sugiman

With the shorter days, I've decided it's time to upgrade my lighting for my pothole-ridden NYC commute. Wading around the posts in this forum has provided a wealth of information/opinions & helped me narrow down what I'm looking for. Specifically:
- a purpose-built bicycle light (despite the price/performance advantage of the LED torch approach)
- a willingness to pay for high-quality/high-reliability product (I hate replacing things -- therefore I'm ruling out the MS P7)
- probably something in the 200-400 lumen range
- duals are a plus (subject to my dilemma below) so I can have some flexibility in the throw pattern.
- bar (vs. helmet) mounted

With those criteria in mind, I've been tracking towards the DiNotte 200, the NR MiNewt or MiNewt.400, and the L&M Stella 200 or 300 dual.

So here's my dilemma: all of these have some sort of band/o-ring based retention system which seems poorly suited to my needs. At work, I park my bike in a semi-secure/semi-monitored rack: secure enough that I think I'd be safe leaving lights mounted if they can be done securely (e.g., the DiNotte 400 seems a littly too flimsy to meet this requirement). If that's not possible, having a mounting system that allows for easy on/off without the need to re-adjust every time (e.g., like my cateye mount) would be my next preference -- it's usually late/dark/cold enough where minimizing the steps to start riding is a priority. Of course, duals compound this issue.

So my question is this: Do folks have experience with these lighting systems & the potential adaptability to some sort of "shoe" mount? Or perhaps alternatives to the ones I've mentioned (in roughly the same spec/price range) that would work? I looks like the DiNotte 600 might work, but it seems like overkill (in lumens & price) for what I'm looking for.

Thanks, in advance.

ItsJustMe

What makes you think the MS P7 is not going to last? It seems very durable to me, I'd be really surprised if it didn't last years. I ride 8 miles a day on pretty rough gravel road and run my light at least 40 minutes a day, so we'll see. Honestly I'd trust it more than the AA powered Dinotte 200L, which I used to own and really can't handle getting wet (you MUST dry the batteries off quickly or the holder rusts and fails - I'm sure the LiIon Dinotte would be fine).

I have not had a problem with O ring mounting. Once in a while I'll hit a really big hole and it'll dip just a few degrees, and I'll just reach down and adjust it. The light is mounted directly on the tube; if I had tape there it'd be fine. I'm planning on using some contact cement to put on a cover of old inner tube in that spot; once that's in place I don't expect that it'll move from impact.

There are some aftermarket block mounts for the MS though if you just are dead set against O rings.

Not the Slowest

I have a Romison, similar to the P7 in terms of size on my handlebars. I mounted it with a Twofish Lock block. It holds fine, may jiggle a bit on "rough road" but holds it angle enough to make me happy. Using it for over a year, soon to be moved to another bike.
I recently started using a Dinnote 200 and have a Magic shine light coming soon.
The Dinnote is held with the O ring and never moves. Could the ring snap and the light fall off? Sure, so I loop the extra cord around the handlebar to prevent it falling to the ground.

That said, the 400's biggest issue for most cyclists is that fact that it must be unscrewed to be removed. So actually this may be the most secure.

I strongly suggest taking the lights with you.

sugiman

Thanks. I'm definitely planning on taking the lights with me. Just to be clear, my issue with the o-ring mounting is not a concern of it falling off/etc. but the fact that I need to re-adjust it every time I put it on -- my shoe-mounted cateye is aimed at the exact spot it's supposed to without any fuss or fiddling.

Cheers!

bicycleflyer

Before I make a suggestion, I wish to ask something. Are you planning to run the helmet mounted light as your "sole" light?

Personally I recommend against this idea, but others on here do it successfully. I like redundancy. If the handle bar mounted light fails, then the helmet light can get you home and vise-verse. Personally I prefer my higher powered light to be on the handle bars and the lower powered to be on my helmet. I know for a fact that some on this forum prefer just the opposite.

I have a Dinotte 400L on my handlebars and it is an excellent light. But as someone else mentioned, it is strictly a screw on mount and would not be easy to remove. As a helmet mounted light I think it would be too heavy for any ride longer than 10 miles.

I have an idea, but I will wait for your answer to the above question.

sugiman

Sorry, I probably wasn't clear in my original post -- I'm looking for a bar-mounted light (not helmet). For my urban commute, the benefits of a helmet mount are somewhat offset by some issues it creates (I spend a lot of time scanning to the sides -- the ambient light in those cases is usually enough and I don't want to blind/distract folks on the sidewalks/curb).

