Friday night is nightride night!

[old_coyote_pedaller]

Re:

Naw, ye were right the first time.

By Friday I think sunset will be 8.35pm so it would just waste too much daylight biking there and back.

Soon be time for the Friday night rides in the dark. You decided what lights to get? Maybe a couple of the cheapies off 'tinternet. The 2 LED Yindings I've got are fine for in Kelty Wids. Mind you I've no used them since the beginning of year so the batteries might have died. Need to check them out soon. Thing is they keep improving them every year, so no a bad thing if I do have to buy a new one.

There's threads on MTBR for these lights and a big one too on GPS's. If I can justify it I think I'd get a Garmin Etrex 30.

 

[kaiser]

Re:

I'll second the Chinese lights, I've also got an exposure Joystick and a fine light it is too, but if your just dabbling the noo then there is no reason to spend the big bucks straight away, and tbh maybe not at all.......

Just a heads up for people on a good Solarstorm X2 setup:

SSX2 - only $12.99 For the head unit only, this is the best XM-L2 version also

I find its best to buy the unit without the battery as the ones supplied are generally rubbish. Instead 'build' your own battery, it's easy.

Battery case $13.98

And just pop in 4 of these Batteries £12.01 per pair - These are about the best you can buy and will give you a 6800mAh (ACTUAL) battery, not the 3500mAh at best that you get with these lights normally. Buy these protected cells as an extra precaution to prevent over discharge. It helps if you have an individual 18650 charger to charge the cells fully individually first to balance them

A standard Magicshine/Clone charger will work with this case.

Copied from STW.

These are the links

http://www.lightmalls.com/black-color-s ... ttery-pack

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Water-Resistant ... 1199742150

http://www.banggood.com/2PCS-NCR-18650B ... 90990.html

I'd buy two of everything and have one helmet mounted and one bar mounted. Anything goes pop and you can buy a replacement cheaply enough whilst having the other light as back up.

 

[velomaniac]

Alternatively get the good high end lights of yesteryear second hand. Second hand might be a risk but the build quality on those chinese ones can be ropey as that nightride we did at GT last year showed. mind you my big cheapo chines torch strapped to the top tube did no bad.

 

[kaiser]

Re:

The thing with older lights is that LED tech has moved on significantly, with brightness and efficiency, older lights batteries will not be in the first flourish of youth either.

 

[zigzag]

I'd be inclined to go with the cheapy Chinese lights as well - the biggest drawback with these are typically the shite batteries, and those brand new ones and the holder linked by K above effectively solve that problem for about £34 (ordered by the way, thanks K).

Then it's just a case of upgrading your light every couple of years as LED tech continues to move on.

Well that's my theory, anyway.

 

[kaiser]

Re:

On the thread on STW, the thought is that LED's have pretty much topped out performance wise. Having anymore than two of the above units probably contravenes calling it a night ride

BTW FFTC, I believe troutie has finished making lights, can't compete with the chinese ones unfortunately or lost a bit of the want to do so. Its a pity as he seemed a decent guy with good back up and a honest product. But them's the ways of it, its hard to spend the ££££ when you can get something so good albeit disposable for buttons.

 

[keithyr]

Shame about troutie, when I fecked the connector on my darkness dominator with lifting bike out car I emailed him and then sent the battery, well later it came back with upgraded connector free of charge.

Sound bloke and top service.

Expensive though.

 

[old_coyote_pedaller]

Re:

'Twas a bit wet, and muddy tae, wisn't it, Keith?

 

[keithyr]

Re:

Aye, there was a wee bit dampness lol

 

[keithyr]

me and OCP looking to do the SXC course at the meedies on friday night again (in the dry this time)

then up over haren hill.

6.45ish in the meedies carpark or possibly haren hill carpark.