Best flashlight bike light for a 24hour race?

[Daemon]

Preparing to do a 24hour MTB race in December, now I only do one of these races a year, and that's really the only time I do any night time riding, so not prepared to shell out cash for a dedicated bike light, but a flashlight will always be usefull doing some of my other hobbies (hiking, climbing, adventure motorcycling etc.) Sooo what flashlight will give me the best battery life for preformance and is rugged enough to handle the constant vibrations, mud, dust, and possible rain?

Also it should be relativly small, planning on strapping it to the top of my helmet.

 

[yellow]

You like/use AAs? some 2*AA light like Fenix LD20

better: 1*18650 Li-Ion
(more power in cell, parts are cheaper when there is no charger for AA already present)
lights with 2*AA, 2*CR123, 1*18650 are pretty similar in size/weight/cost, but the 1*18650 simply stores most energy in the package.

then:
f.e. Jetbeam Jet III Pro Ultra,
2*18650 protected cell to have a spare
doublecell multiformat Li-Ion Charger (can charge 2 cells of 14500, CR123a, 17500-18650)

entry level 1*18650 could also be a Shininbeam L-mini II, or ...


PS: I use such a light clamped to my bars as my sole NR-bike light. Enough light for me.

 

[AusKipper]

Of these 24 hours, how many will be dark?

How much continuous runtime do you require?

I would get the fenix bike clamp (i used to have one before some b#$# stole my bike, fortunatly no light in it at the time) and a Fenix torch (I used a TK10 back then, but now i would get a TK11 R2 or similar)

A lot of other 2xCR123 lights will also fit in that mount though, perhaps the Fenix TK20 (AA batteries) will as well? not sure, because i dont have one infront of me (I have a TK20 infront of me, but not a bike mount)

Seeing as its your first post I better get it out now and say CR123 batteries are VERY expensive to buy out of a shop, so if your going to go that path make sure you buy yourself some rechargables, or order your CR123's over the internet where they are 1/5 the price.

The new Eagletac which is supposed to be 300lm (T20C2 I think it is) might fit in the Fenix mount, and might be a better buy...

Oh, whats your budget anyway? if its lower perhaps a Fenix E20 and stick that to your helmet, thats a good torch for the money, single mode though (ie, totally fool proof click on, click off, but no option to conserve battery or whatever, I would get a multi mode light if i could afford one)

Will need to hear your budget, required runtime and battery preference before I can recomend more specifically..

 

[pe2er]

One MTE SSC P7-C or P7-D Light on your handlebar or helmet will give you approximately 1 hour of light at full brightness.

See this review.

You will need:
- The light ~36 US$
- 18650 batteries ~6US$ for two
- 18650 charger ~6US$
- Clamp ~3US$

 

[fareast]

indeed, when it gets dark, will there be ambient lighting? And for how long will it be dark? Seeing it's December it will probably be longer than 8 hrs. Easy selectable multi-brightness if the ambient lighting changes depending on where your ride along the trail/track. Will you also be needing a red rear light? And how about two torches for front lighting? And of course +1 for the 18650 torches for the runtime it can give.

Me personally I ride bike a lot and if I were in your situation, I would bring my ZebraLight H60w on the helmet and my EagleTac M2XC4 Neutral strapped on my handlebars with a TwoFish LockBlock (C-Cell size). These both have very long runtime when needed and the tint makes everything look great. And a blinking red Photon will do for the rearlight.

Have fun!

 

[Daemon]

Will be around 8 hours of darkness, route is quite twisty and technical at places so would like to have max amount of light all the time. I don't mind putting in fresh batteries, every...2 hours or so. Budget is around $100, less the better

 

[Daemon]

Budget is around $100. Will be dark for about 8 hours, and want the best possible light for the 8 hours as the route is quite rocky and technical at places. The Fenix TK12 looks good to me on paper, the TK40 looks awesome as well, but might be a little to big, and it's over budget.

 

[AusKipper]

TK12 has the same beam pattern as the TK10. TK11 R2 is a bit brighter, but throws much futher due to the brighter beam pattern.

