Mountain Biking - D.I.Y. Riding lights *Pics*

Well for anyone who rides trails or DH at night, you'll know that 20watt lights are pretty expensive.
A couple weeks ago I decided I really didnt want to run into anymore trees or fall off a cliff,
so I said "ehhhh, why not just make your own"... OK!
Its very easy to come up with something. Just run down to home depot and you'll come up with plenty of ideas on how to mount your light/fixture. This isnt the final product, but it'll do until I get some more free time. 20watt light @ 5-6hrs.

Everything you see came to a grand total right near $32 .
Battery - $25 w/shipping
Bulb - $5
Bulb fixture (PVC fittings) - $2
Switch - Free (off an old flashlight)

I'll get more pix out on trails...
http://www.zyous.com/neugroove/pix/light/DSC_8687.jpg
http://www.zyous.com/neugroove/pix/light/DSC_8688.jpg
http://www.zyous.com/neugroove/pix/light/DSC_8693.jpg
http://www.zyous.com/neugroove/pix/light/DSC_8700.jpg
http://www.zyous.com/neugroove/pix/light/DSC_8703.jpg

Not bad! Thats a good light! I gotta build one. Im really good at soldering which helps.

Thats probably the best 32 bucks you could spend!

very nice!

They have these metal clamps at hardware stores, might want to try zip-tying the light to one or something. I know you said this wasn't the finished product, just trying to help.

The clamp is a metal band with slts in it, wen you tighten a screw it cinches down on the metal band. Not sure what they were called though.

very nice!

The clamp is a metal band with slts in it, wen you tighten a screw it cinches down on the metal band. Not sure what they were called though.
Ya! thats the one Im probably going to end up with. 1 big - to fit around the light fixture, and 1 small - to fit the bars. Nice thinking :beer:

Nice little project there. What kind of battery are you using, looks like it hangs of the top tube of the bike? Where did you find that?

Oh ya, srry. I forgot to add velcro to my list of goodies. I just strapped it right around the battery, and put 2 tabs of velcro on top of the battery/bottom of top tube so it wont slide around.

edit* Here is the link to the batteries Battery Mart (http://www.batterymart.com/battery.mv?c=sla) Take your pick of voltage/wattage.

Nobody listens anymore.... :rolleyes:

http://members.iinet.net.au/%7Efathers/lightstoc.htm

And heres some piccies of my lights built as per the fat hippies plan. In the close up you can see my 50W 12 deg spot (high beam) :D and next to it the red thing is the switch for it (ya! individually switched just to show off.) On the other side of the headstem is the bulbholder covered in red tape to stop it flopping about and switch for the 20W 36 deg bulb (lowbeam) :) that sat there until the latest oopsy. Do they work? SH!TYEAH!! Cars wait for the 'motorbike' to go past :D The last group nightride I did I was the only one in my group with functioning lights at the end and the only one who could say they had no visibilty problems. Shame about the battery mount :o This setup was built for my previous bike and that had the battery built into a pannier set with an isolator switch so passing droobs could play with my switches all they liked they couldnt leave my lights on and flatten the battery. As most of you know its difficult to fit racks with disks, I'll probably get a smaller battery and fit it in a seat bag and recharge more often. Yes I know I will remember to take the reflectors off, soon, promise. Night piccies coming soon.

Damm! I didnt notice, are Haro riders brighter than the rest?

hehe, Im not bright... just cheap :D . So THATS what the red button is for. My button is hooked up to the nitrous in back, for uphill assistance ;)

BTW, whats the specs on your battery? The one Im running is 12v 9Ah. Also, how long does yours last on 50 :eek: watts?

Total 70W for toasting wildlife, stray dogs, ect... Its a 12V/7Ah/2.7kg battery. Life as calculated is about 4.5hrs for 20W, 1.7 for 50 w and a big 40 minutes (I think) for 70 W.
Real life will vary with conditions, especially temperature.

I was thinking about making my own bike light too. Sheldon Brown's website goes over it really well. It would be nice if I could add in a small solar panal for when my batteries go dead and/or when I want to conserve battery power.

Koffee

Tease, tease, tease, you girls are all alike :D Perhaps you might be interested in a solar powered torch that was available in Japan a while back, could use as a reserve? :)

For more info on DIY lights than you'll ever need check out the "Total Geekiness (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=42629)" -thread in Commuting.

--J

How 'bout a detailed parts list?

w/ a 20 watt light, how long will a 12v 7AH battery last?, thanks

20W / 12V = 1.67A -- 7Ah / 1.67A = 4.2h This is a rough est.

Great DIY site on bike lighting. Section on run time (http://nordicgroup.us/s78/runtime.html#Run%20Time)

Also, as stated above, check out the Total Geekness thread. (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=42629)

I used a 25 watt bulb with a 12v 7Ah SLA battery and could go over 2 1/2 hours without dimming. YMMV.

Good idea but I have a suggestion, use multiple LED bulbs. They are brighter, use less energy, more durable, and last for about ever. You will be able to get rid of that battery pack and have a nice little encased unit running from rechargeable 9 volts or AA's.