Light recommendations please – money no object

I have a six year old Lupine Wilma that has served me well but it’s developed loose connections. I can get it fixed but that will take time and I need a light for a long commute.

The light needs to be able to offer around 1200 lumens for between 4 and 5 hours. I need that output because a good part of the commute is on unlit roads and I need that longevity because I don’t want to carry the chargers into the office.

With that kind of spec I can’t afford to be precious about cost. This thing needs to be very reliable and very well built; no cheap Chinese jobs of dubious parentage!

Suggestions?

money no object

The sun 8)

PMSL

Lupine Betty £199?

http://flatoutcycles.co.uk/lupine-betty-6-6ah-smartcore-1850-lumen-bar-mounted-light-32382

they do others and you coudl keep the Wilma for spares once it’s fixed.

you can reprogram the Betty to drop the lumens and up the run time.

they do a number of other of Lupine lights too and good prices.

That’s a lot of light for riding on the road. I’d be looking at something built to the German standards with a good beam pattern.

Biggest Exposure (Six Pack), run at half power.

One word, Lumicycle.

Lumicycle seem a good fit here, because they offer uprated battery sizes.
Something like this one exceeds your spec by a few hours for example:

http://www.lumicycle.com/mountain-bike-lights/explorer-range/explorer-2-extender-pack.html

To be honest, anything with an 6-cell or 8-cell external battery pack will do it. I get those run times from my ‘Chinese job of dubious parentage!’ 🙂

Do you really need that much power, or could you have something with a shaped beam and a hub? Something from ze germans?

Thanks guys – I should perhaps be less judgemental about the Chinese options.

My ‘fear’ is the thing going faulty while I’m slogging up the back of Headley Common/Box Hill at 10pm but then the very expensive German made Betty (it’s not a Wilma) has just gone faulty so I guess parentage isn’t everything.

Do you really need that much power?

Yes absolutely. The roads here are not just unlit, they are often under the cover of trees and they are often in pretty bad shape. In order to feel confident on the darkets stretches, I actually need a maximum output of about 1800 lumens. This is what the Betty puts out on maximum and I use that level when on the darkest stretches of road.

Not only does it ensure that I can see the pot holes, it’s also a great comfort when it’s cold and dark and wet and late and my legs and heart have had enough!

1200 lumens is about twice as much as you need for unlit roads, even on steep twisty bits (IMO, obviously).

And if you get something that’s USB chargeable, recharging at work is a doddle.

As such, is recommend something from Moon.

What are you attaching it to?

For commuting I’d go the dynamo hub option. No batteries to worry about and you can run front and rear from it. For on-road use I’d go for one of the lights that pass the German road standards, the B&M lights are good, you wouldn’t use them for blasting downhill off-road but more than good enough for unlit rural roads. (My commute includes a one mile straight downhill and I can easily hit 70kph and the dynamo light is good enough for that)

There are two downsides: cost (though you indicate that isn’t an issue) which possibly includes a wheel rebuild; roadside emergencies like puncture repair – while the modern lights have a capacitor to keep the light going at junctions, it doesn’t last long enough to fix a puncture for example so you might need a small torch for such occasions.

Maybe your eyes are better than mine then Simon. When I run the Betty on low beam on the darkest stretches, I find myself having to strain my eyes that little bit harder to see what the road is like. That’s a drain on concentration when what I really want to do is concentrate on pedaling. On high beam – 1750 lumens – I can realax quite a bit more.

My commute is 100km in total and I spend a good part of that in Zone 4. It’s not really a commute; it’s actually my training ride to fit in with everything else. Having additional effort required to see the road isn’t welcome.

Whitestone – dynamo hub is a great suggestion. I will look into it, thanks.

About 8 of us all used to have Lupines, they all died with dodgy connectors after a couple of years, mostly fixed under warranty but same happened again after time.
All running Smudges lights now which have been brilliant-

http://www.mtbbatteries.co.uk/mountain-bike-lights/%5B/url%5D

I use this and it saw me through the night at the Strathpuffer on half power. The output is programmable so you can tailor power/battery time to suit. Really well built light with great beam pattern.

Another lumicycle fan here. The quality is first class. Both the lights and batteries. Plus they are home grown if that is a consideration

Four4th?

