Most powerful bike light recommendation

What is the most powerful/brightest bike light?

No custom DIY lights pls. That I know the answer. :slight_smile:

It must be dedicated bike lights in the conventional sense. No TF X100 or Skyray King on a mount pls (that i also know the answer to be bright, that’s more of a mounting thingy than a Bike Light thingy).

Well… you certainly get the award for most vague thread title :smiley:

I think the brightest I’ve seen is 4*XM-L like this light

But I don’t really pay attention to bike lights so maybe there’s bigger and brighter. It sure seems like it would be a BRIGHT bike light to me though 8)

Hmm….i think i typed too quickly, i think i type in bike light but it came out as “light” only. Edited!

4 x XM-L is cool.

Anymore?

This one looks pretty bright

http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-uf-22b-2-cree-xm-l-t6-1500-lumen-3-mode-led-bicyclelight-headlight-with-4-18650-battery-pack-and-charger

As I am now into biking and bike lights, I’d like to resume this thread. Biking is quite a cool new passion at a change-point in my life. I can get steady exercise and not aggravate the bum foot. But from the priciness of some what is on the market, it seems like getting two bike clamps, 501Bs with XM-Ls and a good medium mode, and high capacity cells might make more sense, no? Then again, I don’t want too much cheapness and have something like flickering.

Any help is appreciated.

I waivered on dedicated bike light versus flashlight & mounts and it just seems the flashlight is better. I believe almost all the bike lights come with crap battery packs and cheap chargers. If you really want a dedicated bike light if suggest the Shadow BL-21 from Int'l Outdoor Store. Between Rides has experience with them and I believe he likes them. More expensive but better quality and choice of tints.

I've currently got a Shadow JM07 clone on order from DX for bike use (perhaps after a little modding). The Shadow JM07 has been touted as one of the best cycling lights (mainly due to its beam pattern).

-Garry

I have also been looking at some. There are 3 or 4 at fasttech that I am looking at. Not sure which way to go.

This SolarStorm light at FastTech has caught my eye. Probably mildly driven giving very floody output. There's also a FandyFire branded one that's identical.

-Garry

Yeah I like that one to. What about this one. http://www.fasttech.com/products/1287505

That one looks nice, but I'm not keen on the modes, and I think it wouldn't have great runtime.

-Garry

Here is another one I was looking at http://www.fasttech.com/products/1303600

how about this one :D

Also, when you see this one you will reconsider DIY :P

I really like the look of the TrustFire TR-D009:

http://www.fasttech.com/products/1303600

The mount looks solid, has a remote switch and appears to have a ridge on the top to stop glare from getting into drivers eyes. The emitter configuration looks really interesting.

I’d say the main advantages of dedicated bikelights are battery packs for long run times and wide spill for peripheral vision. None of my flashlights can match my Titan Gemini dedicated bike light for spill and I don’t think you’ll find a flashlight that will unless it’s made for cycling. The niteye B20 for example is advertised as having a 120 degree spill. With all these interesting new clones like the solarstorm X2 it would be great to know if they have a similar beam profile.

Wow that is a beast!

I mounted an SRK to my bars and find that it provides more than enough light, both in flood and range. Remember to bring an extra light just in case your main one fails. I carry a C8 clipped to the bars for that.

Good suggestions. I just need a) excellent flood, b) no flickering, but good stability, c) and long runtime. I guess that sums up the need. I may just have to pay more and get more.

5xXML with 4x26650 Here

Power and Staying Power !!!

I’m a daily bike commuter. I have been using the Shadow BL-21 for about four months (well a little less now that it isn’t dark at 6pm). I like it very much. No PWM issues, solid build quality, and a nice battery pack. It has 3x18650s in parallel. The battery runtime is very good. It is brighter than a single LED Magicshine (don’t remember the model number) my friend has.

Although I have been looking at buying the Solarstorm / Fandyfire X2 at fasttech.com for my son, I am concerned about its runtime. It is a 4x18650 in 2S2P configuration. With two LEDs, it probably has less than half the runtime of my Shadow BL-21. I’m waiting for some detailed reviews on it before spending the money.

After reading several threads about mounting the SRK to a bike, I didnt find any of them appealing so I made up my own system. After checking out RAM’s huge online catalog, I used a RAM mount attached to the goose neck of my bike. They use a heavy duty rubber ball mounting system that absorbs impact and still maintains a perfect aim after running through rough terrain. The light stays clear of the bars so I can mount my other stuff, and puts the SRK out in the air stream to cool it. It can still move if I get thrown over the bars. The problem with most high powered bike lights are the same as with powerful flashlights - they get very hot when ran continuously in high mode. From reading the MTBR threads, most of the bike lights listed so far will likely overheat and die very quickly for a lack of sufficient heat sinking. That or they arent driven very hard to reduce failures, so they arent that bright to begin with. Since the SRK uses its huge aluminum battery tube as part of its heat sink surface area, it works well when ran continuously in high mode as long as the bike is moving. When you stop, it heats up quickly and needs to be switched to low mode. I put some thermal paste on the battery tube threads to help facilitate heat transfer, but it probably wasnt necessary. Anyone who owns an SRK with the “good” 3 terriod driver knows what a hard driven budget powerhouse this light is. Try to avoid the SRK’s with the crappy single terroid driver driver.

Here’s the mounts (with part numbers) I used:

Mount:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000XDGJQI/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Ball:
http://www.amazon.com/RAP-B-379U-252025-RAM-Tough-Ball-Male-Threaded/dp/B00AHCUNG2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365993935&sr=8-1&keywords=ram+RAP-B-379U

I removed one of the forward ribs from the SRK battery tube (opposite the switch side), then drilled and tapped the flat area under where the rib once was for the ball mount. If centered correctly, the drill should pass through the thick aluminum between two battery holders inside the tube. Since the aluminum is very soft, I added JB Weld epoxy to the threads and around the ball mount after I tightened it up. This also helps prevent theft. I think there were other mounting options on RAM’s site, but I wanted something that was more of a semi-permanent solution since I own several SRK’s.

I removed the tightening handle on the mount and used a nylock nut so I could apply more torque and deter theft. I could have used the handle for a quick release but didnt feel like carrying the light around with me while the bike was locked. Sure, RAM mounts represent an investment, but they are well known to be the best mounts of their type for the price.

I’ll see if I can snap a few pics if there is still interest, but the mount is fairly self-explanatory.

My SRK replaced 2 KD C8’s modded with XML U3’s driven at 3A each. The SRK puts out a A LOT more useable light, especially as a wide area flood light… which is quite often most important while bicycling at night. I have never felt that I needed more light while bicycling (in range or brightness), which is very strange to hear me admit such a thing! :bigsmile: Maybe one day I’ll swap the emitters to U3’s or XML2 U2’s, but there simply isnt a need from my perspective. Also, if this light were driven any harder, it would overheat even while moving at a fast pace through cooler air. Given the proven design features and performance, Id say its easily the best bike light for the price - if you’re willing to mount it properly in such a way the it doesnt move every time you run over a bump.

I am adding a 9 x 18650 remote pack and charging jack in a saddle bag for a total of 13 x 18650’s.

Most importantly: for those not biking at night and thinking about it, JUST GO DO IT! Regardless of what light you chose, it opens up a fun new world and gets you out into the outdoors. Just carry more than one light in case your primary fails.