Night riding lights!

Winter is coming...

I'm hoping to get in post-work rides on occasion so looking for light suggestions. I read Andrew's Aug article but none of those can be sourced in Canada and i've already got a bunch of stuff stuck in the USA because of the USPS debaucle (i'm told potentially 3 months!). 

So looking for suggestions of good light combos (bars and helmet), that would last at least me a good 2h, planning on rides of trails i'm familiar with, and hoping to not spend more than $300-$350. 

I've heard of magicshine and niterider...

TIA!

Hmm, where's the thread on that...aha:

https://nsmb.com/forum/forum/gear-4/topic/night-riding-light-brandmodel-recommendations-130867/

I vote mount 2 gas cans onto panniers with small openings streaming out fuel the whole climb. At the top drop a match and ride the river of fire back down. 🤘

All I can say is you get what you pay for. Buy a good setup don't buy the magicshine crap. I say this from experience.

Posted by: Brocklanders

All I can say is you get what you pay for. Buy a good setup don't buy the magicshine crap. I say this from experience.

Agreed. I am definitely in the 'you get what you pay for' camp. A good set of lights and quality batteries are a worthwhile investment imo.

If you do want to 'cheap out' only do it for one of the two lights. I have an online sketchy cheapo one on the bars then a good one on the helmet, so when the cheap one dies I'm not stuck in the dark. Lezyne, niterider, Blackburn all do good stuff and can be found in the shops. A couple 800-1000 lumen self contained lights would fit your budget I think.

Posted by: Hepcat

Hmm, where's the thread on that...aha:

https://nsmb.com/forum/forum/gear-4/topic/night-riding-light-brandmodel-recommendations-130867/

I vote mount 2 gas cans onto panniers with small openings streaming out fuel the whole climb. At the top drop a match and ride the river of fire back down. 🤘

I hear that technique was problematic in California....

I got a Gemini Duo last fall. Looking to pick up a bar light this fall

My Geoman Gear lights finally shit the bed a year or two ago. 

If money was no option I’d spring for a Lupine light  system  🤤🤤 Still might thoufh.

the new Magicshines look impressive actually...  some serious lumens going on.

Posted by: RAHrider

Posted by: Hepcat

Hmm, where's the thread on that...aha:

https://nsmb.com/forum/forum/gear-4/topic/night-riding-light-brandmodel-recommendations-130867/

I vote mount 2 gas cans onto panniers with small openings streaming out fuel the whole climb. At the top drop a match and ride the river of fire back down. 🤘

I hear that technique was problematic in California....

All about frame of mind my man. There is no global warming, my supressed freedoms are more important than any environmental libtard fire conspiracy, and "it's fun". Now just need to find a place for my QAnon Killer AR-15 next to those gas cans on my 70mph SurRon and I'm ready to connect hard with nature.

Uh, lights... My buddy just spent the bank on a handle bar mounted light, sure it's daytime in the forest now, but that thing is aimed all over. 

For a budget set-up I'd be tempted to blow the whole budget on a really effective helmet light and say fuck it to the handlebar light altogether.

Posted by: Hepcat

Posted by: RAHrider

Posted by: Hepcat

Hmm, where's the thread on that...aha:

https://nsmb.com/forum/forum/gear-4/topic/night-riding-light-brandmodel-recommendations-130867/

I vote mount 2 gas cans onto panniers with small openings streaming out fuel the whole climb. At the top drop a match and ride the river of fire back down. 🤘

I hear that technique was problematic in California....

All about frame of mind my man. There is no global warming, my supressed freedoms are more important than any environmental libtard fire conspiracy, and "it's fun". Now just need to find a place for my QAnon Killer AR-15 next to those gas cans on my 70mph SurRon and I'm ready to connect hard with nature.

Lights... My buddy just spent the bank on a handle bar mounted light, sure it's daytime in the forest now, but on slow technical stuff that beam is swinging all over the place.

For a budget set-up I'd be tempted to blow the whole budget on a really effective helmet light and say fuck it to the handlebar light altogether.

I have ridden lots with just a helmet. But backup if one dies is good, and his budget was like 300, so two decent ones could be done, like two niterider lumina

Personally, I've ridden the last two winters on a couple of $40 units off Amazon (one bar mounted, one helmet mounted) plus I take a spare battery. 

As, realistically, I'm only actually riding for 1.5hrs max, I've never needed anything more. I can eek out more battery life by just using one light on lowest settings for non-technical climbs then full power/both lights for descending.

I tend to ride tight/techy rather than fast/flowing so don't need thousands of lumens lighting up the forest half a mile in front of me so never saw a reason to spend stupid amounts on money on lights. 😉

https://www.lupinenorthamerica.com/Lupine_Alpha_7200.asp

Are you even considered a Gearwhore if you don’t have one?

I faffed around with the amazon ones for years and they were good enough, if unreliable. 

I bought a Seca 2000 last year from MEC. Awesome. Wish I didn’t wait.  I use it on the helmet, nothing on the bars. One day I’ll get a 1000ish lumen self contained one for the handlebar to provide a little better depth perception.

^Seca is a Lupine?

I’ll add a Gemini Titan to the bars this fall.