Road Bike Light (Sub $80 total setup)

Hey, first post. I've been doing plenty of reading but I'm still not clear on what I should buy so I'm just wondering if anyone will kindly give me a shove in the right direction. (There's already quite a few threads on this, but not really anything helpful in the last 3 or 4 months, and technology moves on)

TL;DR:
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I'm looking for something which will allow me to comfortably/safely ride along lit and unlit sections of sealed road and bike paths at 30-35 km/h (~20 mi/h) without fear of unseen pot holes, fallen branches, broken glass or other rubbish. This equates to being able to clearly identify small objects coming towards me at this speed from 50+m (yards) away until point blank.

I'm looking for 2+ hours run time on a single load of batteries, but intend to carry 1 or 2 spares. I'm happy to go with whatever as far as batteries are concerned (looking at 18650 atm), though I already have a AA/AAA NiMH charger.

I also need to be able to take the light with me to prevent theft so quick and easy installation (<5s) and removal (<2s) is good (there's already plenty of ideas around on mounting though).

Lastly I'm looking to get the whole shebang including batteries and all on a Uni-Student's budget of $80 Aus. (For reference, 1 AUD = 1.07 USD at the moment)

Ordinarily I'd have no hesitation about ordering the bits and doing a DIY job, but by the time I buy a decent multimeter, soldering iron, solder etc. I'll have already blown my budget well and truly, without starting on the light.
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I'll be using the light on my way to rowing training in the mornings (About 30min ), and for getting home again at night from uni or wherever I am (potentially up to 1 hour depending on traffic). I could get by on anything down to 90 minutes run time, but I don't want to have to deep cycle my batteries all the time and if get held up for whatever reason (flat tyre) I don't want my lights to die before I make it home.

I'm not really concerned about tint and holes, just as long as it's not pure blue or something as I'm doing this on a tight budget and I only need to see (and be seen).

Options so far:
If I go 18650;
Charger: $11 - 3.7V Li-ion Charger (individual charging channels)
Batteries: $10 - 2x18650 2400mAh 3.7V Protected
Mount: $0 - Hose clamps and inner tube

Leaves me $60 for the torch.

A multi mode XM-L T6 or U2 driven at 2.5A-3.0A H, 1.2A M, <1A L seems to be the way to go (low thermal resistance, 900L at 3A, 125° spread, high efficacy (claimed 100L/W at 1000L)), probably with an OP reflector for spill. The SST-50 seems a good second choice.

I don' particularly like the Majic Shines because of the endless QC issues, and the external battery pack would be fiddly to remove/install.

Likewise with other really cheap Chinese lights.

I'm in two minds about a P-60 host + drop in, because although they get solid reviews I'd like to be able to use it without any fear of overheating. (Did I wrap the foil well enough? Is my money going to go up in smoke if I try a runtime test on high?)

With all that in mind what would you recommend?

Thanks for any help you're willing tio give me. Considering how much time it's taken so far I'll be sure to do a proper review of whatever I end up purchasing, as I'm sure it'll help plenty of others.

Cheers,
Mazrim

Some extra but not particularly relevant info:

I've been doing some more looking; is it possible to get a 1x26650 XM-L light without heatsinking issues for $60? Just curious, because it seems this would be poifect for me if it exists. This is the basic list of what I'd be after.

• Runs on 1x26650/1x26500/ (3xAAA/1xC in a pinch)
• XM-L driven at High (close to 3A) , Med (1.2-1.5A), Low (around 300ma) probably 0.8-4.2V boost driver
• Heatsinking enough to dissipate the full 10W of heat (probably needs a d36 or 52mm head?)

Am I just being paranoid about my concerns on heatsinking with P-60 drop ins running at 10W?

Hi Mazrim welcome to the confusing world of cheap chinese lights. Best description I have heard is "same same but different". I suspect one of the reasons you are having trouble finding what you want is because you want four things

• Cheap
• Long run time
• reliable
• lots of lumens

The reality is you get to pick any 2. I use 2 front lights, both from Dealextreme, Magicshine 808 and an xml p60, mounted to my helmet using 2 bits of old tube. If I had to run just one light I would choose the xml - ignore the lumen ratings as they are all overstated, the xml is at least as bright, if not brighter as the "900" lumen light.
A torch to take a p60 module is a pretty simple unit but I suggest you read this trouble shooting guide on the budget light forum so you know how to fix it if your stars were not in alignment today.

My P60 module was not a good fit in the host, but that was easy to fix with instructions from this thread

Runtime on high is allegedly 60 minutes and I was surprised to see that was about what I get from 1 x 18650 "2400" which I think is the battery you are refering to. So for 2 hours you will need to carry a spare.