I have the TK40, and it is awsome, but sadly I cant say its suitable for your need, its just too big.

Look into the TK20's, they are AA powered, and although the specs say they are 150lm compared to 215 of the TK12, honestly the difference isnt as big as you would expect.

For $100 you could also buy 3x Fenix E20's, mount 2 on your helmet (they aren't that heavy) and 1 on the handlebars and you would have a sweet bike setup (though this is less usefull for general purpose when your not bike riding so perhaps just 2xTK20's is a better idea..) (I have both TK20 and E20, and I can assure your the TK20 is much better than the E20 (though the E20 is still decent for the price)). (TK20 is much heavier than the E20 though, i'm not sure how I would fair with two of those on my head..) (options options options lol)

 

[AusKipper]

I have the TK40, and it is awsome, but sadly I cant say its suitable for your need, its just too big.

Unless you can handlebar mount it.. you would almost undoubtedly have the brightest bike light there then!!

*Two of the LD20's suggested by Yellow would also be a good option, not sure why I forgot about them..

 

[yellow]

when a single led flashlight (runtime roughly 2 hours) is not enough light (--> I advise to actually GET one and try)
there is a much better way, than using two of them:

dealextreme-quad light


using two "normal" Led-lights was just a tradeoff, when brighter lights were not available, it was never cost effective.
Now, with good quad-led lights, it makes no sense any more, and with that really good priced DX-light, one that also seems to work realiable, there is no reason to go the "2-single-led-light-route".
Except for purchasing a Lupine Tesla, when You want a surefire reliable light, of course.


I still think 1*single led is good for most riding, at least its an extremely good compromise between weight, size and output.
Maybe push a normal headlamp over the helmet, to get additional light that follows where You look.

 

[herulach]

Are you going to have the opportunity to recharge (Suppose thisdepends largely if you're riding solo or not) - all the enduros I've had have had charge stands. I'd go with the DX / magicshine P7 (geomangears version is reportedly a bit better put together) with something like a Romisen RC-G2 on your lid. With a 4 pack of eneloops and charger you should be more or less at $100, and thats a proper amount of light, something you don't want to skimp on when you're that tired.

 

[AusKipper]

when a single led flashlight (runtime roughly 2 hours) is not enough light (--> I advise to actually GET one and try)
there is a much better way, than using two of them

Well I would disagree here.

I agree that 2 lights on your handlebars may not be as effective as 1 much brighter light on your handlebars, but if, for example, he went for the 2x LD20's, he could put 1 light on the handlebars, and 1 light on the helmet, thus giving him 1 forward facing light (possibly required by law), and 1 light that follows where he is looking.

Also having 2 lights offers redundancy if the need arises (ie, you can mount both on your handlebars, use only 1 of them, if the batteries go flat, or the light fails, you have another light that you can immediately turn on and use to change the batteries/try and repair the other light)

 

[Daemon]

Are you going to have the opportunity to recharge (Suppose thisdepends largely if you're riding solo or not) - all the enduros I've had have had charge stands. I'd go with the DX / magicshine P7 (geomangears version is reportedly a bit better put together) with something like a Romisen RC-G2 on your lid. With a 4 pack of eneloops and charger you should be more or less at $100, and thats a proper amount of light, something you don't want to skimp on when you're that tired.

Riding solo, will be able to recharge at my supporters tent. So no worries about that. I would however prefer something using easy to find AA or so batteries.

So it's so far between the Fenix TK20 and LD20. Leaning towards the TK20, the 120lumen for 2 hours sounds good, and the 45 lumen for 11 hours. Perhaps start the night riding on 45 lumen mode, and then when I get tired and concentrate less swap to batteries in and go to the 120 lumen mode. What do you guys think?

 

[pe2er]

May I suggest an alternative AA-powered light?

