Commuting - A headlight to consider

If you have been considering getting a new headlight, here is one I would check out. Nashbar.com has the Vistalight Supernova for $60. This is a 10 watt light with a 6v 4.5 volt ampere lead acid battery. I would have bought this light a couple of months ago when I upgraded to a Vistalight dual setup with a 10 and a 5. All I wanted was the 10, but I didn't think they made one. If you are using a 2.4-3 watt light right now, you would be amazed at the difference. Heck, I spent something like $40 for a 2.4 W Cateye with an auxiliary battery pack. Anyway, this looks like a pretty good deal.

Joe, I know there is a Hot Deals forum now, but I thought this would mainly be of interest to my Commuting buddies.

Regards,
Raymond

Thanks, Raymond. I will definitely keep this in mind when I look for a new light. 10 watts! Eek! :eek:

:thumbup:

Rainman,
I'm glad you started this thread. Since the days are getting shorter I need info on a headlight system. In fact I had to turn on Mr. Blinky this morning because it was gray and overcast. Most mornings it is light enough so that I don't need any lights. (I work the 9am to 6 pm shift and leave home about 7:20.)

Do you have Nashbar's item number? I searched their website and couldn't find the Supernova. Just the Code 15 and Code 20, both over $100.

I saw a Sigma Sport Mirage X headlight system at the bike shop near my work for $60. It is a 20 watt dual light system. That's all I know about it. Anyone have any experience with this?

Also, what type and how many lights do you have on the back of your bike. I have a blinky mounted under the saddle on the seatpost and another on the back of my bike rack.

I'll be buying something soon and need lots of input.

The Vistalight Supernova is VH-510. I couldn't find it in the closeout section on the website either.

I've been thinking of getting one of these, too. I've also thought of buying someone's add-on 10W light and making my own battery pack. This is such a good price though. I think I would still make my own battery pack, since the Supernova comes with a sealed lead acid (SLA) battery. NiCads should do better in the cold, from what I've seen.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Jonathan

Jonathan,
I searched from Nashbar's main page and VH-510 could not be found. I looked under "brand" and selected Vistalite and didn't find it. I looked under "catagories" and selected lights and didn't find it.
Could you please put a link in another post so I too can check out this bargain? Thanks.

Originally posted by RonH
I saw a Sigma Sport Mirage X headlight system at the bike shop near my work for $60. It is a 20 watt dual light system. That's all I know about it. Anyone have any experience with this?


RonH, I have the Sigma Mirage but only with the single light (5W I thiink). I can only say that it is excellent. The illumination from it is great even on unlit country lanes. I would love to have the extra lamp! Running time is well over two hours so it lasts me to and from work in the Winter. I then just leave it on the bike and charge it for a couple of hours in the cellar. Couldn't be easier.:)

I actually saw it in the most recent sale catalog, the one that is red with 50% off splashed on the front. Didn't check out nashbar.com to see if it was there. I will pull out the catalog tonight and give you the part number.
Regards,
Raymond

I up against a wall. I need a headlight and other fall/winter gear but I only have 100 bucks to see me through!!!! I'm gonna have to find another job.:p

OK, the item number is VH-510. this is catalog 160 "Late Summer". The catalog key is perhaps S=0041. I couldn't find it at the website either, even putting in the item number. I don't know, gang. This catalog just came. Might try 1-800-627-4227.

I've used SLA batteries down to 5 degrees F, with no problems. I have a Nite-Hawk dual (10W&20W). Nite-Hawk is Canadian made, so I really think the battery can handle cold. SLA is a lot cheaper. The real drawback of SLA is the wt & bulk. I also run a blinkie on my seat stay, and have a home-made 10W taillight powered with a NiMH battery. I was not happy with the visibility of blinkies in early morning fog & greyness. Before I made the 10W taillight I ran 3 blinkies: helmet, back of rack, and seat stay. Of course I also use reflectors on bike and gear.

Sorry. I knew it wasn't on the website. I hope it's not missing from the site because they ran out of them after the catalog was printed.

I would call them. I wasn't able to find it on the site, either, the other day. I would call them and ask, just in case.

Jonathan

I called Nashbar. The Supernova is sold out; that is why it doesn't appear on the website. Sorry for getting anyone's hopes up.

Jean, tell me about that homemade 10W tail light. Inquiring minds want to know. Do you have a red lens on it? Is it halogen? What kind of fixture?

Last I saw, Performance has a cygolite Rover on sale for less than $100. Pretty well reviewed light.

Just bought a cygolite explorer and am pleased so far.

Yeah, the CygoLite Night Rover is a pretty decent light (I've got one). First light I had that actually lights up a dark road well enough to see and avoid obstacles. Good bang-for-the-buck value here.

SteveF

If you have a helmet mount lamp, the velcro straps can be fastened to the velcro of the rearmost left strap of your rack trunk. The battery goes in the trunk. Find a 1 or 1.5 inch red reflector, I used one of the reflectors meant to hang on your dog's collar. Use electrical tape to tape reflector over the lens of the lamp. Voila! My husband's first reaction was that it was too bright, it would blind drivers. It's not that bright, but it is far bigger and brighter than anything else I've seen.

Mrs. Smith,

You strike me as a valuable source of commuting information.

