I have searched high and low for opinions on lighting systems
and have found some. Most reviews are geared twards touring or made by the companies selling them. Please guide me in my quest for a good battery opperated system for a road bike.

I want to know if a halogen lamp in the 15W range is sufficent for most uses. Are the ARC lamps worth the extra cost? Is one system more dependable than the other? How long do the ARC bulbs last? The halogen bulbs? Do the balast in the ARC lamps cause any extra head aches?:confused: Man am I full of questions.

The system I am pulled twards is the Solo Logic by Light and Motion with the adjustible beam and rapid charger it uses a 7.4 volt pack and I could use packs from RC cars as extras ( I have chargers that can handle this type of pack already). If the ARC system is decidedly better Cygo light or Night Rider blow torch may be in the runing. Is the extra light output of ARC worth the cost? Do you have an opinion on either of the mentioned ARC systems?

Are there other systems I should look into? I have gleened a wealth of help from BF already, Thanks.

I got a NightHawk Dual Pro system recently. One head is 10 watt and the other is 20watt, adding up to a good 30. The burn time isnt terribly impressive but its value is extremly high at 100$ including an auto charger.

I think for me it's more of for the drivers to see me rather for me to see the road.

I've got the handlebar mounted ARC light from Light and Motion. I wrote a lot about it on the commuting forum. The heading of the thread is HID lights, a review, or something similar.

That was a couple of months ago. I added a few posts to the thread on the commuting forum with more information. I've since used it regularly in a wide range of conditions.

It's the best bike light I've ever used, or seen. It's much brighter than any halogen system I've seen. It's much brighter, for example, than 20W or even 30W halogen lamps. The light permits full daytime speeds in the dead of night, and I never, every worry about being seen. Again, see the other thread.

The battery and lamp are very light. The lamp's design is also very well thought out. The lamp rotates vertically and horizontally. The on/off switch can't be turned on accidentally, the on/off button blinks in lower power mode, and the button blinks a warning with about 10 minutes life left on the battery. The lamp will shut itself down when the battery approaches completely kaput.

The charger completely refreshes a spent battery in about 3.5 hours, a very nice feature.

In short, the light provides blazing light, light weight, solid and intelligent mounting, intelligent design, and short charging times. Assuming the lamp last a couple of years, I just don't think bike lights can be improved without some new technological breakthrough.

The obvious drawback is the price. The light was about $350 when I bought it, and I don't think you can get it for less than $380 now. That's a lot of money, to be sure. You can buy good halogen lights for less than half the price.

If you ride a lot at night in dark places, though, the light is worth it. I was leery about spending so much, but now that I've had the light I think it's one of the best purchases I've made on bike stuff. It's significantly safer than my old halogen system, I think, from both see and be seen perspectives. I enjoy riding at night a lot more now.

I'd buy another one without hesitation if mine were stolen or smashed up.

For my money, the handlebar mount is preferable. The shadows are better than from a helmet light. You can also ride without a helmet, if you want to do that.

I just got a Niterider Trail Rat for $100 and it works great. You can spend $250 on the digital evolution, but it's not as bright as the $100 Trail Rat... Burn Time is 2 Hrs and it comes with a slow charger.

It sounds like money is not an object to you however, so I would definately look at the Niterider HID lights at $400! They are the industry standard right now and if you buy from performance, you won't have to worry about anything going wrong with them...

Mike

Merriwether
Thank's for the info! I found and followed the other thread and got the info I wanted. It sounds like the ARC HID will be the system I will go to.

It's not that the $$ are not and issue, but I know the power pack has to have at least $80 worth of NiMh battries in it! I guess I could buy two light systems that are less for the same money. Most of the time you do get what you pay for.

I looks like Uciflylow has chosen a light but I'll chime in for future reference. I settled on a Niterider Digital Evolution recently after shopping for a while and owning a Nitehawk and first generation Digital Headtrip. I checked out the Light and Motion ARC and was very impressed, but couldn't afford it. I'm not sure how Mike determined the Trail Rat to be brighter than the Evolution, but this simply isn't true. Niterider has some serious quality control problems, which I was aware of, and am hoping they have resolved, because the lights performance is fantastic. The HID systems in general have had some problems as well, but - it would appear - less than Niterider's initial digital offerings. My old Nighthawk still runs like a charm - I just wanted something lighter and brighter.

I really like my jet designs phantom helmet light. It is very bright and cars definitly know Im there. I use it on and off road and I can ride as fast as I want in either condition. For road riding I would probably go with the handlebar mounted version called the starfire, as dust and rain causes vision problems with helmet lights. The durability of the jet lights is outstanding, and the run time is about 3 hours. They both can be found for under $250.

uciflow,

If you do pick up an HID light, I'd be interested to hear your reactions to it.

Good luck,