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Night-riding lights


mack_turtle

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That all makes sense. Thanks for all the perspectives, folks. I can easily amount the brighter light on my head and use the XL cable to put the battery in my jersey pocket or something. I have mounted the battery on my helmet before and didn't care for the extra weight up there.

The last issue is that my lights are just not that bright. The Lumina 550 is fine for road riding but not so much for night trail riding. The Lumina 750 was pretty darn bright when I bought it 6+ years ago, but I am sure I can afford something more advanced now.

Edited by mack_turtle
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The ay-ups are only 700 each lumens and they're fine.  I even run them at reduced intensity in easy trails.  A lot of it is getting used to riding at night.  

As far as which light to use where, the key is to use a more diffused/broad beam on the handlebars, more of a spot light on the helmet.

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14 hours ago, mack_turtle said:

Just ordered a Sofirn SD05 from Amazon. Under $50 with a big li-ion cell and charger. Really just a big flashlight. Spec are over-stated, of course, I have have no reason to doubt that it will be anything less than a monster next to my current lights. Will report back after a ride.

Did you get one of these? 

https://www.amazon.com/OLIGHT-Universal-Flashlight-Lightining-Accessories/dp/B0761RX64G/ref=sr_1_47?dchild=1&keywords=rubber+battery+mounting+straps&qid=1570445822&sr=8-47

Looks like the Sofirn is a diving light, not a bike light.

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I have a few mounts that should work,  it that looks like a good option too.

A diving light is a diving light if you use it for diving. If you strap it on your bike, it's now a bike light. Bonus feature: no need to worry about it if you fall in a Creek or get caught in a downpour.

Edited by mack_turtle
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After I posted above, I remembered another example about how getting used to doing things by light at night is so much different. Any of you that have done sports like softball, if you never played at night, and you are decent at catching balls during the day...the first time (or few times) you play/practice at night, it's pretty shocking how different it is to get a feel for where the ball actually is.

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Got the Sofirn SD05 mentioned earlier. Have not had a chance to ride with it yet, but it's impressive. Under $50 on Amazon, comes with a battery and charger.

Features I like:

Massive 21700, 4000 mAh battery. Most lights use a single or pair of 18650 cells, and many are not easily replaceable. The 21700 has a longer run time. It also comes with a plastic spacer tube so you can use a more common 18650 cell.

Magnetic ring on the head for changing settings. No rubber buttons to mash. This was designed for diving (so it's quite waterproof) and probably designed with thick gloves in mind. Just drag your fingers in the general direction and it'll click on.

Holy ffffff it's bright! I'll probably never use the high beam mode. The emitter is actually four tiny emitters in a group.

Fits on my helmet with a rubber strap. Does not get much simpler than that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited by mack_turtle
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The only thing I worry about with a diving light used for biking is the cooling design. My little Gemini overheats and drops into low power mode if I’m not hauling ass or riding in the winter. I don’t apparently haul enough ass because it happens to me almost every time I use it.

Interested to hear a ride report on that beast!


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2 hours ago, mack_turtle said:

Got the Sofirn SD05 mentioned earlier. Have not had a chance to ride with it yet, but it's impressive. Under $50 on Amazon, comes with a battery and charger.

Features I like:

Massive 21700, 4000 mAh battery. Most lights use a single or pair of 18650 cells, and many are not easily replaceable. The 21700 has a longer run time. It also comes with a plastic spacer tube so you can use a more common 18650 cell.

Magnetic ring on the head for changing settings. No rubber buttons to mash. This was designed for diving (so it's quite waterproof) and probably designed with thick gloves in mind. Just drag your fingers in the general direction and it'll click on.

Holy ffffff it's bright! I'll probably never use the high beam mode. The emitter is actually four tiny emitters in a group.

Fits on my helmet with a rubber strap. Does not get much simpler than that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Which helmet strap do you recommend?

 

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My helmet strap is a fat o-ring. Loop the ring around the light at the front, pass the ring through two vent holes in the helmet, stretch it back onto the back of the light. Use two for a backup or if one is not snug enough. A rubber wrist band works well too. I have a Livestrong yellow band (for some reason) that I use sometimes. It happens to work really well on my Giro Hex because of the way the vent holes are designed, but might not on other helmets.

Edited by mack_turtle
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4 hours ago, Tree Magnet said:

The only thing I worry about with a diving light used for biking is the cooling design. My little Gemini overheats and drops into low power mode if I’m not hauling ass or riding in the winter. I don’t apparently haul enough ass because it happens to me almost every time I use it.

