Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

trailgumby wrote:This is what I used to get the beam shots for the MTS 2700 review:

Canon EOS 600D, set at F9 and ISO400 with a 21mm focal length for 15 seconds.

Would be handy if you could replicate a shot at those settings (camera excepted - not expecting you to go buy an EOS 600D just to satify my curiosity! )

If they get any brighter I'm thinking I might have to drop the exposure time to 10 seconds.

Camera was positioned directly above the saddle - tripod doubled as bike stand for the shots.

I'll replicate your settings (with a Pentax), but I only have a 90mm lens at the moment (the original kit jobbie packed it in) so it won't be exactly the same.

I'll also shoot to the 'MTBR standard' that I came across while researching lights:

"Full manual, ISO-100, Exposure-6 seconds, Aperture-F4.0, Focus-Manual, White Balance-Daylight".

I've bit the bullet and ordered the Xeccon S12 TWO - Cree XM-L2 Hi-Performance Spot Light and Xeccon Spiker 1210 MTB Floodlight - 4400mAh Premium, from MTB Revolution. Most likely will have them by late next week as there is a wait for the newer version of the 1210, looking forward to being able to see at night, I have some big Friday night rides planned.

Have a read through this Rotorburn thread on cheap LED lights.
http://www.rotorburn.com/forums/showthr ... LED-Lights
I have 2 of the 1800L single Cree XML lights mounted on the bars. They are a little too much of a spot light, but you can disperse with a spreader lens cover for a wider beam. Have done 1 night trail ride with them on, and they were fine but the peripherals were a little lacking.

I'll probably mount 1 or both on the helmet and grab a couple of the 5400L versions discussed in the thread for bar mounting if I decide to do more night single tracks. Should be like a portable sun.

I put a 4wd LED light bar on mine, with domestic downlight globes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvMKfo0q1V4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Well, since I started this thread a while back, I've picked up a set of lights and ridden with them.
First, keep in mind I'm just trail riding for fun and fitness, not doing any enduros or travelling long distances away from home. Based on this, I decided not spend too much money so bought 2 of these http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/281000705313 ... 1497.l2649" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
One mounted on the bars, the other on my helmet. For the bar mounted light I purchased a wide angle lens from http://www.action-led-lights.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, along with some new bezel seals and rubber rings for mounting, just in case the Chinese items weren't up to task.

Total cost for lights and accessories, $65.

I only get out for about 1.5 hours in the dark and have yet to see either light run out of battery on high beam. The spread with the wide lens is excellent, giving enough light through corners, and I barely notice the extra weight on the helmet.
The past few weeks I've been caught in rain a couple times and the lights kept going. Getting home I remove the lenses and have found no signs of moisture.

As a casual trail rider, I reckon these lights are a good way to go, especially for the price.

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions!

commando wrote: Total cost for lights and accessories, $65.

Hi, I'm interested in copying your approach on bike lights. You mentioned total cost of $65 - 2 x lights at $25 = 50 but the the shipping cost to Aust is $30. So total cost I'm getting is $80 before adding in the wide angle lens. Did I get that right?

Also which wide angle lens did you select from Action Led? There's a couple on that site

thanks for your help
jandb

Hi Jandb,

Strange, when I bought them, shipping was free. I bought them separately too, because I wanted to test one out before I invested $50 on two. I think the key is to search for a Cree XML T6, there's heaps of different packages out there, I eventually just had to decide on one and took the one with free freight. You'll find something easily.
This is the lens I got http://www.action-led-lights.com/collec ... angle-lens" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I also grabbed a couple bezel orings and mounting oring kits to add a bit of reliability to the package. I should've got the helmet mount kit as well http://www.action-led-lights.com/collec ... -mount-kit" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I used cable ties to fit mine, while effective, it's not exactly quick release.

Hope that helps.

yellagonga wrote:I put a 4wd LED light bar on mine, with domestic downlight globes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvMKfo0q1V4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

What sort of battery are you using with all those lights and what run time do you get?

1800Lm 2013 CREE XM-L XML T6 LED Bicycle Light HeadLight headLamp Torch Lamp Set $25 free post

mitzikatzi wrote:1800Lm 2013 CREE XM-L XML T6 LED Bicycle Light HeadLight headLamp Torch Lamp Set $25 free post

The light for the gullible ?


