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Cycle Light Buyers Guide Best Cycle Light Buyers Guide will help you decide which light is best for your type of riding. New to cycling or a veteran, how do you decide which cycle light to buy? Our Best Cycle Light Buyers Guide will guide you through the process of deciding which LED Cycle Light will suit you best. First question: Do you want a battery integrated cycle light or one with a separate battery? Separate Battery: Pro: High powered, long run times, can change batteries on the go / during an event Con: Slightly heavier, 'more cluttered' cockpit Battery integrated: Pro: Neat, lightweight, no wires, USB Chargeable, easy to fit on helmet Con: Cannot change batteries on the go, limited run times, limited power output Ultimately the question to answer is simple: What type of riding do you do? Ultimately the question to answer is simple: What type of riding do you do? Trail Riding Mountain Bikers Mountain Bikers who do Off Road Trail riding on dirt roads, jeep tracks and single tracks. Not just any single track, but challenging single tracks. You like to impress or scare your mates with your ridiculously bright light, are afraid of the dark or simply want to see EVERYTHING. Only the latest and greatest will do for you. What you need & why As much light (lumen) as possible, in a very wide beam. When you cycle on single tracks, your handlebar will be pointing forward while the tracks will be turning, even into switchbacks. A very wide beam will allow you to see a bigger portion of the track – even “through” the corner. Best Light The Ultimate+ Cycle Light has 3000 lumen, which it shines in a wide hotspot, fading into a 180º beam. It is the best light that you will find for jeep and single tracks. It still comes in a compact, lightweight package that is easy to mount to your bike. Long Distance Mountain Bikers Mountain Bikers who do a combination of Road and Off Road riding. You focus on many hours in the saddle training and riding long distance events like the Transbaviaans, 36ONE, 24 hour events or training for the Munga. You spend most of your time on dirt roads, and moderately technical single tracks. What you need & why A lot of light (lumen), in a wide beam. When you cycle on winding dirt roads, you need to see next to the road. You also need Modes that will give you sufficient light to see into the early hours of the morning, not tiring your eyes. A long battery life in a light (weight) is essential. Best Light The Endurance+ Cycle Light has 2100 lumen, which it shines in a wide hotspot, fading into a 180º beam. On it’s HIGH mode, the battery lasts for 10 hours, and on LOW 40 hours. It is designed specifically for the Transbaviaans Rider. Commuters and Road Riders Commuters, Road Riders and the occasional off road mountain biker. You want to be highly visible everywhere you go – for safety reasons. However you still want to be able to see clearly – not only to be seen. You don’t mind an external battery pack, as you like the fact that you can change batteries midway through. What you need & why You need a light that has a small, focused hotspot, lighting up the road directly in front of you. This will let you see obstacles far ahead. You also want to be able to see a bit wider. You have to be highly visible to motorists, but you do not want to blind them completely. Best Light The Core+ Cycle Light has all the essentials that you need, in a small, light, quality package. The focused beam has the furthest beam distance, while still giving you light on the sides. The smaller battery pack attaches securely to your bike.

