New to night riding, what light to get?

The other day I went for a after school ridge up eagle ridge, and it ended up getting dark. the girl i was riding with had light, so she was fine. I ended up taping my cell (which has a small LED flashlight) onto my bars (always carry a roll of electrical tape). I managed to get down the trail, but its not something I want to do again. what should I get as far as lights go. THe guy at John Henry's reccomended a 2 light set up that share a battery pack, but the one we were looking at had a really short burn time compared to some other ones I've looked at. I'm hopeing to spend no more than $200, so HID is out of the question. any reccomendations? is one light on the helmet enough, or is having 1 on the bars as well a must?

I run one HID on my helmet. I used to run one halogen on my helmet, which was OK, but once you try a higher output light you can never go back. More light [HTML_REMOVED] less light. I am tempted to get another HID for the bars.

With the dollar right now you can get some really good deals on HID's from the states.

I run 1 of these, helmet mounted, and it is more than enough.
http://trailtech.net/3122-SX-NB.html
beware, ordering from the states, this will get nailed with an import duty (about an extra 50 bucks). But still, for the price and the light it puts out, it's still a good deal.

I purchased a Light [HTML_REMOVED] Motion Arc-Lion (HID) earlier this fall from Different bikes. I run just the one light on my helmet and it provides more then enough light.

Spend the extra bucks on a better light from the beginning.

With the dollar right now you can get some really good deals on HID's from the states.

I purchased an extra HID for the bars, and am very glad I did. A couple nights ago I was riding and there was a fair bit of mist in the air. The light from the helmest was diffused quite a bit, so the lower, bar mounted light really improved visiblity. It's also reassuring to know that if one light fails, I have a backup.

In actuallity, I have two HIDs to run on the bar, and one on the helmet, but I leant out one of the bar lights. If I were to do it again, I'd build a big-ass lithium 12V (putting out around 13.5v) and run a couple 35/50W MR16 bulbs. That would throw off a lot more light.

I ran 2 helmet mounted halogens , the thing with running a bar/helmet combo is you need 2 battery packs but if you run a helmet mount you can use just 1 battery and it can all go in yer hydration pack or with a bike mount the battery can stay with the bike

I got the BLTs from a couple of years ago, 15 [HTML_REMOVED] 10w with battery [HTML_REMOVED] charger for not too much (I forget) , which were available from the norco book ,I look on their site and the productline seems to have changed alot … they are full on into LED only

HID's are obsolete. Believe it. I myself own a high-end HID set, and while it's been great, the new high-output LED's are unbelieveable. My buddy just picked up a Night Rider Tri-Newt. It's pretty much as bright as my HID (I didn't believe it until I saw it). Considering that the LED bulbs are far more reliable, have slightly better run times, use lighter batteries, and cost less; I wouldn't even consider an HID today. The trick is actually getting your hands on one of these sets. Night Rider has been sold out of them because they're selling like hot-cakes. I believe North Shore Bike Shop has a bunch of Tri-Newts in stock though.

Apparently there's some crazy German company selling an LED set that's TWICE as bright as an HID. I think it's uber-expensive, but regardless, LED's are the way to go.

HID's are obsolete. Believe it. I myself own a high-end HID set, and while it's been great, the new high-output LED's are unbelieveable. My buddy just picked up a Night Rider Tri-Newt. It's pretty much as bright as my HID (I didn't believe it until I saw it). Considering that the LED bulbs are far more reliable, have slightly better run times, use lighter batteries, and cost less; I wouldn't even consider an HID today. The trick is actually getting your hands on one of these sets. Night Rider has been sold out of them because they're selling like hot-cakes. I believe North Shore Bike Shop has a bunch of Tri-Newts in stock though.

Apparently there's some crazy German company selling an LED set that's TWICE as bright as an HID. I think it's uber-expensive, but regardless, LED's are the way to go.

I don't think led's are quite there yet. The batteries are not light from what I have seen. The Trinewt is about twice the size as the ones for the HID both Lithium ion. And the light head for the trinewt is heavier that the HID. Heavy light heads for the helmet is not good for me. I get a pretty sore neck early in the night riding season if I overdo it. But I do believe that LED's will take over soon.

For the cost of the LED, I'll get two HIDs. When LED technology is a lot brighter for the same weight, then it will be a consideration.

Mounting the battery pack isn't an issue on a handlebar mount setup. I stick my battery in a water bottle cage. You can also velcro strap it to various areas of the frame (some battery packs are designed for, or come with, frame mounts).

Whatever you do, if you're on a budget don't borrow someone else's HID setup. You'll never go back to Halogen.

unless someone can find an HID within my price range, those are out. so no need telling me how much brighter than the sun they are, I can't afford one. I was looking at the BLT firewire. anyone use this? is it bright enough to be used on its own?

Mounting the battery pack isn't an issue on a handlebar mount setup. I stick my battery in a water bottle cage. You can also velcro strap it to various areas of the frame (some battery packs are designed for, or come with, frame mounts).

yeah but have you ever gone handlebar [HTML_REMOVED] helmet then you need 2 batteries or you gota unplug to get away from the bike

handlebar mount == almost useless.

put all of the light you can on your helmet … who doesn't want to be able to point their lights around corners or down on transitions? with handlebar mounts … ummm, not so much.

only time handlebar mount makes any sense is dense fog.

i'd carry 3 HIDs on the helmet before putting anything on the handlebars … dont believe me then do your own tests … we have tried it all …

back to the original question, which was NOT "should I run 3 or 4 HID's on my helmet…"

a 10W halogen helmet mounted light with a battery that has at least an hour and a half run time is the bare minimum for night riding. Always ride with a friend who also has lights, in case yours crap out in the middle of nowhere. The more you pay, the better you'll get, and you'll find that you'll want to upgrade as you do more night riding.