The fine print - 1800 lumens only theoretically possible if you buy 2 - features show - "strong brightness(900 lumens,2800mA)" battery "6400mAh", pack is 2s2p, so would need 3200 mAh cells - which sell for around $15 a pair - possible but that's not the way to bet

1800 Chinese Lumens but plenty light for the price (just don't take those batteries out in the rain).
Similar to pricing elsewhere so...
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/CREE-XM-L-XM ... 51ac6e3a24" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

commando wrote: Hope that helps.

It most certainly does! Ordered mine 8 Sep, arrived this week. Light seems to be quite bright and of similar output & battery duration to my friends Nitelight Shotfire which is rated at 1100 lumens & costs about $200 delivered. Of course tough to compare actual output & longevity is doubtful but at 1/5 the cost it's a great option. Thanks for the tip.

just a warning to anyone buying these off ebay...a lot of dodgy china based sellers on there atm and will only increase in the lead up to xmas
you pay for your order they send you some socks instead (or similar) and then try to convince you its a mistake and allow them to resend...this whole process will usually take you close to or over the 45 day threshold for a paypal claim, the seller will go silent on you and youll end up getting screwed

heres a bunch of ebay china sellers i definitely wouldnt be buying CREE XM-L T6 LED lights from:
http://myworld.ebay.com.au/zhyq8015" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://myworld.ebay.com.au/ranglifang54" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://myworld.ebay.com.au/hole.best" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://myworld.ebay.com.au/chenxiuqin250" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

...but theres also quite a few other sellers doing exactly the same thing...so buyer beware: i got stung on 2x sets of lights just recently

[quote="franco cozzo"
heres a bunch of ebay china sellers i definitely wouldnt be buying CREE XM-L T6 LED lights from
[/quote]
Good tip. I guess look for buyers with a significant #of sales. 1,000 & 98% rating would be my threshold.

jandb wrote:Good tip. I guess look for buyers with a significant #of sales. 1,000 & 98% rating would be my threshold.

...there were so many on there i assumed they were legit. but yes from now on i'll only go with high volume sellers with exceptional feedback only (if at all)

can you recommend any ebay sellers that are 100% legit that you have purchased from?

dealextreme also stocks these lights so there are alternatives

I bought from this guy, delivered in about 2-3 weeks, works ok so far.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-1800Lm-C ... 53ff66f0b9" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I also bought a MagicShine MJ-872 from DealsXtreme - have been waiting almost a month for that delivery. Apparently any day now.

If you don't mind buying online from overseas, I would recommend lights from Hong Kong, Japan or taiwan.
Not China though, you might have some quality issues with yer lights
I'm running an older Dosun A250 ( only 250 lumens), which cost me $60 including shipping.

yellagonga wrote:I put a 4wd LED light bar on mine, with domestic downlight globes

That is epic! I love it. Hey, where is that? Looks like the Perth hills.

I second the previous question. What kind of batteries?

FASTTECH.COM

Some huge threads on this also at MTBR.

I knocked up some lights from a couple of cheap torches ($5 ea) and a battery pack. Then I bought some lights like the fandyfire set, but called solar storm with a claimed 5000lm. I know they aren't 5000lm though. I've been happy with the solar storm lights, but they overpower my home made lights on the helmet. Riding in the dark with them on blinky mode is a recipe for seizures given the light output, and especially bad with reflective signs in front of you. I mostly ride with them on medium beam when on single track and only switch to high for fire trails. Using that setup I have managed to get plenty of Strava achievements on the local trails so they can't be all bad.

To keep things consistent (good options for spares then) I purchased a second set of solarstorm lights off eBay for the huge price of $31 and awaiting delivery. Surely for that price I can't go wrong! They don't come with a helmet mount, but shouldn't be hard to figure something out.

Edit: I find I get a fair bit of glare off them when leaning forward over the bars, considering putting an eyebrow on the unit to help.

jandb wrote:I bought from this guy, delivered in about 2-3 weeks, works ok so far.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-1800Lm-C ... 53ff66f0b9" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

No longer. Battery has failed after about 4 - 5 rides.