What Cycle Lights Do I Need For The 36One MTB Challenge? What Lights do I need for the 36One MTB Challenge is a question we often get asked. The 36One MTB Challenge, is a unique ride in the sense that you start at 18:00 at night, and have to ride 361 km thereafter. Every rider will need lights for at least one full evening. Those that are a bit slower, or have encountered technical or physical difficulties en route, will require lights for a second night. For the 36One MTB Challenge, you should have three lights, each serving a different purpose: your primary handlebar light,a red tail light, anda front backup light. Primary Handlebar LightThe Extreme Lights Endurance Cycle Light was designed specifically for ultra long distance races at nighttime, such as the 36One MTB Challenge. It has three unique features that will benefit you: 1. Beam Pattern & Distance:The Endurance Cycle Light has a wide beam pattern with a concentration of light in the middle. The hotspot in the middle enables you to see a great distance ahead (up to 223m). The wide flood on the sides allows you to see “through” the corners. This is ideal when you are coming down a pass. Rather than having your light pointing over the cliffs on the side of the road (where your handlebar is pointing) you can already see where you need to turn to as you approach the corners. 2. Runtimes:Exceptional battery life. The standard 5200 mAh 4 Cell Cycle Light Battery pack will last you the entire first night with runtimes as follows: LOW mode (40 hours) is fine to use on flat and uphill terrains. MID mode (10 hours) is great for fast flats and normal downhills. BOOST mode (2.5 hours) should only be used if you are chasing down steep descents at great speed, and need maximum light. 3. Handlebar Mount:Our specialised XP Quick Release Cycle Light Clamp is 100% secure and does not move around on your bike. It will not move around over bumpy terrain, so you won’t end up looking at your front wheel. Once adjusted to your handlebar width, it secures to your bike within seconds. Rear Red Tail LightYou need to be visible from the rear, as there may be vehicles on the road, this will also indicate to fellow riders where you are. The Two Eyes Red Tail, powered by two AAA batteries, is super bright - even during daytime, with an amazing runtime of up to 60Hours on its dancing mode. Backup LightThe purpose of a backup light is to: Get you home safely if your primary light fails (due to crash, damage or running out of battery)Let you work on your bike when you have technical problems en route.A backup light has to have its own batteries. The Extreme Lights Basecamp Headlamp is ideal. We suggest this light specifically because it's small, super lightweight and won't add any strain to your neck during long riding hours. You can keep it in your rear pocket, and wear it on your forehead, beneath your helmet, in case of an emergency. It comes with 3 AAA batteries in the box. With run times of 120Hours, it will be more than sufficient to get you through to your next checkpoint safely. Do I Need An Extra Battery? There are a few different aspects to the 36One MTB Challenge, and depending on which race category you fall under, you can determine if you'll be needing an extra battery for your adventure. The 2 Person Relay riders will have the chance to charge batteries between legs, or will only ride partly at night. As you can either ride leg 1 & 2 (3 & 4) or leg 1 & 3 (2 & 4). The 4 Person Relay riders will only need one battery each as you won’t be on the route for more than 6-8 hours for each 80-100km section. The Half starts at 06:00 and while it is dusk still when you start, you won’t need lights for more than 45-60 minutes and as such you should have enough light to finish the race. The slowest Half riders might be finishing just under 15 hours, meaning you only need a light for ±3 hours. The Challenge, for those of you taking on the full 361 km solo or in a team, it's best you think about getting a secondary battery. Riders aiming at finishing in record times, you probably only need a backup headlamp, but we always suggest having an extra battery in one of your boxes, in case you have a breakdown along the way. Intermediate to slower riders will DEFINITELY need a secondary battery. Around half the riding group of The Challenge will go over 24Hours into the race and will ride into the second evening. We have three Battery Packs available with different capacities. Housed in an awesome Neoprene Pouch, small and compact and are all compatible with all our lights. The bigger mAh battery, the longer runtimes. Remember to be on the lookout for your 10% Extreme Lights Discount Coupon in one of the 36One MTB Challenge emails, which will be sent to all the race participants.

For today only we are slashing 25% off everything site wide. We have Cycle Lights, Headlamps, and Accessories to choose from. Head over to Extreme Lights and buy your cycle light today. These deals are only valid for today and until stock lasts.

Check out Extreme Lights at last weekends’ Trans Baviaans!! If you are still busy getting ready for this weekends fun you can see what to pack and get some last minute tips and tricks on some of our other posts. You can Also look out for us this weekend at Trans Baviaans! Remember we will be at registration and at Checkpoint 5. You will be able to buy all necessary lights and accessories there, you will also be able to charge your cycle light batteries at Check point 5. That is if you decide to charge your body as well. “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” – Albert Einstein

http://www.extremelights.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/XP-Cycle-Light-Range-Slide.jpg10 years of using, building, rebranding, DIYing, and custom manufacturing cycle lights have culminated in the 2015 Range of XP Cycle Lights: DESIGNED 100% FROM THE GROUND UP – BY US! New features include: Shortened Cables – No more handlebar clutter.Reprogrogrammed MODES – LOW lasting up to 40 hours for 36ONE or Transbaviaans and BOOST for those technical sections.New Quick Release Skewer Clamp mount – Heavy duty top quality durable plastic will last years and years.Reduced size and weight on all models.New, better, more efficient LEDs and LEDiL Lenses, all the way from Finland.View all the new cycle lights here http://www.extremelights.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/XP1-Head-Front1-600x600.jpg XP1 Cycle Light http://www.extremelights.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/XP3-Head-Front1-600x600.jpg XP3 Performance Cycle Light http://www.extremelights.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/XP7a-Head-Front1-600x600.jpg XP7 Ultimate Cycle Light http://www.extremelights.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/XPi-Integrated-Cycle-light-ISO3-600x600.jpg XPi Battery Integrated Cycle Light http://www.extremelights.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Comparison-XP-Range-Cycle-Lights.gifhttp://www.extremelights.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/XP-Comparison-White-1000PX.jpg

Extreme Lights is amped for the Argus Cycletour Expo, running Thursday through Saterday in the Cape Goodhope Centre. We'll have a couple of products there and will be running a number of Expo only sales. Come find us at Stall M57, close to the exit, and see what is up for grabs! http://extremelights.co.za/extreme-lights-cape-argus-cycle-expo-2014/