Handlebar lights du jour

So, “back in my day” (I think about 2010) the wise, pocket conscious night mtb’er had 1 (or 2) ultra fire wf-502b torches running off 18650s and half decent handlebar mounts that were readily available on eBay. They were great torches as they were machined from aluminium, tough, reliable, CHEAP, albeit getting decent batteries was always a chore.

The batteries in mine seem dead now. fine, they’re old. I lost the old handlebar mount so I bought a new one. It’s just failed and the torch has left a hole in my shin and disappeared into the woods (wasn’t turned on at the time unfortunately).

It’s already getting dark enough when I’m out after the kids are in bed that I need a tough, long lasting (years) torch.

At the lower end of the mtb light market I’m seeing a lot of plastic bodies and plastic mounts. I don’t like buying throwaway things.

I want a metal body torch (not a lamp and battery). I want a metal mount. I want it to come from a reputable manufacturer, preferably local.

I’ve just described exposure haven’t I? I had £100 budget in mind beforehand, but I can see the value in exposures’s higher priced products. Time to dig deep or Have I missed anything else?

Exposure user here but have been looking for some lights for my son.

Had a quick look at the Lifeline Pavo 2500 which you can pick up up for around £100. They have a few other models available too.

No experience but on the list to consider. Doesn’t tick your locally sourced / manufactured box though.

We’ve a few Moon lights in the house. A few are the ‘be seen’ commuter variety, but we’ve also got a Moon Meteor Storm (1700lm) and a Moon Rigel (1000lm). They’re a noticeable step up in quality and performance compared to my 1000lm Halfords light.

The Halfords Bikehut one with a Hope clamp.

Another exposure user here. I think it should be pointed out its not just about it being super bright but also the spread of the light that is important.

Many seem to just advertise the lumen, rather than how far or wide it projects. Exposure have at least taken those points on board.

There are plenty of cheap super bright lights on ebay that are really cheap, but I worry about things like the quality of the chargers,batteries and assembly, that comes with cheapo generic products.

I’ve got a Lifeline Pavo 2500 which send pretty decent.

I also really like the magicshine rn3000. It gets a poor review on road.cc I think it is but I think that reviewer was off their rocker. It’s a great little light.

Ooh got tonnes to look into there thanks all.

Exposure outlet. Good saving on the factory 2nds.

https://www.exposure-use.com/Brands/Exposure-Lights/Outlet-Store

I use exposure, have 2, a road and mtb light.
my mtb one (6 pack) is 6 yrs old and still works like new, that makes the price a bit more palatable tbh.
i’ve tried lots of cheaper alternatives, some were fine, some not, but when you consider how long they last, they are actually great value.
they don’t bounce off, they don’t rattle around offroad, they don’t need to be modified with different brackets etc.

jeez, I sound like a proper fanboy eh.

The Halfords 1600 lumen one is great as a handlebar light, it’s got a very good spread of light and lasts a good while. The only downside is that it has too many modes to cycle through but I can put up with that given the price.

Recently upgraded from a seperate battery packed Gloworm X2 to an aforementioned Moon Meteor Storm (newest 1700lm version). Got a good deal in a recent Amazon sale. I’m not a hardcore night rider but I do go out for the odd XC after-work blast once in a while and it’s perfect for that. I used to run a 900lm cheapo Fluxient helmet light with the Gloworm but the Moon is plenty bright without.

The only downside I’ve found with the Moon is that they’ve kind of hobbled the removable battery feature by designing it so that it can only use their own impossible-to-find proprietary 18650 cells, which also need to be charged in the light itself. The light lasts hours on a full charge though so again, not really a huge issue.

<p style=”text-align: left;”>If you’re happy with a separate battery pack, Magicshine have an offer on their M something * 900 for £99 which is a good deal on an excellent light</p>
*Can’t remember exact designation

Came here to say Moon 👍
<p style=”text-align: left;”>The all on one 1200 or 1700 ones are plenty for night-time poolting.</p>
Pair with a 1000lm head unit and you can go nice and fast.

Exposure user here.

For me, I use a 6 pack. It doubles as a power bank on bike packing trips.

Fabulous light

Moon meteor storm used by all of the lads on our group rides

1700l version<!–more–>

Handlebar lights du jour

De nuit, Shirley?

The only downside I’ve found with the Moon is that they’ve kind of hobbled the removable battery feature by designing it so that it can only use their own impossible-to-find proprietary 18650 cells, which also need to be charged in the light itself

Are they the ones with the +/- at the same end?

If so, these are often found in Olight torches, so may be able to find some on their website.

Not sure if the protection circuitry would be the same though

Buy Exposure.  End.

