[Closed] your perfect bike light

i like my trinewt coupled with a mini usb to 'get to the trails' type idea. does what i want it to do so therefore is perfect. for me.

Charges using a mini USB socket - no more proprietary chargers to lose and have to replace.

I use homemade 2 x quad Cutter R2s on the bars, one narrow & one medium optic powered from a 6.6Ah Li ion battery with Maxflex3 controllers & a triple R2 on the helmet with a 2.2Ah built in to 3 Marwi nitepro MR11 alloy housings.
Just use the 1000ma & 350ma settings for high/low, get over 3 hours run time on full power, they weigh next to nothing & cost me under £100 to build (batteries are borrowed from work as we use them for portable equipment)
Over 2000 lumens & I've been over 40mph downhill offroad which I couldn't do with 800 lumens last year.
I only do 2 - 3 hour night rides so the requirements of say a 24 hour racer would be much different.
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Ideal for what I want, light, compact, more than enough power (you can't turn down what you haven't got!) I also think that you should have 2 completely seperate systems in case one fails.

one of your beasts with a built in battery like a exposure one but that lasts around 6 hours

Not too bright, not too white and battery lasts for ages.

2 lamp units, 1 bar mount, 1 helmet mount running cordless from a single battery in backpack...

oh yes... 1000 lumens for 50p too! 😉

Good flood but also with with a penetrating spot, 3 settings low, med, high, built in battery pack (something like 3 or 4 18650's that can be removed and charged or easily replaced), cheap (of course). anything over 700 - 800 lumens should be enough output for offroad use....

Compact Cree T5 quad or similar with two light levels, compact external battery, spot beam with some spread and a battery level indicator - sounds a bit like one of those Tiger Lights but with four LEDs rather than three.

Preferably retrospectively upgradeable with latest LEDs - as per Lumicycle - and light enough to bar or helmet mount with an optional modular remote control, preferably wireless 🙂

And all for 20 quid 😉

I'm not bothered about tiny casings and mega light weights - not for trail use anyway, though it makes more sense for helmet lights. On the side of things, a Joystick Maxx with a P7 or similar please, but aren't Exposure about to start doing just that?

Simple really.

For me it would be a compact light unit that could be mounted on bars or helmet. 3 power settings: ~1000 lumens max, ~500 lumens for less technical trails and give longer battery life and maybe ~100 lumens for commuting. Battery life should be about 3 hours on max on a "standard" battery pack (whatever that may be). Bar mount should be nice and simple but effective. I always thought the Lupine Edison rubber ring method was perfect. Battery should also be unobtrusive and easily mountable on stem/bars/tubes. No proprietory connectors for cable and batteries. A range of battery capacities. It must be waterproof. Ability to charge batteries from a 12v car source.

I ride several times a week over the winter and ride D2D every year. Something that does the above would be a winner for me. I think the key is having a light that I can use on-road as well as I have to ride on them to and from the trails near me.

I would also like the moon on a stick 😉

Thanks,

Daim

how about a mix and match package. e.g select
batterys 2,4,6ah.
lights e.g helmet, dual bar and tripple overkill.
1 charger for all
and a choice of qr brackets and helmet mounts
hi-lo settings are a must with a nice easy to use button on the unit
all in nice tiny packages with solid waterproof conectors and seals

Something that lights the way really well like your Mag Mod Tripple that will last for 5 hours+ on one battery, that is light and comes with bar, stem and helmet mount all under £200 built.

for me it would be helmet mounted, 4 leds, 2 central ones straight forwards - spots, and the outside pair more of a flood to light up the sides of the trail.
Must be light and also fit the profile of my giro hex rather than a matchbox shape.

Battery in backpack

wireless/remote switch on the bars to toggle thru output/brightness

Trout, ever fancied a go at a self contained flashing rear light? One that projects a red patch on the road behind the rider, but still has the BS requirments of reflector and visability?

http://niterider.com/prod_pro600.shtml
http://niterider.com/prod_pro1200.shtml
ahem.

this looks good.

1 bars (spready), 1 head (spotty)

dunno about how bright til I see some newer lights in action

switchable at least between med/high (maybe low for the road, or maybe just fitted with a decent "shade" like TJ's has - worries me what a half-blinded driver might achieve one day)

remote battery for headlight, not bothered about bars so much

(I quite like remote switches for bar lights, like old vistas used to have - so you can mount nearish to your hands)

I did also toy with the idea of a system that used the speed pulses from a bike computer to vary the light output to give more light the faster you go.

troutie whats good for a helmet light? Been using a tesco one coupled with a P7 on the bars. Would like to order a 18650 compatible focused beam torch from Deal Extreme. Sorry for the hijack 🙂

IMO I dont think there can be a single perfect light. Prefer one on the bars and one poiting where I am looking.

