I need some help deciding on new headlights. I was going to go with the L&M solo but now having second thoughts.

Old setup: performance dual, 15w and 20w halogen NiMH. Problem: shorted out in cabling. Performance gave full credit. YEAH! Light output was barely adequate and in cold the run time dropped to dangerous levels. Rated 120 minutes but dropped to only about 60.


Needs:
1. handlebar mount
2. cost under $400, and preferably between $250 and $330.
3. more than 300 lumens
{I have 3 dangerous situations:
A. downhill for about 1/2 mile, in daylight clipping along about 25-30 mph. Night would like to go 20.
B. short steep downing into a tunnel that water drips down on. In winter it freezes. I would like to go 8 to 12 mph over this stretch.
C. 2 lane road with 40mph traffic. Sides often have rocks, sticks, and loose gravel or sand.
}

Where I am so far:

L&M Arc is nice, but $400 is too much right now
DiNotte 200L dual is nice, but still $350 and not sure if bright enough
NiteRider MiNest Dual X2 is good price, $230, but only fair reviews
BR 21H, $350, unknown lumens. FAQ lists 360, stats lists 410.

So, suggestions, comments, experience with any of these?

http://www.cygolite.com/2-Products/18-TridenX-LiIon.htm
Been reading good things about this light, about $300. Cygo has been around a while and has a good rep.

Also, the Exposure Race Maxx, $350, maybe tempting to you.
http://www.exposurelightsusa.com/
Exposure has been around a while and has a rabid cult-like following. I am considering 2 of these myself.

Personally, I am now a huge fan of dual light heads. I ran a single hi-po bulb (25 watt) for a long time and recently switched to dual LED flashlights. About the same brightness but MUCH more respect from traffic. fwiw.

the DiNotte 200L Dual gets good press as well but I understand they are not a "spot", more of a uniform, even lighting. Personally i like a light with more "throw" down the road so I can see hazards in the road @ hi speed better. You say you have one good downhill - with the right light you should be able to hit daylight speeds safely.

Thanks. I don't trust exposure when their web site is broken.

Dinotte. You would have to get an extra battery for the Minewt to equal the Dinotte runtimes. They use the same battery for the single X2 as the Dual. The cheapest I have seen the battery is $100, probably plus shipping charge. My buddy's Minewt is pushed to the limit on a 2-hour ride. My other buddy's 200L's put out a lot of light. He had one of the bar and a helmet mounted one He took advantage of the upgrade offered for the 140L. Go a little more and get the 600L.

Interesting. The TridenX {where's the 't'?} seems good, but the Arc also seems like a good buy. Know any comparisons?

Got to run, I'll check back later.
Pricing research today:

CygoLite TridenX LED Li-ion, 10 oz, 2.5 hrs
===========================================
performance $350
rei $350
bluesky $310

TridenX NiMH, 19 oz, 3.5 hrs
===========================================
blue sky $300

L&M arc nimh, 725, 26 oz 3.0 hrs
===========================================
airbomb $430
blueskycycling $374
amazon/phat tire $386

+1 for Dinotte.

Thanks. I don't trust exposure when their web site is broken.

is it broke? been working for me. I'm leery cause it's an integrated system, UK based, and tough to come by. But all the reviews I can find are very positive.

Halogen systems get no love these days, but JetLite makes extremely well put together 22 watt, 670lumen light for $300: http://www.jetlites.com/ssb.html

Reviews of Jet Lights are incredible: http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/lights/index_J.shtml

i've used both LED and Halogen and find the Halogen light easier on the eyes in the wet. If you are worried about water or ice I'd suggest maybe buying 2 lights, one each of Halogen and LED, and keeping the one you like the most.

I have no experience with HID but the technology has sure had issues in the past with poor reliability. and the bulb does cost like $100 when it pops. Halogen bulb is around $20, and of course LED don't burn out (in theory).

cheers

Interesting. The TridenX {where's the 't'?} seems good, but the Arc also seems like a good buy. Know any comparisons?

Got to run, I'll check back later.
Pricing research today:

CygoLite TridenX LED Li-ion, 10 oz, 2.5 hrs
===========================================
performance $350
rei $350
bluesky $310

TridenX NiMH, 19 oz, 3.5 hrs
===========================================
blue sky $300

L&M arc nimh, 725, 26 oz 3.0 hrs
===========================================
airbomb $430
blueskycycling $374
amazon/phat tire $386

I say, Trident...you seem to have a good working relationship with Performance and they price match...my local store has matched this site: http://www.beyondbikes.com/bb/Items.asp?Cc=CygoLite

299...this will save you some $$ so that you can get a helmet light too... :);)

I saw the jetlite, but it's strange.
Beam pattern:
14 w - 30ft x 300ft
22.4w - 50ft x 150ft

Thus the smaller wattage is spot and larger wattage is flood lamp. I'd want larger wattage in spot to get more penetration of distance.

I saw the jetlite, but it's strange.
Beam pattern:
14 w - 30ft x 300ft
22.4w - 50ft x 150ft

Thus the smaller wattage is spot and larger wattage is flood lamp. I'd want larger wattage in spot to get more penetration of distance.

I have the JetLites AXIS halogen system (25W, Li-ion battery); The 14W lamp is definitely a narrow spot (10 degree), bu at that output, it needs to be focused or else it's useless. The 22.4W is an 18 degree narrow flood, which has a very nice pattern for the handlebars. Overall, I think JetLites it's one of the best halogen systems.

