How long is your runtime in that mode? How would the C8 Trustfire F-15 it be un-modded? 12USD better than the Ultrafire?
I think you're going too cheap for a bike light. Get a fenix bike mount for 12 dollars. Works great.
only 8$ at manafont..
I get about 1.5 hours on a 2400 Solarforce protected cell .
Sorry I took so long to say thank you Jacktheclipper.
I went with your suggestion and placed the order mentioned above but alas it took about 7 weeks for the torch to arrive from deal extreme. They did send it express post when it eventually came in stock though so I have no gripe with the store.
I found out that it was not my trustfire light that is broken, I think, but rather the ultrafire batteries that are on the blink because exactly the same symptoms occur with one battery in the new light. This is good news because if I get some new batteries my trustfire may still work. I may even try it in one battery mode on my bike.
All the holders look like the are going to do the business with a one battery light.
Now all I need is some more batteries and perhaps another one battery light. I will see how it goes.
I mounted the KING for some rides at night with that velcro DX Mount, it "works", but it shakes a lot; so not recommended, but it's a great light for riding.
Here I'm in Autumn, at night it's 20°C and I used the king for half an hour at 30KM/h without heat problems (it gets hot, but you can touch it for large periods of time with no problem).
It's not a solution because of the shaking problems, but I share some pics (click to enlarge).
Thanks for those pics. The "KING" looks cool.
I found it was the batter's that were broken. My TR-3T6 is okay, and can be used on my commuter bike with the mount recommended by E1320 (though it does tend to sag).
On my high pressure tyre road bike the single battery light mainly works in a velcro strap but like FX-32 says, there is shake at speed (on bad tarmac I have had the light turn off). The shake is due in part to the mount, but due in part to the shake of the bike. I think that even the better, sturdier fenix may not cure this problem - the shakes of the bike at speed over tarmac may result in momentary contact breaks and the light turning off or switching modes.
I am starting to feel that a custom, wired bike light, with battery pack mounted lower on the frame may be unavoidable due to the shakes at handlebar level.
And now I want a good rear light too.
Commuter bike with cateye above and TR-3T6 on E1320s recommendation
Hope vision bike light and velcro strapped single battery light as per jacktheclipper's recommendation. I can swap positions since the aero-bars shake too much. The Cree
lights my hand as much as the road but it is still a lot brighter.
Does anyone know anything about "The Red Ring"
http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/the-red-ring-1200lumen-ssc-w724co-led-3mode-memory-bicyclelightheadlight-418650-battery-pack-inlcuded-p-8157
Or similar products
http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/titaninum-fiinish-1200lumen-cree-xml-t6-3mode-memory-bicyclelightheadlight-418650-battery-pack-inlcuded-p-8034
http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/titaninum-fiinish-1200lumen-cree-xml-t6-3mode-memory-bicyclelightheadlight-418650-battery-pack-inlcuded-p-8034
The first problem I have is that I am not seeing spare battery backs (4 x 18650), which are going to be not-cheap.
The three dedicated bar mount lights you linked to are all magicshine clones. Ok lights for the money but the weak link with all is the battery packs and wires. The XM-L versions are going to be brighter but probably only 750-800 lumens max on high, not the 1200 advertised. Lot's of discussions and cures over at mtbrforums, check them out.
I tried a few ordinary lights with purpose-made bicycle flashlight mounts and couldn't stand the way they would allow the beam to bounce all around with every little bump. (I even lost a light into my spokes when using a velcro based mount on a bumpy trail.)
In a pinch, I reverted to using hose clamps to really hold the light very securely. I also wanted a lot more light than anything that would fit into one of those mounts would provide (that is, anything as bright as I wanted with the run-time that I wanted), so for lack of other options, my mount kind of had to use hose clamps...
The hose clamps really did the trick to hold the beam steady. I'm actually working on a mod to this solution that will allow me to dismount the handlebar mounted part of the light as easily as the frame-mounted part, so I can slip the battery carrier part into a belt holster and use lighted part in hand-held fashion. (That's why the cord is as long as it is.) I'd share some pics and links to those parts, but the site that hosts them is down.
Hose clips may be the way to go.
I had a look at the bike forum.
Things are more expensive there.
Quite a lot of lights (including perhaps the magicshine clones above) do not allow the use of standard 18650 batteries. I would like to be able to use standard batteries.
There is also so much to read. I just want a bright bike light.
By the way, how to I subscribe to this thread? I don't seem to be getting update mails any more.
My conduit clamp method is rock solid! (See post #19 above.) Definitely better than hose clamps, and if you use wingnuts like I did, it's easy to get the lights out quickly. Clamps come in various sizes to accommodate various size lights. Like I've said before, it's not very fancy, but very functional (and cheap).
Techjunkie, I like that use of the 4D Maglite as a battery holder! That's a great idea for a custom light to run on D (or downgrade to C) NiMh cells. in fact, that even gives me an idea for a custom headlamp with external battery pack (i.e. something like a 4D Mag holding the batteries on your waist).
