bradjackson

What these guys are aiming to achieve is no joke... I've been in touch with Johnny since early this year when the idea was hatched. Its great to see things coming together now for them.

So post the link to your interesting idea already... You got us all curious now!

I've been riding with my Podio quite a lot lately and it really is a great tool for training & racing (although I take care to drop the volume when near other riders out of courtesy). I've never been a person to cycle with music cos I absolutely detest earphones, so the Podio for me has opened up a whole new aspect of riding enjoyment. There's nothing like sitting in traffic and a song comes on the radio that I've been riding to, in my mind I am suddenly back on that same piece of trail, seeing it and feeling it as if I'm there again.

Riding with some good tunes can really take the monotony out of those long training rides. Problem is riding with earphones is really not a safe idea as it limits your ability to hear whats going on around you, especially in traffic. Enter the Podio range of audio players designed specifically for cycling. Podio is a portable MP3 player with a built-in high quality Foster speaker (produces really good quality sound, not a cheap tinny speaker). Simply plug it in to your PC's USB port & copy your favorite riding tracks over (hint: Try choose music where the tempo matches your cadence) Mount it onto your handlebars with the supplied bracket and hit the road. You can crank it up loud enough for your riding buddies around you - BUT it needs to be used with consideration. Not everyone will enjoy your taste in music. You'll get 9 hours of playing time on a single charge. The flagship model - the Luminadio combines a light & MP3 player into one self-contained device (no cables & battery packs to hassle with). At 100 lumens, the light doesn't come close to matching the output of a Magiclight, but its great as a road cycling or low-speed gravel road light. The Podio range is available through Magiclight stockists.

The battery is not the only thing that's had an overhaul. The light now also features: Fuel guage - The illuminated switch cycles through Green, Blue, Orange & Red as the battery level drops so you know how much charge you have left. Thermal protection - No more overheating if you forget the light on High when you stop riding. The MJ808e will dim itself to Low when the sensor detects the temp. threshold

The ever popular Magiclight MJ808 just keeps getting better!!! We're proud to introduce you to the latest enhancements to the MJ808 Like the all new Generation 3 battery with rubber sheath for shock and water protection The battery now also features thicker cabling for better performance and durability The battery pouch has been revamped and includes dual hook & loop straps as well as padding for extra protection. Only available at Authorized Magiclight retail outlets!!

LOL, just strap a GoPro to your head and walk around with that - might be a problem uploading that amount of data at SA's 3G roaming rates though...

The first batch of Magiclights has been around on SA trails for over a year now including being used at last years Trans Baviaans. My very first unit is still going strong after having taken some serious abuse. Its now used as a demo unit for those wanting to try out night riding, and has even been a guinea pig for being fully submersed underwater. Its still fully functional with the same brightness and no obvious decrease in battery capacity. Some of them do fail, as is the case with any product. The real question is what happens when it fails? How well is the product backed up? I continually hear stories of lights and other accessories (costing way more than these) that fail, leaving consumers high and dry with ridiculous quotes to have their stuff repaired or replaced.

Hey it was my pleasure - it was awesome to be involved in such a great event. I'm looking forward to next year already.

Somewhat true - these are not for everyone / every riding situation. I think its great for solo training or riding with your buddies who share your taste in music. Earphones and bicycles are not a good idea from a safety perspective, especially in traffic. And I think you'd be surprised at the sound quality that comes out of these.

Still to be confirmed but they should hit the shelves at about: LA306 - combo light & audio player - R1500 BA205 - audio player only - R1400 PS106 - active speaker - R900

Next year you can ride with one of these and share your tunes with the riders around you. http://www.magiclight.co.za/Podio/PodioonBike.JPG www.magiclight.co.za/Podio

Interesting topic fastbike... I know of 2 MAGICLIGHTs which died on the Trans Baviaans. And that's really not a bad statistic considering the ratio of Magiclights to all other lights that were used (I wish I knew those stats). There were LOTS of them!! Now all you need to do is go and ask those 2 riders what happened (I didn't get their names unfortunately), and how their problems were dealt with - in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere. It was a simple case of having their light swapped out immediately for a brand new one, no questions asked!! Maybe you should email Dealextreme and ask them to send someone along to provide roadside assistance for their product at the 2011 Trans Baviaans.

