Gemini is competing in the inexpensive night riding light market by producing quality products for a reasonable price. The Xera system weighs just 200 grams for an 800 lumen unit.
Winter Gear: Gemini Xera LED Light System
I've got a couple of these. awesome lights for a pretty reasonable price.
There's no place like fromme
I spent some time internet browsing to buy a decent set of lights… this kit isn't bad, but if I can tell correctly its from the same family as the magic shine but these guys have a smarter lens for the LED. It looks good.
But I went with the Ay Up v4 package. It comes with (came with) 2 sets of lights (1200 lumens total), kit to set up both a handlebar mount and helmet mount together, and a headstrap mount e.g. for ski touring.
what I like about the ay ups, the handlebar mount fits over my stem so its centered = pointing straight. No one else does that (very well)… I hate cock eyed lights. Then the helmet mount with the lights let you point a light forward for riding up, and one backwards for pointing back with a red cap (in case you have to ride up a road to get to the downhill. trust me this is a good feature.
And the batteries seem to last longer than they say.
anyhow, its not easy since you can't try these out at the local bike shop all at the same time…. and the ay ups, only via internet. But, I gotta say the only wish I had was for ski touring I had bought the "all a rounder" with the slightly more diffuse beam. otherwise, these lights rock. Its not how big the lumens, its what you do with em! (sorry, had to…).
I spent some time internet browsing to buy a decent set of lights… this kit isn't bad, but if I can tell correctly its from the same family as the magic shine but these guys have a smarter lens for the LED. It looks good.
But I went with the Ay Up v4 package. It comes with (came with) 2 sets of lights (1200 lumens total), kit to set up both a handlebar mount and helmet mount together, and a headstrap mount e.g. for ski touring.
The Xera is more compact and has better fit and finish than my Magicshine 900s. The kit includes the headlamp strap and helmet mount, and these parts are less bulky than the MS. Overall, it's a nicer product, with more functionality, for a bit more money but that difference decreases when you start adding up the accessories.
what I like about the ay ups, the handlebar mount fits over my stem so its centered = pointing straight. No one else does that (very well)… I hate cock eyed lights.
The Xera's light head swivels 360º, but you're right, it may still end up a bit cockeyed depending on your bar setup.
Ay-ups are ok, but they're pretty basic lights with rudimentary controls; no over temp protection, no battery warnings through the main LED, only 2 non-programmable power levels. I'm not saying they're bad, just that you can get better for the same money. The features built into the latest generation of lights such as the Xera and Gloworm X2 make them much more versatile.
Oh, and I absolutely hate lights that have the driver built into the battery pack. They're such a PITA to deal with.
@mattthemuppet,
you're right about a bit rudimentary, but thats also a strength in situations. I agree its BS that there are only two power settings… blinding bright or blinding still bright. But the over temp doesn't apply, these lights run at full power for 1 hour are warm not hot. This is with the lights sitting on my desk to run the battery down. I didn't know how long they'd actually go…and instead of just turning off, they have a slow trailing off effect, so 3 hours full pow, and about 3 hours running down from that. Mediocre lights with good set of accessories goes a lot further than higher lumen and cockeyed mounts. And the lights are bullut proof - machined metal like a 75mm bullet cartridge. They aren't ever going to break…
Most important is to just do it :-) (riding skiing whatever at night)
true, robustness is the flipside of simplicity and AyUp really do have the accessory side down pat. I just couldn't use a simple light again, however many lumens, after building my own with Taskled flex drivers.
The good thing is the huge range of lights out there and their ever increasing sophistication gives everyone plenty to choose from :)
@mattthemuppet,
you're right about a bit rudimentary, but thats also a strength in situations. I agree its BS that there are only two power settings… blinding bright or blinding still bright. But the over temp doesn't apply, these lights run at full power for 1 hour are warm not hot. This is with the lights sitting on my desk to run the battery down. I didn't know how long they'd actually go…and instead of just turning off, they have a slow trailing off effect, so 3 hours full pow, and about 3 hours running down from that. Mediocre lights with good set of accessories goes a lot further than higher lumen and cockeyed mounts. And the lights are bullut proof - machined metal like a 75mm bullet cartridge. They aren't ever going to break…
Most important is to just do it :-) (riding skiing whatever at night)
Why are you running the battery down? I thought that was not required for Li ion batteries?
Debate? Bikes are made for riding not pushing.
Gemini is competing in the inexpensive night riding light market by producing quality products for a reasonable price. The Xera system weighs just 200 grams for an 800 lumen unit.
I am waiting for these lights to come up in the market
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