New GE HID 20w MR16 Bulb
 

For the lighting geeks in the audience:
http://www.geconsumerproducts.com/pr...stantcolor.htm

20 watts @ 80 lumens per watt = 1600 lumens. Lifetime of 12,000 hours. Fits in a standard MR-16 socket (but requires a HID ballast). It should be capable of being retrofitted into existing HID fixtures.

By comparison, the current industry standard is 675 lumens @ 13 watts.

Sounds almost too good to be true.

I would hate to be riding in the opposite direction of you on a bike path :D

I wonder how long a battery would last with this much light?

lol it's 90 volts

It's a 20-watt light. That will tell you how long your battery will last. It consumes 20-watts of power when it's burning. Just use the appropriate formula below.
http://www.elec-toolbox.com/images/ohmlaw.gif
P=watts I=amps R=ohms E=volts

Hint with a 12 volt battery it will draw about 1.72 amps not considering losses in the ballest and connections.

Very nice. I looked at the page, googled the model types. One is the GU(twist type) and the other showed a stnd twist socket in most lamp fixtures. I saw no mention of the pin type. I could have missed it though. Am I wrong or are y'all using the GU base?

I just ordered (hope to get today) the trailtech 30 watt HID, can't wait to compare it to my current 35 watt solux MR16 setup.

Specs show that these are 3000 degrees Kelvin. Not as white as Solux bulbs but probably whiter than most other MR-16s. Does this mean that we could use the complete MR16 bulb (20-watt CMH® Precise MR16 lamp) in any MR-16 housing and end up with a home made HID?

As are all HID bulbs. That's why you need a ballast.

You would need to add a ballast. The ballast does two things. First, it steps up the voltage to the 95V or so that HID needs. Second, and more important, it regulates the amount of power going to the bulb. Without it, the bulbs draw too much power while warming up and burn out.

I've seen kits for converting automobile headlights from halogen to HID. They consist of two HID bulbs and two ballasts and cost around $100. I haven't seen anything in an appropriate wattage for bikes.

FYI, for the sake of this bulb, I'm pretty sure the trailtech ballast won't work, this GE lamp uses a twist and lock GX10 base while the trailtech ballasts use two prong straight connection, so there is no available ballast for this... yet?

There are bike lights with a lot more light than 13 w HID that have been around for years.

Lights like my 16 watt, 950 lumen HID bike light have been around for years, mine is three years old. There is a 28watt (2x14) that has been around for a couple of years, and Batteryspace is now selling a 30W HID bike light.

You need to match the ballast and the circuity to the different bulb power. You can't put an MR-16 bulb in any existing bike lights. They are mr-11 bulbs, but you need a 20 w ballast anyway.

We are all spending too much money!
I too drool and ogle over the latest gear and "newest" technology introduced to the bike market.
But alas, can't/won't spend $2-300+ for the latest "greatest" light.
I just went over to Costco and bought a 12$ 4-pack of AAA LEDs.
I put rechargeable NiMh batteries in them , attached 2 to my helmet, and 2 to my bike.
(attaching them was the tricky part.It involved velcro straps and old mounts from various equipment.)
My digital Head trip is starting to "trip" out on me after 5 years of solid use.
My ride starts at 6AM, well before the sun rises. I ride at an average speed of (+/-)15 mph, through typical suburban/urban streets that are both brightly lit to dark, where traffic speeds range from 25-50 mph.
Along with a couple of blinkies in the back, I have no problem seeing or being seen.
The MaHa charger is the most expensive part in the configuration.

After checking out other lighting review and rating sites, I've come to one conclusion...
Cyclists are being hosed by the industry!!!

LED's are the way to go for battery weight and efficiency.

Check out THIS helmet mountable spelunking light.
http://flashlightreviews.com/reviews...ght_s7_001.jpg
StenLight S7
Case Material ........................... Stainless Steel / Aluminum
Case Features .......................... Tilt adjustable, blade for helmet attachment
Switch Type ............................. Rotating switch, 5 positions
Lens Type ................................ Two collimator lenses protected by lens window
Bulb Type ................................. Two Luxeon III LEDs
Beam Type ............................... Narrow/medium spot combination
Beam Characteristics ............... Smooth, bright center, slight ring in corona
Throw (Lux) at 1m and Overall............. Output see link above
Battery / Power Type................ Rechargeable Li-Ion (access. kit allows 6AA or 9V)
Battery Life (advertised) ........... 7 to 8 hours on high
Battery Life (test results) ........... 8 hr 15 minutes on high with Lithium Ion battery pack (For really LONG commutes!):(
Environmental Protection ......... 20 foot water depth rated (for when it rains a LOT):p
Weight (oz.) with batteries ....... 8.6
Warranty .................................. 1 year
Retail Cost ................................ 310.00 US$

