BIKE GEAR/EQUIPMENT/QUESTIONS

The night ride events have prompted a few comments and questions about bike lights, so I thought I'd start a discussion here so everyone can benefit from and/or add to the discussion.

Some bike lights cost hundreds of dollars. I'm sure they put out lots of light. But I would hesitate to spend that much on a bike light. That's a third of the cost of many bikes! There are other options. The first one is that night riding is optional! The events scheduled here are optional. Many adventure races don't have night riding involved. So if you're not interested in night riding, that in no way means you can't adventure race. But night riding is a lot of fun, and it increases the opportunity to ride more during the winter months where it's dark when you go to work and dark when you come home!

My first bikelight was a CygoLite Night Rover NiCad Xtra. I bought it because it has up to a 6 hour runtime, which is handier for overnight races than one with a 2 hour runtime. It was about $70 on sale. I still use it for my handlebar light. It has a 6.3w light and a 10w light. You can use both at the same time to get 16.3w.



I have used a 4AA headlamp strapped to my helmet to give me a light that I can point around a corner before I'm ready to actually turn. That works, but it's a little top-heavy.

I recently picked up a NiteHawk AL Emitter to use as a headlamp. Haven't had a chance to use it on a trail yet, but will let you know how it works soon. It uses 4AA batteries (easier to have spares) and they're in a case that can be carried in your backpack instead of on your head. It's a 10w light. It supposedly has a 9hr runtime on 100%, and 96 hrs on 10%. I got it on sale at Performance for $129.



I noticed that there are now a number of decent looking lights available in the $70 to $100 range at places like rei.com, performancebike.com, and pricepoint.com. There weren't this many options two years ago.

I would caution against the cheaper lights that are less than $50 or so. They just won't throw the amount of light you need to ride comfortably and safely on trails. Although I must admit that I once used a 3AAA, 3LED Cateye light (similar to this) as my handlebar light on a 30 mile road ride during a race once. I didn't want to lug the heavy Night Rover battery up the mountain and I knew the riding would be on a road. I also stayed close to my teammates and their lights!

What about everyone else? What lights have you used and what do you recommend?

Don

Same as Don, I started out with Cygolites that cost around 75.00 prior to that about the only thing available were battery operated lights (though, I got through many night races with them). The new generation LED battery lights are great for open road riding or light singletrack. I have tried the Marwi Experts (not bad, but had battery issues twice) I am currently running Jetlites and use this model, http://www.jetlites.c... they have proven to be very reliable and the customer service outstanding. I had a wreck two years ago which pulled the wire out of the light unit to far....they replaced it no questions asked. I picked up the light at 265.00.

Good lights are not cheap as evidenced by their new HID light at 400.00. The HID burn like car lights and the battery life is improving drastically...one thing about lights are that every year they improve and you can be left feeling on the out. I was also able to buy another set of Jetlite Phantoms, http://www.jetlites.c... ,off of Trianglemtb.com and got them used for $120.00. They seem to be working great, I used them out of curiousity at a recent night race. They worked great over two hours of riding. I run a helmet light only and no handlebar lights anymore, just personal choice. Always good to keep a small LED headlamp on your helmet or other light for backup, or changing tires..reading maps or whatever to not run your main light battery down.

Check out this thread from Trianglemtb...good discussion and stuff to think about........ http://trianglemtb.co...

I've used a variety of lights in numerous night races. My current setup usually consist of two Cateye high-powered LEDs (similar to this) on the bars and a Petzl Myo XP headlamp on the helmet. This combo works good for most AR terrain and will get you by on mild to moderately technical singletrack. It is good for situations in which you won't have access to a support crew or recharging. The LEDs last a long time and run on standard, replaceable batteries.

If you're competing for 1st place though, a high-powered light is becoming a requirement these days (like running in expedition races has become :-/). This is especially true in many 24-30hr races. The high-powered lights allow you to go much faster and see much farther. Some teams have even started carrying them on trekking legs to assist with finding checkpoints at night.

I have an older NiteRider 15w and a Planet Bike 10w light that I won in a race. I've updated the niterider with a homemade lithium-ion battery pack (check out batteryspace.com) that allows it to last almost 6-7hrs in 10w mode. This works ok for me, but if I was going to spend money on a new light I wouldn't get anything other than a HID light with lithium-ion batteries (not NiMH). The HID lights are extremely expensive, but if you're already spending $100+ on a light, then you might as well make the money count (in my opinion). The HID lamps output MUCH more light and use less power while doing so. The lithium batteries are smaller, weigh less, and last much longer than the NiMH ones. The NiteRider Moab HID light uses these and lasts up to 12hrs while outputing more light than a standard 15w halogen! You can also do 24hr Mtn bikes races with these and it will be much more enjoyable than using a lesser light. For a competitive rider and/or technical terrain, these are a must-have.