BUT there's a cheaper option: Turbocat (turbocatusa.com). Great awesome aluminum lamp housings. The problem with them is that they haven't gone to Li-ion batteries, so their runtimes will be low and weight will be high (SLA, NiCd, NiMH). The best thing to do is to buy the lamp housing separately (I suggest the S15 for $85) and build or source your own battery (14.8V li-ion from batteryspace.com + charger for about $80 total). Altogether it would be <$200 for a very professional 700+ lumen system. This is definitely what I would do now if I could do it over.

I read the same good mtbr.com reviews on Jetlites and seriously considered purchasing one. But I could find nobody where I lived that had them and they are rarely mentioned on any of the forums that I frequent. The batteries are very expensive so you would want to source an extra or replacement somewhere else.

Turbocat has gotten the same great reviews historically. But their lights are so far behind in every way that I can't see them catching up competitively or even staying in business. Be careful, it does not appear that their mounts work on oversized bars in many or all cases.

Thanks for the beyond bikes link. I'm verifying work times before purchase because I may be working a grave shift and then would probably get the L&M Arc. If not, the trident does look like a good buy.

I use a NiteRider MiNewt X2 and a Dinotte 200L-AA. The X2 is rated at about the same light output as the Dinotte but they are about the same. Sometimes I the Dinotte is on the handlebars and sometimes on my helmet. On the helmet is better. On the handlebars just simply doubles the amount of light.

My commute is about 6 miles ranging from dark MUPs to busy streets and intersections with and without a bike lane. I used to commute this with the a regular MiNewt which was okay but have upgraded and that is better.

So, I would suggest two 200L-AA Dinotte's. Seems to me this will come in at less than $400,will give you enough light, and it is a redundant system. You can also buy extra rechargeable batteries if that is necessary.

If you are looking for the arc nimh....someone is selling a almost new one on cpf....for $290.
just a fyi.

I use a NiteRider MiNewt X2 and a Dinotte 200L-AA. The X2 is rated at about the same light output as the Dinotte but they are about the same. Sometimes I the Dinotte is on the handlebars and sometimes on my helmet. On the helmet is better. On the handlebars just simply doubles the amount of light.

My commute is about 6 miles ranging from dark MUPs to busy streets and intersections with and without a bike lane. I used to commute this with the a regular MiNewt which was okay but have upgraded and that is better.

So, I would suggest two 200L-AA Dinotte's. Seems to me this will come in at less than $400,will give you enough light, and it is a redundant system. You can also buy extra rechargeable batteries if that is necessary.


He is referring to the Pro Series so you would have to add in the cost for a charger and AA rechargeable batteries if you do not already have them.

If you are looking for the arc nimh....someone is selling a almost new one on cpf....for $290.
just a fyi.

That would be me selling the Arc nimh.

Thanks. I don't trust exposure when their web site is broken.

The Exposure websites works just fine.

http://www.exposurelightsusa.com/

http://www.use1.com/exposure/

I read the same good mtbr.com reviews on Jetlites and seriously considered purchasing one. But I could find nobody where I lived that had them and they are rarely mentioned on any of the forums that I frequent. The batteries are very expensive so you would want to source an extra or replacement somewhere else.

they're internet-only. Incredible customer service: i bought a system but returned it as i decided to do DIY - no hassles, no complaints.
yep the batts are uber-expensive but that's pretty common for hi-end lights.

Strange, exposure site is working today. thanks.

BTW - Have you considered these?

http://www.ayup.com.au/aboutus.php.

BTW - Have you considered these?

http://www.ayup.com.au/aboutus.php.

COOL thanks!

He is referring to the Pro Series so you would have to add in the cost for a charger and AA rechargeable batteries if you do not already have them.

Yes. Probably my post was not relevant. Still, I was referring to two Dinotte 200L-AA-S's which cost $169 each and that includes shipping, both handlebar and helmet mounts, fabric battery mount, two battery holders, one set of 2000 mA-hr NiMH rechargeable batteries and a battery charger. Extra set of four rechargeable batteries would be less than US$10. This is what would give 400 lumens of light, distributed flexibly as desired, in a redundant system that would last as long as you could carry enough batteries (typically two hours between battery changes at full power).

Yes. Probably my post was not relevant. Still, I was referring to two Dinotte 200L-AA-S's which cost $169 each and that includes shipping, both handlebar and helmet mounts, fabric battery mount, two battery holders, one set of 2000 mA-hr NiMH rechargeable batteries and a battery charger. Extra set of four rechargeable batteries would be less than US$10. This is what would give 400 lumens of light, distributed flexibly as desired, in a redundant system that would last as long as you could carry enough batteries (typically two hours between battery changes at full power).

I should have been more specific. I would get the Dinotte's without the charger/batteries and get a Maha or LaCrosse charger from Thomas Distributing or E-bay.

My bike light comparison video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIn3OWG6YK0

Personally I prefer HID. It's bright (675 lumens), it lasts a long time (4+ hours).

I'm running a Trailtech Eclipse (yes, from Batteryspace.com - some have had mixed
results from this company, my results have been fine).

LED is getting there, but you need to spend $350 or more to get the level of light
that I paid under $200 for.

Thanks, I'm leaning toward the Arc but also wanting to see if any special buys at the end of the year.

Some interesting bike light videos on utube, but most are not good for comparisons. Difficulties noted:

1. some at twilight
2. lights aimed too close so there's something to show
3. no idea of speed traveling for motion comparisons
4. no comparison videos with golf like driving range distance markers and objects on the ground

Well maybe some day we'll see good comparisons on utube, something like the old mtb light shootoff.

Most interesting I found was: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7r-8c673ZM&feature=related
HID vs LED comparison