Ay-Up Lights

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ValleyForge
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Ay-Up Lights

Postby ValleyForge » Thu Jul 08, 2010 5:59 pm

Ay-Up Lights V-Twin Sports Kit Intermediate beam

Bought from the Ay-Up Shop (AT) Sandgate in Brisbane
They have a comprehensive online shop, but I wanted to see & measure the mount to see if they would fit with the crowded real-estate on my bars. They currently rest on a Sigma T-bar.

How it is used
Swaps between my retro road bike and my training mule. Mostly pre-dawn training rides >30kph, occasional commute. Replaced my SigmaSport Black PowerLED light (~200 lumen)

The Kit - comes in the Ay-Pod case
1 x Light, 2 x Handlebar mounts, 4 x Light mounting bands, 1 x Gecko Light kit, 1 x Gecko battery kit, 1 x Half Epic high / low & flashing battery & pouch, 1 x Half Epic battery anchor strap, 1 x 110V - 240V Adaptor, 1 x Single Channel Lithium Polymer Charger, 1 x 12 Volt Adaptor (Cigarette Lighter Adaptor), 1 x Extension cable 1200mm, 1 x Handlebar rubber packer kit to suit Diameters 25mm & 32mm bars, 1 x Bundle of 4 cable ties, 1 x Headband kit, 2 x Red Saxon caps (tail-light adapter), 1 x AY POD case, 1 x Wrist band

Output - quoted as 400 lumen

Positives
+ The kit is all in a hard plastic case; great for MTB/remote work but a little OTT for road use. Still it keeps all the bits (and there are a lot!) under control. The brightness is exceptional. The twin spots are a good idea - swing one up to look long and one down to look in front. Battery life - the half-Epic is quoted as 3 hrs on full; I can easily get 4hrs (2 x2hr rides) and it still hasn't run low ever. The mount for the lights is solid and rattle-free; battery mount like-wise. Button is easy to use even with winter gloves.

Negatives
- The instructions for fitting the battery into the velcro pouch & then onto the bars don't exist. It just takes a bit of creative origami to work it out. The handlebar light mount is hard to angle toward the side of the road if you want it facing a little to the left. That's pretty much it for the negatives.

Additional notes
Australian company, most of the kit including the case in locally manufactured. Were v helpful and they seem to offer great support - plenty of posts where people have had problems & have got replacements/fixes without questions.

Recommendation
Yes there are cheaper lights, yes there are brighter lights. These strike a great balance, have won a number of reviews and are Australian made too.

I guess the fact that three riders in our bunch went out & bought them after I got mine shows how impressed they were.


OVERALL SCORES

Quality Image

Performance Image

Value for money Image
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ValleyForge
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Re: Ay-Up Lights

Postby ValleyForge » Sat Sep 04, 2010 10:15 pm

Just to add, the guys at Sandgate have added a minimal kit. You spec it with only the mount you need (bar, helmet or head) and save some money. As you see the standard kit has all three.
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ValleyForge
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Re: Ay-Up Lights Service

Postby ValleyForge » Wed Apr 06, 2011 12:00 pm

And as an add to an add, the battery socket was working loose occasionally one one of the lights. Returned to Ay-Up under warranty and was back in the post the next day.

Even paid for postage!
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ValleyForge
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Re: Ay-Up Lights

Postby ValleyForge » Sun Apr 22, 2012 10:06 pm

Now 2yrs on, 1 yr after the warranty job on the socket.

Both batteries still last > 3hrs on high. No other problems - a great investment. Wish I could say that about a few other things!
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ValleyForge
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Re: Ay-Up Lights

Postby ValleyForge » Thu Sep 25, 2014 8:09 pm

Now over 4yrs on the original batteries and original mounts and going strong.

I've bought an additional set for a new bike and I can't pick any difference in the battery life between old & new. The new switch is slightly higher tech, but otherwise the same.
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Bookervab
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Ay Up Lights

Postby Bookervab » Mon Jan 29, 2018 8:24 am

Thanks for your helpful review. Im looking to connect the rear lights to a switch on the handle bars. Can the rear lights be configured to blink when the switch is activated? In other words, can the rear lights blink, and, if so, can they be set to blink as soon as they are turned on?

Nobody
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Re: Ay-Up Lights

Postby Nobody » Mon Jan 29, 2018 9:20 am

This might be a good place to mention that although good lights, even Ay-Up lights won't last forever. I've got good service out of mine bought about March 2010. Last night on a night ride they started to switch off. It looks like the cable that goes from the battery to the connector for the lights might be faulty. As once moved in reference to the battery, the lights operated normally again. Probably time I started to think about new lights, or a repair.