If I was in your shoes I would spend $80 as follows:

Torch: $36 - 2 x xml p60 - 1 for bike, 1 on helmet
Charger: $11 - 3.7V Li-ion Charger (individual charging channels)
Batteries: $20 - 4 x18650 "2400" 3.7V Protected
Case for spare batteries: $2
Mount: $0 - Hose clamps and inner tube

Total $69

Then you just need to find a rear light

Hey Bruce, thanks for taking the time to enlighten me, so to speak (I'm sure that one's been done to death).

How long ago did you buy your WF-501B? Looking at the forums for it on DX, apparently the driver's been changed from a regulated 1.4A to direct drive. Do you have any concerns about ever overheating yours?

I found this one which may or may not have gone the same way as the WF-501B.

If I go with a P60 host and drop in setup, I might get a Solarforce L2i + drop in for one of my lights (probably helmet). This should give a more focused beam where I'm looking and I can be confident from what I've read that at least one of the torches will work out of the box. It also gives me the ability to run a torch on AAAs. For the extra, I'd probably get two, if only they did an OP reflector.

I did also manage to find some 26650 powered XM-Ls on CN Qual. goods and 2 on Manafont:
http://www.manafont.com/product_inf...-led-complete-flashlight-box-set-26650-p-7309
http://www.manafont.com/product_inf...-led-complete-flashlight-box-set-26650-p-7308

Which I probably would've jumped at if the available modes were more useful and I could find a positive review on them.

Thanks for the help once again.

More joys of chinese manufacturers - changing specifications without notice. Now I am going to have to figure out which one I have, invlolving head scratching and a multimeter I am sure. I am sure there is a thread around here somewhere that will tell me how to measure the current draw.

One thing I should have pointed out - after 1 hour on high, the battery voltage has dropped to 3.5V & the light dims at first then flashes - still works, but a nice warning that the battery is getting low. Don't expect too much out of the modes - I am a big fan of medium flashing modes, but none of the torches do - the fast strobe is just too quick.

Hey Bruce,
I think this thread is the one you'll be looking for.

After much umming and ahhing, I've finally decided what I'll get.

Helmet light

• Solarforce L2i P60 host - $8.99
• Solarforce 5 mode 3-6v XM-L T6 drop in - $21.99

Bar Light

• Solarforce L2 Black - $11.50
• UltraFire XM-L T6 3-Mode 4.2v max - $16.25
• Orange Peel Reflector - $3.00

Batteries and Charger

• Ultrafire WF-139 3.6/3.7v Charger - $10.90
• 2x 2 Pack Trustfire 3.7v Protected 18650 Batteries - $19.98
• 2x18650 Waterproof 18650 Case - $2.20

Which all comes to a grand total of $94.81 + shipping (mostly free )
Or $88.30 AUD at the current exchange rate.

Pushes the budget a bit, but I can live with it. I mean it's still a complete front lighting setup for <$90. All of these bits have received solid reviews, so I can be pretty sure I'll get what I'm expecting for my money and that it'll all function well.

Considering it's now 2am I might pull the trigger on it all tomorrow. Don't hold back if anyone's got any more suggestions to make while I sleep.

Cheers again for your help Bruce. I'll be sure to post up a thorough review when it all turns up in a month or so.



The helmet light with battery comes in at a slightly hefty but not unreasonable 290g. As long as it's well positioned it shouldn't be an issue. The Solarforce reflector should provide a solid amount of throw to light up wherever I'm looking.

It seems the Ultrafire pretty consistently draws (tailcap) 3.5A ±0.5A on High, 1.0A ±0.2A Medium, and 0.1A ±50mA on Low, giving me a very practical headlight beam on Medium with a serious high beam for short bursts. Even though it's only rated to 3A, all reports indicate it can handle quite a bit more, just with little gain for the extra power.

Conveniently, beamshots of both these emitters are compared here incl. with the orange peel reflector on the Ultra fire.

There's also plenty of upgrade paths for these lights in the future when I have more money to spend. With the hours and hours of research I've done I'm pretty certain this is the best value I can get for my dollar.

Update: Purchased 22/07.

Update: Manafont.com and Solarforce-sales.com have sent shipping notifications - 24 and 48 hour turn arounds respectively.

Update: The Solarforce stuff has arrived. 2nd of August at the post office, 11 days from the order date.

Update: The Manafont package arrived yesterday, the 16th of August. 25 days from ordering.