Here you go, if money’s no object,
http://www.magicshineuk.co.uk/offers/mytinysun-pro-3600x-3600-lumens-bike-light-made-in-germany.html

Exposure Strada is spot on for road use – comes with a remote bar-switch for ‘dipping’, has a flattened oval beam pattern so it doesn’t dazzle oncoming traffic, can be used with a back-up battery for increased burn time, though not at the same time as the remote and you can always buy a spare charger for office top-ups or simply use Exposure’s dedicated USB-lead for the same.

You know how much power is remaining all the time thanks to the fuel gauge on the back, which takes the guesswork out of run times, which is nice. I sometimes run a Joystick on the bars as well as a sort of additional main beam.

The output’s programmable too, so you can juggle brightness and levels to suit. I tend to run just ‘high’ and ‘low’, but you can have three levels and various different brightnesses, so if you’re off on a really long ride, simply throttle back the output and have better burn time.

A really nice light. Much more road friendly than some huge flood that you have to angle down to reduce dazzle and made in the UK by nice people.

I run a Lumicycle off road, but the Exposure works better for me on the road.

I really wouldn’t use MTB lights on-road unless there’s a fresnel you can put over the lens as the light distribution is a real PITA for other road users even when you point them down and left.

+1 dynamo. I have a Shimano dynamo hub on my commuter and run a B&M front and rear (supplemented with exposure flash/flare). I’m a big fan of exposure so if I had the cash I’d be looking at their dynamo hub with the Revo up front and a redeye powered from that on the back. ‘Only’ 800 lumens though.

Just got a 2015 Maxx D mk7, and it’s incredible. Insanely bright – daylight levels of light (2400 lumens), excellent beam, plus the Reflexy variable brightness thing. Not really noticed the latter working on the road, probably at the upper end of it’s speed too much.

Gives a proper read out in hours and minutes remaining too, I’ve been dipping it between “program 2” and low, which gives between 6 and 18 hours burn time.

Doesn’t dazzle too much on low, and still gives plenty of useable light.

Four4th, with green leds.

The USB charge ability of the Exposure range solves the issue of needing the light to have a long burn time. I can easily recharge in the office with just a lead so that makes life a lot easier.

It’s looking like the Toro is a good choice and I can get one this afternoon, which means I can still ride in tomorrow morning.

Why do you think you need that much light. For unmade and unlit road commuting/touring a 200 lumen Hope 1 works pretty well for me 🙂 I can see the benefit of, maybe 4-600, but twice that?! Do you need a tan or what?

As others have said, beam pattern and reliability would be more important to me, at least if you hit 4-600 🙂

My dealings with Lupine whan I worked in a stokist consisted of “gfs can you send this back under warranty, please, again” .

Doesn’t really matter what the lumens value is (within reason), it’s how it’s projected on to the surface in front of you that matters. The B&M lights have a reflector that accounts for the inverse square law (light intensity reduces by the square of the distance from the source) so that the road immediately in front of your wheel is roughly the same brightness as that ten or fifteen metres ahead.

What you need to compare is “lux” which measures how the light illuminates a given area.

Have a look here http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/b&m-hl.asp for example outputs from the B&M lights.

http://www.full-beam.com/
Apparently very good but I’ve no personal experience.
I’d suggest four4th – Del will pretty much guide you and customise a light. The holy moses?

Why do you think you need that much light.

Look I’m really happy to accept that there are different ways of measuring output and illumination and be educated to a new way of thinking etc. But right now, all I have to go on is what I have been using the last few years.

The Betty puts out ‘1750 lumens’ on max output and for the riding I do, that is what I need. I’m out training; I’m kiling myself most of the time and every ounce of brain power I have is being employed to counteract the desire to just make the pain stop. I really don’t want to have to do anything other than concentrate on that so yes, I need that amount of output please if that is OK with you?

Why do you think you need that much light. For unmade and unlit road commuting/touring a 200 lumen Hope 1 works pretty well for me

Because everyone’s eyes are different? I sure as hell couldn’t ride unlit roads with a 200 lumen light without ploughing into every pothole in sight (or not in sight rather). Bad road surfaces, 23mm tyres and lots of darkness, why wouldn’t you have more light?