Cyclophiliac
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Re: Ay-Up Lights

Postby Cyclophiliac » Mon Jan 29, 2018 9:28 am

Another vote for AyUp lights. I have several, and have only ever had to replace one, with the same scenario that "Nobody" just mentioned. Their reliability, durability and battery life is very impressive.

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queequeg
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Re: Ay-Up Lights

Postby queequeg » Mon Jan 29, 2018 11:40 am

I have four sets of the Ay-Ups lights, with my first set going all the way back to 2008.

All of my lights still work perfectly. The only issue I have had was with a couple of the batteries. One had an issue similar to above with the cord needing a bit of a jiggle to get it working, and another would just randomly die. Considering how old the batteries were, it was hardly a surprise, as they are used pretty much every day of the year. I just bought some new batteries. The light(s) are faultless, and I would go as far as saying that they are indestructible by any normal means. I am sure if they fell off and got run over by a car, you could simply plug them back in and ride off.

About the only place the Ay-Ups have suffered is the mounting system. The twin-head design means they really need to be mounted centrally over the stem, and it used a massive amount of real estate on the bars, and then you still have to strap the batteries somewhere. This makes the cockpit a bit of a mess. The mounting issue is solved with a Go-Pro adapter mount so you can hang the lights under something like a combo mount and free up the space on your bars, but the battery is an issue. In comparison to what is out there in the market today, the Ay-Up battery packs are huge.

It would be good to see Ay-Up do a next generation set of lights with the same robustness, but bridge the gap to some of the high performance lights now available in the market.
'11 Lynskey Cooper CX, '00 Hillbrick Steel Racing (Total Rebuild '10), '16 Cervelo R5, '18 Mason BokekTi

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Mulger bill
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Re: Ay-Up Lights

Postby Mulger bill » Wed Jan 31, 2018 9:05 pm

No idea how old my MTB kit is but they predate the plastic shell storage case and variable output.

Regular use all weather commuting and night rides.

They've given me unstinting sterling service over that time, the only thing I'd list as a negative is the lack of a fuel gauge but that's been addressed AFAIK

I class them as an investment, not a consumer item.
...whatever the road rules, self-preservation is the absolute priority for a cyclist when mixing it with motorised traffic.
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queequeg
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Re: Ay-Up Lights

Postby queequeg » Wed Jan 31, 2018 10:02 pm

Mulger bill wrote:No idea how old my MTB kit is but they predate the plastic shell storage case and variable output.

Regular use all weather commuting and night rides.

They've given me unstinting sterling service over that time, the only thing I'd list as a negative is the lack of a fuel gauge but that's been addressed AFAIK

I class them as an investment, not a consumer item.
The fuel gauge was sort of addressed with the previous battery update (the B2000). It's pretty simple. You can get an indication of the charge being < 60%, at 60%, or fully charged. Unfortunately you don't get a real time view of the charge. You have to hold down the power button while you are using the lights and count the flashes. Not quite the same as the little coloured led on the back of my Exposure Lights (which I bought for Audax due to the compact size and 36 hour burn time on low).

My first kit came in the Neoprene roll up pouch. My second one came in the AY POD, and I have added a couple of extra light units and batteries to that. I don't have any of the latest battery incarnation, which is a serviceable battery (SLB-01)., but I have about four of the B2000 batteries, a couple of the Half-Epics, and I may well still have an original Full Epic somewhere (back in the days when there wasn't even a High/Low mode).

They are fantastic lights. I use my original light with the headband mount to use in the garage and up in the attic, and I put the newer lights on my commuter.
'11 Lynskey Cooper CX, '00 Hillbrick Steel Racing (Total Rebuild '10), '16 Cervelo R5, '18 Mason BokekTi

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g-boaf
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Re: Ay-Up Lights

Postby g-boaf » Thu Feb 01, 2018 9:09 am

Another vote in favour of these lights as well.

They are the only lights that will work on one of my bikes due to the aero handlebars on that bike. I can use them for long bike rides at night and no worries about them at all, they last.

my set is the one in the big orange plastic case. I use them also when I need light for something I'm working on. They are very, very useful.

Nobody
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Re: Ay-Up Lights

Postby Nobody » Thu Feb 01, 2018 10:36 am

Is the SLB-01 backward compatible? What is backward compatibility like in general with Ay-Up equipment?
Looks like I might have to buy a SLB-01 for my 8 year old IIRC 330 lumen lights.

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Re: Ay-Up Lights

Postby trailgumby » Thu Feb 01, 2018 11:21 am

Mine are still going. Over 10 years old now. Bulletproof.

Cyclophiliac
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Re: Ay-Up Lights

Postby Cyclophiliac » Thu Feb 01, 2018 11:38 am

I use the Topeak Extender Mounts with my AyUp lights, making it a lot easier to mount them either on the handlebars, or on the seat post facing to the rear.