Yeah, mine supposedly does that. I doubt I will need the high beam often. Medium is supposedly 900 lumens so I'll use that most of the time.

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Edited by mack_turtle
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I would have never thought of the over heating thing for a dive light. Makes sense though.

Will be curious about your report.

Coming back to Crank and Drank we saw a guy leaving that was coming at us. He had the brightest light I have ever seen on his helmet. I swear he looked like a train coming at us. 

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28 minutes ago, The Tip said:

I would have never thought of the over heating thing for a dive light. Makes sense though.

Will be curious about your report.

Coming back to Crank and Drank we saw a guy leaving that was coming at us. He had the brightest light I have ever seen on his helmet. I swear he looked like a train coming at us. 

Go watch the RHR24 hour race and you'll see quite the display of lights.

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Go watch the RHR24 hour race and you'll see quite the display of lights.


I’ve seen some rigs that look straight out of a Baja race or something. I’m not moving that fast where I need 5283 lumens to light up the next 2 miles. Just give me 2+ hours of consistent several hundred lumens with quality batteries that last more than 1 season and don’t crap out in the rain.


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I've been pretty happy with Light & Motion over the past few years. More so than other companies, I think they are building brighter LED lights and superior battery capability into one-piece bar or helmet mounted lights. A favorite is the Trail 1000, although they make brighter ones. There's also a way to get a 30% off coupon for two lights if you are associated with a team or club (not sure if Mojo will count).

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  • 2 weeks later...

Little update- I tried that Sofirn light last night. Holy hell it's bright! I love how well it works but I think it's too heavy on my helmet for comfort. It gave me a bit of a headache after a while and there is no way to adjust the angle.

I noticed last night  that a lot of riders use a small light on the helmet that uses an external battery pack strapped elsewhere and now I see why. Both of my lights are set on low or medium and are enough light to see the trail ahead, so I am going to have to put the heavier one on the bike and the external battery pack (MiNewt) on the helmet.

Edited by mack_turtle
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For my helmet light i once used the battery attached to my helmet. Didnt like the weight. So I have the option to use a longer wire. Just run that under my jersey to the battery that is placed in my waist pack.
The light on my bars I have running to a battery that I put into a old cut in half water bottle that is in the water bottle cage.


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  • 4 weeks later...
Little update- I tried that Sofirn light last night. Holy hell it's bright! I love how well it works but I think it's too heavy on my helmet for comfort. It gave me a bit of a headache after a while and there is no way to adjust the angle.
I noticed last night  that a lot of riders use a small light on the helmet that uses an external battery pack strapped elsewhere and now I see why. Both of my lights are set on low or medium and are enough light to see the trail ahead, so I am going to have to put the heavier one on the bike and the external battery pack (MiNewt) on the helmet.
Curious how your dive light experiment is going for you?

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

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The Sofirn was too heavy for my liking on my helmet. I moved it to my handlebar with a TwoFish Block and it's been great so far. I have not had any need for the highest setting after a few rides with it.

I put the MiNewt on my helmet with the battery pack in a jersey pocket just to get the weight off my head.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Amazon is having a decent sale on the NR Lumina 1100 Boost. I have the 950 version myself and like it alot. On dawn/dusk rides it's my only light, on full night rides its my secondary (helmet light). 

 

https://www.amazon.com/NiteRider-Lumina-Boost-Headlight-Black/dp/B071LRBF78/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=B071LRBF78&qid=1576080562&s=sporting-goods&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&sr=1-1

Edited by RedRider3141
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1 hour ago, RedRider3141 said:

Amazon is having a decent sale on the NR Lumina 1100 Boost. I have the 950 version myself and like it alot. On dawn/dusk rides it's my only night, on full night rides its my secondary (helmet light). 

 

https://www.amazon.com/NiteRider-Lumina-Boost-Headlight-Black/dp/B071LRBF78/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=B071LRBF78&qid=1576080562&s=sporting-goods&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&sr=1-1

That's a good deal on a great little light. 

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1 hour ago, RedRider3141 said:

Amazon is having a decent sale on the NR Lumina 1100 Boost. I have the 950 version myself and like it alot. On dawn/dusk rides it's my only light, on full night rides its my secondary (helmet light). 

 

https://www.amazon.com/NiteRider-Lumina-Boost-Headlight-Black/dp/B071LRBF78/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=B071LRBF78&qid=1576080562&s=sporting-goods&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&sr=1-1

Picked this up a week or two ago.  Works well!  I've only used it on the road bike so far, but seems very bright.

Note:  When you get it, it won't power on.  You have to hold the button down for 7 seconds to clear the factory lock before the light will work.

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