A friend ask me if i want to join hid team for a non-stop 24h bike race. Obviously the first thing that came up in my mind is "I need a flashlight that can run for at least 3 hour, with "standard" batteries (no li-ion), without having a battery pack and with a great output because the race is in a wood and i need to light-up a huge area to avoid obstacle in time.
So here's the problem:
- A lot of light
- "Standard" batteries (AA or AAA) - if it possible but this is not mandatory
- At least 3h on high mode
- Without battery pack
- Cheap because i need one flashlight for each bike
The request on battery is because AA and AAA battery are cheaper (i can buy a lot of them and change battery every three hour) and more easy to carry.
Fenix TK-40 , its not small .... and its not CHEAP !
What you ask for on the cheap ? I dont think it exists ...
A XM-L on a 18650 might give you what you ask for on medium setting ...
And cheaping out , could be a huge mistake .. Your talking a lot of abuse for the light - being a bike race an all .. Rough ground ? [ off road ? ] = abuse .
You might want a dedicated bike light + battery pack , or you might be racing in the dark .
If you invest in a reliable solution, there is a big chance you can resell the light to one of the competitors right after the race. I'm sure you could sell it at least for the same price, even it's used.
TK 41 for distance, TK45 for area light.
Both run off 8xAA and runtime of the tk41 on max (800 lumens) is about 2 hours. Next mode down (330 lemons) runs for 7 hours.
This is about the most efficient light you can buy that runs off AA and provides sufficient runtime. Most lights don’t use multiple AA simply because lithium batteries are a higher output battery source.
These lights are not the cheapest light around, but compared to what bike shops sell, these are great value and have significantly more output. You will need to make a mount for these though, I don’t believe they make one for this light.
If you accept a lithium battery supply, you can get a torch with equivalent output ( but half the time) for a fifth of the price, so you can buy 2 of those, strap both on and still have cash left over.
I suppose would be difficult (impossible) to find a flashlight with the features i need.
Fenix would be a good choice but we are a small team and we have not many money to spend.
At this point i can consider also 18650 battery but not battery pack.
This morning i was thinking about a multiple flashlight solution. For example 2 flashlight with an R5 emitter and 18650 battery can give me twice the runtime and, in case i need it, i can turn on both light to have maximum output.
I never try a battery pack but i think it's another device that i have to keep in place for 24 h of bumping. If i lost it during the race or if i break it, would be a big trouble. Consider also that on a race like this the chance to fall are pretty high so it's not so difficult to damage something. In other condition the battery back would be the best solution.
I havent done much in the way of bike riding , so Im not sure how much spill you need .
The ultrafire RL-198 offers good throw , regulation and low current draw [ 1A ] on high , 3 modes with no blinky stuff . and XP-G R5
How long are the nights ?
Anyhow , after chosing a light .. You need to find enough batteries to get you through the night ..
+ Carry a spare battery on you [ Battery case needs to be sturdy and safe ]
PS/ I really like that helmet mount ,
Once you chose a light , test current draw , output etc , heck take it for a test run .
You want to know before hand when and how many battery changes need to be made ..
Skyray - Output , depends on the drop in .... I would suggest XM-L T6 drop in , run in medium setting . Would be around 200 to 300 lumen depending on the individual drop in and current draw would be around the 1A mark
I just had a thought, whic might be a little out of the box....
How about instead of one light that takes multiple cells and costs a fortune - multiple cheaper lights. I assume you have straight(ish) handle bars for this kind of riding?
You could probably go with anything up to 6 single AA lights, in suitbable holders. I'm certain someone would be able to point you at a reliable light with a mode that will last 3hrs.
The other option I was thinking was a couple (or more) of L2R's >here< these take 2xAA and a p60 drop in, which means you can choose a drop in with a suitable output/duration. This looks to be a sensible drop in - http://www.solarforce-sales.com/product_detail.php?t=RB&s=10&id=37 although I have no experiance of it...so perhapse someone could chime in if they do.
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eep...my spell checker is not working for some reason...just pretend things are spelt right :P