Night riding...who is into it?

[jetski]

Did around 30 km last night... Freakish warm wind picked up and it was 16 celsious at midnight which is super rare for where I live. We were stripping wool like crazy. For reference the night before was -3 at 12
I love night riding.

[sb]

Gonna be checking out my Magic shine lights soon.

[Sirshredalot]

You should bring the new light set to the Schaeffer Halloween ride this year, sb. Night riding in costume while drinking = hilarity.

[sb]

^^^ Will keep it on the radar, should be able to do that pending the work schedule.

[Shredhead]

I'm sorry, but I'm over it already. I've been riding in the dark everyday for the last three weeks and it's a hassle.

But another props for this dog lite. Best one I've found and I've tried everything.

http://www.amazon.com/Nite-SpotLit-S...ata/B00205NXKM

[GordonShumway]

Night riding JONG checking in...

I'm not ready to give up my post-work rides but by the time I get home from work there's not a lot of daylight left. Any recommendations on a light that's not too expensive? What's the minimum lumenz I should get? Moar is better I'm sure, but is there a good ballpark to shoot for?

I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a light to pop up on Chainlove, but so far haven't seen anything.

[Arty50]

Riding at night = Awesome
Crashing at night = Best thing ever!!!

[bfree]

Night riding JONG checking in...

I'm not ready to give up my post-work rides but by the time I get home from work there's not a lot of daylight left. Any recommendations on a light that's not too expensive? What's the minimum lumenz I should get? Moar is better I'm sure, but is there a good ballpark to shoot for?

I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a light to pop up on Chainlove, but so far haven't seen anything.

Magicshine is by far the best $/lumen ratio. Nobody else comes close, even if their lumen output is a bit exaggerated. Other companies (L&M, Niterider, and others) will have better build quality for sure, so consider if the magicshine is worth the potential hassle.

I like having 1000 "actual" lumens. A few years ago that was considered absurd and complete overkill, so less is certainly doable. It's also nice to have two lights: a flood on the hbars and a narrower beam on the helmet.

I'll be using Serfas this year. Not much time on them yet, but I'm impressed so far. TONS of light. TSL-1500 on the bars and TSL-500 on the helmet.

[monkeywrenchMoose]

Second the mention of Serfas lights. I think they have the best compromise of build quality, actual lumens and price. They throw tons of light. Love mine.

[jm2e]

Geomangear has 20% off until 12/12/11
Just picked up the Magic Shine 808E XM-L.
1000 lumen for $91 shipped bitches!
Get on it Mags!

http://www.geomangear.com/index.php?...p3t3phtdop4fc6

[donkeykong]

Geomangear has 20% off until 12/12/11
Just picked up the Magic Shine 808E XM-L.
1000 lumen for $91 shipped bitches!
Get on it Mags!

http://www.geomangear.com/index.php?...p3t3phtdop4fc6

I did the same. should be waiting for me when I get home...

[rideit]

Psa: Deal Extreme has magicshine '1200 lumen' lights on sale right noe for $43.00.

[VTskibum]

^^^ Not quite Magicshine, but real close from what i read. Cliff note: not compatible with Magicshine connectors, beam pattern is VERY narrow, and shipping is a month+. Definitely better than nothing though and can't beat the price.

not trying to slam the deal, just a few FYIs as i passed after a bit more research (I have other lights and was looking for a flood pattern)

[Alaskan Rover]

Nothing better than riding in the moonlight on a ridge trail or an empty country road or bike path....moon so bright that no other light is needed.


How come there aren't ANY LED bike lights that can be charged by the turning of the wheels? I've got one of those emergency storm flashlights that you turn with a handle...the damn thing is brighter than hell !! Why nothing to set up on a bike?? Seems it would solve the battery problem, AND give an extremelyv bright headlight to boot.

Remember those old bicycle light generators? Same concept, except using LEDs and todays new generation of small manual generators.

--

[rideit]

Drag, weight, and voltage regulation. Led's require a very stable voltage range in order to not burn up, which also (generally) requires a smart charger that accomplishes this in order to properly charge the batteries at a stable voltage. In other words, as of now, you NEED a battery to store that energy and distribute it in a regulated manner. If it were practically feasable, at any cost, you would see them on the market. That's not to say it can't be done, though...bust out your duct tape!

[::: :::]

i just started riding at night a few weeks ago with some friends who've been showing me the ropes. just got a 300 lumen light at what i thought was a deal $135 for a cygolite at performance. is the magicshine worth it? (bomber & reliable?) anyone who bought it used it yet?

just found this thread, i need to go back and read this thread completely

[::: :::]

just checking the "authority" also known as wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumen_(unit)

The lumen can be thought of casually as a measure of the total "amount" of visible light in some defined beam or angle, or emitted from some source.

lumen # is dependent on what angle of beam each mfr chooses. so, unfortunately for us buyers, the apples are not equal.

as a newb looking at lights, i'm hoping they're close enough to be useful

[nickwm21]

I have been night riding for about a month. I go once or twice a week, but need to get out more. I am really enjoying it. I have a DiNotte 400L and could not be happier. The build quality is insane, it should last forever.

