Advice on an emerging newbies bike setup please.

[Daniel B]

Hello all,

newbie here, at least I found the right sub forum!

I currently have a pair of Ayup lights, ie one for the helmet (Spot) and one for the bars (Flood) both are 280 lumens each.

I ordered an ickle Ultrafire C3 torch that my friend wants to use just as a torch for walking, and it is very impressive, even with just a standard AA in it.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1993

However I have spotted some supposed 230 lumen torches that take 14500's and am planning to order a couple of those for the helmet to compliment my Ayups.

Am going to display my anticipated order and what I already have, and just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything obvious.........

So I currently have this charger:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1251

Am I correct to think this will charge both 18650's and 14500's?

I have bought 4 of these 18650 batteries:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.26247

I am awaiting delivery of two of these P7's as the one original I bought was faulty:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.16092

- These P7's are going to go on the handlebars using 2 of these mounting brackets either side of my Ayup lights:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.15642

I am planning to mount two of these (below) Q5's on the helmet, and as with the bars, either side of my Ayups:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.28546

I am planning to power them with 4 of these:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.3435

And will mount them using 2 of these:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12000

I have tried two C1's on the helmet, but the weight was ridiculous and not feasible, so binned that idea.

So does anyone see any flaws in the above setup??

I have tested the handlebar mounts with the C1's and they were fine, I have no concerns over them, and the helmet ones seem pretty sound as well.

I think it's more about whether I have missed anything obvious with the compatibility, or whether I may have picked the wrong type of batteries (I assumed protected would be better) as there is a lot of choice out there.

I am impressed with both the quality and weight of Ultrafire C3, the very top torch (Bought for my friend) and as it is unclear what the output is, am unsure whether to go for the 230 lumen marked Nkoray ones, or stick with what I can see to be good quality and decent light output on the Ultrafire - any thoughts?
The other slight advantage the Ultrafire has over the Nkoray is the fact it has a 'waist' where the body cuts in, which means it will sit a lot more securely in the helmet mount, minimal chance of it hitting the ground.

Either way, with the head torches, am I definitely better off to for 14500's as opposed to some decent AA's?

Weights:
AYUP's with battery pack = 161 grams
C1 with/without 18650 battery = 167g/119g
C3 with/without AA battery = 62g/39g

So the two C1's I was attempting to mount on my helmet was tripling the total weight, far too much. Looks like I can get away with 2 of the smaller Q5's as I am hoping they will be of a similar weight to the C3's, and that the 14500's are not that much heavier.

Many thanks in advance (Sorry for the long first post) :shakehead

Dan

 

[BrianMc]

First: :welcome:

I will leave opinions on the flashlights and battery selections for cyclists who have with experience with those. Be warned: LED flashlights seem to demand to run in herds. Punching holes in the dark is addictive. :devil:

You don't mention a tailight, unless in scanning, I missed it. Let me make a recommendation: The Planet Bike Super Flash or Super Stealth. There is a review thread in this section of the forum, if you would like to read more about it, Google it at the top (good practice for any question that you have here).

I use three. One each on the seat stays or either side of the carrier of the other bike, the left blinking. I have the third one flashing away on the back of the helmet (balances front light and isn't heavy).
:tinfoil:
Hope others can comment on your selections.lovecpf

 

[Daniel B]

Hello Brian,

many thanks for the warm welcome, I expect my kind of post has been seen before

I am already pretty addicted to mountain biking at night, hence the purchase of the Ayups a few years ago, but with the advent of these superbright and pretty damned cheap torches I thought it was a good idea to build upon what I already have.

I do have a few taillights that I use, but my on road excursions on the mountain bike are fairly rare, but I have both a Blackburn Mars 4.0 and several 1W Smart Superflash lights that do a decent job.

I look forward to contributing on here!

Many thanks

Dan