At Last A Front LED Light that performs for speed riding at night

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Irish John

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Those of you who ride in the countryside at night will know how expensive good Halogen or HID lights are and also how hard it is to get replacement components when the makers discontinue the models every couple of years. There is even a British HID front light that costs Aus $3000 last time I looked. I’m sure it’s a great light but at that price I can’t justify it.
Well I have good news for you - despite my having said some years ago on this Forum that LED technology just didn't cut it for decent front lighting on a motorised bicycle I can now tell you that I have found an Australian company making LED bike lights that are indeed good enough for high speed riding on the darkest of nights. I bought a pair of front LEDs with ultra high-powered battery that gives 6 hours of continuous use at full blast and double that if you switch onto half power in areas where it isn't so dark. I have one narrow beam and one intermediate beam and on a moonless night I find I can travel safely at speed on totally unlit roads and the lights shine ahead for a long way yet light up the foreground enough for me to see and avoid potholes at 30 mph.
The ultra-high-powered battery is very small and fits nicely on the handlebar stem. The twin lights are smaller than Halogens and fit on the handlebars over the stem which is actually a perfect location for a light. They have a full beam, half beam and flashing mode. The whole thing comes in a nice zipped case with smart charger. The lights are independently adjustable on swivels. I paid Aus $231.00 for the kit including the extra powered battery and light set and they delivered for free as a special offer current at the time. These lights can only be bought direct from the suppliers on line. I don't think they can be bought in bike shops.
http://www.ayup-lights.com/
I personally haven't ever seen lights as good as these and although my halogens and HIDs are also very good, they soon start to need replacement parts and I then find that the brand has been discontinued and I cannot get replacements for any parts despite the light being priced at $440.00 only a year before (which I probably paid about $260.00 for on sale). Just because the lights have the brand name Planet Bike or Tioga or Topeak (I’ve tried them all) doesn't mean that spare parts are going to be available in a year’s time.
I usually buy lights when they are on sale because the full price is astronomical and I suppose they are on sale because they are old stock.
Ay-Up are here for the long term and they have full back-up on parts and accessories. I also notice that the lights and fittings are exceedingly well made and totally waterproof.
I now know that LEDs can cut it if the technology is really good.
 
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John, do you happen to know how many Lumins they are rated at. I think Lumin rating is the best way to compare lights. It doesn't tell you anything about light pattern, but it's at least some way to compare products.
 
John, do you happen to know how many Lumins they are rated at. I think Lumin rating is the best way to compare lights. It doesn't tell you anything about light pattern, but it's at least some way to compare products.

Hi Alaskavan, There are some specs on their website but although I know Lumen levels are important I can tell you there is no substitite for actually using them. I find them better than the best HID & halogens I've ever tried. They work fantastically for me and I ride between towns here on unlit roads where, on a moonless night, you couldn't see your hand in the dark. I'm told that the lights are about 600 Lumens but I have seen a light advertsied as 900 Lumens and I can tell you it isn't nearly as bright. As a landscape architect I am familiar with Lumen and Lux levels - Lux being the level measured off a reflective surface - but I also don't trust technical data on matters pertaining to lighting and I always insist on eyeballing the product performing at night for myself before I specify it in any project.
The colour of light off these LEDs are very close to daylight which I think helps a lot. I also wrote that the battery lasts 3 hrs on full blast when in fact it lasts 6 hrs and double on half power. These lights absolutely supercede all my troublesome halogens that get very hot, blow bulbs and have a habit of loosing their brightness quite quickly after purchase. I've had it with not being able to replace batteries and connections because the big brand name has discontinued supplies after only 12 months. I was being ripped off by the unethical practices of the major brand names.
I'm afraid Alaskavan you'll have to take it from me that I reckon these lights are a great thing. I ride in pitch black conditions and I am suitably impressed enough to go about turn on my previous rather derogatory statements about LED technology. I suggest checking their website and reading reviews by bike magizines etc on Ay-Up.
 
