Performance lights

[alp1950]

Exposure EnduroMax; RaceMax; Joystick; Nightrider Minewt; Ay-ups etc.

They don't come cheap but a fair chunk of my commute is on unlit roads and I think I need to spend the cash- even though the light will represent a significant % of the cost of the bike.

Trouble is, every time I go looking at these lights I keep revising my wish list upwards so that in the space of a couple of weeks I've gone from wanting a Minewt to a Joystick to the dual Minewt to the Racemax. I've just seen the EnduroMax and was blown away - but it's double the price of what I originally had planned. I'm prepared to spend the money if it buys me a light that increases my safety, but is it a bit OTT looking for this level of performance for a commuting light, albeit for dark country roads?

Anyone out there got experience of these lights?

 

[Tynan]

got the joystick for the Dun Run and it does what it says it does, I'm very happy with it, it's tiny and very bright indeed, I suspect size and burn time will be it's pros, suspect you won;t need three hours of burn which I recall is their full power time

 

[Noodley]

For me I need a light which goes beyond just a couple of hours, but this means going into 'stupid' money...so I took the option of a light which has a AA battery catridge, so I carry a few filled cartidges which means I do to have to faff about. Especially good in cold conditions...I have an entry level (still expensive enough) Dinotte light, which suits me fine. I have used it for long rides in the dark and never had any problems. I ride on remote roads, and it has served me well, but I have also bought a Tesco 3W to use alongside it. I use the Tesco light in lit areas and the Dinotte elsewhere. I suppose I will find 'reason' to use them together sometime soon.

 

[DaveP]

Alp,

I mainly ride on rural 'B' roads and have recently got these : http://www.niterider.com/prod_minewtx2dual.shtml

As my runs are no longer than two hours I find that these are more than adequate at night, they take a little patience in setting first of all up but so far so good.

When I first went out with these at full brightness I found that on coming cars were slowing down for me as they were so bright!

While I think that these units are not strictly intended for use as “road” lights, they do chuck out an awful lot of light to the point where I have been doing 30 mph down (on an admittedly familiar road) hill with confidence.

The important thing for me is they are more than capable of illuminating pot holes!

Good luck

 

[alp1950]

Thanks guys.

The search goes on for the perfect light. Think I may be getting there- just seen the Niteflux Photon Max. Seems to offer more light ouput per £ than any of the competition.

 

[Noodley]

If money is no object, a club mate of mine has a Lupine Wilma:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Lupine_Wilma_7_Front_Rechargeable_Light/5360038396/

It is amazing. We get him to ride behind us on the way home from pub runs to save the rest of us from wasting batteries.

 

[longers]

Is it me or could they not have come up with a better name for a £475 light than Wilma?

(apologies to all Wilma's out there)

 

[Noodley]

Is it me or could they not have come up with a better name for a £475 light than Wilma?

(apologies to all Wilma's out there)

The more expensive one's are called Betty.

I see a Flintstones connection....

 

[longers]

Ah, thanks, that explains it then.

 

[Crackle]

MBR reviewed a lot the top one's recently.

They rated the Exposure MaXx-D (4hrs.15min burntime), the Ay-up mtb kit (3hr 30) & the exposure joystick MaXx-2 (3hr.45) as 10's with the Niterider MiNewt, Hope Vision & lupine just behind on 9.

They reckon the Lupine was the best light but criticised it on price and the bottle design. They also put the Blackburn X8 top of the commuting lights (£149 2hr 10), Ay-up's top of the trail lights and the Exposure MaXx-D top of the race lights.

They said the Hope Vision was the best value 'big hitter' but not as bright as the Lupine.

Niterider, cateye and Lumicycle also scored around 6 or 7.

 

[Crackle]

Oh yeah, they also said on the test they'd been blinded by some tall bloke walking a dog with a Tesco torch

 

[Noodley]

Oh yeah, they also said on the test they'd been blinded by some tall bloke walking a dog with a Tesco torch

 

[P.H]

I recomend a bit of flexability in your light setup.
I have the MiNewt X2 Dual which is fantastic, even beam and a nicer colour of light than many LEDs. I also have a LED dynamo light, about a quarter of the output of the MiNewts, the dynamo light is more than adequate 90% of the time. Turning the MiNewts on only when needed gives more benefit than having them on all the time, as my eyes will already be accustomed to the one light.
IMO the IQ Fly and any high powered single LED would give a better combination than anything I've seen suggested so far.

 

[ufkacbln]

One wonders about the Lupine names..... Now I wonder if this is a "Tracy Emin" type thing and these are all exes, Wilma wasn't as bright, or perform as well as Betty, but was brighter and performance wise than Tesla?

 

[Chuffy]

I recomend a bit of flexability in your light setup.
I have the MiNewt X2 Dual which is fantastic, even beam and a nicer colour of light than many LEDs. I also have a LED dynamo light, about a quarter of the output of the MiNewts, the dynamo light is more than adequate 90% of the time. Turning the MiNewts on only when needed gives more benefit than having them on all the time, as my eyes will already be accustomed to the one light.
IMO the IQ Fly and any high powered single LED would give a better combination than anything I've seen suggested so far.

But dynamos limit you if you run more than one bike. Even more so if you use a dynamo hub.

But if you've just got the one bike, then yes, dynamos will do the job nicely.