Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - Are 360 lumens (2x180) enough for trail riding?

I need to put together some lighting ASAP for a 24hour race I'm doing next weekend. I have a local Fenix dealer so I was planning on running 2 Fenix LD20 lights (180 lumens each in turbo mode over 2 hrs) - one on helmet, one on bars. I know the trails reasonably well and they will likely be fairly busy with riders. Will this lighting be enough? Any suggestions for alternatives in the same price range (and that I can get my hands on inside a week)?

are the USA? If so I would contact Brian at Shining Beam, lots of options and he is quick to ship

360 lumens with 2 lights is fine for off-road, but then again more is better.. How many hours will you be riding in the dark in total?

http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/StoreFront

Lighthound and Battery Junction are also good USA sellers..

http://www.lighthound.com/
http://www.batteryjunction.com/

I'm in Ontario. I will probably be riding 2 - 3 hours in the dark but only 1 hour at a time (i.e. there time to switch batteries between each 1hr lap).

+1 on contacting SB.

He should have some super bright MC-E lights on stock quite soon. Of course you'll also need batteries and a charger, and some way to strap the light on your bike. I've found the Two Fish mounts to be the best I've tried, and I've tried a bunch of different one. Lockblocks for a AA light and Cycloblocks for a 18650 light.

There is also a guy at CPF selling Solarforce L2 lights for $30 shipped in the US, for a few bucks more he might ship to Canada. http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=195384

If you need something this week I would stick with the fenix lights.. You will still need mounts for those lights..

I would go with the PD30 / LD20 for your main light and maybe another LD10 for a helmet light.. The PD20 has only a 1 hour burn time on turbo mode, that is if you are using very good cells.. Why chance running out on the trail, go with something with a little more burn time.. CR123 and AA batteries are readily available.. How are you planning on mounting them?

here is a link for info an all fenix lights.. http://www.4sevens.com/index.php?cPath=22

How are you planning on mounting them?


The Fenix dealer I mentioned above also has the Twofish Bikeblocks, so I was going to use one of those for the bars, and just zipties for the helmet.

The Fenix dealer I mentioned above also has the Twofish Bikeblocks, so I was going to use one of those for the bars, and just zipties for the helmet.

I've found a wine cork cut into a wedge makes a nice shim to angle a helmet mounted light.

The Fenix dealer I mentioned above also has the Twofish Bikeblocks, so I was going to use one of those for the bars, and just zipties for the helmet.

If you are going to order from fenix get the lockblocks for your handlebars, also order 1 bikeblock, which has parallel mounting, this can be used for helmet mounting with good results..

Genuine Innovations who makes the co2 pumps also have a mounting system for there pumps and co2 cartiridges that works well for helmet mounting, this can be found at bike shops sometimes.. The mount is called a Zefal Doodad, a small rubber mount with velcro strap..

This is what the mount looks like: http://www.genuineinnovations.com/powered-inflation-kit-road.html

Well, I've answered my own question. The 360 lumens thrown out by 2 Fenix LD20 lights (1 on helmet, 1 on bars) is excellent for nighttime singletrack riding. I went for a ride tonight (10:30pm) at a local singletrack loop that I know quite well and was able to ride it at full speed with no problems. Scared some raccoons in the process :). I think even on an unfamiliar trail you could ride at a very nice clip, if not full speed. The only point I would mention is that the bright spot in the beam is fairly narrow, so in the twisty areas where you're throwing the handlebars back and forth you might find the bar light isn't throwing a lot of light in the direction you're looking (but you still have the helmet light to work with).

Overall I am very happy with the results. For the CAD$130 grand total that I spent on this setup I can't see a bike-specific lighting setup giving you this level of performance.

Well, I've answered my own question. The 360 lumens thrown out by 2 Fenix LD20 lights (1 on helmet, 1 on bars) is excellent for nighttime singletrack riding. I went for a ride tonight (10:30pm) at a local singletrack loop that I know quite well and was able to ride it at full speed with no problems. Scared some raccoons in the process :). I think even on an unfamiliar trail you could ride at a very nice clip, if not full speed. The only point I would mention is that the bright spot in the beam is fairly narrow, so in the twisty areas where you're throwing the handlebars back and forth you might find the bar light isn't throwing a lot of light in the direction you're looking (but you still have the helmet light to work with).

Overall I am very happy with the results. For the CAD$130 grand total that I spent on this setup I can't see a bike-specific lighting setup giving you this level of performance.

What are you using for batteries? I've found that both Sanyo and Maha 2700s rechargeables are excellent in my Fenix and give long runtimes. I'd avoid Energizer batteries if I were you as they have had a lot of problems with losing power extremely quickly. I had one set that would discharge overnight.