Lighting Suggestions

[Kona_Blue]

Hi,
As the Australian days are getting shorter heading into winter, I'm looking at investing in some good lighting for the bike.
I ride in a reasonably well lit area, although I want the lights to make me more visible to the tin tops and strong enough to light the way in the darker areas.
What suggestions can you offer ?
Regards,

 

[dgow]

I've owned two 6 volt halogen NiteRider systems and their HID system. After using the HID through out the winter commuting on unlighted backroads I really like the HID sytem -more light and a much longer run time- no more getting caught 30 minutes out with a failing light. Different makers provide different beam widths so shop around. I suspect that all of them use the same brand of bulb.

 

[tafi]

I too have been looking for a light. Not just something that is seen but something that allows you to see!
I just ordered a Metal Halide Bulb (otherwise known as Xenon or HID bulb) system with lithium ion battery. The 16W bulb is claimed to put out the equivalent of a 65W halogen light. This is as good as a car headlight.
It has been ordered from Lupine (a German company) - they call it the Edison 5 - and it will come with a charger which is suitable for a Great Britain power socket. I have got an adapter which will enable me to run it from the Australian power supply.

Yes it is expensive but the whole system will weigh under 500g and provide up to 4 hours of light. Plenty for riding home from uni or work or heading in to Coluzzi in the early morning.

 

[neil0502]

I ride with the Lupine Edison 10. My wife melts paint with her Lupine Passubio. I've raved about both of these lights before: burn time (primarily on my Edison), compactness, engineering, thoughful touches (12V charger cord for the car).

It took me--what? about seven weeks to get over the (US$1000) that I paid for the two lights (whoops! seven weeks starting over now....), but . . . damn! can we light up the night!

Originally posted by tafi
I too have been looking for a light. Not just something that is seen but something that allows you to see!
I just ordered a Metal Halide Bulb (otherwise known as Xenon or HID bulb) system with lithium ion battery. The 16W bulb is claimed to put out the equivalent of a 65W halogen light. This is as good as a car headlight.
It has been ordered from Lupine (a German company) - they call it the Edison 5 - and it will come with a charger which is suitable for a Great Britain power socket. I have got an adapter which will enable me to run it from the Australian power supply.

Yes it is expensive but the whole system will weigh under 500g and provide up to 4 hours of light. Plenty for riding home from uni or work or heading in to Coluzzi in the early morning.

 

[Kona_Blue]

US1000 ???
You'd be able to replace the headlights on a Merc for less.
Does it also function as a GPS, cadence and power meter ?
I guess I'll just have to restructure my work hours a little to get a ride in, in daylight hours.

 

[rek]

I have ordered a Cygolite HID set for US$200 from the States. The downside being the delivery time is 4-8 weeks

Phantom Cycles now has the Light and Motion range of lights, including their HID model (which is apparently very good) at a touch over AU$600.

I also noticed someone on eBay selling the Topeak HID light for AU$400 recently..

With HID lights at this price point, there isn't much of a reason to go for high end $400+ halogen lights anymore..

BUT

if you're riding on lit streets and not so much unlit side streets, off-road trails etc., it probably is a bit of overkill.. you could do with a 10W halogen system (to light the poorly lit streets) and flashing LEDs front and rear (to make sure motorists notice you.)

 

[neil0502]

Originally posted by Kona_Blue
US1000 ???
You'd be able to replace the headlights on a Merc for less.
Does it also function as a GPS, cadence and power meter ?
I guess I'll just have to restructure my work hours a little to get a ride in, in daylight hours.

Well, no, it doesn't do those things, but it does make about the tastiest cafe latte I've ever had

Yeah, it's just a boatload of money for light (Mine was 700; hers was 3), but I'm visually impaired and needed the extra. My buddy has the Night Rider HID, for which he paid something like US$330. I think most of the lights in this price range (from talking to owners who use them) are quite good:

Here's two links that might give you a bit more useful info:
http://www.mtbreview.com/reviews/lights/
http://www.mtbr.com/spotlight/lightshootout/

Night's good. Cleaner air, fewer cars, cooler temps....enjoy!

 

[Kona_Blue]

Originally posted by neil0502
Well, no, it doesn't do those things, but it does make about the tastiest cafe latte I've ever had

Yeah, it's just a boatload of money for light (Mine was 700; hers was 3), but I'm visually impaired and needed the extra. My buddy has the Night Rider HID, for which he paid something like US$330. I think most of the lights in this price range (from talking to owners who use them) are quite good:

Here's two links that might give you a bit more useful info:
http://www.mtbreview.com/reviews/lights/
http://www.mtbr.com/spotlight/lightshootout/

Night's good. Cleaner air, fewer cars, cooler temps....enjoy!

Good points Neil.
Thanks for your help.

 

[zxl020]

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[kleng]

Hi

I've been using Cygolite Dual cross 300's for a couple of years without any problems. Both models (ni-mh and li-ion) are the equivalent of 20 watt halogens, which is more than enough for any road riding as the dual beam light pattern is quite wide.

Just got the Li-Ion (tiny battery, just a bit bigger than a couple of AA's and this fits better on the roadie) model from Bikepro in Melbourne for AUD $340 which is good value as buying from overseas would have caused some compatibility issues with charger and voltage.

Both lights have a duration from 4 - 7hrs depending on the power setting

http://www.cygolite.com/2-Products/1-DualCross-LiIon.htm

 

[Rockslayer]

Hi,
As the Australian days are getting shorter heading into winter, I'm looking at investing in some good lighting for the bike.
I ride in a reasonably well lit area, although I want the lights to make me more visible to the tin tops and strong enough to light the way in the darker areas.
What suggestions can you offer ?
Regards,

If you are sticking to a budget and the route is well lit you could probably get away with LEDs as they have a long burn time plus they are bright enough to be seen. How dark is darker areas? Most Sydney suburban streets are well lit. For a front light I been using 5 LED Cateye which works fine for well lit areas. I use it in flashing mode in well lit areas. Benifits: they are light and economical to run. I was considering HID but that was for offroad MTB ridiing but worth considering if you have the bucks or hitting unlit areas.

Rear lights definately LEDs at least two if one fails you have the other and still be seen. Maybe mount one on top of your helmet. I geuss it's more important to be seen from behind if you are riding long with with traffic.