Check out the headlamp and lighting sections here they ALSO have a wide variety of attachment mounts in the helmet section.
http://www.caves.org/imo/Product_Images/16-9905.gif Specs aren't as generous. :mad:
They also carry a large variety of modular mounting accessories and battery packs.http://www.caves.org/imo/Product_Images/19-2403.jpg
There are some Bad-Ass possibilities out there!
http://www.caves.org/imo/Product_Images/17-2237.jpg
http://www.caves.org/imo/Product_Images/17-2202.JPG
http://www.caves.org/imo/Product_Images/17-2235.jpg
http://www.caves.org/imo/Product_Images/17-5065.jpg
http://www.caves.org/imo/Product_Images/17-2401.jpg
Check out this carbide/LED headlight combo.
http://www.caves.org/imo/Product_Images/17-5700.gif
http://www.caves.org/imo/Product_Images/17-2235.jpg
I'm intrigued by the carbide option...http://www.caves.org/imo/Product_Images/17-5180.jpg

...although??? http://www.caves.org/imo/Product_Images/1402.gif

Would the operating temps. between this MR16 and say an MR16 halogen 35 watt be significantly different?

Just wondering

You can buy an HID bike light for $200 that fits the bike and is much, much, more powerful than that thing. If you read the first post in the thread "light selection guide" you can see links that take you to photos of different light beam patterns at night. You can find an LED beam shot and a HID beam shot in a simlar range of power and ballpark the beam comparison. You might laugh at that light when you see the comparisons.

That is so not a good deal. It's not cheap and it's not bright.

HID bulbs are more efficent than LEDs. And they are not new to the bike industry.

GE makes nuclear weapons and other bad stuff. Politically incorrect means I don't buy from them.

I totally understand where you're coming from, but if you apply that squarely across the board then all you'll have is a chris king headset and not much else. Shimano make all sorts of precision eqipment, do you believe in prevention of cruelty to animals? Shimano are the biggest makers of sport fishing equipment so you best not use their gear. What about the aluminium in your bike? I'll bet its produced by the same company that supplies a whole list of weapons manufacturers. Tires? I'll bet you're riding on tires made by the same company that supplies oem tires to the auto industry, which is fine unless you have an objection of conscience to the auto industry.

Maybe, but my HID has been a PITA to maintain. I can't seem to run one for more than a couple hours in real conditions. I hate to eat the cost, but I'm ready to convert to something more reliable and just carry extra NiMH batteries to cover my lighting needs. HID totally rocks when it works, but it disappoints too often. Just as I wouldn't consider anything but steel for my commuter (but would never consider that material for my racer), I'm thinking my commuter lights need to be dimmer, heavier, and more reliable (i.e. halogen).

Weird, what brand? I bolted mine on, and the maintenance for the last year has been "turn on, turn off, charge battery". I did have a connector crap out last week, so I cut them all off and replaced them with good ole' 2 prong trailer connectors. That's been it. It never fails on me. Mine is TrailTech.

FWIW, the TrailTech 30W HID, which has been out for a while and is actually available, is rated 1850 lumens.

Like all things, there are HID's that are great and ones that are not. If you have a Nightrider with starting problems get it repaired for free in a few days by Nightrider.

If you can only get a couple of hours out of a four hour light, that's the cold. Or a damaged battery.

If you are riding in the cold, since the halogen lights will draw more current than the HID for equal or even less brightness the cold problems will be worse or will be the same if you have the same battery. If it's cold enough extra batteries will do no good at all, they will get cold too if you let them.That's a battery problem, that can be over come with insulation and a chemical handwarmer. Or a different type of battery. Nothing to do with the light.

There are plenty of reliable HIDs around that run as long as you want. My Lupime goes for 8 hours just fine and the battery is very lightweight. I had to have my Nightrider repaired due to starting problems, no cost, and return shipping paid.

I get full run time in the cold because of the Li-ion battery on the Lupine, and the temps I ride in rarely go to 10F mostly over 20f or 25f. My Lupime never has problems and all HID light bulbs are more resistant to impact than halogen. Most of them get used in 24 hour mtb races all the time.