Lights - Desert Dash

[Patchelicious]

Best light for Desert Dash?

[dave303e]

For AR I use a ryder orion 800, I have a few battery packs from extreme lights. But in reality if you are clever you can get through a night or two on a 4 cell pack, just turn it down when you climbing and up when you are descending and try always be on a lower setting. Some guys ride all the time on full brights which is pointless...

[Patchelicious]

Heard that this one could last through the night?

 

http://www.extremelights.co.za/product/endurance-cycle-light/

[sias]

I ride with the Magicshine MJ880 on the bars and an Extremelights XPh3A on my helmet.

I ride the main light on a medium setting on the flats and up-hills and on full on the steeper down-hill sections.The headlamp is just for in-fill light and to look at the watch or monitor. 

I have 2 more batteries that I change at checkpoint 3 and 4.

That light you mentioned should do the trick nicely.

[IH8MUD]

Heard that this one could last through the night?

 

http://www.extremelights.co.za/product/endurance-cycle-light/

That light will be more than enough. Mounted on the handlebar. 

750-lumen  for 10-houers is good.  Most of the time the 200 lumen will do. 

When I started to Desert Dash,  520 lumen was the stongest light one could get.

Dash is just a road ride on a gravel road. 

 

On the helmet we just use cable ties and strap a Petzel Tikka to the helmet. 

You just need enough to look around the bike. 

At the handlebar, or at the bike or something if you stop. 

If the light on the helmet is to strong you get a white-out of a car comes past and the dust in your face reflect a to bright light. Like high beam in mist. 

And a big light on the helmet is heavy on the neck. 

 

No need to get two "moerse" lights for one race. 

[Patchelicious]

Thanks for the feedback guys!!

[dave303e]

The reason I always recomend the ryder is the mounting... a few 100 km of corugated roads and the vibrations rattle a lot of mounts loose, but the simple o-ring mount has no screws and things to rattle out, you can also put a spare o-ring in the battery pouch but I haven't had one fail yet(5 adventure races a year for a few years on the light with no issues)

Extreme lights are amazing though, order and it is delivered in a few days and their prices are very good. 

Just remember a light will only last as long as you let it, so always have it on as low as possible, esp on climbs, best not to see how much longer you will be climbing...

Also worth noting, if you are not riding solo, try get lights that all work off the same batteries. The ryder and the extreme lights use the same generic ones which is great. We had someone with fancy Ay Up lights in our team, their battery died and they didn't have a spare, 2 of us had spare batteries but they wouldn't work with the Ay Up so it was pointless. If you in a team all try have similar lights or ones that can swap batteries between you.

[Patchelicious]

The reason I always recomend the ryder is the mounting... a few 100 km of corugated roads and the vibrations rattle a lot of mounts loose, but the simple o-ring mount has no screws and things to rattle out, you can also put a spare o-ring in the battery pouch but I haven't had one fail yet(5 adventure races a year for a few years on the light with no issues)

Extreme lights are amazing though, order and it is delivered in a few days and their prices are very good.

Just remember a light will only last as long as you let it, so always have it on as low as possible, esp on climbs, best not to see how much longer you will be climbing...

Also worth noting, if you are not riding solo, try get lights that all work off the same batteries. The ryder and the extreme lights use the same generic ones which is great. We had someone with fancy Ay Up lights in our team, their battery died and they didn't have a spare, 2 of us had spare batteries but they wouldn't work with the Ay Up so it was pointless. If you in a team all try have similar lights or ones that can swap batteries between you.

Thank you, do you have a link to the one that you recommend?

[WIPEOUT 1000]

Heard that this one could last through the night?

 

http://www.extremelights.co.za/product/endurance-cycle-light/

On the low setting they last forever.

 

I did Paris Brest Paris last year on a single charge and the little indicator lamp at the was still green. I.e. it apparantly still had more than 50% of the charge left.

[dave303e]

http://www.actiongear.co.za/ryder-orion-800-800lm

 

Like I said nothing wrong with the extreme lights, I use their batteries and few team mates have their lights, I just prefer the orion for reasons above...

 

http://www.extremelights.co.za/product/4-cell-8-4-v-cycle-light-battery-4400mah/

couple of these batteries as back up if you going multiple nights

[dave303e]

Although my ryder looks different to that one and doesn't have the usb function, so maybe check the new ones will work with those batteries...

[IH8MUD]

I found the rubber o-ring mount to not be snug enough and then on the corrugations the light vibrate/shake  down and you end up looking at the front wheel and pedals. 

On  the normal road the o-ring mount is 100% but on gravel things went pear-shaped.

 

Perhaps make the bar thicker with insulation tape.?

 

I bought and retrofitted the mount shown here to my Dash lights. 

(think I even got it form Extremelights)

 

http://www.extremeli...ce-cycle-light/

 

Works good now. If needed, just give the clamp screw a little twist. 

 

Just my 2 cent. 

[Sepia]

I found the rubber o-ring mount to not be snug enough and then on the corrugations the light vibrate/shake  down and you end up looking at the front wheel and pedals. 

On  the normal road the o-ring mount is 100% but on gravel things went pear-shaped.

 

Perhaps make the bar thicker with insulation tape.?

 

I bought and retrofitted the mount shown here to my Dash lights. 

(think I even got it form Extremelights)

 

http://www.extremeli...ce-cycle-light/

 

Works good now. If needed, just give the clamp screw a little twist. 

 

Just my 2 cent. 

Looks like a decent fitting.  Just might contact them for a couple.

[partydave]

For a 4 man team, 1 battery (generic Surge/Magicshine kinda thing) should be sufficient per rider right?

[Bosrider]

I rode the Desert Dash with a Petzel the first time and it was more than sufficient. The beauty of the Desert Dash is that there is very little natural light at night. So when it is No/New Moon then one can ride with the light on the lowest setting: more than enough light for riding. And with the Petzel, extra batteries in the back pocket should do the thing.

 

Enjoy the event - it is very special!

[Patchelicious]

Just found a Ryder oring mount light in my bike room, unused in box, wth battery pack and all. Completely forgot about it. Put it on charge now, will test it this week.

 

Don't know the model, but think it will be my backup light as I don't know it's specs.

 

Will probably still get the long lasty one