From what I've seen, the Troutlight (and others) seem to offer plenty in the way of brute force output so perhaps I'd like to see some more 'function based' options such as:
Twist adjust optics (like maglite torches?) so you could tailor the beam to your riding conditions
Flexible fibre optic (or tiny led??) output for reading bar mounted gadgetry
Body system that allows you to switch between onboard batteries for short runs and a remote battery for longer rides (ie detach the battery pack and replace with connector unit)
Something that performs a similar function to the L*m*c*cle glowring to give some peripheral visibility
and of course, plenty of colour options to enable coordination with your blingery 😉

snaps - the trouble with that may be that the slow speed techy stuff may suffer

Actually Trout, the other thing I though was good about your massive light was the downward "spill" - would be extra nice if it could extend far enough back to show the chainrings (& what's wrapped around them now & then) but less of an issue for anyone with a headlight

Fenix PD30 - buy 2 and you're sorted for under 100sniffs inc twofish lockblox and batteries

two lights. Both single MCe or P7 leds. tight beam for head and medium for bars. both with 2 levels of light. Gives 4 levels in total - plenty of light with decent life without too big a battery.

similar unit configuration to exposure lights but with the battery piggybacked in, and preferably the ability to piggyback more than one battery, with the option of running batteries off a lead as well- letting you helmet mount with remote batteries, or run one battery on the lamp and one on the frame etc.

Just two modes- high or low beam at the flick of the switch. I have no need for strobe and its a PITA having to cycle through different settings when your riding.

Something that has a good spread to the sides, with good depth penetration. Your mega 6 led looks just the ticket, but possibly having a remote switch close to the thumb. O-ring attachment like Lupine or the bastid DX light. If the mounts from that light are available as spares then fitted to your light with a remote would be nigh-on perfect, with a smaller 3led helmet mounted with a spot beam. Oh, and hours of battery life, please. 😉

The night vision of a bat - ultimate stealth mode 😈

Good flood and depth coverage is a must. I like the idea of twist adjust optics.

I'd like an LED light, one unit with the battery inside, high focused beam for normal riding with a wide spread for offroad. It needs some lights to tell me the battery power and a switch for very easy changing between beam spreads, not pressing the same button to cycle through them. Oh, and *has* to have a permanent on low with flashing for road riding. Plenty of side visibility too.

Obviously long battery life is essential. My exposure enduro light is fairly close to what I'd ever want, it just doesn't have the wide spread or the side visibility.

Also, I want a high quality rear light. Battery included, LED's that offer flashing, steady and both at the same time plus side visibility but for a rear light the most important thing is waterproofness. I'm tired of rear lights having to be replaced through water ingress. Make alight that's properly waterproof.

voice control

lasers

disco mode with a mirrorball

The self contained nature of exposures makes them good for when commuting.

As well as the ability to adjust brightness would be the ability to adjust beam pattern too (like the Maglite function someone mentioned earlier).

Battery charge indicator good too. Also cycling through settings can be a PITA, better to press a button for a setting.. but then cycling for settings may be easiest if you could get a good remote button thats slim and can fit next to the brake lever, otherwise you end up with loads of buttons.

Having gone to a bar mounted light I think helmet mounted is best for all those 'corner of the eye / looking round corners / at the chainset' sort of stuff...

Therefore a head mounted L&M spread beam (flood with good spot) that is incredibly light, with minimal wiring with a small battery in the pocket and a handlebar remote to adjust power setttings would be great.

Heh, I can imagine Trout shaking his head thinking, 'how the hell do I resolve all these different requirements'. Not sure you can, but while your existing design light, with an o-ring mount and remote switch is about as ideal as it gets an alternative Exposure-type light, using 18560 batteries that are chargable in the light, but easily replacable further down the line, with easily upgradeable LEDs, making a modular, future-proof light, again with an o-ring mount. Why the o-ring emphasis? I've got several bikes with different size bars, so swapping brackets has to be removed from the system if possible. Is this light possible? Yes, I guess it is, with the right sort of engineering. Can it be done cheaply, like the existing Trout-light? $64000 question, that.

Have to admit, my Airbike SL2 is pretty much perfect.