I have had many comments on the O-ring mounting system which the current Magicshine lights use. I'd like to hear your opinions on whether this system works, or whether you'd prefer to see some other type of mount.

Check out the new Niuge light from Magiclight. Although not as powerful as its predecessors, the MJ808 & MJ816, it makes up for it in its small size, light weight & versatility - while still putting out an impressive 220 lumens. A limited number of these will be available at the Trans Baviaans registration on Friday. Price will be in the region of R1200. www.magiclight.co.za

I just re-read your post now. Many people requested this, so all Magiclight 1st generation batteries now include a safety strap to ensure more secure battery mounting onto your bike.

Don't let the lumens / lux / candlepower / watts thing confuse you. Try the light if you can, and if it works for you for the application you need it, then you have a winner. People seem to have vastly different levels of night-vision, for some a lower power light of about 200 lumens is enough. For others they need all the light they can get. I have also noticed that confidence and skill levels on the bike (particularly when night mountain biking) play a huge role. If you're a skilled rider who rides with confidence in the daytime, you'll be able to get away with less light at night. There's also other factors like whether or not you are familiar with the road / trail you're riding on. Then the shape of the beam is also a factor to consider. A beam with a wider spread tends to instill more confidence as you can see more than just whats directly in front of you. A spot or focussed beam may be bright as hell, but if its only lighting up a 1m wide patch of road or trail, you're gonna get at least a little freaked out at higher speeds.

SeaBee Here's 2 suggestions you could try: Mount it to the handlebars (opposite side to where the light head is mounted) and let it hang underneath. OR You could put the battery in an old water bottle with just the cable sticking out - you'd need to make a small hole in the lid of the bottle. This is not ideal though in my opinion - I don't like the idea of sacrificing the use of one of my bottle cages. Although many other top end light manufacturers use bottle-batteries. Good news is that the manufacturers are working on a new & improved battery pouch - probably available within the next month. Also coming soon - A 6.6AH battery (thats 50% more capacity than the current one).

Guys, you need to remember that each of these lights play in different spaces in the market. The Magiclight is an affordable, high power bike light, which offers several differences over lights from Brighter-Lights. Some of these really just boil down to personal preference. Personally, I like a light which has a nice wide spread, with a little bit of a centre spot to see into the distance. I don't ride fast enough (and I don't think many people do) at night to have to worry about what's 60m ahead of me. I'd rather have more of that light spread on the ground just ahead of me, and maybe on the bushes and branches on the edge of the trail where I will be in the next second or 2. While it is true that using the camera on AUTO is not the most accurate way of comparing the lights for the reasons mentioned by BL, most people don't really care much for these technicalities. Just turn on the light out on your favorite piece of trail and then decide if you like what you see (or don't see). For those not fortunate enough to see the lights in person, then beamshots are the next best option. But as can be seen here, these too can be misleading (even if done unintentionally). At the end of the day (literally, LOL), it should be about getting more people out on their bikes trying a whole new aspect of our sport, and hopefully falling in love with night riding. If you've got a deep pocket, and you're the kind of person who wants the best lights money can buy, and if you like the features that BL lights offer, then get one of those. If you are more cost-conscious and want a good light which can't be beaten in terms of value for money, then the Magiclight is for you. Happy night riding!!!

Big H Add the Magiclights to your list of lights to compare. GotThatInCarbon made an error in an earlier post though. Brighter-Lights does not sell Magiclights, you can get them from me. Check out www.magiclight.co.za I haven't shipped to Nigeria yet, but am willing to give it a try if you are interested.

This is a great idea and I fully support the initiative. It would have been really cool to organize some of these though, instead of black armbands: http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/38/0f/0915c060ada0fc69af4be110.L.jpg It would serve a double purpose - awareness for the cause and awareness of the need for us to make ourselves more visible on the roads. Its a pity its such short notice. I would have been willing to supply these to Hubbers at cost, if there were enough time to source them before the Argus.

GT Marathon Carbon Expert. I got mine in December and what an awesome bike!! I'm loving it.

Those lights are good for being seen by other vehicles. Not really ideal for SEEING where you are going.

V-brakes need to be set with what is known as "toe-in" This means that when pulling brakes the front end of the brake pad should make contact with the rim slightly before the rear. This will prevent the vibration which results in noisy brakes.