MTB Lights 2022!

Posted by: mammal

If I'm interpreting your question correctly, yes, you charge the 18650 battery with a USB cable that plugs into a clever port on the light (you unscrew the end opposite from the battery compartment a few turns, and that reveals the charge port - sealing system). You can do battery swaps in the field (trail), but with the stock charging capability, all batteries would need to be charged through the light itself. I happen to have a separate charger for 18650 batts, so that's going to be handy for me. Separate chargers and batts can be found here for very good prices:

https://www.18650batterystore.com/en-ca

A Bit More Testing:

I did a non-riding back yard test last night against the Chinese dual LED light that I usually use on my helmet (claimed "2000" lumens, uses a brick pack made up of 4 x 18650 batteries). I would say it sheds a similar amount of light, or slightly more than the china light, however the beam of the Raven Double is broader. So the middle spot of the china light is a bit brighter, but the spread of the Raven is VERY wide. If this thing can get the run time they claim, it will vastly out perform the China helmet light, as that one only lasts about an hour on full bright (even with so many batts in the pack). I think the intensity of the Raven will be good enough for riding around here (North Van - lots of slippery tech you want illuminated), but my preferences for a helmet light might would be slightly less spread and a bit more spot intensity. I normally use a 4 x LED china light on the bar, which has a ridiculously huge spread, so a "spottier" beam on the helmet is a bit more complementary. We'll see, I look forward to testing it out while riding. No matter what, I won't need to deal with a wire running from my pack to my helmet, so that's a big win in itself. It's also going to be a great light for other applications too (Skate skiing at Holyburn, camping, etc), and given the huge spread, would probably make a great bar light for riding or single/only light for mellower riding.

One neat feature I didn't realize it had, was a fully adjustable low beam. The high beam is always set at highest intensity, but you can set the low beam anywhere between almost no light, to the same as high beam. If you keep the button pressed, it enters a low-beam adjust mode, where it gradually goes from super low to high (over around 15 sec). In that mode, when you press it a second time, it locks in the low beam at your chosen intensity. Super cool, as I use the low intensity about as much as high, and some times low is just too low (or other applications may require very low setting).

Awesome! Glad to hear you're stoked on it. My wife was using it on her bars with a more spot Serfas True 750 (it has swap-able lenses spot/wide) on her helmet. The Raven is great for camping. I'm also intrigued by their red light headlights to prevent light blindness while your eyes are already adjusted to the dark.

Thanks for posting your initial impressions. 

I’m still undecided. It sounds like the raven double would be better on the bars and use my cateye 800 on my helmet. But that has me wondering if I should just spend more for the outbound. Outbound doesn’t really give lumen info so tough to compare. 

I like the versatility of the double raven, and price. Just wondering what the performance difference is. I would be using it for shoulder season night riding and as well as fat biking in the winter.

I'm a bit underwhelmed by my Hangover. Compared to my original (circa 2010/11) Gemini Xera which is ~850 lumens, the Xera is brighter. I was expecting more from the newer tech.

Finally tried out the Lynx Double on the trail last night.

Although not quite as bright as the China quad LED I use for the bar, the quality of light is superior, with a nice warm color. My China lights are very cold, one of my main issues with them. I find a beam that's too cold produces glare and emphasizes shadows, which screws with my perception during the ride. Lynx has a nice warm tone that's very effective, no issues picking up terrain features at speed. My bar light was having sime issues, so ended up running it at low, and the Lynx at high was more than adequate.

The fully adjustable low beam was super handy. I set it at very low for gravel path grind, then a bit higher for climb trail single track. Then having the choice to go slightly higher yet for rooty tech climbs (but not full power) is nice.

I used the standard mount for my helmet, just attached some soft velcro to the base, and the mating velcro to my helmet. Worked well. You can remove and replace the head strap very easily to switch between biking and head lamp mode.

Didn't really test run time much. It was a 1.5hr ride, 1/3 at low-ish level, 1/3 a bit higher, and 1/3 at full. No issues.

So I'll be buying a second one for the bar, and ditching my China lights. It'll be great to stop relying on heavy yet crap quality brick packs. I've traditionally carried a spare with me, which ends up being 3 packs on hand at a time. Carrying a couple little spares for the Lynx is basically nothing in comparison. Not dealing with any wires is a huge plus too. A pair of Lynx will also mean the Mrs will have a nice head lamp for skate skiing this year as well.