700-ish lumens max
3 switchable levels
1 strobe setting
Good wide beam
Good construction
Great battery life
£125

Some will say it's too floody but I prefer a bar mounted light to be floody and if you need a focussed light it should really be helmet mounted

Some interesting feedback there thanks some doable some not so doable
unless you work for a couple of rice grains a day .

Trout, as above, there are lots of lights that are OK for off road.
The one gap in the market is a light system that is road legal, but f=ing bright, with a brief high lumens mode that also give offroad prowess!

The challenges are different, side spill, need for reflector on rear, ease of removing from bike. USB charging would be good (would enable a VERY small battery).

Go on, you know you want to!

Also my mate in steeton, wants a high power light to mount onto the front of his blue HASE recumbent trike!

- different light levels (urban use to pitch black)
- side visibility so I can use it commuting too (glow ring?)
- flashing and constant option in one unit again for commuting (like the cateye rear light TL-LD1100) - more a blink than a strobe on flashing though.
- long run time
- light weight
- good sealing
- easy use buttons even with thick gloves on
- highly reliable
- quick charging
- different light spread option for road and off road
- charge level indicator
- tidy (as in nice mount and battery pack attached easily)
- easy/cheap to upgrade either by the buyer or seller
- ability to project text such as 'pull out in front of me again ****er and I will kill you, your family and your families family' or something along those lines 😉
- ability to plug in ultra bright rear light too

I use my lights mainly for commuting (20 miles each way, 10 of which is across a pitch black moor road) so that's the angle I'm coming from. I need the perfect light for this and I've yet to find it. In winter I need to run lights for the urban part of my commute - which means a cateye el530 for side/front visibility and a wee flashing light, then a set of niterider dual minewts for the proper dark bits. It's far from ideal. If I had one light that would do the urban and proper dark bits it would be ideal.

Oh and being able to replace the faceplate on my thomson stem with a black anodized light would be fantastic.

Not strictly related to the OP but USE/Exposure Lights have a job offer going:
http://www.exposurelights.com/interactive/job_opportunities/index.php

Not sure why people are requesting a flash mode.

I didn't think it was legal to ride on the road using only a flashing light. I see it loads, but I didn't think it was legal.

As both a car driver and an urban cyclist, I find flashing bike lights silly and potentially dangerous. If I were to design a light for bike use, I would not include a flash feature. I think those Manufs that do, only do so to be able to claim longer run times.

As for having a flood and a spot light pattern option. Wouldn't that require different set of optics ?.

If so, then you'd be switching between the LEDs sitting behind your [i]flood[/i] optics and LEDs sitting behind your [i]spot[/i] optics.
So then you're just switching between the two sets of LEDs. That could result in quite a few LEDs to include in a single light.

Don't get the mini USB request either, why mini USB ?, I wouldn't have thought that you'd be able to use your phone charger to charge a bike light, due the differing battery requirements.
For this reason I'm guessing that there will not be a unviversal connector agreed by the manufs, as their batteries have different requirements. Unless I suppose, you had an [i]intellegent charger[/i] which could sense whether it was charging two cells or four, what their voltages and capacities were, etc...

CC.

Flashing mode is a must have for comuting, much more visable than just a static light (I tend to use both together for combined visability AND legality...hence my request for a road legal, bright Troutlight for front and rear).

Mini USB is 5v, this is plenty for lighting (potentially, I have LED lignting that runs on 1.2V through to 7V). Mini USB is on many items these days, from Phones to Garmins etc etc. Even if the plug may differ, 5v seems to be the defacto voltage for charging mobile devices.

[i]flashing and constant option in one unit[/i]

I wouldn't want to have just a flashing mode on. Why do you find flashing lights 'silly and potentially dangerous'? On their own possibly but it's not something I would do.

From my off road angle.
1) upgradeable LED's if I want to in the future
2) doesn't use a proprietary battery so I can replace it easily/cheaply when it fails without having to buy off the manufacturer
3) don't mind if the battery is integral or not so long as point 2 is followed and any external battery can sit under the stem
4) run time = 4 hours on high, meaning on two batteries I can get 8 hours minimum but more if switching between high / low
5) high and lower power levels. Not bothered with flashing. Max power has to fit in with points 3, 4 and 6
6) lightweight
7) battery uses standard charger
8 ) flood for bars, spot for helmet
9) good customer service / support
10) battery "power left gauge" though not sure how useful this really is

So for me that was a Lumicycle LED3 with 2* 2.6ah hour batteries. Allows me to run through the night at 24 hour races using the two batteries. I'm now looking for a cheaper head unit which will run off one of the batteries so I can use two light systems all running off the same type of battery/charger.