-Garry
Thanks, Garry. NiMH are really heavy cells. My light uses 4 32600 (D-sized) LiFePO4 cells. They're remarkably light weight and can power the 3*MCE for hours.
Dammit, you are going to make me by a King!!!!
Great pics, great light, great setup!!
May I suggest this. On mounting the King with the DX mount. You can reinforce the hold with some rubber bands. When I mounted real big multi cree light with those mounts, I had a problem of the mount slipping downward because of the weight. Another posted suggested that I put a piece of innertube in between the mount and the handlebar..Rubber bands will increased the hold of the light to the mount, and in theory reduced the shaking..
Again, a real sweet setup, and I know you can see and be seen... 
Thanks!
Maybe another solution could be TWO mounts like this attached to the stem, but if your stem points up it won't work
Yup, you are correct. Another poster had the DRY mounted with the DX mount. When I commented on it, the poster replied back that he had TWO DX mounts to support the DRY. One on the stem, and one on the bar..
Again, great stuff, and a great read...
I haven't seen conduit clamps in hardware stores here in Japan. They look even better than hoseclips because they can be bolted rather than screwed, and they have a flat bit where the two meet. They look bigger too.
Perhaps I could get them to fit a FX-32 recommended KING, a parallel battery light with presumably less in the way of battery shake problem. Most of mtbrforums' admin recommended exposurelights.com's lights seem to be of a similar stubby/parallel design but without the ability to change batteries.
The KING (75USD at manafont) is about eight times cheaper than the similarly powerful exposurelights.com's Six Pack even at the reduced, 'imperfect finish', outlet price (about 580 USD)! There is a KING-like Fandy fire at DX for only 68. If only I could work out a way of attaching them. Perhaps if I drilled a hole in one, would their be room to push a bolt out from the inside?
All the same, I don't think I want to use velcro even reinforced with rubber bands.
I asked Manafont but at that shop at least it is impossible to get spare battery packs for the Magicshine clones such as the Red Ring (which would match my bikes colours). At 46USD I could get a couple of lights, just for the spare pack but it is annoying to have to use a different charger too. Perhaps I could make my own 4 x 18650 pack.
Some (e.g. this now discontinued) of these 4-pack magicshine type lights have a battery low indicator. That seems important due to the weight of the pack. Some lights, perhaps especially magicshine magicshine, have a voltage gauge on the battery pack, but some purchasers do not get the pack with the gauge.
Addendum. DX sells spare 4 x 18650 packs. The Red Ringy think is a dollar cheaper there too, and a Cree XM-L red-ring at only one dollar more. There is also a magic shine rear light using the same 4 pack. And a weakness of the magic shine and clones seems to be the use of rubber bands but there is a similar sort of design, clamp mounted light too. Shame it is not red.
For the time being however, on my commuter bike, the 3 XM-L TR-3T6 on E1320s recommendation is working well. Now that it is summer, I am coming home in twilight using the strobe mode. People seem me coming to the extent that it is rather embarrassing.
This forum is still not sending updates and this forum says "Unable to send e-mail. Please contact the site administrator if the problem persists," in pink at the top.
E1320s recommendation BROKE on the 5th day out. I went the conduit clamp route. I found not a conduit clamp but a angle joint used to create DIY shelving systems. The drawback was that there is only one bolt, but since my handlebars and the TR-3T6 and my handlebars are of a similar size it did not matter. With some rubber tape on the bar, and some closed cell foam tape around the light, it is very solid and yet insulated from road vibration enough (I think/hope) to prevent battery damage.
I am sorry yours broke mine is well over a year old and still going strong.
I had mine set up wrong. In retrospect, seeing your photo (thanks) I realise that the offset design of these clamps is meant for above bar mounting. I am in the custom of hanging the light below the bar to make it a little less conspicous when parked. This meant that the weight was carried entirely by the clamp, and in an offset shakey position, rather than by the bar and (rearwardly offset) clamp as in your, correct set up.
Here is a picture of my pipe joint.
It now seems to me that the problem with mounting serial battery lights on a bike - that the road vibration caused disconnection - is only a problem with weak plastic mounts. When the mount is rock solid (thank you to those that recommended conduit clamps and hose clips), then road vibration does not appear to be a problem.
In using this mount, I found out that making the flashlight fit is good too. What I mean is after you insert the flash light in, usually, I have to take the tailcap off, insert the flashlight, replace tailcap, then tighten. If the flashlight could move after I tighten it, I take apart, and add some pieces of rubber innertube on the inside of the clampmount. I do this up to the point where I get a good fit, and the flashlight is tight in the clamp and dosen't move...
I decided to go the hardware store route on my road bike too. I used conduit holder type things (50 yen at the hardware store, steel alas) and bolted them to my areo-bars.