That’s awesome! Cheers

Posted by: mammal
So I'll be buying a second one for the bar, and ditching my China lights. It'll be great to stop relying on heavy yet crap quality brick packs. I've traditionally carried a spare with me, which ends up being 3 packs on hand at a time. Carrying a couple little spares for the Lynx is basically nothing in comparison. A pair of Lynx will also mean the Mrs will have a nice head lamp for skate skiing this year as well.

Well that's a solid endorsement, thanks for posting the review.     Any downsides you see using this on a commuter bike as well, bar mounted and pointed down to avoid blinding the world?

Posted by: ceebee

Well that's a solid endorsement, thanks for posting the review.     Any downsides you see using this on a commuter bike as well, bar mounted and pointed down to avoid blinding the world?

It has a pretty broad beam, so that could be a factor. But I see the adjustable low-beam intensity being a good feature for choosing exactly how much light you want/need for commuting.

Just following up on my OP. I ended up buying a Gemini Duo 2200 for my helmet and buying a fresh battery for my older Dinotte XML-4 for my bar. 

Gemini

The small/light form factor of the head unit is great for helmet use. I put the battery in my jacket pocket which keeps the weight off my head and keeps it warm in colder temps. It's got a bar mounted wireless remote which makes adjusting power levels easy on the fly. Getting 2hrs of life out of it seems to be no problem even in ~4 deg C weather with lower power on the climbs and max power on the descents.

Dinotte

The XML-4 is a 10 year old "obsolete" head unit, but it still impresses the heck out of me with its beam pattern, light temperature and brightness. Previously I had one on the bar and one on my helmet. That was a ton of light, but the helmet application was not ideal as it's a relatively heavy head unit. A bigger issue is my batteries stopped being reliable as the aged. With a fresh battery and just sticking with a bar mount application I'm back in love with this light. It has an easy to use power button so I can adjust brightness on the fly and getting light for a 2hr night ride is no problem again. I'm glad I didn't give up on these older lights. I plan to keep them in action for quite a few more years.

Combo

I wasn't sure how these lights would mix, but it's like they were made to work together. The brightness levels and light temperatures are such that they blend so I can't tell one light from the other. For faster forest singletrack they are pretty much perfect insofar as I am not thinking about my lights at all or wanting anything different. The light beams cover the trail fully. The Gemini puts light far enough around the corner I can ride confidently and the Dinotte covers the trail in front of my bars. 

I'll circle back with a few comments about beam pattern later. I've only used these lights together and riding with faster people so no time to faff around doing tests.

I bought the Duo 2200 about four years ago then my wife got me the Titan 4000 for Xmas that same year. A little pricy but combined they been great. And the batteries are both still going strong. 1.5 - 2 hour rides at -10 with plenty of battery left. I do try to remember to put them them on the lowest setting when I’m climbing.

Lynx OGT just released a new light specifically designed for activities like night riding. 

https://www.lynxogt.com/product-page/ixea-headlamp

"It uses 4 high end Cree LEDs and a large lens to create a combination of a wide 130 degree flood beam and far-reaching spot beam simultaniously"

Posted by: Zowsch

Lynx OGT just released a new light specifically designed for activities like night riding.

https://www.lynxogt.com/product-page/ixea-headlamp

"It uses 4 high end Cree LEDs and a large lens to create a combination of a wide 130 degree flood beam and far-reaching spot beam simultaniously"

I saw that a couple days after receiving my second Raven Double. Although it's got 4 LEDs and a wider spread, I find it's interesting that it claims a lower lumen rating than the Raven Double, and the same run time. Just speculation, this leads me to believe that the advantage of the Otus is a wider spread, while having slightly less light intensity.

After a few night rides on the Raven Double, I know for sure that I don't need a wider spread, it's more than adequate. The raven double has a bit of a brighter spot in the middle, but fades nicely to a consistent peripheral spread. Perhaps the advantage of the Otus is that it has a really big spread with even intensity throughout. If so, that could make a superior bar light, while the spot on the Raven Double could be better for the head lamp (depending on preference).

For the record, I'm still really happy with the performance of these lights. They're not nuclear-blast bright like some of the mega units, but it's ample light with 2 lamps, and so convenient.