Looking at trying some night riding in the local woods but dont want to fork out £££ if it's not something I enjoy. What's the go to for a cheap 'ebay spesh' to get me started? I've heard the solarstorm lights are half decent but also have a habit of exploding batteries when charging?! Thanks in advance
I have the solarstorm x3 its ace. £17 from ebay. I go night riding every week during winter and find one of these on my bars and one on my helmet is more than enough.
Burn times aren't great though so you do need to keep it on low or medium for the easy bits and only stick it on high for the techy or wooded singletrack bits.
Burn times aren’t great though so you do need to keep it on low or medium for the easy bits and only stick it on high for the techy or wooded singletrack bits.
I always buy cheap lights that run on expensive quality 18650 batteries and take a few with me in case they run out.
I buy my batteries from Torchy on ebay and they've out lasted a few lights and still going strong. Buying quality batteries is worth it and I don't fear them exploding (as much)
I also have a battery holder for a 18650 battery with USB plug so this will charge my Garmin or phone in emergencies.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/313284247427
I’d just buy the Halfords advanced 1600 light as you don’t have to worry about batteries of dubious origins catching fire / exploding etc. Normally about £50 and it’s a nice all in one unit so you don’t have connectors / wires to have dangling everywhere. Also pretty bright and decent runtime.
Whats the battery life of the Halfords 1600 like? Want a new bar light as my Magicshine only just does 3hrs now mixed high/low beam use. Could do with nearer 4 for night group rides
I've got an X2 that I use as a helmet light and a pair of single LED lights on the bars. On paper the single LEDs are not as bright as the twin X2 but they are actually brighter and run for longer. As the supplied battery packs die I but better ones from Ebay, these give much greater run times than the supplied batteries. Take the claimed light output with a pinch of salt too.
I don't think you'll get 4 hours out of the Halfords light on full power.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nestling%C2%AE-Cree-X2-Flashlight-Rechargeable/dp/B0747MYNGF
These 'style'.
Available lots of places, but look for the ones with the 6x battery pack - usually only a pound or so dearer and 1.5x run-time.
but also have a habit of exploding batteries when charging?!
This is the Russian roulette you play with 🇨🇳 batteries, go for a 🇨🇳 🔦 & U.K. 🔋 or, just bite the bullet & buy from https://www.mtbbatteries.co.uk/mountain-bike-lights/lumenator-18/
for me, I spent extra cash on a complete UK purchase for piece of mind whilst charging.
(i may have a barely used 1 year old Lumenator 18 for sale...)
I've read forum long term posts on these lights and the reviews are good, but always point out the batteries are the big let down. Much said about recycled batteries being used by them, and having a better quality set with a better quality charger makes a big difference to their longevity.
As per Querty, stop the russian roulette of buying chinese, and buy a decent unit with good backup/support from MTBBatteries. Yes there a bit more expensive but that because he stands behind his product, and it's definitely no where near Exposure prices
https://www.mtbbatteries.co.uk/mountain-bike-lights/
If you do insist on the cheapest option then buy something with a battery box, like intheboarders posted, so you can at least try to get some decent batteries
@Halifaxpete, The Halford unit is pretty good, and yes you'd get 4hrs out of the lower setting, but I wouldn't want to be riding fast using the lower setting.
I have a solarstorm X2 and it's great for the price as a starter light. My battery has been fine and still lasts well years after buying it.
I'm now using a Halfords 1600, mainly because I prefer an all in one unit. The Halfords has a better beam pattern and lasts a bit longer but I still feel you can't go far wrong with the X2 given the price.
The Halfords wouldn't last 4 hours on full power but would easily last that long if you turn it down to low power for climbing.
I have a solarstorm X2 and it’s great for the price as a starter light. My battery has been fine and still lasts well years after buying it.
+1 for the light unit, although I have a charger and batteries from mtbbatteries. Has served me for years. Eventually got a second unit and a splitter cable. I also have a USB cable so I can run them from a big power bank which packs in a frame/top-tube bag.
Wouldn’t use it on the road though. For that get a decent road light.
Are the batteries removable from the pack as I have a good stash of 18650's and a proper charger for them, or are they plug in the 'pack' to charge?
Batteries aren't removable on my solarstorm, they look like four batteries shrink wrapped together
Easy, Convoy S2+
These
Batteries + charger from the same place but the ones they do separate from the kit. Two cell for helmet and 4 cell for bars
I've got one of these coming with the latest Cree xhp70 emitter, needs modding to a go pro style mount though going by other reviews.
I have a Solarstorm X2. My pal just bought a Solarstorm X3 (or clone) and it is very poor compared to my X2. I can't fault the X2, but his X3 on full power was as bright as my X2 on the dimmest setting. I was not impressed, but it did make me chuckle, especially as he had mounted it on his head and it was massive.
wzzzz
Free MemberI’ve got one of these coming with the latest Cree xhp70 emitter, needs modding to a go pro style mount though going by other reviews.
Interested to see how you get on with that one, I had the 1st gen and it was pretty decent, but very very white.
Interested to see how you get on with that one, I had the 1st gen and it was pretty decent, but very very white.
I ordered the neutral colour temp to go with a bl2s i run on my helmet.
It made the UK in 5 days from order, but has already been waiting in customs longer than that....
Those fake solarstorm things are useless, fake emitters poorly constructed. I don't think you can even buy the genuine ones anywhere.
Lumenator with 3 hrs on full sounds amazing.
How does it compare in brightness to a Diablo?
With lock down the trails are full of walkers. Heading out when everyone is going home sounds like a good strategy.
My Solarstorm X2 lasted ok, although I used a different battery and charger because I didn’t want to burn my house down. The light unit is good but doesn’t have any current regulation so it eats through the battery quite quickly on Full
The BT21 light unit I bought after was infinitely better but they’re very hard to find now.
As others have said- buy the mtb batteries or Halfords lights. They’ll last well and hold their value so you’ll a good price second hand if you decide night riding isn’t for you