My backup is just a AA powered Cateye that (conveniently) can use the same mount as my coffee mug holder!

Not the Slowest

"If" the light is slipping downward try this.
Take a piece of inner tube and wrap the area where you wish to attach the light then use a small piece of electrical tape on the bottom to close the ends.

If using the Dinnotte 200L, you can also use a Lance Armstong type wrist band, cost $1 and its to a good cause.

Good Luck

bicycleflyer

OK.. I get it now.

One light set you have not mentioned are the bike lights made by Princeton Tec.

https://www.princetontec.com/?q=cat_p...iewpage/Biking

They do pretty good in the reviews and supposedly have some of the longest run times. I would recommend that you look at the "EOS-Bike" as a helmet option too. If you go with the Dinottes, go with the Li Ion battery. You get longer run times and they are easier to maintain. Additionally Dinotte supplies two batteries with each light. Don't let the O-ring bother you. When I did have a 200L, it never gave me any problems and aiming was an easy thing to adjust on the go.

I now have a 400L that is mounted on my handlebars and it is a very good light. While not a quick release, removing it involves the removal of a single screw. Then the base, or clamp remains on the bike. So when you mount it again, it is still aimed. I have heard of someone on this forum making a QR for the 400 by replacing the screw with one that has a wing nut.

I was looking at the pictures and the Dinotte 600 appears to have that "shoe" you are looking for. I'm not sure, but from looking at the pics, it does look that way. Not sure if you want to go that far in terms of $$$.

agarose2000

Bad advice above despite the good intentions.

The Princetontec EOS is puny (50 lumens) and completely not worth the money for bike lighting.

A Terralux LED flashlight costs less ($28), and throws 200 lumens. Google it - that's the actual price.

I don't think you can go wrong with the Magicshine, but I would strongly consider using LED AA flashlights if on-off the bike is a priority for you. I use as mentioned above a lockblock ($5-6) on the bars and a rubber band to mount a 2nd flashlight on my helmet (works incredibly well, for real) and thus have 400 lumens of great lighting that works up to 20mph.

Best part is that the handlebar light can be removed instantly from the lockblock (which is velcro - nobody will steal it) and you can just drop the flashlight into your pocket since it's so small and thin. I don't think the Magicshine can even beat this level of convenience, nor can any bike-specific solution. The flashlight is about the size of your palm and just thicker than an AA batt. Not having a battery pack to mess with is awesome for quick on-off the bikes. (But you do pay for it in terms of runtime of 60-80 mins.)

For <$80 SHIPPED, you can get 400 lumens with a 2 flashlight system which also fulflills requirements of having a backup light if one fails, etc. This will outperform even the Dinotte by a large margin when talking convenience and bang for buck for light.

PS - It's a piece of cake as well to swap out batts, even on the fly, so the 60-80min runtime isn't a big issue at all for me.

sugiman

I was under the impression that bicycleflyer was referring to the Switchback series Princeton Tec lights (probably the SB2, for my purposes) not the EOS -- coincidentially, I 'd just read the gearreview reviews referenced in another thread & had come across those very lights. It seems like the main gripes with the switchbacks is the mount (which, for me, is a plus) and, perhaps, a somewhat narrow beam pattern.

Does anyone have any first-hand experience with the Princeton Tec Switchbacks?

Thanks!

bicycleflyer

That's correct. Switchback on the handlebars and the EOS on the helmet. I guess I should have been more clear.

ItsJustMe

You change batteries in flashlights without stopping? That seems a bit dangerous.

Personally I really don't like stopping, and there's no way I'm going to buy a light that REQUIRES me to stop on every commute. Since a lot of my dark commuting is in the winter and runtimes are going to be reduced somewhat (ESPECIALLY with NiMH - LiIon would be better), I decided to get a light with at least 2x the runtime as what I need.

agarose2000

I would still not recommend the EOS on the helmet. 50 lumens on the helmet is nearly useless for a "seeing" light. (Ok for a "be-seen" light). The flashlight I mentioned above is WAY better.

The Princetontec switchback retails for about $200. I'd probably just get the Magicshine for half that. Or another flashlight if on-off convenience is key.

tatfiend 

All Cygolites still use a hard mount that clamps to the handlebars that the light clips into per their web site. I personally prefer that to the O ring clamps as being more secure and allowing the light to be removed and reinstalled without aiming readjustment as the OP mentioned.

sugiman

Hey, thanks -- I'll check out the cygolites too!

sugiman

Thanks to all for the input. I just ordered the Cygolite MityCross 350! It seems to fit the bill perfectly.