Hi, I just had my first proper night time ride last night on the way home from uni. My flatmate allowed me to borrow his Nightstick 15W halogen helmet light and a couple of batteries. It was a lot of fun and I fully appreciate the use of a light like that. It was perfect for the ride i did through mainly commercial/residential areas. It has made me consider the need to purchase a headlight for myself.
Only problem was that the battery was only 2.2Ahr and only lasted an hour. I also think that once I move to training at night (as winter is approaching in Sydney), on more unlit roads a greater light output will be required.
I have checked a few brands of light on the net which use the new high intensity discharge technology putting out the equvalent of 40~50W of halogen light with about 13W input power (for over 3 hours too!). This is great for a country road or in MTB but when I ride back into the urban areas, I need to turn the high beam down to the equivalent of 15~20W halogen so I don't blind any motorists or pedestrians.
Does anyone know of manufacturers which make such a system?
Totally agree about Lupine, though you do pay for what you get 😉
I ride with the Edison 10. My wife uses the Passubio XC, like the above poster. The Passubio lets you program its operation so that you can "dim" it to various power levels, pretty well tailoring it to your needs. It's the brightest non-HID light I've seen, and she gets about 2.5hrs on a charge. The unit is small, beautifully engineered, and the battery doesn't eat up a water bottle cage.
In the middle of winter in the UK I use the CatEye 10w/20w combo.
You have a 10w point light and a 10w wide beam light. They can be switched independently. I use the point light for all riding on dark rural roads and only combine the wide beam when bombing down hills at 30mph.
The battery lasts 2 hours for 10w, 1 hour for 20w. I typically get three 40min commute rides early in the morning out of one charge - I switch to the CatEye blinking light when I get to urban areas. I also use the brightest CatEye 5 LED rear light.
Please note that I don't work for CatEye - I just like there products.
