1speed
Incredibly profound yet fantastically flawed
I had a ride killed before it started this afternoon when my bar-mounted light wouldn't turn on. I have a MagicShine Monteer 5000 and this is a frequent issue I've had with it for quite a while now. Apparently, this is not an issue unique to my set. It's some kind of short in the cable, which doesn't surprise me because I have always hated the battery setup on this thing - the battery connects to a cable via a face mount and that cable connects to the head unit itself. It just seems unnecessarily complex - why not just build the cable into the battery like nearly every other model with a battery out there? I have had MS lights for years now (going all the way back to when you could only buy them through the now defunct Geomangear) and this is the first set I've ever had any problem with, but I'm done with it - it's been happening for almost a year, I got a cable replacement and it started up again a few months later. So all of that is to say I'm in the market for new lights and would love some feedback if anyone has it.
I'll need both a helmet and a bar-mounted light. Where I am right now is looking at Outbound Lighting (Trail EVO for the bars, Hangover for the helmet) or perhaps Outbound for the bars and Action LED's Gloworm for the helmet. Pros and Cons of Outbound Lighting as I see it are one and the same - their lights have no battery pack. That's obviously a plus in the "1Speed doesn't need to carry extra shit" category, but it's a possible minus in the "1Speed has been known to ride long into the night so frequently keeps extra batteries in case they run out before he's done" category - with a light that is directly charged with no battery, I'm kinda done when the light is done. The Gloworm has battery packs, but the whole system is more expensive for it. I've also looked into the L&M Seca Enduro, which has a long battery life but it's also what the kiddies call "fuckin' expensive" at around $400 for the system (and more if I buy extra batteries.) I'd really like to not spend a fortune if I can avoid it.
So before I choose through these all-less-than-perfect options, anyone have experience with any of these manufacturers, or have any others that I should consider? I need a light with "good" output (2500+ lumens for bike mount, at least 1000 for the helmet), decent life span between charges, and most of all it's got to be reliable (I lived a horror story the first time this issue happened when I started out in daylight at Wharton and was all the way at the turnaround when I realized I had no working lights - for the record, it's REALLY dark in Wharton at night and as twisty as that trail is it was NOT fun trying to navigate my way back to the lot without lights.) I might be willing to forego the extra battery thing (as T.S. Eliot once said, "I grow old ... I grow old ..." so unfortunately long nights out may not be as much of a thing for me in the coming years) but only if the quality of a battery-free light is the best option.
I'll need both a helmet and a bar-mounted light. Where I am right now is looking at Outbound Lighting (Trail EVO for the bars, Hangover for the helmet) or perhaps Outbound for the bars and Action LED's Gloworm for the helmet. Pros and Cons of Outbound Lighting as I see it are one and the same - their lights have no battery pack. That's obviously a plus in the "1Speed doesn't need to carry extra shit" category, but it's a possible minus in the "1Speed has been known to ride long into the night so frequently keeps extra batteries in case they run out before he's done" category - with a light that is directly charged with no battery, I'm kinda done when the light is done. The Gloworm has battery packs, but the whole system is more expensive for it. I've also looked into the L&M Seca Enduro, which has a long battery life but it's also what the kiddies call "fuckin' expensive" at around $400 for the system (and more if I buy extra batteries.) I'd really like to not spend a fortune if I can avoid it.
So before I choose through these all-less-than-perfect options, anyone have experience with any of these manufacturers, or have any others that I should consider? I need a light with "good" output (2500+ lumens for bike mount, at least 1000 for the helmet), decent life span between charges, and most of all it's got to be reliable (I lived a horror story the first time this issue happened when I started out in daylight at Wharton and was all the way at the turnaround when I realized I had no working lights - for the record, it's REALLY dark in Wharton at night and as twisty as that trail is it was NOT fun trying to navigate my way back to the lot without lights.) I might be willing to forego the extra battery thing (as T.S. Eliot once said, "I grow old ... I grow old ..." so unfortunately long nights out may not be as much of a thing for me in the coming years) but only if the quality of a battery-free light is the best option.