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queequeg
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Re: Ay-Up Lights

Postby queequeg » Thu Feb 01, 2018 2:37 pm

Nobody wrote:Is the SLB-01 backward compatible? What is backward compatibility like in general with Ay-Up equipment?
Looks like I might have to buy a SLB-01 for my 8 year old IIRC 330 lumen lights.
Yes, the SLB-01 is compatible with all lights and charging systems they have ever released. The runtime of the battery will vary depending on which light head unit you have.
'11 Lynskey Cooper CX, '00 Hillbrick Steel Racing (Total Rebuild '10), '16 Cervelo R5, '18 Mason BokekTi

matthecat
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Re: Ay-Up Lights

Postby matthecat » Wed Mar 28, 2018 7:13 pm

Have just had cause to return a 1 year old battery as it wouldn't hold a charge.
Fantastic communication through the process.
Battery found to be at fault and new battery sent from Brissy yesterday and awaiting collection in Perth today!

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HappyHumber
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Re: Ay-Up Lights

Postby HappyHumber » Wed Apr 11, 2018 7:33 pm

Just fired off a query about my just over 2 year old 2nd gen B2000 battery. Definitely an issue with the connector becoming flaky.

My original 1st gen Epics were rugged as and I was really happy with about 5 years pretty solid service out of them.

This was the first of two B2000s I've replaced my original 2009 dated Epics with. I understand the battery is now out of warranty; but unless I'm offered some sort of discounted repair or replacement with a new 3rd gen "SLB-01" my loyalty to their product maybe under threat..... considering I haven't used the B2000s anywhere near as much as my originals Epics
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rkelsen
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Re: Ay-Up Lights

Postby rkelsen » Fri Jun 26, 2020 11:14 am

trailgumby wrote:
Thu Feb 01, 2018 11:21 am
Mine are still going. Over 10 years old now. Bulletproof.
Came here to say this, but was beaten to the punch! :D

I hadn't used my Ay-Ups in about 18 months... put 'em on charge and they're good as new. Mine came with the low capacity battery, but even so, I'm still using them for ~5 hours/wk on a single charge (admittedly on low beam).

They've been through a lot and are still going strong. Truly a great product.

The only criticism I'd have is that the rubber strap used on the mount broke after the first couple of years. I had spares, but now use a slightly modified quick release mount from a cheaper light which I was no longer using.

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queequeg
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Re: Ay-Up Lights

Postby queequeg » Fri Jun 26, 2020 11:23 am

rkelsen wrote:
Fri Jun 26, 2020 11:14 am
trailgumby wrote:
Thu Feb 01, 2018 11:21 am
Mine are still going. Over 10 years old now. Bulletproof.
Came here to say this, but was beaten to the punch! :D

I hadn't used my Ay-Ups in about 18 months... put 'em on charge and they're good as new. Mine came with the low capacity battery, but even so, I'm still using them for ~5 hours/wk on a single charge (admittedly on low beam).

They've been through a lot and are still going strong. Truly a great product.

The only criticism I'd have is that the rubber strap used on the mount broke after the first couple of years. I had spares, but now use a slightly modified quick release mount from a cheaper light which I was no longer using.
Likewise. I just used mine a few weeks ago for my first outdoor Everesting. Battery hadn't been used for a couple of years. Charged it up and I rode 6 hours in the dark on the first battery without it running out of powr (had it on low mode as I was going pretty slow). I had a second light that I turned on for the descents on full power, and that lasted all night as well. I got a Go-Pro mount for the Ay-Up's so I didn't have to use the official mounting system, which just doesn't work for me anymore. I am now probably looking at using my Ay-Ups on my gravel bike with the Go-Pro mount, as I can put the batteries in a small handlerbar bag just behind the lights.
'11 Lynskey Cooper CX, '00 Hillbrick Steel Racing (Total Rebuild '10), '16 Cervelo R5, '18 Mason BokekTi

943
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Re: Ay-Up Lights

Postby 943 » Fri Jun 26, 2020 12:46 pm

Same here. I purchased my Ay-Ups in 2011 and still working like new. Granted they don’t get used all that often but when I do use them, they are good to go. Battery still holds charge really well.

wongaga
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Re: Ay-Up Lights

Postby wongaga » Fri May 21, 2021 5:35 pm

My Ay-Ups are about 10 years old and they still work really well. I use my own home-brew battery - a bunch of NiMh AA's in an old-style kidney bag (remember them?), held on the top tube by the velcro straps, connected via my home-brew cable. No switches or other fancy bits to fail. Rain, hail, shine, floods, nuclear blasts, Covid 19, nothing stops them! Moral of the story: keep it simple.

Cheers, Graeme

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