack first but other than that I've done nothing and they've been spot on. I will concede that the pattern isn't a great spread and the period from "going a bit flat" to "off" is disconcerting but for £16 I simply can't fathom the cost differential. Admittedly if my house had melted I'd probably have a different slant.