Best bike lights

[SK66NAN]

Hi and thanks for adding me.
whats the best bike lights out there at the minute. There’s a lot to choose from and I don’t want to buy twice.
Thanks in advance ??

 

[Gary]

@carlbiker Your spreadsheet collating skills are required here

 

[Gary]

whats the best bike lights out there at the minute. There’s a lot to choose from and I don’t want to buy twice.
Thanks in advance ??

As with any purchase, there is rarely ONE best product.
What suits your needs, wallet and preference best will not be the same for everyone.
I'd suggest fixing a budget and describing what you actually want from the lights. Runtime, brightness and whether you're wanting to run bar/head or both? external battery pack or all-in one units.
If you want any genuinely useful recomendations.
Otherwise you'll just get a pointless list of "Wot I have's"

 

[Philly G]

If you're wanting to do some serious nighttime trail riding, get the brightest you can get for your budget. Some of the brightest lights available will allow you ride as if it was daylight . Recommend also running both a helmet light and a bar mounted one

 

[j3ayy]

I have just purchased one of these & it seem decent for the price. LifeLine Pavo 2000L Front Light | Chain Reaction Cycles

 

[carlbiker]

@carlbiker Your spreadsheet collating skills are required here

sorry, too busy riding now ?

 

[Peter78]

I have an Exposure Six Pack on the handle bars and an Exposure Diablo on helmet.

 

[Philly G]

I have an Exposure Six Pack on the handle bars and an Exposure Diablo on helmet.

Plus one for this setup, amazing, lights. The sixpack has really great features. They are at the upper end cost wise, I don't regret buying, but I think there are lights available that are just as bright for less money

 

[Philly G]

Can’t beat the lupine alpha. Literally.
View attachment 44182
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That's definitely extremely bright! Brighter than the Exposure Sixpack. But...more than twice the price of the Sixpack, which has more features, and the convenience of a built-in battery. I'm not sure I would have chosen differently, even if I had the budget for the Lupine.

 

[Philly G]

Those are pretty cool features on the Lupine. The latest Sixpack connects to your phone, mine is an older model that doesn't. But you choose a setting based on desired burn time, or use one of the adaptive settings, where the light adjusts the brightness using built-in accelerometer and gyroscopic sensors. One advantage of the Lupine, with it's separate battery, is that you can mount it on your helmet. Sixpack too heavy and bulky for that. I imagine you might get longer burn time with the Lupine as well, with the bigger battery. Sixpack on the brightest adaptive setting is good for 3 hours, which is really enough for my night rides

 

[carlbiker]

You guys discussing Lupine Alpha Front Lighting Ø35mm at bikester.co.uk £950??

 

[deksawyer]

I guess if you can afford that Lupine, then fair enough, good on you. But only 80mins at full power.....it doesn't really add up.

 

[carlbiker]

I’d be wondering if £100 of lighting is enough for most folk what special requirements really warrant 1k+, sure it’s nice but I imagine we’re talking extreme like snow blizzards or something. Just also thinking can it be dangerous to have such powerful lights if your with others, eye wise?

 

[sunstoner]

Ruddy hell, some fabulous money being on lights, Im in need of some lights n all for me newishly purchased emtb and in my head was thinking on a £200 budget.

Think I need to get off me horse and drink me milk and have a rethink!

 

[sunstoner]

I have just purchased one of these & it seem decent for the price. LifeLine Pavo 2000L Front Light | Chain Reaction Cycles

This is more my kind of money. How are you finding it ?

 

[deksawyer]

On paths paved foot I use .3 watts.
Full power is a feature but you’d never need it. At 30% it does most everything you need. 70% and it’s great for the rough narrow trails in the woods. That’s what’s in the super bright pic in the woods. So much light and your eyes adapt when less is just fine. If I was searching then yeah full power.

Then it really begs the question - why have it if you only use it to the spec of a lower end model in the range, or a competitors?

I get having nice toys, I have plenty myself, but saying "full power is a feature, but you'd never need it" is surely the wrong way to make a buying decision? I get that the light is great, but you could've spend a fraction of that budget and had the same performance, the way you're currently using yours. It's your money and as I said before, if you're happy, who am I to challenge it.

To those with a more realistic budget, Chilli-Tech have a new light out, with remote.

CREE 2400 – 2400 Lumens for MTB Riders CREE Bike Light Deal | Chilli Technology

chilli-tech.com

That, and the 960 on your helmet would be a great wee setup.

 

[Gary]

You even need to question the purchasing choices of a dude who has a guy laying prone firing a high powered scoped rifle as their avitar on a cycling forum?

 

[deksawyer]

You even need to question the purchasing choices of a dude who has a guy laying prone firing a high powered scoped rifle as their avitar on a cycling forum?

Yeah, I did spot that.

 

[Steve940]

Need a light myself but I'm only in need of a much cheaper version than these so far lol..I'm by no means a tight arse,but even £100 seems ridiculous to me...just a charge up light that,,,,well,lights up infront..don't need the national grid on me handle bars

 

[j3ayy]

This is more my kind of money. How are you finding it ?

Honestly not had a problem with it

 

[Doug e+]

Halfords Advanced 1600 Lumen Front Bike Light £50

 

[Jackware]

It's not all about the light output, it's great lighting up the path for a mile ahead of you but if it's out of power an hour into a 2 hour ride you could be in trouble.
I can't see any runtimes listed on the Halfords website which is basic required info.
It's another advantage of adding a hard wired light even if it's only lowish output.
After a few long night rides I invested in a hardwired light as well as 2 others that also have batteries to increase their work time way beyond what I'd expect to be riding, but if we had a problem on the trail we wouldn't have to worry about getting home in the dark.

 

[Gary]

That’s only a .308 brother. I’ll change it to a high
Powered one tho. - there .50 cal. Was shooting it out to 2400 meters.

*whoosh*

 

[His_Turdness]

Here's the thing with lights, imo: they need to be weather proof. I live in a cold and dark area, so my choice will be the Lumonite Compass R, or some off-brand equivalent. I'll just stick my old lamp on the handlebars for additional light. It's not required by law or anything, but it will be good to have on public roads.

 

[Gary]

Eh? I can't think of a single mtb light that isn't weather proof.

 

[His_Turdness]

I've had a bunch of lamps that couldn't take 2 hours in -20 C or colder. Never had MTB specific (expensive lamps). Looking at the prices... I never will. A head lamp is much better purchace, bang for buck, and is more versatile/useful, imo.

 

[Gary]

Kind of irrelevant information. But thanks anyway.

 

[His_Turdness]

Well... if we are talking about weather proof lamps here... Let's take the Monteer 8000 for example. It's only rated rated for -20 C, which is nothing where I live. Add high wind speed to -20 and you get closer to -35. Like I said, most lamps can't handle that and are not weather proof, imo. I think it would be crazy to play 400 imperial credits for something that can't handle the winter. You might think that's irrelevant, but I don't.

 

[deksawyer]

Not to speak for Gary, but I personally don't think anyone should be out cycling at "-35". Especially with the need for lights..... It might be great, but it's not for me. Ymmv.

And I'd also suggest that most people's "weatherproof" does not really consider temperatures. Why, who knows... Is there an IP standard that caters for low temps?

The main problem would be the battery in those temps... They do not like the cold.

 

[His_Turdness]

I know that for most people out there those seem like insane conditions. Not for us. Gotta get to the grocery store somehow, you know. I used to have a GoZero foldable pedelec, which did ok in the cold. The problem was snow with those little tires. And of course the lights dying off within an hour of riding.