:thumbup:

I don't use the type of lights you use, I made my own from a miner's headlamp. It is quartz halogen, 6v 1amp, with a low beam inside the same unit, main unit shines up to 1km!!
I also run an old sanyo dynapower taillight with the headlight globe in it, people tell me that this is really bright. I also use a rear blinky light.
But the point I am making is that my lighting system is 'pro-active' to my way of thinking, it really shines brightly making me very visible. Whereas blinkies can be a bit dull or not bright enough. This extra light power gives me extra road space as cars leave more room. This is proven time and time again if I only use the blinky light.
So use as bright a light as you can, it will gain you extra road space.
regards to all.

Fubar
if you are short of cash, its quite cheap to make your own lighting system. The advantage is that the charging unit will be better, and you can tune the brightness/battery life/weight to your needs.

Its best to use a cheap dynamo-headlamp style bike lamp. European models have carefully designed illumination patterns, so they appear brighter than lamps with even patterns.
Put a battery in an old water bottle. Wire it up using crimp-style connectors. I use a lead-acid battery for ease of maintainance, and a charger (from an electronics store) that will automatically switch from bulk charge to float ( a constant voltage charger) when the battery is charged. It cost me less than £40, gives me 2 1/2 hrs of light, so bright people comment on it, and has lasted 2 winters so far.

Paying hundreds of bucks for a commuting lighting system is not worth it. The lamps will probably get stolen if you leave them on the bike.

I making a headlight at home right now. I'm using 10 super bright LEDs, which give plenty of light. It's in the final stages of design at the moment, but when it's finished it'll have a flashing and constant mode, the lights and associated circuits will fit into a film cannister, and the batteries (6AA NiMh) will slide inside my handlebars. Lot's of light in a tiny package, but it hasn't been exactly cheap.

I also estimate I'll get about 30 hours of battery life between charges in constant mode and over 1000 in flashing. I'll probably charge more frequently than that for the sake of the batteries. If it works reasonably successfully I'm considering going into prodcution. I'd like to get a feel for the potential market, so without wanting to appear like a spammer, would anyone here be intereseted in such a device? Not sure of what the final product would cost, let's just say less than AUS$200, hopefully around $100.

Originally posted by Allister
I making a headlight at home right now...I also estimate I'll get about 30 hours of battery life between charges in constant mode and over 1000 in flashing.
LED's are in my opininion a great invention that shines extremely brightly and is also quite miserly on the battery juice.

I hope we'll get to hear more about how well your idea works, Allister!

:D

Now if you combine an LED lamp with a small fuel cell power source, you would be getting some serious illumination.
Manhatten Scientifics should be coming out with a small power unit Real Soon Now. One small cartridge of methanol would last a week or 2, making batteries and maybe even dynamos obscelete.

Ok you guys have some really nice lights there, but as an alternative for those who rarely ride at night...or just want a little extra safety margin early morning, some may want to consider a new light now carried by Walmart. Yeah, I know, but it is a Halogen light and blinkie combo by Next for $20. Pretty reasonable.

I only ride at night about once a week, and on city streets, so it works well. It uses 4 AAs in the headlamp, and 2 AAs in the blinkie. The halogen is considerably brighter than a mag light or dynamo. I like AAs because it is easy to get rechargable batteries inexpensively. I also like that the lights clip on and off, so I don't have to haul them around all the time.

I have tried the dynamo lights, and really dislike the extra drag resistance...but I am sure some of the better quality ones work better. Quality dynamos don't seem to exist in the USA! Except for you guys of course! ;)

On Tuesday, I went to the PlanetBike site (http://www.planetbike.com), and noticed they were having a flood sale.

I picked up one of their BRT-Spot, LED front lights. It was only $7.99 (1/2 price), as are other lights right now. I also ordered one of their Insight 10 watt lights with a 4-C bottle cage pack. It was only $29.99, and I figure I can use my own battery pack (5 D NiMH/NiCd) to save money and the environment.

I ordered Tuesday, and they came Thursday (yesterday). I was very pleased. I used the BRT-Spot this morning to ride in the rain. I was also pleased at the weather's helping me test my new gear. I'll have to ride to the store late this weekend to test the Insight. The BRT-Spot is pretty nice - bright, with flashing or steady. It is supposed to last 200 hours on flash. The biggest drawback is that it uses 2 N cells, not AAAs. Oh well. It was cheap and the batteries will last a long time. This may be all I need to my commutes, since it will be twilight both ways, probably not completely dark, unless I stay late.

Jonathan

Hey, I just got a new Vistalite headlight system. I purchased it off of ebay and It includes two 5watt lamps and nicad nightstick battery and charger. I payed $45 for it plus $10 for shipping. I've used it twice so far and everything seems to work fine. The lamps are marked 15watts though I think they're just marked wrong. Anyway the guy I bought the lights from seems to have many more available. Here's the link www.ediscountbike.com
If you buy something here make sure you check how much shipping is because they seem to like to make money on the shipping charge. I hate that.:(

Ok, I'm ammending my comments I made about the $60 Sigma Sport Mirage X. I bought it and tried it. It's a good light if you have a short commute. By short I mean less than 30 minutes.
My commute is about 55-60 minutes each way. The battery life with the Mirage X is about 2.5 hours using the 5 watt light only. But if it is raining, foggy, rather dark, or you just want some extra visibility, the 20 watt light is needed. The battery life is only 45 minutes with the 20 watt light, and about 30 minutes with both lights.

So, I went to REI's big Labor Day sale and bought two Niterider Trail Rats (20% off). The Trail Rat is 10 watts (2 x 10 watts = 20 watts) and the batteries have a life of 2+ hours. I'll give them the test tomorrow (I hope) and give you the results. And yes, I want two light on my bike.
I know they cost more, but my wife is concerned about my safety. For that matter, so am I. :D