Lights

[3narf]

Who would have though, with all I have to contend with, ie distance, weather, hills, traffic, one gear etc etc it would be lights that are the biggest pain in the 4r5e?

First of all, I couldn't switch on my front LED light without taking off my gloves. Then I added a cheapy Decathlon one that wasn't waterproof and bit the dust after a month or so.

Then the rear one from the set (which was actually OK) flew off on a bumpy bit and got run over by a following car, and I lost an expensive rechargeable AAA.

My mate, in sympathy, gave me another couple of the front LED ones (he ended up with a load of spare ones when he bought them off ebay. They probably cost pennies from the factory); only one works, and the other one switches itself off every time I go over a bump. Or rather, it did- while I was attempting to switch it back on this morning it flew off and smashed into pieces. And I lost another precious battery.

So I'm down to one front LED and one rear.

This whole situation reminds me of when we were flooded with cheap crap from Japan in the early-to-mid '70s. I wanted a cassette recorder for Christmas one year, and it took seven attempts to get one that worked. And they weren't all the same model, my parents took each one back and got a different type and it still took seven attempts.

I digress... I'm reluctant to buy 'quality' lights as I don't believe there's any such thing (south of £100). 'quality' these days means sh*t but with a guarantee. Everything comes from the same factories. I fear we have a few years more of putting up with rubbish from China.

Angry of Hayfield.

 

[Jim_Noir]

Lights are something worth spending the cash on, I learned this the hard way as I feel I spent a hell of a lot on replacing cheap lights. So invested in decent lights and not had an issue. Check this guys set up

View: http://www.youtube.com/user/gravitygrabber#p/a/u/1/w3MoaC5HMVw

 

[DrSquirrel]

There are some really nice Smart light packages on on-one/planetx currently.

The rear smart 1/2W and dual 1/2W are the best for the money imo - the front is a bit weak, but good for "to be seen" in flashing modes.

http://www.on-one.co...led-bike-lights



Powerful cheap chinese imported front lights are good, you should always run a backup so the "non reliablity" of them isn't such an issue.

You could spend £100-200 on big brand lights, and still only have comparible brightness to £10-20 ebay "torches".

 

[BSRU]

Magicshines can be bought fairly cheaply now, even from EBay, no problems with the build quality, I've been using mine for a year and they still work. I also have a £40 Ultrafire SST-50, nice and bright, included two batteries and a charger, "good for being seen" light.

I have four sub £15 rear lights which are fine at night or when it's raining, although they are backups to my Dinotte 400R which is daylight bright.

 

[3narf]

Hmm. I might be willing to give some of those a try, but I'll bet they're still Chinese.

I don't have a downer on China; rather, the way we kill off our own manufacturing base then pimp ourselves out as free product development guinea pigs...

 

[Moodyman]

Plenty of decent lights for being seen in the £15 - £30 range - I prefer to stick to known brands - Cateye, Smart, etc

Problem is the brackets. Lights can come off easily due to our vibration and the poor roads.

After my first light fell off, I've used added elastic bands to the bracket hold. None have fallen off in nearly two years.

 

[Moodyman]

Hmm. I might be willing to give some of those a try, but I'll bet they're still Chinese.

I don't have a downer on China; rather, the way we kill off our own manufacturing base then pimp ourselves out as free product development guinea pigs...

Welcome to globalisation.

 

[BSRU]

Hmm. I might be willing to give some of those a try, but I'll bet they're still Chinese.

I don't have a downer on China; rather, the way we kill off our own manufacturing base then pimp ourselves out as free product development guinea pigs...

Most things are made in China or Taiwan these days, including lots of bikes, including the well known brands, Giant being the worlds largest manufacturer of bike frames.

 

[Norm]

I don't have a downer on China; rather, the way we kill off our own manufacturing base then pimp ourselves out as free product development guinea pigs...

Can I recommend the products of either Hope or Exposure then.

 

[aembleton]

I'm very happy with the bike lights I bought off ebay direct from Hong Kong. £5.60 delivered - front light actually feels well built and doubles up as a torch. http://cgi.ebay.co.u...em=260598002559 - Biggest problem was that it took a few weeks before it arrived

If you see any that look like that on eBay, I'd buy it even if its just for a spare. This seems incredibly cheap but is probably more than shops like Halfords pay for the same thing and then flog on for £30 or so.

 

[3narf]

The problem is there's nothing in between! I might be interested in a British-made product if I still lived with my mum or didn't have a family to feed (though I doubt very much I'd spend £400 on bike lights anyway).

There's no middle ground; it's rubbish or unobtainium.

 

[DrSquirrel]

The best you will get is what suits you.

Also, there is much to be said for DIY lights, pick and choose a driver that is known amoungst others to be reliable, same for the LED, find some housing to hack about or make your own.

There are actually people that build and sell their own units, more reliable than these magicshines, but built on same principle, wight a bit more cost. Usually better built housings for the custom machined ones. Look on MTBR lights section and candlepowerforums.

Hmm. I might be willing to give some of those a try, but I'll bet they're still Chinese.

I don't have a downer on China; rather, the way we kill off our own manufacturing base then pimp ourselves out as free product development guinea pigs...

Nah they rip dev from other brands.

Also, you will be hard pressed to find a light that is totally built in this country. Specially considering the LEDs inside etc...

Even if it is made "in house", the company might be owned by some foreign company etc. Or, just lining the pockets of a soul director to mess about with the money abroad etc.

 

[Flying Dodo]

The problem is there's nothing in between! I might be interested in a British-made product if I still lived with my mum or didn't have a family to feed (though I doubt very much I'd spend £400 on bike lights anyway).

There's no middle ground; it's rubbish or unobtainium.

As mentioned above, Hope 1 lights do fall in the middle ground. UK built, very solid, good customer service, and you can get them for around £70 if you shop around. Dinotte's are more expensive though.

 

[3narf]

You see, I consider £70 to be expensive for bike lights...

I suppose in real terms, compared to income, allowing for inflation etc, they are actually cheaper than those enormous metal ones, with 4 x U2 batteries, that we used to use years ago!

 

[Brommie77]

You see, I consider £70 to be expensive for bike lights...

I agree, but depending on the length of your ride, you need to factor in the cost of batteries vs just recharging them (at work if possible ) over the years....