Had to put the lights on last night it was properly dark towards the end of the ride

Oh well there goes another one 🙁

Its not so bad. Admittedly I had to take my shades off before getting to the pub. Anyway… September and October are my favourite time of the year for evening/night rides. Its been great the last few years after increasingly woeful summer washouts. Fingers crossed eh? 😀

Riding in the New Forest between 18:30 and 20:30. It was positively Autumnal. Don’t mind Autumn riding but kinda like some dry dusty trails first.

Did the first ‘night’ ride for a while with a mate the other evening – it was pretty much dark by 9.30pm. Loved it.

If your only just putting your lights on you have all been going home too early!

Managed to stay out really late at the chase one night in June. Lights on for the last two descents of the Monkey.

We had a great night ride on the longest day. It was borderline whether we needed lights for the last descent to the pub from Blackston Edge, where we got in a whisker before last orders. Phew!

I love rides like that!!! 😀

yep got caught in the dark, had taken a front light but not a rear 😳 bit damp under foot but a nice night for it, gorgeous sunset.

Noticed yesterday a lot of leaves turning brown and falling off the trees. Worst summer I can ever remember is finally coming to an end 😀

I had my lights on cycling to work this morning.

At 8:30am.

Big light back on the bike for me last night, V dark in the trees as is was quite cloudy aswell.

Is there going to be a ‘new’ must have light this year? I’m stil using the original DX P7, but it took a very long time to charge last night so I’m not sure if the battery’s on it’s way out.

Last year loads of people were using those 4 LED DX lights, anything revolutionary happening this year? I’ve a DX rear light so tied into their batteries/chargers.

Last year loads of people were using those 4 LED DX lights, anything revolutionary happening this year?

Same question from me. My Magicshine packed up mid-ride last night (that with the constant rain, thick mud, nettle stings and bramble cuts it turned out to be a pretty crappy ride. Ho hum)

Google’s not throing anything up, there’s the MJ-880 which came out mid last winter, but that looks like a very tight spot, and my P7’s already bright enough in the center to make the trail a white blur.

Last year loads of people were using those 4 LED DX lights

Sorry which ones, surely not the mickmouse shapped Magicshine units? (with 3 led’s)
The single XML units seemed the most popular to me…

For a lights that could be used either on the bar or your helmet – Twin XML would seemingly be this years big thing so far… Nejninja and MTB Batteries both have one either for sale or soon to be on sale.
The Inton Twin XML and MS 880 unit have huge output but the head units are too big (heavy) for helmet use.
Alternatively to those, the triple XML such as the Fluxients sold by Torch on ebay (big_f_f_d) should be the brightest available unit for not a lot of money (again for only bar use).

I’m hoping the must have light for 2012 will be the Gloworm X2 version 2

‘Real’ 1200-1300 lumen Twin XM-L U2 with very neat sub 90g light head, remote switch and a sealed battery pack using Panasonic cells – can swap optics for combination required – Spot/Spot, Flood/Spot, Flood/Flood.

Available to STW forum users with £20 off making it £130 by using the code GLOWORM20 until 15th September – just click the link that appears over to the right every so often.

Google says……..

MJ-880
2000lumen from 2 LED’s and mirror lenses, but a tight spot, massive (50% bigger) battery, but doesnt last very long on full power.

MJ-828
1600lumen from 4 LED’s with refractive lenses (or at least that’s what they look like in the pics, could be a diffuser lense intfront of 4 smaller mirrored lenses I suppose), nice wide flood, uses the normal DX batteries.

Mrs Wachowchow and myself had to bail out of the woods by 8:30 last night due to lack of light. Soon be Christmas!

err google says an MJ-828 is just a battery for me…. ahhh MJ872 is what you meant (why had I forgotten them), and yes they were popular (but ran quite hot IME @ full power) but not as popular as the chip as chips single XML units.
Though you could say the 872 was one of the best lights for the money, the XML was a very cheap powerful light, but with many detractors.

Available to STW forum users with £20 off making it £130 by using the code GLOWORM20 until 15th September – just click the link that appears over to the right every so often.

Hmmm… that looks very tempting.

How stable is the bar mount? Is there much movement when things get a bit rough?

Think I’ll splash the cash on the 872 if I need one as I really want a bar light not a helmet light, most of my riding is tending towards “ride arround the edge of a field” type singletrack and hill repeats on the road to keep fit as anything interesting is just too muddy at the moment! God knows it’ll be bad later this winter as it usualy takes most of the ‘summer’ to dry out!

No problems with stability with the bar mount as the light has so little weight to it – only 86g for the light head including the bar mount, remote switch and cable.

I would say to everyone looking for some lights to contact smudge on here,sold me 2 sets earlier this year and they are superb. Beam pattern is ‘spot on’!!!. 3 hours on full beam. I have no association with him at all but running a small uk business myself i like to sound off when i get good service.

http://www.mtbbatteries.co.uk/mountain-bike-lights/

Another vote for Smudges lights. Absolutely bloody ridiculous value for money

Is there an ETA for his new ‘Lumenator’ lights?

From Smudges FB: The new twin XML arriving September

There are already at least 2 different bike lights on the market called Lumenator, he might want to come up with a new name.

TBH I’ve not seen or heard it called that (or anything), but assumed Tom was talking about Smudges light. Indeedy I did a quick google to see if it linked to his site & got everything but…

Yeah I was referring to Smudge’s light – under the heading ‘2,000 Lumenator’ on is site. Only I’m guessing it’s not the real name as it’s not mentioned anywhere else.