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25/03/2009 2:37:15 PM
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Neil Teasdale
Posts 1
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I am after some advice on lights.I need to get some good lights for training on road over winter. They need to be suitable for my racing bike and need to be easily removed for weekend racing. I live in the country and do a lot of my riding on unlit country roads. I currently use a cheap light that uses 4 AA batteries but need something better. Would like to keep cost as low as possible but I realise I need to spend enough to be safe. Any opinions on good systems would be appreciated.Thanks
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25/03/2009 2:52:27 PM
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Jason B Spencer
Posts 5
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lights called ayups are great. very long running times, very small and light weight also. The small bracket which is cable tied to bars i just leave on. might take it off for state opens. You buy them straight from the guys that designed / make them and it's an aussie company. www.ayup.com.au
They're also a bit cheaper than alot of competitors and i use them pitch black on bike paths or on the road through winter with lights mounted on helmet and bars. Have descended down the dandenongs near melbourne in complete darkness at practically full speed with these lights on and felt completely safe. They also get lots of comments from pedestrians and other road users on how bright they are.
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26/03/2009 11:32:07 AM
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Redlad
Posts 31
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I use "Torch" brand lights. They are very easy to put on the bike and have quick release attachments so you can slide the lights off when you don't need them leaving the bracket attached to the bike. The brackets are very easy to take off as well. I've had no problems with them, they are very bright and they fit up to 31.8mm bars.
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26/03/2009 3:34:01 PM
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cklfc
Posts 22
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Have a friend who has just bought the Ayup's. Said they are fantastic. He is very happy.
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26/03/2009 4:02:51 PM
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Steve OConnor
Posts 14
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The ayup's look fantastic - I might look for a set for myself. On my roadie, I just use a cateye on blink mode so I can be seen at night, and try to memorize where the potholes are.
For the MTB (after once falling into the river torrens at 2am on a moonless night) - I now have a nitepro dual halogen headlight system - 24W, similiar lighting performance to the ayup from the beam shots on the ayup website, but the battery pack is a monster that fits in a bottle holder. Total system weighs around 1kg+, so its no lightweight. Battery holds almost 2 hours on full burn.
In the office here, the twin halogens are capable of lighting up the the whole warehouse enough to be able to read a newspaper by. Not bad at all. The top of the line 35W twins would be even better.
Would fit on the roadie if one of your bottle holders is of the cheap $7 'paperclip' types - since the battery pack is flat on one side - it will not fit into a regular round bottle holder.
Removal of the system is trivial - take battery out of bottle holder, and remove lights from handlebar (uses a plastic strip that self-screws). 30 second job. Cable between lights and battery is a big thick curly cord that looks almost identical to an old SUN workstation powercord.
Got my lights from here :
http://www.torpedo7.com.au/division/bike/menu/04-LI/title/Lights
With T7 though, they run weekly specials from every monday morning that are usually big markups off the normal price. I managed to get my dual halogens for $99 with battery pack and charger, which miraculously came up on special the week after I fell in the River Torrens.
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27/03/2009 12:00:37 PM
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harley j
Posts 91
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my pic is a locally designed product by www.niteflux.com
i ride and race 24hr with their 'photon max' light. its kick ass bright. 800lumens approx. i can ride all night on 3w or ride 2.6hours on 12w and accidently **** off car drivers cos its so bright. the instruction manual warns not to aim it at oncoming motorists..
its light enough too. read the reviews on the net. niteflux tech weenies have got the best lighting system out there. in regards to led quality, service, battery life, charging safety and price and performance. they really did their homework...
locally designed product that is rated the best in the world. check it out..
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30/03/2009 1:52:30 PM
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Steve OConnor
Posts 14
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Speak of the devil - T7 have the nightpro 24W dual halogens on special this week for $89.99
http://www..torpedo7.com.au
At just over 1kg for the whole setup, its really for MTB use, or commuting on the flat - but hey - if you are mad enough to do serious hillclimbs at night, then you might also be mad enough to add a 1kg handicap 
Good value for under a hundred bucks though. I have them on my MTB, and they do a great job there.
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9/04/2009 5:27:47 PM
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Marc
Posts 6
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I have the nightpros from T7 - use them for MTB at night on single tracks and they light up everything fine. The battery is heavy and for me it only lasts 1hr on dual - i might have a slightly different model to the ones previously stated??
Friends have the Ayup's and they light up the place like day time. the annoying thing with that is, if they are behind you and you turn around, you loose all night vision....but then i am just jealous .
the Ayups come in a set of 4 or 2 - 2 on handle bars and 2 on helmet - which is great for MTB, but overkill for road riding.
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7/05/2009 5:58:01 AM
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jamie wie
Posts 8
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In the same position and saw current Enduro mag article. Looks like these oz made radicals (radical-lights.com) are the business ! While they look a bit expensive, they can be upgraded and the warranty cant be beat...tempted ! Interested in others views/comments.
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7/05/2009 9:30:23 AM
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cklfc
Posts 22
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Have just bought the Ayups and used them at the recent 24hr 'Dirty Weekend'. Was able to set them up for two bikes as they come with extra mounts and two small batteries. Just had to move the actually lights between rides. Took 2 seconds.
They where brilliant and attracted many comments from other riders. In fact, they where easily the most popular but the Niteflux looked great too, they just seem a lot bigger and more cumbersome than the Ayups.
I bought them for my road bike more than anything as when i ride at night one of the roads has no street lights. They light up the entire street - fantastic.
What I really like though is that the two beams can be adjusted, so I have one in front of my wheel and one into the distance.
They are light, and the two battery system is brilliant.
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8/05/2009 8:30:39 PM
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jamie wie
Posts 8
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Ok succumbed :-(
Spoke to them and the guy was helpful in sorting through various options and stuff; ended up ordering a medium poda4 ( http://radical-lights.com/4Lmedium.php ) for the handlebars. He also said I did not need one on the helmet as well as the bars, as I would have all the light I needed. Kinda cool and interesting lack of pressure. Lets see. Recommended the regular battery as apparantly, by reducing run level by one from the 5 will push run times up to 4.5hrs giving me 2-3 rides. Can also be charged whenever I want so thats also good.
The waiting and anticipation now begins !
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11/05/2009 12:50:01 PM
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Jeffrey Schulz
Posts 56
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I have a Cygo Light which is great and runs for hours. I use it between Norton Summit and Lofty in the hills at night. It has high and low beam and flashing modes.
http://cygolite.com/products/new/TridenX/TridenX_LionXtra.html They are not cheap, I must of got a bargain as I think I paid just over $200 for the TridenX LED now they cost $500 approx.
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11/05/2009 4:48:05 PM
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jamie wie
Posts 8
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Radicals are here and look fantastic....cant wait till it gets dark to go out and ride !
Better charge them up !
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13/05/2009 11:15:03 PM
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jamie wie
Posts 8
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First thoughts
What can I say, these babies are just stunning
Been riding them the last couple of days. The beam is intense and just throws a wide beam out into the darkness.
These radicals rock - more info soon.
edited by jamie wie on 13/05/2009
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