[Arty50]

I have been night riding for about a month. I go once or twice a week, but need to get out more. I am really enjoying it. I have a DiNotte 400L and could not be happier. The build quality is insane, it should last forever.

I just flipped ass over teakettle with my 800L on the bars and it came away with just a few scratches on the housing. Probably would have ruined another light. It's a really nice combo with the 400L on my head too.

[Alaskan Rover]

Drag, weight, and voltage regulation. Led's require a very stable voltage range in order to not burn up, which also (generally) requires a smart charger that accomplishes this in order to properly charge the batteries at a stable voltage. In other words, as of now, you NEED a battery to store that energy and distribute it in a regulated manner. If it were practically feasable, at any cost, you would see them on the market. That's not to say it can't be done, though...bust out your duct tape!

I think a big factor might be OVER-charging, as LEDs don't need much current at all. And a wheel generator of the type used in the hand-flashlights would generate a LOT of power. A battery to accept excess energy would be a must, of course...it need not be large, though. There would, as you mentioned, need to be a smart-charging diode, that would direct the energy away from the battery when the battery is fully charged.

None of the above would be all that hard to set up, given today's technology.

The reason such a system is not on the market is less of one that it can't be done, and more one that just no one has bothered looking into it.

But the fact is, if the system is set up correctly, you can get a FAR brighter light than a battery only based system...as the battery would be constantly re-charged.

I use rechargeable batteries for my headlight and and my headlamp...these metal hydride batteries don't last nearly as long as regular AAAs.

A recharging system like above would be GREAT for multi-day bike trips...and also would be cool to be able to hook up a 12v charger to charge your other batteries as you ride on a trip!! Like a mini multi charger that would fit in your bike bag.

--

EDIT : Drag really wouldn't be a problem with today's new-style magneto generators. It takes almost no effort at all to turn the handle on those flashlights.

Ditto with weight. Those generators and the needed battery wouldn't weigh much....and unless you're racing (never heard of a 24 hour bike race, but I guess they have them), the extra weight would be negligible. And like I said, on a multi-day trip, you'd actually SAVE weight by not needing to take a bunch of extra batteries.

[gibbssco]

Nightriding = RAGING HARD-ON!!!! Been doin it since september and i can't get enough! Fuck....yes. Best invention since wheaties. or Nuprin.

[rideit]

All that being said, from what I have heard, every major (and many minor) light companies have been working on these... For over 25 years, in some cases. It apparently is a major R&d 'holy grail', and one that has proved elusive in real world conditions. YOU should make and market one yourself!

[wildstyle]

I have been using 2 of the ultrafire 7-900 lumen 3 mode lights since last year. nice wide beam pattern plus they cost peanuts. 3-4 hours in low mode, 1.5 hours in high mode. Don't get the 5 or 7 mode ones as they are a PITA when changing modes on the trail.

I have one mounted on the handlebars and one mounted on the helmet using a modified Gun Barrel mount.



I bought mine off this guy in the UK
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/torchythet...id=p4340.l2562

You seem to be able to get them in the US for a lot less.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/UltraFire-WF...ht_4207wt_1141

or this one http://www.ebay.com/itm/UltraFire-WF...ht_7844wt_1141

[Anospa]

i just started riding at night a few weeks ago with some friends who've been showing me the ropes. just got a 300 lumen light at what i thought was a deal $135 for a cygolite at performance. is the magicshine worth it? (bomber & reliable?) anyone who bought it used it yet?

just found this thread, i need to go back and read this thread completely

For the money, they're great. I got more use out of mine last fall than I have this year, but its still working just fine. You won't get a super strong connection point, so if you smack a branch with your helmet, it'll probably move (don't do this anyways, its bad for you). The plus side is that you can really easily adjust the angle its pointing at.

I read through a huge thread on mtbr last year about a guy testing out the actual lumens of the magicshine; it claims 900, he measured 450ish. Either way, its a really bright light and perfect for the money. I'm probably going to pick up a niterider minewt for my helmet so I don't have to deal with a cord going to my pack. That's really my only complaint, and even that's not a huge issue.

Also, they've sorted out the battery recall. I got my recall replacement, so I've got two batteries now.

[reynolds.trailrun]

I got the 1000 lumen Magicshine MJ-808E, I think. The pointing will slowly walk-off vertically on a really bumpy trail pretty frequently which I find really annoying. It is a really easy fix though. Other than that I love the thing. I have done a few night rides and have plenty of light on the low and middle setting. I rarely "need" the high setting though I use it for shit and giggles. Nice to get that extra adrenaline rush from doing what would be an easy drop midday, when it is eery dark out.

I also use it for night training rides both road and mtb now that the PNW gets dark at 4pm. Definitely thinking about getting a second for the extra depth once the holiday mess is over.

Also on the up side, I have one helluva light for early morning approaches to get some vert/turns before work.

And it is pretty awesome for riding up to a summit to view a Lunar Eclipse like this morning. Pretty funny on my return ride though as a cop was backed up to the gate at the trail head. I lit up his little car when I came around the last bend. I got a stunned some what annoyed look as I passed. Probably woke him.