Update: Turns out the DX stuff also arrived on the 16th, 25 days from ordering. Order was shipped on the 24/07.

I've been using a Jetbeam BC40 light mounted with a TwoFish Lockblock. I've got it set up now that it barely moves when I'm riding.

DX have just listed some bike lights for us$45 the whole set: XM-L or P7 handlebar-mount lamp, 4x18650 battery, charger and head-mount strap.

Amazingly cheap, especially given the state of the US dollar. How long before they start setting the price in CNY or HKD?

I'm facing the same decisions that you were and I'm curious why you went with drop-in/host combos that cost about $30 instead of something like dx 55238 for about $20 which seems to me to be about the same. Thanks

Quality. Solarforce is inexpensive, but overall good quality. While I'm happy with my DX flashlights that I use for commuting (MTE SF-15 [P7] and Trustfire TR=801 [Q5]), I'm ready to upgrade and I haven't found anything that sticks out as being great. I don't want at flashlight that draws 5 amps and needs a new battery after 20 minutes. At least not for the bike. I prefer single battery flashlights because they have no cables or large battery pack to deal with. The Solarforce L2i looks like a nice helmet sized flashlight. I'm not so sure about the L2 and the Manafont drop in. Isn't that the drop in that eats batteries? Also, I think a flashlight with a larger head will dissipate heat better and also provide a floodier beam. I really like the combination of flood from the P7 on the bars and throw from the Q5 on the helmet. I'm going to add a knog frog style light for a blinky on the front for better visibility.

Let us know how it works out. Beam shots would be nice. I'll try to get some beam shots of my combo, although I'm not so great with the camera.

From the reviews I read it seems like the really cheap Chinese lights are completely hit and miss. You can't be sure of what you're getting, except that it probably won't be all that great. People always mention that because they're so cheap it's great value for money if you get one that works, but in my opinion if you need to buy 3 to get a good one it's not really good value at all. I figured I may as well spend slightly more to get something that's had consistent good reviews, and probably actually save money by not having to buy another one in a couple of months. The MF drop in might be a slight gamble, but the reports are fairly consistent and if I get a dud, I should at least have the working solarforce light.

The reason I didn't go for a light with a larger head and better heat sinking and/or which took a larger battery is simply because I don't have the money, I originally planned to do this for <$50, so I nearly spent twice what I originally planned to. I don't intend on running the lights on high all the time to save battery and because I shouldn't need to, and most people seem to find it fairly simple to fix most of their heatsinking problems with a bit of Al foil and thermal grease. Because P60 drop ins are the standard, there's a lot more choice, and good, value for money products available in that range.

I didn't go for the Magicshine lights because I didn't particularly want an external battery pack, the batteries and charger that come with those kits are reportedly pretty bad to the point of being dangerous, and I think I got more for my money anyway by taking this route.

The solarforce-sales order is the only one that's turned up so far, I'm still waiting on dx and Manafont. I need the dx order to turn up with my 18650s but I've found the L2i accepts pretty much any standard 3xAAA battery carriage (it does come with its own), so I've had a chance to have a bit of a play with it and all seems good so far. Like I said, I'll do a proper review when everything turns up.

I think you have made a great choice for the budget you have. I have 8 or 9 DX lights and they all work. But you are correct, it's a crapshoot. I don't like external battery packs either and the MS lights never appealed to me when I already had a P7 flashlight. I'm still trying to figure out how to use my digital SLR in manual mode :-/ You clearly did a lot of research and will be happy with your purchase.

I'm still deciding how to upgrade my P7/Q5 combo. The XM-L in the right reflector that offers some flood seems like a good choice for P7 replacement. But from what I've read, XM-L eats batteries and runs so hot on high that you cannot run it on high for more than 10 minutes. THEN WHAT'S THE POINT OF PURCHASING IT! Certainly not for biking. None of the reviews I've seen list the run time because flashaholics just like to stare into their flashlights instead of using them

I'm interested in hearing how your setup turns out.

You might also want to check out the Lights and Night Riding forum on mtbr.com.

The DX stuff turned up. Apparently it turned up on the 16th - same day as the Manafont stuff - but it was put under my room mates name for some reason on the parcel notice as he also had a parcel arrive on the 16th, and he didn't pick it up until Monday.

I still need to heat sink the lights before I can run them in earnest but they're certainly bright enough to do the job. They've both got a slightly blue tint as expected and noticeable PWM on low and medium. However the PWM isn't noticeable in the reflected light, only when looking at the torch itself (and waving it around obviously). Anyway, as promised I'll do a proper review but I think I'll be quite happy with this set up.