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Front and rear Lights for MTB


Mike Mac

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I have the Ryder Concept Brighteyes for visibility. They are awesome little USB rechargeable lights - the rear light is especially bright. The front is bright, but a focused beam with not enough spread for night riding. 

 

 

 

 

My wife and I both use the Ryder Concept 900's and we have been using them for about a year. We ride in the pitch dark sometimes and these work great. They have 4 brightness settings and last about 1.5hrs on the brightest setting. The nice thing is that they use standard lithium ion 3.7V 18650 batteries so we always carry a spare set. Spare batteries are cheap if you look around. We have never had a problem with them falling off either. For the rear i just buy cheap R100 lights at sportmans wearhouse and replace batteries when needed.  

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We have some good Lezyne options to look at.

 

https://twowheelstrading.co.za/product-category/lezyne/led-lights/

 

For more info please send us an email. info@twowheelstrading.co.za

How does the "cable free USB stick" charging work ?

 

https://twowheelstrading.co.za/product/lezyne/led-lights/combos/l-set-frontrear-mini-drive-400-ktv-pro/

 

Do both the front and rear have the side cut outs for extra visibility ?

 

 

 

Seems like a very nice set for visibility while cycling on the road

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Just invested in the Garmin Varia range, RTL515 in rear radar/light combo and UT800 up front...combo'ed with the Edge 830, its a tech geeks dream! Lots of settings but I'm riding mostly daytime at the moment, day flash for both has best battery life of between 16 and 20hrs...best part is they are set to both light up as soon as the Edge starts recording which is at 10km/h. when you stop recording, they switch off, when you switch off the Edge, they sleep with BT polling every so often, so minimal battery drain, which means as soon as you start up the Edge again, they hook up and work in a light network...there are widgets on Garmin Connect that allow you to override all the settings....also works with Garmin Fenix from 5 up, I believe.

Rear light flashes randomly until car approaching from the rear is picked up by the radar then its goes disco! Radar is proving invaluable but have to be careful not to rely on it 100%!

For pure night time riding, my Magicshine 2000 is bar mounted and the UT800 will be a great helmet mount cause you need that for nite MTB to look into approaching corners! 

Shine on!

Edited by capediver
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Just invested in the Garmin Varia range, RTL515 in rear radar/light combo and UT800 up front...combo'ed with the Edge 830, its a tech geeks dream! Lots of settings but I'm riding mostly daytime at the moment, day flash for both has best battery life of between 16 and 20hrs...best part is they are set to both light up as soon as the Edge starts recording which is at 10km/h. when you stop recording, they switch off, when you switch off the Edge, they sleep with BT polling every so often, so minimal battery drain, which means as soon as you start up the Edge again, they hook up and work in a light network...there are widgets on Garmin Connect that allow you to override all the settings....also works with Garmin Fenix from 5 up, I believe.

Rear light flashes randomly until car approaching from the rear is picked up by the radar then its goes disco! Radar is proving invaluable but have to be careful not to rely on it 100%!

For pure night time riding, my Magicshine 2000 is bar mounted and the UT800 will be a great helmet mount cause you need that for nite MTB to look into approaching corners!

Shine on!

I have this set up too and I feel safer using it but the front beam used as a light doesn’t last long

 

Which is fine for me because I don’t ride in the dark because I’m too lazy to get up that early

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I ride mostly at night. So have a few years experience and lessons learned. What works for me below..

 

1. Two lights up front. One on the bars and one on helmet.

2. One light on the rear.

3. Lezyne upfront. Garmin Varia Radar on the back.

4. 200 lumens helmet and 1200 lumens on the bars.

5. Lights must be rechargeable

6. Lights must have a bracket/clamp that can be removed separately so that regular charging does not require reinstall and adjustment.

 

Helmet light severs as a backup in case bar one dies and visa versa. Helmet light also helps to light up where you are looking, down at your gears, fixing a puncture, looking at your Garmin etc. Helmet light also serves as a constant moving light source which I believes makes you easier to see. Helmet light should not be too powerful/heavy or you will feel it and affect helmet performance.

 

I ended up buying two Lezyne 1300xl front lights. One one the bike and one on charge, a bit of a luxury but if you using them everyday for commuting you will be grateful. Price point, still cost less than some of the fancier options out there.

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How does the "cable free USB stick" charging work ?

 

https://twowheelstrading.co.za/product/lezyne/led-lights/combos/l-set-frontrear-mini-drive-400-ktv-pro/

 

Do both the front and rear have the side cut outs for extra visibility ?

 

 

 

Seems like a very nice set for visibility while cycling on the road

I've got it on my rear lite (also KTV). i dont like it.

There is a rubber cover you pull off the light to reveal a USB "probe" that you simply stick into a USB socket. As much as I hate Micro USB ports, I would have preferred one over the USB stick, it just feels like an unnecessary vulnerability on and otherwise very robust desinged light. 

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  • 11 months later...
On 2/22/2021 at 11:26 AM, Vaultboy said:

I have the Ryder Concept Brighteyes for visibility. They are awesome little USB rechargeable lights - the rear light is especially bright. The front is bright, but a focused beam with not enough spread for night riding. 

 

 

 

 

Front only lasted 3 months till the first rain ride but was great while it lasted. Rear survived.

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Have ryder MArathon and like the energizer bunny keeps going

 

Give me 18 hours on audax rides

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1 hour ago, Trackz said:

Front only lasted 3 months till the first rain ride but was great while it lasted. Rear survived.

Good to know. Mine has lasted over 18 months so far, but no proper rain rides - only light drizzle. 

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Mine has done

 

Rain

hail

Mud and this weekend the 60km Fast one with all the mud and still going

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