Again a +1 for exposure a i run a very old joystick on the helmet and then a Lumicycle explorer on the bars.
My both are well over 13 years old but still do my 2hr night ride fine.
Had great service from lumicycle over the years to for broken mount and a battery cable came losse. All done free i just paid postage. if you can find some secondhand you can always get new battery from mtb batteries.
Still happy with my Lupine Betty, 8 years old, just onto the second 95wh battery 😀
The outbound lights look good, but run times seem tight.
Another Exposure fan here. Had various Maxx-D/Joystick etc over the years. Upgraded to a outlet store Six Pack two years ago with 3800 lumens and honestly I can't see why I'd ever need any more. Other than USB charging, no reason to upgrade. My diablo is a few years old and battery life has always been an issue (I set mine to high/low on the switch and try to remember to turn it down unless I'm descending).
I've dropped on concrete and broken the lens (£12 to fix) and had the charging circuit replaced (Free) and a new battery last year (about £30 I think). Great service, good products, worth the money for me.
Decent battery life and ideally no seperate battery pack.
I'll be listing a lightly used hope r4+ set as soon as I get a replacement bolt for the mount. They do have a separate battery back, but it's really well thought out.
I have popped a brand new Bontrager Ion Pro RT onto the classifieds if any use for folks.
Ravemen lights get consisitenly good reviews, the PR2400 is a solid option and good priced (£110) from their ebay store with stacked discount codes.
I use one for winter road & 'gravel' riding and I have a maxx-d for MTB. The maxx-d is slightly brighter, slightly wider beam and a bit longer run times, but for the price differrence the Ravemen light is great.
Uses the ABM08 mount so reasonably priced spare mounts too which IMO work better than Expsore which can get a bit sticky over time. It has USB C charging and can function as a powerbank via it's USB A port. It also works with USBC pass though - ie. you can use an external power pack over USB C to power the light.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/405179461504
Anyone used an exposure race? I reckon it’s likely enough light for me - have been fine with the Halfords light and a joystick on my helmet for the past few years.
I’m very curious about outbound lighting. Any one have any experience?
Yes.
My mate had some, I borrowed them for a ride and was sold. Lovely beam pattern, really nice mounting system, easy buttons to press and good enough run time for me.
I had a work trip to the US so got them sent to a colleague over there and picked them up. Saved all the import costs, postage etc so they worked out very reasonable.
I got the fancier head light and the main bar light, can't remember the names.
They've been really really good. Run time is plenty for me - I night ride after work for a couple of hours, 3-4 at most. They do run off a powerbank to extend runtime if needed.
Slightly worrying that if I ever need support it would be expensive, but the price I paid compared to other similar performing lights it was a gamble I took.
My previous lights were
MTB Batteries - not bad, good for the cash
Exposure (had a few failures, and short run times)
Chili Tech Cree Capsule - nice self contained, not a great beam pattern
MagicShine
GloWorms (I had a terrible experience, as per above, with the guy vanishing, order taking months to arrive, then both lights failing a couple of times, battery pack failing, mounts failing, all felt very half baked and poor. I think they have improved)
AyUps long ago (brilliant, but way obsolete now)
So I've had a few - would highly recommend the Outbound, with support complications as a possible catch.
The Downtime podcast on Outbound is a good listen for general light geekery too : https://www.downtimepodcast.com/outbound-lighting/
The Outbound lights do look good but the helmet ones still look a bit underpowered and heavy
All-in-one lights are great for bars but I think helmet lights are best as a separate lightweight lamp unit,and a battery you can put in a jersey pocket or bag. Once you go beyond 2 leds and an 18650 battery it gets too heavy.
shame no one seems to be doing a two or three led, 2000lm ish head unit that’s compatible with magicshine batteries
I thought exactly the same, and don't like weight on my helmet. Always preferred a wired battery and a very powerful tight spot on the lid. Not any more.
Mounting them centrally and getting the balance right means I don't really notice it, but I do enjoy the lack of cable. I don't ride MTB in jerseys with pockets, or carry a bag.
As for power, the podcast dives into power in some good detail and my experience is the same - a really nice beam pattern highlights the trail without blowing out detail and leaving eyes struggling to see contrast.
I've had PBs at night with Outbound versus any other light, or even day time riding.
I'm still using a combination of Magic Shine lamps with original or MTB batteries battery, preferring separate units for the helmet light at least.
Looking at Exposure lights for potential eventual replacement, the bar mount always gives me the jeebies - looks a bit frail in the event of a crash. Anyone have crash experience either way - mount survived / trashed ?
Yep, me. 3rd year in now, been faultless. Currently got the Evo Downhill Package (Evo & Hangover), originally had the separate battery pack version, upgraded to Downhill.
