Best value lights for proper night riding?

[Glover Fan]

Hi all.

In August I am planning to take part in the Exmouth Exodus which is a 100 mile night ride from Bristol to Exmouth.

I need lights that will be able to show me the way on dark country lanes, if possible they should not take up to much real estate on my handlebars and be rechargeable.

Budget is £100 max.

Any recommendations?

 

[Kestevan]

Hope Vision1 and a set of decent rechargable batteries.

 

[dellzeqq]

that would be it. I've used Cateye 530s for three or four years, but the Hope is much brighter

http://fnrttc.blogsp...m/p/lights.html

uber-bright back lights are not a good idea if you're riding in a group

 

[PpPete]

I'm a big fan of the Hope Vision 1... but it takes AAs rather than built-in rechargeables.... although of course you can use rechargeable AAs

Alternatives
B&M Ixon IQ
and this ain't half bad at the regular price .... at £14.99 it's a no-brainer as a back-up light, although full-speed along dark country lanes with just this on it's own would require more cojones than I have.

 

[slowmotion]

Hope Vision One light
Sanyo Eneloop hybrid rechargeables
Technoline BL-700 battery charger

One advantage of using rechargeable AAs is that you can use them for a whole lot of other gadgets. Also, dedicated rechargeable battery packs for bike lights do not come cheap compared to replacing a few AAs.

My two pennies. Good luck.

 

[dellzeqq]

I'd have a second, less powerful, less thirsty and less expensive light as well. You can use it in town, or when it's bright enough to do without the big light.

 

[ianrauk]

Hope Vision1 and a set of decent rechargable batteries.

+1 to this.
Very well made lights from a great (British) company.

 

[Hacienda71]

I use a Magicshine mj808 less than 100 quid. Rechargeable Li ion battery and seriously bright with an excellent spread of light. It is as bright as a lot of car headlights. Plenty of threads on it here.

 

[Glover Fan]

Thanks all for your contributions so far.

Am tempted by the Cateye 530, mainly because you can pick one up on ebay for about £30 brand new buy it now. I don't plan on doing much riding at night and most reviews seem to suggest that you can see your own way round with this light. I also have a cateye LED front light that I would use in lit up areas.

As for my rear light, it is LED but not massively bright which would be appropriate for group riding I think.

 

[siadwell]

Am tempted by the Cateye 530, mainly because you can pick one up on ebay for about £30 brand new buy it now.

For that money, you could get 2 Smart Lunar 35 lights from planet-x/on-one.

The Cateye is a bit long in the tooth and you might find a single Lunar 35 to be as good or better.

 

[mcshroom]

For that money, you could get 2 Smart Lunar 35 lights from planet-x/on-one.

The Cateye is a bit long in the tooth and you might find a single Lunar 35 to be as good or better.

The Smart is a good light, I often use it on it's own for commuting (rural roads) and have used it with a 1W light on night rides. A couple of these should make a very decent set of lights with a set of decent AA rechargeable.

Last FNRttC I tried out a new magicshine-like torch (same led but using single 18650 cells). It was ridiculously bright and good for descents but probably too bright for group riding as I kept turning it off so that the rider in front wasn't riding in a shadow (still had the Smart light on). I think the total package came to about £45 for the torch, 4x18650 cells, mounting block and a charger from dealextreme - but did take over a month to arrive from China.

 

[HLaB]

Not as the only light but I'd recommend a helmet light something like the Cateye EL410 its great being able to directly light up something you want to look at which may not be in the beam of another light.

 

[cyberknight]

I use a Magicshine mj808 less than 100 quid. Rechargeable Li ion battery and seriously bright with an excellent spread of light. It is as bright as a lot of car headlights. Plenty of threads on it here.

+1 on the magic shine, and you can get them for around £50 dependent on the exchange rate .

I use one on unlit country lanes during winter and i can cycle at full speed with complete confidence, at least 2 times as powerful as a hope vision 1 even at the most conservative estimates.A fellow C2W commuter has the hope and TBH i was not impressed at its output for the price.

This is what i use..

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/mj-808-ha-iii-ssc-p7-c-sxo-3-mode-900-lumen-led-bike-light-set-44459

 

[Cubist]

Magicshine.

 

[Davidc]

The Cateye EL530 was a good light when it was first launched but there are much better lights now. If they're £30 on Ebay I think it's a bit much. The Smart Lunar 35 is a better buy now - £25.95 from JE James.

I'm expecting to be there on the EE, and will be using my Cyo 60 dynamo light which I know from experience on the roads the EE uses will be quite enough.

If I can I'll be borrowing a Hope 1 as well. The major drawback with those is that when the battery gets low they switch off completely, rather than just going dim like the Cateye EL530, so if you get one make sure you have a back up running as well.

See you at Cannings!

Edit: Just had a look and I see that the 2011 model of the Cateye EL530 has a new type of LED lamp and is brighter. Are the ones on ebay to the new spec? Worth checking before buying.