Paul_L
Über Member
- Location
- Shipley, West Yorks
Took possession of my new MJ816 1400 Lumen front light at the weekend, and after switching it on in the garden in total blackness i was very very impressed with the brightness and sharpness of the light levels and thought it would be perfect for the dark 15 mile commutes on the tow path.
I was eager to give it a proper test run, and today was the first opportunity i had. Set them up last night at home, butchering an old water bottle to house the battery pack,to give it a bit of waterproofing. Was a bit concerned by the tightness of the seal O-ring to the bars but it felt sturdy enough, but i was mindfil it was far from perfect. You get 3 O-rings to choose the best fit and i'd got it the tightest i could.
So i set off this morning in spitting rain and was full of "wow" as to how bright the light was on the road. Even with street lighting, you could tell the differnece.
I have a mile and a half before i got to the tow path, and as soon as i came off the surfaced road, straight away i kept having to adjust the position of the lights as they were constantly moving. Not by very much, but the first few miles of the canal whilst not tarmac are a lot smoother than the latter section.
Sure enough by the time i hit a cobbled section, they were either slipping down or back completely which ended up taking away all the light,and rendering the lights uselss. First time it happened, hit a pot hole, light dropped down and BOOM, front wheel hit a raised stone and i was down. Cracked knee on a rock, ripped leg warmers and lots of swearing. Re-mount, adjust lights, clip in and set off again. Blow me, 200m down the track exactly the same happened with the lights just slipping off the bars and this time wheel got caught in a rut and i have a badly grazed elbow as well as a ripped arm on my waterproof jacket.
By now it was sheeting down making the path very slippery, i.e. exactly when you want your lights to show the way, so as you can imagine i was utterly peed off with my new purchase.
If i can get home safely tonight i might have to make a few DIY improvements to try and keep the light more secure,possibly trying a smaller O-ring or using a bit of double sided sticky adhesive ribber strip, but unless i can do this i'm afraid the light is a waste of time.
The light levels are awesome, and i can imagine for road conditions they'd be just the ticket, but for off road or lumpy conditions, first impressions are i'm not impressed.
I let you know how my home improvements get on!
I was eager to give it a proper test run, and today was the first opportunity i had. Set them up last night at home, butchering an old water bottle to house the battery pack,to give it a bit of waterproofing. Was a bit concerned by the tightness of the seal O-ring to the bars but it felt sturdy enough, but i was mindfil it was far from perfect. You get 3 O-rings to choose the best fit and i'd got it the tightest i could.
So i set off this morning in spitting rain and was full of "wow" as to how bright the light was on the road. Even with street lighting, you could tell the differnece.
I have a mile and a half before i got to the tow path, and as soon as i came off the surfaced road, straight away i kept having to adjust the position of the lights as they were constantly moving. Not by very much, but the first few miles of the canal whilst not tarmac are a lot smoother than the latter section.
Sure enough by the time i hit a cobbled section, they were either slipping down or back completely which ended up taking away all the light,and rendering the lights uselss. First time it happened, hit a pot hole, light dropped down and BOOM, front wheel hit a raised stone and i was down. Cracked knee on a rock, ripped leg warmers and lots of swearing. Re-mount, adjust lights, clip in and set off again. Blow me, 200m down the track exactly the same happened with the lights just slipping off the bars and this time wheel got caught in a rut and i have a badly grazed elbow as well as a ripped arm on my waterproof jacket.
By now it was sheeting down making the path very slippery, i.e. exactly when you want your lights to show the way, so as you can imagine i was utterly peed off with my new purchase.
If i can get home safely tonight i might have to make a few DIY improvements to try and keep the light more secure,possibly trying a smaller O-ring or using a bit of double sided sticky adhesive ribber strip, but unless i can do this i'm afraid the light is a waste of time.
The light levels are awesome, and i can imagine for road conditions they'd be just the ticket, but for off road or lumpy conditions, first impressions are i'm not impressed.
I let you know how my home improvements get on!