Here is a common and relatively inexpensive battery operated light that is used by many racers, either as a back-up or primary during riding such as gravel roads or pavement....singletrack? maybe in a pinch but it would no doubt reduce your riding speed....maybe if used in tandem with a helmet light it might suffice. I do have this light and have used it twice for races, remember that cold temps will drain your batteries faster...using good batteries does make a differance...the lithium AA are significantly better but cost more.

http://www.performanc...

Here is the latest model "lighting" up the AR and Enduro scene..the Nite Rider MOAB...with extended run times it's become the light of choice for the seemingly bottomless pockets of the Adventure Racing genre'. Check out the link below, a bit pricey for me and I wil likely remain running my jetlites..with back-up LED headlamp.

http://www.niterider....

BIKE GRIPS:

Not alot of thought often goes into bike grips, in most cases riders simply ride with the grips that are sold with the bike. Keep in mind that most off the shelf mountain bikes will use minimal cost grips..meaning less cushion..less grip and little concern for comfort. Grips can cost anywhere from 4.99 and up....as you get more into riding and your distance increases, you may find your experience hand numbness, although gloves will definately reduce this, another means of increasing comfort is investing in a good pair of grips. The link will take you to a pair of grips with a differant design to help align the wrist and allow for more cushion. The grips come with or without bar-ends.

http://www.performanc...

Looks like Princeton Tec is offering up their first real foray into Mountain Bike lighting with the Switchback series....the Switchback 3 is offering up some serious run times..though the battery looks heavy.....the price isnt bad all things considered.

www.switchback321.com

Bike Repair Kit, here's what I typically carry....the load out depends alot on how far, where and what bike I am riding. Some people swear by a tool bag that hangs under the seat for carrying the kit, others carry their tools in a camelback or other backpack:

Spare Tube
Patch Kit (some rides just dont go well)- Dont use the old glue/sandpaper ones..get peel and stick
2 Tire Levers (plastic)
Multi Tool (Crank Brothers) w' Allen Wrenches, Chain Tool, flat head screwdriver and one lever)
Two zip ties
Money
Ultra Flate with two cartridges
Bottle opener (never know when there is free beer around)

On longer races or back country rides- I will carry a Crank Brothers pump as back-up to the Ultra-Flate

Keep in mind when doing a team race..split the kit up but bring a couple tubes and extra inflation cartridges. It makes no sense for every racer to have tools, decide who has the best multi-tool and carry it

This is a topic that was broached about this same time last year in regards to night riding..there are quite a few options out on the market and alot of information, good and bad in terms of lighting. The main consideration for people initially is price, good lights aren't necessarily cheap, but they don't have to be extremely expensive either. The things to really consider before a purchase especially in terms of Adventure Racing or long night rides is battery life. As always it's best to have a back-up light such as a handlebar mounted AA battery light or your headlamp place over your bike helmet will get you by in a pinch.

The old process was the brighter the light...the less run time you got so the light might be great for a Wed. night ride at Crabtree at 2HRS but that was the extent of the runtime.

The flipside was that lights with longer runtime weren't nearly as bright and for pure mountain bike racing may not have been adequate.

What we've been seeing lately is a crop of new lights that are really meeting the needs of endurance athletes...plenty of light and 6-12 hour runtimes depending on setting. I have used several differant lights cygolite nightrover, Marwi expert, Light and Motion Cabeza, JetLites, Nite Rider Trail Rat etc....light are constantly evolving and improving so it's best to buy a good set out of the gate and stick with it...you just have to ignore the latest and greatest so to speak.

http://www.jetlites.c...
Very popular in the AR field, long runtimes, varied settings to save battery life and good output. Bought a set last year used for 100.00.

http://www.switchback...
Extremely bright LED based lighting system, 8-10HR runtimes or more depending on light setting used, rode with mine on HIGH setting for 4 hours in the mountains no sign of diminished output. You can pick these up on Ebay around 250.00.

http://www.niterider....
This is a HID based light with a 8-10 HR HID runtime and a extremely long LED back-up system. The LED lights would be adequate for riding gravel roads/ or hike-a-bike thus saving battery life. Even so 8HR of runtime on HID is incredible. These lights are expensive though...but every once in awhile used sets pop up for 250.00 range or so.

Great review and summary Bruce. I know you have used many lighting systems over the years, so it is great to get your perspective.

There is a local forum that had this light system discussion recently and here is one of their members summary of lights he evaluated. Very subjective, but might be useful:

NiteRider Sol

URL: <http://www.niterider....
Bulb: LED 115 lumen
Battery: NiMH
Mount: Handlebar - Helmet version is available as SolMate
Beam Width: Medium to narrow

This was the first light I tried. The design is great and it's nice and
light but I did not feel it was bright enough for me. I imagine that it
is probably more than bright enough for others though. I wear glasses
and am in my late 40s so my eyesight might not be quite as good as other
folks eyes. I returned this light after 1 ride.

