The new lights thread

i think you would want a regulator for NiMH, as the voltage drops when it starts to lose its charge/get drained. whereas LiON maintains a more constant voltage as its drained. i think for anything but LiON you want the regulator.

if you can contact batteryspace or trailtech i'd hope they could help? it's been so long since i looked at this stuff i'm not much help really.

when i ordered my lights they all came with regulators, and the one you linked to appears to come with one:

other than having to wire the lights up yourself and sorting out the battery issues (which can be a big PITA), the TrailTechs are really easy to use and no complaints in 3 years of use …

If you are going with Li-Ion, make sure the battery pack has a chip built in. Li-Ions do have pretty sensitive chemistry if I recall correctly and you want to be careful no to discharge them too far and not to over charge them or you could potentially have issues. Most battery packs from places like Battery Space should have a chip to regulate that.

A thread about HIDs, Halogens, and NiMH batteries? I had to check twice to make sure this wasn't a 2002 thread revival. LED and Lithium Ion batteries are the way to go. The Niterider offerings are well-priced and make building your own set more of a separate hobby than a price-saving item…

-m

The Niterider offerings are great because they make it so easy to get ahold of solid LED lights. That being said, if you want that extra bit of performance, or thos extra few options, you are looking at a different brand of LED lights (Dinotte, for example) or you are building yourself a light. Another option is to buy a set of Niterider lights or something and then upgrade the LEDs to the latest bin.

If you like tinkering and know what a drill is, what a hacksaw is, and what a file is… you would probably have a great time with a DIY light. You can definitely save a bunch of money going that route, but I'm guessing most people don't save much, you have to shop carefully for that as shipping costs and things sure add up. If anyone is interested, I can post some photos from the light that I am currently building. You might be surprised just how simple it is! You can also search on mtbr or probably on google too, for the "achesalot" LED light… the creator of that light actually has a webpage with fairly detailed info for making a light just like he did… that is what I am doing and I sure can't wait to finish the wiring and fire it up!

…gah, I get a bit too excited about these lights.

when you see the Lupine Betty 12's in action you realize that HID's are on the way out.

Pablo runs dual betty's and its like a freight train comming at you. too bad they still cost a fortune.

i dunno. i had my first night ride tonight, and with one HID on my helmet there's a bit of a "sketch" factor while riding, but it's kinda fun - in a sick sort of way :P

i'm not sure i'd enjoy riding with the forest completely lit up. you develop different skills while riding a bit by braile… i'll never go back to halogens however.

i dunno. i had my first night ride tonight, and with one HID on my helmet there's a bit of a "sketch" factor while riding, but it's kinda fun - in a sick sort of way :P

i'm not sure i'd enjoy riding with the forest completely lit up. you develop different skills while riding a bit by braile… i'll never go back to halogens however.

then you get two HID's and realize its even better. cant have to much light if you ride gnarley trails or high speed at night.

also dual lights reduce alot of shadow and provide a back up when one light goes down. which it will at some point. when you run dual HID you stack the lighter os so one points much farther out alowing you to pick up your speed. . its way better in every way.

then you get two HID's and realize its even better. cant have to much light if you ride gnarley trails or high speed at night.

also dual lights reduce alot of shadow and provide a back up when one light goes down. which it will at some point. when you run dual HID you stack the lighter os so one points much farther out alowing you to pick up your speed. . its way better in every way.

If you want to ride at night the same trails at the same speed you do during the day, 2 light is the way to go. Also it serves as a back up if one dies.

yeah i'd like another HID for my bars, but the budget doesn't quite cover it yet.

yeah i'd like another HID for my bars, but the budget doesn't quite cover it yet.

dual helmet mounts, bar mounts dont cut it, everyone I know who runs two started with one on the bars and one on the helmet and now run dual helmet mount.

I'm definitely on the LED bandwagon myself. I currently own a really nice HID system, and my buddy's Night Rider TriNewt is a better system in every way. It was cheaper, it's lighter in weight, it doesn't get nearly as hot, the bulbs are way more robust and it puts out the same amount of light. The TriNewt seems to put out a wider spread of light, whereas the HID is more of a "spot" beam. Side by side on the trail, the LED seems to put out more useable light, but I guess it's personal preference. I find that HID's have a weird flicker to them as well. It's hard to explain, but they almost seem to change colour as you focus the beam on objects at different distances. Hardly noticeable, but the LED's do not do this.

HID's are obsolete. Hard to believe, as they were the shiznit a couple years ago.

That flickering of HID's is normal. More noticable when they are just igniting. Mine do it all the time but as you say it is of no consequence. LED's are the future though. Next time I need a light it will be LED.

A thread about HIDs, Halogens, and NiMH batteries? I had to check twice to make sure this wasn't a 2002 thread revival. LED and Lithium Ion batteries are the way to go. The Niterider offerings are well-priced and make building your own set more of a separate hobby than a price-saving item…

-m

You missed the point. I have 2 perfectly good NiMH packs, and Trailtechs are about $150, so I am trying to decide if they will work together, since I can't find any deal that would trump that.

dual helmet mounts, bar mounts dont cut it, everyone I know who runs two started with one on the bars and one on the helmet and now run dual helmet mount.

Toot true. You want the light above your head, that way you avoid the shadows which are really deceiving.

A thread about HIDs, Halogens, and NiMH batteries? I had to check twice to make sure this wasn't a 2002 thread revival. LED and Lithium Ion batteries are the way to go. The Niterider offerings are well-priced and make building your own set more of a separate hobby than a price-saving item…

-m

OK where is this magical LED systems that can match my $200 (with battery and charger)Trailtech HID??

And then Niterider comes out with the Slickrock. A 900 lumen HID. HID is not quite in the grave yet. Usually lighter too.

You may be right that two helmet mounted lights offer better visibility, but that's a lot of weight for the neck to hold up and probably wouldn't be very good on a light XC helmet. I did go out with three once. One on the bar and two on the chin peice. I didn't have proper chin peice brackets so the aim was not optimal but holy daylight. I did have a stiff neck the next day though. But I was trail riding and not coasting a couple night shuttles. Although my full face has good venting, Specialized, I have to pull it up frequently to blow chunks out the nostrils.

i paid about $275 for my trinewt, although i realize that's not $200 it was close enough to go with LED's.

bought it last year with the intention of doing some night riding and it never happened. hopefull this will be the year to try em out.

some of these lights are just way to bright… it just gives them a good reason to ban night riding… night riding should be spooky, keep the supper power lights at home.