Bought a Joystick in 2009, stopped using it for MTB years ago but still used daily for the last dog walk.

Bought a Toro in 2010, retired that in 2021 when I realised while it was fine for MTB it just didn’t hack it for gravel and +30mph back lane descents.  Still works fine and I’ve kept it as a spare.

Got a MaxxD and a Diablo in 2021, both on summer deals.

Fenix BC30 is worth a look. Self contained, 18650 batteries (you’ll need a charger, but can swap batteries whilst out) and has a remote which can switch modes easily.

I’ve been running various Four4th lights for the past 10 years ever since our MTB club did a group buy and bought 10 of their original Exodus 1200 lumen helmet light, which I’m still using today. Currently running a Gabriel on my gravel bike and also a more powerful Rameses for the MTB.

Lights

Buy Exposure.  End.

But their lights are often £300-£450. That’s a mad amount of money for a torch that goes on your handlebars. I’m not one for normally saying WTF when it comes to the cost of things but really, WTF?

Love my Exposure lights, but as per NickC, it’s not a cheap option. Otherwise, though it’d not a metal body and you need to buy a seperate clamp, their cheap and cheerful and do the job (mine was a 1600 from a few years back):

The Halfords Bikehut one with a Hope clamp

https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-accessories/bike-lights/?prefn1=brandname&prefv1=Halfords%20Advanced

Those ultra fire wf-502b torches were bright enough at the time but super unreliable in my experience. I had three, and only one worked consistently.

I upgraded to a top of the range Cateye, which I was very happy with for a long time, until the micro USB charging port began to fail.

I then, somewhat reluctantly forked out the money for an Exposure Toro, and it felt like a step into the future. They are super spendy (well, the Toro is positively on the budget end in comparison to some) but the reputation is earned. Build quality, power, battery life, battery life indicator, optional remote, loads of settings. There’s nothing to dislike other than the price. I’d happily buy another.

Another vote for Exposure here too. They’re a high quality product IME.

I’ve got a Seca handlebar light with a separate battery that velcros onto the crossbar. Great until it falls off when you send a drop on a moonless overcast night…

The Halfords Bikehut one with a Hope clamp.

^^This^^

The Halfords 1600 lumen one is great as a handlebar light, it’s got a very good spread of light and lasts a good while. The only downside is that it has too many modes to cycle through but I can put up with that given the price.

But also ^^this^^

I’ve had a the 1000 lumen job for a couple of years, the excessive number of modes is a real drawback IMO especially as you can only cycle through modes them not flip between your two preferred settings.

Otherwise they’re great lights at an affordable price.

Having said that I’ve still got an old P7 (1x 18650) torch that is still going strong. The batteries are still out there to buy (although I’ve not bought any for a while TBF) I even replaced the old glass in mine with a cheapy sapphire watch crystal in the right diameter. I think I’ve got a couple of old XML torches knocking about too.
Maybe there is something to be said for torches if you can find or fashion a decent mounting solution.

MTB batteries was always the go to good value lights.

Not sure how they compare these days.

, preferably local.

Does anyone make Li-ion cells in the UK?

I suspect they all come from Japan or China….

Oh and a 3rd vote for Moon….

Moon – specifically (cheaper here):

https://www.jejamescycles.com/product/26647/moon-moon-meteor-storm-pro-front-light/option/

Buy Exposure. End.

Done.

just hit go on a second hand maxx d mk9 for £155. Recently serviced by exposure too.

Does anyone make Li-ion cells in the UK?

or LEDs or aluminium or microprocessors. I’m not an idiot, I just want someone in the UK to speak to if I have problems and can make repairs. And it would appear exposure can do just that.

I’m in the habit of trying to buy things that may be expensive but might just last a lifetime.

Thanks for everyone’s advice and discussion!

or LEDs or aluminium or microprocessors.

All three are available from UK manufacturers, although possibly not the exact ones found in bike lights….

I’ve got two light and motion Seca lights. Really good IMO, metal body and good warranty and seem decent value.

Ooo go on footflaps, definitely happy to derail my own thread to hear more on that if you know more.

So, I was working with Plessey when they moved their FAB to LEDs ten years ago. Is anyone fab’ing leds here now?

Aluminium not my area of expertise.

MCUs actually being fab’ed here? No way. I know we had arm but they’re fabless. And even the IP’s been sold off.

Are they the ones with the +/- at the same end?

If so, these are often found in Olight torches, so may be able to find some on their website.

Not sure if the protection circuitry would be the same though

Yeah they’re the ones. I found a couple of threads on other forums referencing the Olight cells but the Olight ones have a slightly different construction (button top rather than flat like the Moon ones) and I think the polarity might be different.