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Cycling Gear: Headlight for deep black rides?!

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  1.  
    • CommentAuthorFree Membercbrandes
    • CommentTimeNov 15th 2007
     
    cbrandes
    I have an old vistalight 5w headlight that barely cuts it when I ride home in the dark through the woods. Does anyone have any experience with a bright high quality headlight?
    • CommentAuthorFree MemberVandalay
    • CommentTimeNov 15th 2007
     
    Vandalay
    How much you willing to splurge on?  Try the newest:  Lupine Betty 12
    • CommentAuthorFree Membersf_limey
    • CommentTimeDec 4th 2007
     
    sf_limey

    I bought a Light & Motion product +/- $150 last year to use while training at night.  I love it.  It certainly was not the most expensive but it fit my budget.

    • CommentAuthorFree MemberJim Siler
    • CommentTimeDec 15th 2007
     
    Jim Siler
    I've used a 15 Watt for years and found it to be a good minimum or base line to start with.
    • CommentAuthorFree Memberjp1
    • CommentTimeDec 16th 2007
     
    jp1

    For riding in the parks I found that the niterider trail rat was fine as long as I wasn't hammering. That was two years ago and it's still available. Now there are newer lighter and brighter products available in L.E.D. versions. I would recommend the N.R. mininewt X2. You'll need to buy the additional helmet mount.

     If you'll be on roads with cars or riding with other riders with lights then you'll want something stronger then the trailrat. Washout will be a big problem  and can cause accidents as the offending brighter light will cause your body to throw a shadow over your previously lit path. Pupils don't adjust fast enough so all of a sudden your in the dark again. This logic caused my wife to agree that I needed something stronger and now I'm the proud owner of the trinewt wirele$$.

      Do your research and consider your budget. There is a "shootout" done annually by one of the cycling rags like bikemag.com. Or try one of the mtbing websites. My favorite is bikemojo.com.Your local bikeshop can order almost any lamp or you can try ordering direct from the manufacturer. Failing that feel free to private message me and I'll see what I can order for you from my shop or any further questions. You'll need to consider shipping if that is the case.

    Good luck,

    Jeff 

  6.  
    crazydave62
    Nite Rider makes some great systems. I have a Digital Pro 12 which I got about 4 years ago. Unfortunately, they don't make it anymore. It has a dual bulb system (12 or 20 watts or you can run both bulbs at 32 watts). I like the dual bulb system because if one bulb blows out during your ride, you still have one bulb left to get you home. Check out www.universalcycles.com. They carry the NiteRider line and several other manufacturers as well so you can check out a lot of different systems and compare. Be warned though, most of the high-end systems are on the expensive side.
    • CommentAuthorFree MemberTimmyH
    • CommentTimeJan 3rd 2008
     
    TimmyH

    Hi, I have a Petzel MYO XP head lamp, it is a little diffcult to wear under a helmet but it can be done, also it can be attached to a cycling helmet with a little magic and velcro!

    On the whole though it is an awesome headlamp with 3 light levels (and blink mode) and boost. It has a filter which can splay the light with a depth of field in optimum level of 35m when the batteries are fresh, but will degrade to 25m after around 10 hours and then down to 15m after a further 15 hours or so, the spot beam can shine out to 45m and can be boosted for around 20 seconds to 60m aprox. Uses 3 x AA batteries which will last for around 90hours on optimum.

     Goto this link for more info: http://en.petzl.com/petzl/LampesProduits?Produit=554&Critere=0

    • CommentAuthorFree Membergtronan
    • CommentTimeJun 25th 2008
     
    gtronan

    rather than splashing out on a large battery munching light, try doubling up. i use 2 mid range cateye leds and point one close to the front wheel and one just off horizontal.  provide great visability over a large range, last for ever, don't break the bank and you don't need too bright a light for road sections. have even used them for some fairly technical dh in the woods without too much bother.

    • CommentAuthorFree Memberjaialin
    • CommentTimeOct 7th 2008 edited
     
    jaialin

    For $70, get two helmet-mountable Planet Bike Blaze (http://ecom1.planetbike.com/3036.html) and put them on both sides of your helmet. You get very good spread in the pitch black, good enough to ride 18-20mph on the flats and see 1 second ahead clearly. You can see up to 3 seconds ahead, but kinda dim that far out.

     A spacey, UFO look, put Frog Lights (http://bikehugger.com/2008/03/product_review_knog_bull_frog.htm) in your drops, just under the hood, and they'll light up your wheels. :)

    • CommentAuthorFree Memberjoedonovan
    • CommentTimeOct 15th 2008
     
    joedonovan
    I recently bought 3 husky led flashlights from Home Depot ($5 each) and a few hose clamps (about 50 cents each). Using 2 clamps in a figure 8, I clamped all 3 lights on my handlebars. I use them to commute 15 miles in the dark near Boston. The roads are pretty smooth but there are plenty of wooded areas with few streetlights (very dark). I have never used a "real" bike light so I don't have a basis for comparison but the light is plenty bright. I can see more than 50 feet in front of me clearly. The light is bright enough that I sometimes look over my shoulder because I think that a car is approaching from behind. The whole set-up is cheap and I have 3 lights so if one dies, I still have 2 good sources of light. Redundancy in the system is a good thing. Here is a website that shows the flashlight that I use: http://uslightingproducts.com/product_detail.php?cid=8&id=112

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