------------------------

NiteRider MiNewt.X2

URL: <http://www.niterider....
Bulb: LED 150 lumen
Battery: Li-Ion
Mount: Handlebar - Helmet mount conversion is available for $50 from REI
Beam Width: Medium
Other: flashing mode - good during daylight hours

I like this light a lot. It's light and nicely designed. I rode with
this on several evenings, sometimes using just this light and other
times in combination with the HeadTrip. If this light would have had a
helmet mount I would have probably stopped my search there. Since the
beam is not quite as wide as some of the other lights, having this as a
helmet mount would have really helped. One light I did not try but I
would imagine is probably really nice is the double headed version of
this light, the MiNewt.X2 Dual
<http://www.niterider.... I don't think you
could go wrong with either of these lights. The MiNewt.X2 also gets
extra points for having a flashing mode and for being the only light I
tested with a Li-Ion battery. The Li-Ion battery helps keep the battery
weight and size down while still providing long run times.

------------------------

NiteRider HeadTrip Plus Digital

URL: <http://www.niterider....
Bulb: Halogen 15 watt
Battery: NiMH
Mount: Helmet
Beam Width: Wide

I really liked this light also. It worked great by itself and was really
nice in combo with the MiNewt. It was very hard picking between these
two but I'd say I liked the MiNewt just a tiny little bit more than the
HeadTrip. If the MiNewt had been a helmet or dual mount it would
probably be an easier choice for the MiNewt. The halogen beam on the
HeadTrip is wider and warmer but it is not quite as even as the MiNewt.
The battery and the Light Engine are heavier on the HeadTrip but I
didn't notice the battery weight too much when I was riding with it in
my back jersey pocket. If you are concerned about weight go for the MiNewt.

------------------------

NiteRider Trail Rat

URL: <http://www.niterider....
Bulb: Halogen 15 watt (says 10w on website but box says 15w)
Battery: NiMH
Mount: Helmet
Beam Width: Wide

I believe that this light is based on basically the same bulb that is in
the HeadTrip but everything else has been stripped down. There is only
one light level (on or off) and there is no power meter to let you know
when you are running low. This light has the most attractive price at
$100 but the deal breaker for me was that the battery does not come with
a smart charger. You need to time how long you charge the battery.
Leaving it on the charger for too long can damage the battery according
to the instruction booklet. I hooked up an outlet timer to the charger
and it can be made to work that way, but I'd prefer to plug it in and
forget it until I'm ready to use it again. One side note about the power
meter - the HeadTrip has the power meter in the light engine but since
it's on top of your head I found it somewhat useless. I had the HeadTrip
cut out on me one night on the ATT because of a low battery. Luckily I
had another light I was testing with me so all was fine and dandy, but
I'd be bummed if this happened and the HeadTrip was my only light.

------------------------

Dinotte 200L

URL: http://tinyurl.com/2d...
Bulb: LED 200 lumen
Battery: AA NiMH
Mount: Dual
Beam: Narrow
Other: Integrated Mini tail light

This light wins the coolest design award hands down. It's just a
beautiful thing to hold and look at. It gets extra points for using
rechargeable AA batteries, for having a dual mount standard, for having
the cool integrated tail light, and for weighing so little. I believe
that this light also gets points for having a flashing mode but I'm too
tired (lazy) to go get up and check ;-) Unfortunately, I wasn't wowed
with the output from this light. I need to try it one more time just to
see if something weird was going on the night I tried it. Right now I'd
put this light in 4th place behind the ARC, the MiNewt.X2 and the HeadTrip.

------------------------

Light & Motion ARC HID

URL: <http://www.bikelights...
Bulb: 13.5 watt HID 675 lumen
Battery: NiMH
Mount: Dual
Beam: Very wide, very bright, little to no hot spot

At 675 lumen, even if the manufacturer is exaggerating, this light is at
least 3 times as bright as any of the other lights I tried that have
published lumen ratings. On it's low setting it is still a good deal
brighter than any of the other lights. The beam is the widest and it has
the most even lighting of any of the lights I tested. That said this
light has a number of things working against it.

The price is more than double what the other lights cost.
That alone knocks it out of the running for a good number of cyclists.
Secondly, the battery weighs a ton and is pretty large. Light & Motion
makes a nice small Li-Ion battery but you have to pay a good deal more
for that version of this light. If you already own the NiMH version you
can pony up $200 and buy the Li-Ion battery separately and use the NiMH
beast as a spare. Compared to the MiNewt and Dinotte the light head on
this light is pretty unattractive. It looks like a mini theater light
can. All it needs are the barn doors. No industrial design awards here.

This light does
what a bike light is supposed to do better than any of the others that
I've seen. It produces a beautiful, even, wide beam of light that makes
it a total pleasure to ride around on a bike after dark. This is the
light that I'm going to stick with. I almost wish I hadn't tested it
because the price really is way more than I imagined spending on a light
and I'm feeling a little uneasy on some level about that.

Here are some new photos I took of the five different bike lights
lighting up my driveway. As I mentioned in an earlier email the
telephone pole is approx 250 ft from where I setup the tripod and
lights. To show a better estimation of what you'd see when riding with
these lights I shot these photos with 8 second exposures. They do come
pretty close to what I saw while taking the pictures.

<http://flickr.com/pho...

Robert Weeks