Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - Need a great light system- HELP

I just relocated to Seattle and know the winters are going to be long and dark. So, I am looking at a light setup for my daily commuter. My budget is about $750 and I need about 600 lumens front and about 150 back. The 600 lumen front should be split between a handlebar mount with wide fill and a helmet mount with a focused beam. I don't want any do it yourself or strapping on a flashlight. Good run time with about 2-3 hours on high would be perfect. Durability in wet environment is a must. What would you put on your bike faced with those criterion?

You might want to look into Dinotte Lighting (http://www.dinottelighting.com/).
140L for the rear (120 lumens, $159)
600L with wide angle lens for the handlebars (600 lumens, $399)
200L for helmet (200 lumens, $159)

Dinotte should meet your requirements, but I think your lum desires are overkill. What's your commute route? 600 in front and 150 in back is enough for pitch black MTB racing. With that much light you are likely to piss off your fellow cycling commuter. Following a PB Superflash for more than a couple minutes is torture.

I'm not yet drooling over your setup, but I am drooling over your budget... ;)

You should to be able to do quite nicely for that. People ought to have some great suggestions for you in that range, in any case. I'll want to track this thread to see which direction you end up going. (I'd have to think the Dinotte route would be a solid consideration but there are some other high-end setups that would do well for you, too, I'm betting.)

...(I'd have to think the Dinotte route would be a solid consideration but there are some other high-end setups that would do well for you, too, I'm betting.)

Yeah, I would like at least a couple other ideas to compare. I don't really love the light and motion stuff, but I have only seen it on the web.

That much light for that long, maybe a dynamo hub + edelux up front.

Hi Brabus if your wallet matches you cassette try www.lupine.de they make lights up to 1500 lumens personally I have a Dinotte setup which is more than enough for a road bike with 400 up front and a dual tail light +the customer service is very good.

For the Dinotte users, is the 140 AA and the 140 LI the same briteness?

I am trying to get a whole setup (front and rear) but fit it into somewhat of a budget.

for the front I am torn between the 400 and the 600, and for the rear should I get the AA or the LI. Can i upgrade the AA to LI in the future?

Barabus, I don't know if you're a member over there or if you've read through any of their forums, but the Bicycle subforum of the CandlePower Forums would be a good place to do a bit of reading (or to post a similar question). There are a lot of knowledgeable folks over there as well, and the info there often provides good balance with what you get here.

CandlePower Forums Bicycle Forum (http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=86)

You can get the 600l and 140l light combo from Dinotte for $499. I would get the li-ion version and as far I know they are not interchangeable. The 600l is not too much light and is able to be dimmed. Or for $599 you can get the 600l, 200l, and taillight.

I've just ordered one of these, for commuting you probably don't need a helmet light as well

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/accessories/lights/front/product/vision-4-led-31357?CPN=RSS&SOURCE=BRGENGEAR

Can i upgrade the AA to LI in the future?

No.

I just relocated to Seattle and know the winters are going to be long and dark. So, I am looking at a light setup for my daily commuter. My budget is about $750 and I need about 600 lumens front and about 150 back. The 600 lumen front should be split between a handlebar mount with wide fill and a helmet mount with a focused beam. I don't want any do it yourself or strapping on a flashlight. Good run time with about 2-3 hours on high would be perfect. Durability in wet environment is a must. Want would you put on your bike faced with those criterion?

Although a DIY system will do everything you want to do and more for a lot less, I'd suggest looking at HID from BatterySpace (http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=1010). You could get much more then 600 lumens for the front and still have a bucket load of money left over for about 100 blinkies;). I've not been a fan of HID because of the cost but compared to LED, you get much better performance for the cost.

Barabus, I don't know if you're a member over there or if you've read through any of their forums, but the Bicycle subforum of the CandlePower Forums would be a good place to do a bit of reading (or to post a similar question). There are a lot of knowledgeable folks over there as well, and the info there often provides good balance with what you get here.

CandlePower Forums Bicycle Forum (http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=86)

Yeah, I am a member there. Good high end stuff and great advice. Although sometimes over the top- like when member purchase aircraft spotting light off decommissioned tank and fire up a million lumen. I will have to ask.

Okay, I will order a Dinotte 600L/400L/400rear tomorrow as a combo package. I will post up a review. Thanks for all your help.

Okay, I will order a Dinotte 600L/400L/400rear tomorrow as a combo package. I will post up a review. Thanks for all your help.


That looks like a very good choice to me. But, I'm disappointed that you didn't get more suggestions from folks. I really thought there would be more.