Commuting - cheap, small, compact, integral so easy to take off and store.

Still like my bright enough, light, simple (on off) head and bar setup.
EDIT-ahhh, perfect setup, way of mounting headlight below my eyeline so I can get more depth perception from shadows and maybe a slightly different tone for both lights to help with picking out details.

I'd like a 1,000 lumen+ helmet light with high/low light power.
A built in battery for an approx 2-3 hr bike ride on max.
The back of the light would have a connector that would allow charging through and more importingly an additional battery could be plugged into it that would just have a long lead from you're camelback.

Oh, also maybe a couple of small or one red led on the back of the light.

What i really want from a light is a system like Exposures, one on the bar and one on the helmet, and a rear, but just the head units, with flying leads, with one big bottlecage/frame mounted battery unit they can all plug into.
Plus the Exposures dont have enough of a beam spread, and have quite a hotspot.
Also i only really need a light to have two settings High and Low, but it needs to manage 3-6hrs in high.

What did surprise me last night though is that i managed just as well with just a joystick as i did with three times the power, maybe just had to concentrate a little more.

Cant wait for my new light though.

Flexibility is the key to make any of these light suggestions a good commercial prospect.
The Fenix lights are good because they run on AA batteries but could do with being brighter and the TwoFish bar mounts aren’t as sturdy as a dedicated bike mount.
What would be perfection for me then?
Something that takes a number of AA batteries so the batteries can be used in other things and a dedicated charger isn’t required
Low, medium & high settings with low being bight enough to use on lit roads, medium being bright enough for low speed off road (fire road climbs) and high being bright enough for higher speed off road.
Needs to give a good spread of light close to the bike with a narrower beam penetrating further down the trail in high mode.
All this in a compact container with batteries side by side rather than in a line.
A good solid bar mount that actually clamps to the bar and could take a variety of torch style lights could be sold separately to people who are unhappy with TwoFish.

Ideally I’d want something like the HOPE Vision One but brighter and about half the price

i'm thinking way outside the box here and prob not doable but here's how my brain is thinking. Instead of a light system that you clip onto your bars or your helmet can something be designed where it is actually your handlebars. So.......... incorporated into your handlebars ( and a bit like how they have pieces of carbon showing into your cranks etc ) you have different lumens LED's(changeable as lights gets better) sat behind a reflector glass which runs flush with the rest of your handlebars( so the lights are within in your handlebars). Since you can run 3 or 4 either side of your stem you can have them at different angles/ beam lengths. The rechargeable batteries simply fit and connect into the end of each side of your handlebars and are held in by fashionable bar end plugs ( or similiar). A button either incorporated into the bar rider side or even a system similiar to how gripshift works so you dont have to leave your grips to change setting during road/offroad can toggle between flash/solid and low/medium/high beam ( left and right grip for gripshift system). The only downside would be weight of your bar but you would have that anyway with a light system on it. Plus sides are you can lights on your bike 365 days a year in case of being caught out, security would be high because no one would really expect a handlebar to be lights incorporated and everything would be like riding a normal bike so chances of breaking things in a crash are alot lower.

Is this possible??

[i]The rechargeable batteries simply fit and connect into the end of each side of your handlebars and are held in by fashionable bar end plugs[/i]

Nice idea, but would seem a bit of a faff to get the batteries out to charge them. Also how would you get them into for example a set of drop bars?

Dont think it would be much of a faff. The battery connector inside the bar would be spring loaded so the battery would sit a few mm outside the bars when not screwed in by the bar end plugs so would be easy to take out and put bcak in to charge. For drop bars, this could prove harder. Maybe run a 2 'AA' battery either side giving 4 batteries worth of power and carry spare batteries with you. Maybe a neat design where a stem/bar combo could be in place and the stem being hollowish between the steerer tube and bar clamp and the battery could fit in and connect in the middle of the stem. The stem would still be plenty strong enough anyway but the battery pack in the middle would give extra strength

smudge - Member

I'd like a 1,000 lumen+ helmet light with high/low light power.
A built in battery for an approx 2-3 hr bike ride on max.
The back of the light would have a connector that would allow charging through and more importingly an additional battery could be plugged into it that would just have a long lead from you're camelback.

Oh, also maybe a couple of small or one red led on the back of the light.

Very much like the one trout was going to build before the bastid light came out?? 😀

800-1000 floody lumens on the bars, 5-600 spotty lumens on the lid, but nice and light if the battery pack is mounted on to the helmet!
Be nice to have 1 charger for all, and atleast 3 hour runtime for both lights, with high/medium/low settings!