I ride with a joystick on unlit roads, I have the wall charger at home and the USB charger at work just top top it up while i’m sat at my desk (this is assuming you’re at a desk all day i suppose)

I can’t fault my exposure light, it’s massively solid, lasts forever and has a nice beam for what it is.

3 days a week commuting and 2 night rides as a head torch. It’s awesome 😀

I’m not suggesting a joystick as it doesn’t match your output criteria but one of the larger exposure lights would fit the bill (and have the usb charger)

The exposure lights are very, very good. The 6 pack or the Maxx D on low setting would do you nicely. If you’re a computer based worker, they are also USB chargeable, so you can plug it in during the day for added high beam on the way back home.
I ride on the sort of roads you are describing. Around the Mendips, down tree lined ‘roads’, it’s properly dark. At speed I hit so much I’ve swapped to a CX bike for road training rides. For these tracks, and the 800ft+ descents that I often go down, my 2000 lumen (I think) Maxx D and my joystick are used. Why not have light? I’d brick it on just the joystick and probably end up in a ditch….

I need that amount of output please if that is OK with you?

Sure it is 😀 I was only curious. Training, OK.

Because everyone’s eyes are different?

For a massive wanka my eyes are in good shape then 😀 No, really, I’ve always had great vision, almost 20:20 when I had it checked last. I am also very sensitive to bright light – I didn’t think of that I guess.

On the nightrides I’ve been on with others, I am always left thinking it’s massive overkill, so maybe I just can see better in the dark.

Never realised. I’m just slightly more awesome than I thought!

Peas and love,

Sam

Been trying to come up with an answer to this in another thread.

I’d like to try something more road specific as I suspect the typical mtb light chucking out loads of lumens all over the place is a bit rubbish for the road and it’d be much better to have a more appropriate beam pattern and probably less power (and this for proper training not just a pootle commute). My old joystick for example, I think it’s got more than enough power at around 500 lumens on high, I usually run it on the medium setting, but the light is not where I need it. I’m going to try and get a test of an Exposure Strada. The Supernova Airstream 2 looks good too.

Yep, my ‘normal’ vision is great too, but clearly not as good in the dark. A lot of the problems come with other vehicles – if you’re coming down a hill at 30mph, and someone comes the other way, once they go past, if you’re running a little tiny light you’re blinded for a few seconds until they re-adjust. That’s more than long enough to hit something!

Not such an issue off road, or on a mountain bike on the road, but the margins for error are just that bit smaller on a road bike.

Peas and love,

Hugs mate 😀

A lot of the problems come with other vehicles – if you’re coming down a hill at 30mph, and someone comes the other way, once they go past, if you’re running a little tiny light you’re blinded for a few seconds until they re-adjust.

And this +1. You need something bright to penetrate the glare.

Surprised that no-one has linked to this yet – http://road.cc/content/news/97193-big-roadcc-lights-test-2013

A quote from that page: “Disappointingly, nearly every light we’ve been sent so far this year has a round beam, more or less. For riding on the road a squared-off beam has advantages. You’re not wasting your battery lighting up the tree canopy, and you’re less likely to dazzle oncoming traffic. Such beams are widely used in Europe, and in Germany they’re the only lights legal for use on the road.

Here in the UK, however, we still seem to be stuck in a bit of an arms race, with manufacturers concentrating on increasing output, rather than tailoring lights for their intended use. ”

Lumicycle.

great gear that lasts almost for forever, and even then they’ll make sure you’re well looked after

Lumicycle.

Their Apex sounds ok as a road specific light. External battery options may be good for the OP.

Surprised that no-one has linked to this yet

Weird test. All they seem to have done is photographed a load of beam patters from some random set of lights.

Definitely Four4th, i have the Holy Moses with green LEDS, its awesome. They do an even brighter one now as well.
Nothing else comes close to the quality of Four4th.

How about 4200 lumens http://four4th.co.uk/products/lights/omg-duplicate/

Another vote for Lumicycle, my HID is 8 years old and the old NiMh battery only failed this winter. Treated myself to a new Lumicycle LED and I can even use the new Lithium battery with the old HID! It does cost a lot, but it lasts and you can buy spares for when you smash the mounts off or need spare battery etc.