I'm still using a combination of Magic Shine lamps with original or MTB batteries battery, preferring separate units for the helmet light at least.
Looking at Exposure lights for potential eventual replacement, the bar mount always gives me the jeebies - looks a bit frail in the event of a crash. Anyone have crash experience either way - mount survived / trashed ?
Well I threw mine roughly to the ground yesterday and it survived. Came up muddy but unbloodied! Often I forget to remove the six pack from the mount and happily drive home with it acting as a 60mph wind brake on the trailer. First time I've used lights for a while and my six pack/diablo combo is more than good enough even being a few years old.
The diablo is sometimes a bit sulky and turns itself off. It's been fixed for free but still causes occasional moment of hilarity / terror as it goes into flash mode just when I need to see where i'm going. Not sure that justifies a new one even with the STW discount.
I used my Axis at the tail end of Fridays ride so assumed it would be ok on Tuesday but it wouldn't even turn on.
The Outbound does look a well thought out piece of kit and they are available on eBay without huge import and shipping fees.
Just listened to the podcast linked above- very interesting stuff. I’m more tempted by one of their helmet lights after listening to the owner; might see what I’ll get for my Gloworm X2 setup on the classifieds (shameful stealth ad I know!)
Just for interest I’ve ordered some heat resistant yellow acetate sheet to add a bit of a yellow tint to the lights and see what it’s like- harking back to the Lumi halogen days!
Re Exposure mounts, I’ve broken one in 17 years and that was from overtightening when the pivot pin was a bit rusty. They’ve changed the design since then and beefed it up. I also prefer a few layers of gorilla tape on the bar as I find that grippier than the shims you get with the light
A friend broke his Exposure mount by inadvertently picking up his e-bike with the light instead of handlebar.
What the mounts do is hold the light very securely and guarantee it’s pointing in exactly the right orientation for every ride.
I don't ride MTB in jerseys with pockets, or carry a bag.
i put my remote helmet light battery in my trouser pocket?
i would prefer no cable but weight V runtime is the issue for helmet lights. The single LED Chilli capsule was light and has a lovely beam spread/pattern but runtimes are too short. (the 2 led version isnt as good). I`ve gone to a cable for the runtime and less faff/worry.
i prefer a good helmet light and a lower power / nice spread bar light.
As an aside. I have one of the Halfords bar lights. I used to use a hope bar mount adaptor for it which was great. But now I'm running 35mm bars and the hope clamp won't fit around it. Does anyone have any recommendations for a suitable bar clamp?
Just ordered a Maxx-D mk17 (the brand new one) from Start Fitness on eBay for £355 with the current 20% off code (STYLISH20). £100 cheaper than from them direct
Can anyone running a Four4th Scortch share what the beam pattern is like? Ie tight spot vs floody
it seems to have the same spec as the Zenith but for half the price. And now comes with a switch instead of the tap-touch nonsense that won’t work with thick gloves
I've been using a Nitenumen X8 on the bars and a Lezyne Classic Drive on my helmet for almost 10 years now. Between the two I probably spent £130. They're more than enough for me riding singletrack in dark woods.
I can't seem to find Nitenumen as a seller anymore, but it looks like Lezyne do a few bar mount lights for around the £100 mark.
@RicB I would just contact four4th. I was asking them a load of questions when I bought my bar light (i bought the helmet one from Ebay and didn't know what model it was) and they are really good to talk to.
Chances are they will have pics etc.
I have an omg and holy moses and can't recommend them enough
The beam on my Scorch is not that tight - it’s a wider beam than a Diablo I used before and IMHO is just right for a helmet lamp - it needs a bit more flood if you want to use it on the bars though. My only criticism of it is the switch but the newer one solves that
Those Four4th lights do look good. I very nearly bought a Scorch but then spotted the OMG specs, which are impressive!
is there any real-world feedback on the green LEDs, in particular how they’d work with a white led (Maxx-D) bar light?
is there any real-world feedback on Four4th customer service too? Exposure customer service is fantastic but obviously built into the price. And their self-contained helmet lights seem too pricey for the performance
Outbound and Full On Lighting look great but I’m not inclined to import anything from across the Atlantic at rhe moment as everything seems a bit risky wrt tariffs and potential future support
I haven't got the green led's. When I asked for the pair to my helmet light they just matched the colour. i assume there was a reason for that. Worth reaching out, they were very quick for me. Bear in mind, my helmet light is at least 4 years old and has been flawless and the new one is just over a year. I don't think you will have issues
Just seen the Outbound lights are available via Bird Bikes
£50 more expensive for rhe Evo/Portal than ordering direct though, inc all taxes etc
Just spotted the price difference is because Outbound US have a BF sale on the package.