Ultrafire WF-606A 3W Cree Flashlight (2xAA/1xCR2) (US$20.55)

- Features a Cree XR-E P4 emitter
- Glass lens with aluminum textured reflector
- 3W Regulated Circuitry
- Takes 2xAA or 1xCR2 (rechargeable OK)
- Switch type: clicky on/off


As you are only using this light for a single 24-hour race, you could consider using Alkaline AA batteries instead of rechargeables. They have more energy, so you will not need to replace them as often. Cost for a couple of AA cells would be negligible.

Erwin

 

[AusKipper]

So it's so far between the Fenix TK20 and LD20. Leaning towards the TK20, the 120lumen for 2 hours sounds good, and the 45 lumen for 11 hours. Perhaps start the night riding on 45 lumen mode, and then when I get tired and concentrate less swap to batteries in and go to the 120 lumen mode. What do you guys think?

Between the TK20 and the LD20 I would say just pick whatever takes your fancy the most, both are good torches and should serve you well.

TK20: Built like a tank
Neutral tint
Dead simple user interface (tail click on/off, twist front to change between low and high)
My personal favorite though I can definitely see some advantages for the LD20. The TK20 in my opinion is just a beautiful piece of engineering.

LD20: Lighter in weight
More output options (including a lower low that will give you longer battery life with less output)
Max output says its brighter (though I bet you cant tell the difference)

Ignore Pe2er above, do not get an ultrafire torch, it is well documented on the forums that they are all rubbish, especially if you dont have the technical know how to fix them or desire to tinker around with them to make them reliable.

 

[yellow]

Ignore Pe2er above, do not get an ultrafire torch, it is well documented on the forums that they are all rubbish, especially if you dont have the technical know how to fix them or desire to tinker around with them to make them reliable.

harsh but correct, no light to recommend, definitly not up to $ 40-and-up quality

also the alkaline statement is not right. With the current taken from the cells, rechargeables work longer AND can give more power, the Alki is not able to deliver that current.
... looong known, so maybe not mentionned in actual posts



if You happen to order such a light, get three and have them run through 5-10 sets of batteries. Throw away the one that died, give away the one with the ugly beam/tint and keep the one that survived. But then You are at the same price tag than "better" lights

 

[pe2er]

Thank you for that guys :twothumbs

I Have owned this light myself, and have good experience with that one (using Alkaline batteries). I'll leave the choice up to Daemon.

 

[1 what]

As much as I am a fan of Fenix products I would NOT get the Fenix light mount. IMO it's a mechanical disaster. Impossible to adjust and full of unwanted movement and vibration. very annoying. Perhaps the only Fenix product that I'd badmouth.
Fenix Store has the TwoFish LockBlock and they are much better and adjustable in a usefull way. They can be used on handle bars as well as helmet.

 

[AusKipper]

As much as I am a fan of Fenix products I would NOT get the Fenix light mount. IMO it's a mechanical disaster. Impossible to adjust and full of unwanted movement and vibration. very annoying. Perhaps the only Fenix product that I'd badmouth.
Fenix Store has the TwoFish LockBlock and they are much better and adjustable in a usefull way. They can be used on handle bars as well as helmet.

I havn't had the TwoFish LockBlock, but i'll take your word for it being better.

I wouldnt say the Fenix bike mount is a total disaster, I used mine for ages and it worked just fine.

1 thing I didnt like about it though is its ratchets thingos where too far apart, and a lot of the time i wanted a setting "between the clicks" if that makes sence.

Anyhow, seeing as "1 what" has used both products, he has the "expert oppinion" in this matter

 

[AusKipper]

Thank you for that guys :twothumbs

I Have owned this light myself, and have good experience with that one (using Alkaline batteries). I'll leave the choice up to Daemon.

You must have gotten lucky

Exactly 1/3 of Ultrafire products I own arrived kaput

I have forgotten how many Fenix products I own (8+) and after over a year of hard use I had the tailswitch of my TK10 die, which was quickly and promptly replaced by the dealer. It has been working fine since (another couple more months of "moderate" use I would say it gets these days, I havnt dropped it off a moving bike, or off any high places recently..)