front light?

[PeteXXX]

so as the days draw shorter i need a real front light as in one that lets me see the road etc rather than just let drivers see me
would this be any good?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4X-CREE-X...K_SportGoods_CyclAcces_RL&hash=item4acc1a495d
anyone got one? would it let me ride in pitch darkness and/or midnight?
Cheers Ed

This looks similar the light I purchased of ebay (but not form this seller) last year. After a short while, one LED stopped working. I returned the light. After a short while, the replacement light went bang. Ebay were no use at all when I complained about it.
Personally, I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole!
But, yes, for the very short while it worked, it was very bright, until the smoke pouring from the light impeded my vision...

 

[maltloaf]

I think that's the problem with a design that's copied by all and sundry in the far east. Penny pinching here and there is going to go too far for some.

I got mine from an Amazon marketplace seller with plenty of decent reviews and feedback

 

[PlymSlimCyclist]

@KneesUp and @young Ed , I have the 350 cree torch, and personally yes it's a good light, the zoomable function has been hammered on both my 350 and "600".
I ride on roads only, but some are unlit, or potholed roads, so the unzoomed function is usually used to ensure I can see the path ahead, however, on roads I know to be safe, I zoom it in a bit (about halfway) which makes it slightly brighter.
Only thing is, with these, the lens needs cleaned frequently (in bad weather), and I find both torches become temperamental with bad weather (cold and wet is the worst time to become temperamental for me).

The battery life is a good one, especially as I mostly use low beam and flashing (in fog only). However, when I've ridden on a trail, I have to cycle through a tunnel, and both the 350 and the 600 weren't up to scratch, so I'm now looking at buying a Strada, as want something with longevity, the ability to change beams quickly (as I like riding on our moors), and it's plenty bright for my purposes with additional functions.

Have a try for yourself though. You both may like it.

 

[crazyjoe101]

I had one of the single bulb CREE copies and while it lasted it was good, especially when combined with a beam flattener so that you get more side-to-side vision.

The two main drawbacks of the CREE copies is the mount, and reliability. I was forever re-adjusting the rubber o-ring mount because the small one was too small and the big one was not tight enough and allowed the light to move around over bumps in the road; this can be rectified by buying a replacement mount which actually fixes to the bike. As for reliability, some have never had one go wrong, I had one inexplicably stop working after about 10 hours of use and I haven't really used the backup one yet as its particular wiring makes it a pain to take on and off.

I wouldn't recommend anything more powerful for road riding than a single bulb CREE light as others have said, and if you do use one, look at getting a beam flattener. Another tip is to charge the batteries on a flat platform and away from anything too flammable, just in case.

Despite these gripes, I still enjoyed having my light(s) and I'm probably going to go to work on them with a soldering iron to see if I can fix the broken one and shorten the cable on the working one.

EDIT: Just in case no one else has mentioned this: take a look at the CREE lights thread, they have lot of knowledge on this topic in there.

 

[KneesUp]

please do and then tell me if i should order one!
Cheers Ed

It arrived a few days ago and I'm impressed. The wiring with this sort of light is a bit of a pain; I now have a lot of wire wrapped around the stem, but the light is small, light, feels well made, and is very bright.