Help me buy a light!

[entukay]

So I'm doing 24 hrs at Big Bear, a 24 hour mtn bike relay race. They require a headlight thats at least 10 watts.

I want to stay on the cheap end since I probably wont use it much beyond this race, but in the little research I have done they are more than I want to pay. Are there any LED's I can get away with or any deals out there? thanks!

[chainstrainer]

Strange - Why watts and not lumens? Wattage (power) is not as good an indicator of light outputy as lumens (light output). There are newly developed LEDs like the Cree Q5 that can light up a dark singletrack as well or better than high-wattage incandescent halogens or HID. Best bet might be a wide dispersion bar mount light combined with a narrow beam helmet mount light. Both are available in high output LED.

[IronMac]

You should clear with them that you can use LEDs.

[entukay]

OK, so it looks like that 10v thing was just a recommendation. I guess now my question is whats the cheapest light I can get that will be sufficient for nighttime trail riding.

[chainstrainer]

This thread has some info:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=403659

I can't guess your budget so "cheapest" is only relative. To me that would around $170 (or more) for the kind of light and batteries you'll need for the 24-Hour.

[akatsuki]

Fenix and cheap AAs (spend more and get rechargeables- good for the environment and cheaper in the long run).

Or there are always cheap LED flashlights on deal extreme and other sites, I have no idea how good they are.

[jan12]

How about this Streamlight Septor LED Headlamp (http://www.dealstudio.com/searchdeals.php?deal_id=99109&ru=290)? just saw it's on sale at a deal site, not sure if it's the right light you need, maybe you can give it a look.