Off Road lights

[Cab]

I need to get some 21st century lights (my Vista-lite's maybe too Retro now), Exposure look good to me: Any opinions? For single track pootling & some road use, is the twin unit Race Maxx sufficient or do I really need the triple Enduro Maxx?
How powerful is the mid setting: ok for country roads? & what are the run times really like; if I could ride the Exodus next year, would I need a piggyback battery?

 

[Neil G]

I've got an Exposure turbo race and it's a very good light (when it's working)

Got it trade price and I would have been a tad peeved if I had paid full price as the battery has gone and I had to send it back to have the circuitry replaced.

TBH good customer care though and it has been fine for a while, very compact and has seen me through quite a few 12/24hr races in bad conditions.

 

[PurpleFrog]

I need to get some 21st century lights (my Vista-lite's maybe too Retro now), Exposure look good to me: Any opinions? For single track pootling & some road use, is the twin unit Race Maxx sufficient or do I really need the triple Enduro Maxx?

Do you need either? You can buy a decent non-bike P7 for a fraction of the price - maybe even £30 online, instead of £200. Add some rechargeable lithiums and a charger and that's all you need - except I'd get two and a put a diffuser film on one of them. Look for mounting brackets on ebay - if you can't find one that will take the P7 light of your choice, then you could get double the number of Seoul or Cree based lights.

I like the Kingpower 2 x AA light because it has massive heat sinking. 3 of them would equal a £200 bike light in output and mine cost me £25. 3 lights would give you more versatility of beam too - you get set one very close with a diffuser, another diffused light focussed on the ground at say 12m, then have a spot set straight ahead.

Ask for advice here

http://light-reviews.com/forum/

- one of the people on that forum, "Fastcar", sells a terrific diffuser.

Don't forget to check what sort of rechargeables a light takes - some can take Liths and some can't - the Kingpower is NIMH only I think - and make sure that the light is "regulated" - meaning it gives constant brightness even as the battery runs down. Unless you want to really cheap and buy the unregulated 150 Lumen 2xAA lights Tescos has at £8 each. You'd just have to change batteries earlier than you would with a regulated light.

 

[PurpleFrog]

Oh - and I'd ask people about this guy:

http://www.batteryjunction.com/lumapowe ... me-ex.html

Good manufacturer, less than $100, small, 400 Lumens output maxed out - should be hard to tell from the 700L the bike light claims, because the human eye is has a logarithmic response. My concern would be how long this guy can stay on 400.

 

[Augustus]

I use a Maxx D and a joystick. however i'd say the joystick isnt necessary with the 4led maxx d. just a useful extra.


great lights. thoroughly recommended.

 

[drystonepaul]

I've been using a Maxx-D for the past few months since deciding to move on from my 7 year old halogen Vista-lite set-up.

The Maxx-D with the 4 LEDs is fantastic. Really nice flat, broad beam with no hot spots. The full power setting is incredibly bright and great for fast downhills. The medium setting is more than adequate for lower speeds and road decents etc. The low power setting is still easily bright enough for flat riding, climbing and is still good enough for roads and non-technical trails.

If you switch between power settings as you're riding then you can easily run them for over 12 hours between charges. They are meant to last for over 3 hours on full power, and although I've not tried it, I don't doubt it.

One of my riding mates has the slightly less powerful 3 LED version. Still great, but obviously less powerful. His full power setting is equivalent to my medium power setting. Also the beam spread is narrower on the 3 LED version.

Overall they are great lights, very reliable, easy to use and with a great mounting system. They are expensive, but if they last me another 7 years then they are more than worth it.

 

[P20]

I've got the Hope4. Its a beast of a light, superb power and i love it. Great run times too. However as a much much cheaper alternative (£50ish): Clicky

Review on STW: Clicky

 

[Tad]

4x Tesco Cree LED torches

 

[Ziggy]

4x Tesco Cree LED torches

The £10 AA ones? I've got one as a backup, but it's nowhere near my Halogen setup in terms of light output. I am feeling the need to go all-LED though.

 

[kaiser]

I've got the Hope4. Its a beast of a light, superb power and i love it. Great run times too. However as a much much cheaper alternative (£50ish): Clicky

Review on STW: Clicky

Thats a great read, you can get the light on ebay now.