what lights are you all using for night riding?

Cavi

Active member
Jun 15, 2020
376
123
California, usa
this is the light I got, it is Ok, but could be brighter, I plan on adding a helmet light, but with the price of lights I do not want to guess at it. Soo, what are you all using?
 

jbrown15

Well-known member
May 27, 2020
799
659
Chilliwack, Canada
I’ve been using Niteriders lights, I run the 1800 lumens boost on my handle bars and the 1200 lumens boost on my helmet and they’ve been great so far.


I like that I don’t need an external battery, I’ll run them in low mode for the climbs and on high boost mode for the descents and I’m good for at least an hour night ride.
 

Sander23

Active member
Aug 28, 2020
740
457
Belgium
I run a high powerled light from vrace on my handle bars. Good for 3000 lumen, 2 hours full power beam, lowest beam gives me 6 hours
 

Sander23

Active member
Aug 28, 2020
740
457
Belgium
I bought it in a local shop.no idea where to get it online. My friend bought one on Amazon 7000 lumen but they seem to give the exact same amount of light in the dark
20201117_221537.jpg
 

Cavi

Active member
Jun 15, 2020
376
123
California, usa
I also have the Magicshine that puts out 5000 lumens on my handlebars, I like it but I think the extra helmet light will help. If I could do it over I would get the magicshine 8000 lumens
 

Gary

Old Tartan Bollocks
Author
Subscriber
Mar 29, 2018
10,496
10,702
the internet
1000 lumens on your head is far more useful than 10000 on your bars when mountain biking . You need to be able to see where you're going not just where your bars are pointing.
Ideally a mix of bar and head to give you greater depth. Also in nist/har head mounted lights bounce the light straight back into your face leaving you riding virtually blind.
 

Rusty

E*POWAH BOSS
Jul 17, 2019
1,513
1,673
New Zealand
I also have the Magicshine that puts out 5000 lumens on my handlebars, I like it but I think the extra helmet light will help. If I could do it over I would get the magicshine 8000 lumens
Probably 900lm true value. Doing a test with a light meter a set of AyUp 700lm came in at 698lm. 2 sets of Gloworm X2 1500lm came in at 1485lm & 1490lm. A set of Nightrider Lumiona 1800lm came in at 1770lm. A couple sets of Magicshine 1500lm came in at around 570-580. Some newer 2000lm MJ902 came in at around 1000lm and a spanking new 4000lm MOH55 set came in at a respectable 3180lm.

The CREE XHP50.2in the new Magicshine as well as many other new generation lights is a powerful beast.


Maximum Drive Current 3 A (6 V)
1.5 A (12 V)
Max Power (W) 18 W
Max Light Output (lm) 2654 lm
Maximum Efficacy at Binning Conditions (lm/W) 165 lm/W
Typical Forward Voltage 5.6 V White @ 1400 mA (6 V)
11.2 V @ 700 mA (12 V)

The thing to remember - that is lumen measured on the chip and using test quality drivers as well as being measured in lab conditions.
Once you add a badly designed reflector and put some sort of crap lens across the front as well as hooking up to a shithouse driver you get huge discrepencies in output.
 

Superkoochy

Member
Patreon
Oct 19, 2018
68
44
Bathgate
Just back from a 22 mile night ride at Glentress, my Exposure SixPack and Exposure Diablo (picked it up today after being so impressed with the Sixpack) were amazing! Not cheap but noticeably better than the hope lights that they have replaced.
 

willeco

Member
Jul 28, 2020
105
88
Halle
I had a Lezyne 800 Micro Drive Pro XL that I rarely used, but was good enough as long as you were riding on roads:

But a few weeks ago I started riding a lot of nighttime offroad and the above was not good enough.
I added a Lezyne Super Drive 1600 XXL
which does the job pretty well.
Sometimes I use both at the same time too.

A additional helmet light would be nice too, but I don't like stuff added to my helmet.
 

STATO

Active member
Feb 18, 2020
195
123
North
I'm the same as Superkoochy with the Exposure SixPack and Exposure Diablo unreal

Ive had a MaxxD (1000L) since they came out 10+ years ago, awesome light, still works but only last an hour on full now so mainly used for offroad commuting. I replaced it a few years ago with a newer MaxxD which can do 2400L and a 1000L Diablo. I almost never use full power on local trails, but its good to have.

I wouldnt go back to lights with wires and separate batteries now ive experience the all-in-one exposure design. Most of my mates have done the same after years faffing with wires and trying to fix broken budget lights with weak wiring or plastic bits. Some still have good experience with budget lights, but with heavy use the potential for breakage isnt worth it for me.
 

Motoxfreak

Member
Oct 5, 2018
90
80
San Antonio, Texas
Magicshine 6500 on the bars and a Seca Pro Race 2500 on the helmet.
Magicshine seems to way over estimate their lumens as the 2500 Seca was as, if not brighter than the 6500 Magicshine.
Wish I had bought two Pro Race or maybe a high power Lezyne.
 

EME

MUPPET
Aug 14, 2020
262
230
Zug
Magicshine 6500 on the bars and a Seca Pro Race 2500 on the helmet.
Magicshine seems to way over estimate their lumens as the 2500 Seca was as, if not brighter than the 6500 Magicshine.
Wish I had bought two Pro Race or maybe a high power Lezyne.
As someone pointed out earlier in the thread, its an unfortunate fact that many companies over claim LED light outputs ( sometimes 'cos they don't know better but usually deliberately).

The only way to measure LED light output is with an Integrating Sphere of Goniometer. Light meters just don't crack it.
Fundamentally data sheet/raw/published/measured or just 'lumens' are theoretical outputs that are not achievable in the real world for many many reasons.

Sometimes you will see Fixture Lumens ( ie measured in their final fixture ) quoted . Unfortunately there are also companies who will deliberately mislead by using that term.

Impossible for us all to know without measurement, so if you are spending big numbers check with the manufacturer to substantiate their claims and how measured.

A rule of thumb .. anything over 5000 lumens on a bike light is likely to be BS. Anyone getting over 75 lumens/ watt out of LED bike lights is pretty good at what they do imho /..
 

Gary

Old Tartan Bollocks
Author
Subscriber
Mar 29, 2018
10,496
10,702
the internet
It's all about light spread and quality for night riding anyway. Which Lumen count alone doesn't convey.

I'm surprised the monteer is disappointing. The older 3000lm magicshine Eagle lights are awesome.
 
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