The Evo light on its own is the same price on both websites
Four4th look like they should be (a lot) cheaper than Exposure 😕
I paid £60 less for my Maxx D than one of these brand new from the outlet, albeit that was 2 years ago
I have just recieved my Exposure Race mk16 bought via the outlet ( 40% off) and the ST 18% off discount code added for £140.
Its non flash but i do not need a flash in the.forest.
I think that good value 😀
I will use with a Joystick on my helmet for gravel circuits after dusk.
I still run Hope lights, and as stated really good at fixing but they don't show on the website any more
I've noticed that too- have they quietly stopped production? I had a battery fail about a year ago and they quickly fixed it and sent it back free of charge despite being well out of warranty.
I love my hope R4+ broken a few times but has been repaired foc. Just sent it back again. Was thinking of replacing with an exposure but obviously you can not swap the battery out like you can sthe hope.
Magicshine have a sale on, and I need a new bar light, and do still have a couple of good 4x18650 batteries. Is there anything better / cheaper for £190? I like the sound of the nice flooded beam, I like the bigger battery. I'm not a fan of 15 modes and having to cycle through the flashing modes (seriously manufacturers, just give us a super low for the road, trail and descend, then hide the flash behind some double clicks or have the mid/trail levels adjusted by press and holding), but it sounds like the remote lets you cycle between full beam and last mode which will do for 90% of the time.
https://magicshineuk.com/product/monteer-6500s-galaxy-v2-0-remote-mtb-light/
Four4th look like they should be (a lot) cheaper than Exposure
They are very good though. I suspect the more aggressive looking cooling fins are because most of their lights aren't all-in-one units.
The green LED's are something that actually works and for some reason isn't widely copied (although magicshine have mixed blue and yellow LED's, don't know if simply mixing colour temperatures is enough to get the benefit though).
And the white surround over the LED's stops you getting blinded every time you stand up and lean forward on a climb.
The QR/pin release system and stem mounted batteries do solve a real-world problem if you're racing 24h events and don't want to buy two entire light units, but do want a neat setup without long cables.
I've a MK3 maxx d and joystick I put on my cc before leaving the (staff discount,) shop.
16 years later they still did a good turn at the puffer. Having done 10 out of the 20 events along with associated training and commuting.
Since then I've bought a revo , Mk7 joystick 2 sets of trace(r) and 2 red eyes.
Per year cost I can't fault that spend.
I commute with dynamo svtzo lights now and exposure werent interested in making a shroud to fit the revo like they did with other lights at the time so I have b+m ixo set up and it's very fragile feeling comparatively.
I've a sinewave on my bike packing bike- my Revo is still a better light beam and the cuts are better - but the usb output on the sinewave swung me to them as all the(third party) usb kits I've used over the years for my Revo have been hopeless.
If I was starting from scratch with what I know now I'd buy exposure every time - but without that Experiance I can see why they just look over priced.
Bought a Lupine Wilma 14 back in 2016 onnthe Cycke2 work scheme and it's still fgoing strong :). Still get 3.5 hours at 2200 lumens. Completely impresses with the power and how they light up the trial, even now. Maybe N=1. but still. £504 ten years ago and still going. They owe me nothing and still delivering smiles per mile this winter
Ive just (earlier this afternoon) ordered a Cateye AMPP 1300 to use as a helmet lamp, to backup a Lumicycle unit on the bars. It'll also spend a fair bit of its time sitting by the back door for duties clearing up after the dog in the back garden, replacing an elderly Lezyne whose switch has conked out. I wasn't going to buy another of those, because American.
Yea, I'd like Exposure, but currently trying to stretch my savings and JSA as far as possible.
Bought a Lupine Wilma 14 back in 2016 onnthe Cycke2 work scheme and it's still fgoing strong :). Still get 3.5 hours at 2200 lumens. Completely impresses with the power and how they light up the trial, even now. Maybe N=1. but still. £504 ten years ago and still going. They owe me nothing and still delivering smiles per mile this winter
Yea, I've got an original MTBbatteries Lumenator (the 1800 lumen one) that must be of similar vintage, Even the original P7 / Bastid / 808 is still in the shed as a spare. I prefer it on the helmet with it's wider beam as I was never a fan of spotlights, seems like my eyes swivel more than my head.
The only lamp I've killed was a Nitefighter BT70, which was an absolute beast that kept snapping mounts! Not sure if the switch was flaky or if an IC lost it's programming but it stopped cycling through modes after a few winters. Ironically the MTBbatteris battery died so it now gets used with the Chinese BT70 battery.