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wow you paid how much for those lights? did i read your post right...$231.00?? is that in U.S. dollars?
if so, i have less than that in my entire bike
 
That's right Motor, Aus $231 which at present is worth about $US 242.30 although a year ago that would have been about $US 145 but our dollar is strong at present. That is not a great price for a good light if you compare it to say a good heavy duty digital camera battery pack. The technology is also state of the art.
Given the many hundreds of dollars I have shelled out buying HID & Halogen lights only to have to abandon them when I can't get new batteries or switches for them. Like I said there is that British light that was Aus $3000 in 2008 and there are US made lights that are a lot more expensive than Aus $231
The market for top quality lights seems to be aimed at the mountain biking community and you can spend $10,000 on a top quality MTB.
Neither halogen, HID or high-tec LED are cheap - they are made to a much higher quality standard than those HT engines. I use my bike as my main means of transport and I absolutely need good lights that can burn for the length of a 80 km round trip. I use to run all sorts of lights of HID & halogen type and none were good enough although the Planet Bike one was the best until Planet Bike got out of the halogen light business.
The Ay-Up is much better than everything I've tried and being LED it lasts a lot longer in terms of burn time, doesn't need bulbs replacing and doesn't require a battery the size of a beer bottle that has to be mounted on the rear rack with a flex too short to reach the light on the handlebar.
Ay-Up are the light of choice for most Australian MTB off-road riders who cycle through National Parks at night for the fun of it. I just use it because for $231 you get 2 lights with a choice of beam type. I chose a narrow beam to shine into the distance with a broader beam to light the immediate foreground so I can see potholes or big brown snakes both of which could cause me serious injury. I did go to a MTB enthusiast's house one night to see how good his were but his were on his helmet which isn't quite the same. Since trying out my own set I was so impressed that I bought a second set for my other bike. I'd like a narrow beam one for my helmet because that would be great as well but I can't afford it. I posted this thread because I know that the issue of good front lights is important to a lot of motored bikers.
I wish I could have tried the $3000 British one just to see how good it really is. It's probably a bit cheaper now because our dollar is strong.
Ay-Up lights would cost more if there were middle men involved but direct selling on the web lowers the price considerably.
 
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no offense irish dude u got jipped im like motor pscho i didnt pay that much for the entire motor and bike i found if i need to ride at nite for some ungodly reason a maglite works awesomely and it is also a dam good weapon also and i use my bike for primary transportation also . i just cant justify the cost 50 american dollars for a lite is un heard of to me anyway.
 
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For a bright budget light, google " Magic Shine " ..

I personally use 2 Cycle Lumenators from ebikes.ca, 1000 lumens each !! They are a bit on the expensive side but since i ride electric bikes i can power the lights from the bike battery pack for unlimited run time ( 10w per light vs 1000w going to the motor lol.. )

You can also get P7 LED flashlights from dealextreme for 20 to 40$ each with single 18650 cells that run 1hr per cell..

see :
http://www.ypedal.com/Lumenator/Lumenator.htm
 
I have about $15.00 in my headlight. It's made from a chrome bullet headlight that i bought off e-bay with an incandesent light. I removed the incadesent light, and made a small chrome plastic filler to cover the hole where the incadesent light used to be. In that filler peice, i drilled 3 small holes in a triangular pattern(one on top, 2 on the bottom). I put 3 l.e.d. lights in the holes from a $5.00 flashlight.
I wired the l.e.d.s together and used the small circuit board from the flashlight. It's powered by 6 volts (2 flat batteries like you find in your remote door unlocker for your car). the batteries are hidden inside the headlight housing, and I hid a small black on/off switch on the outside of the light housing, through a small hole that was there for the original wiring. this makes for a clean, retro styled headlight without any visible wiring or switches.
oh yeah, it's bright enough for me to see where i'm going at night if i have to, but i rarely ever ride at night anyway.
headlight itself-$10.00...and it came with a little bullet tail light and a wheel driven generator.
l.e.d. flashlight - $5.00 from the hardware store.
Batteries - stolen out of the spare remote unlocker from my wife's van :)
 
no offense irish dude u got jipped im like motor pscho i didnt pay that much for the entire motor and bike i found if i need to ride at nite for some ungodly reason a maglite works awesomely and it is also a dam good weapon also and i use my bike for primary transportation also . i just cant justify the cost 50 american dollars for a lite is un heard of to me anyway.

Why are there always guys who have to tell someone what they purchased was a mistake because they can't afford to purchase it themselves. These lights are extreme high tech , water proof and light weight. But all that is besides the point. If I dude wants the best there is available there is no need to tell him he got Jipped. Personally I think that anyone who rides a bike for primary transportation needs to spend a lot more than the cost of these lights in order to achieve reliability and safety. Nothing wrong with wanting the best. Peter White Cycles has an extraordinary collection of lighting some at more reasonable prices. His site is worth a look ,a lot to learn there. I particularly love the hub dynamo setups with "standlights" that stay lit for 7 minutes even when the bike has stopped, all without batteries involved. I installed that on my Spoiler.
 
Also, since June or so last year i've been riding in daytime with a headlight lit, i commute to work 5 days a week, 8am to 4pm shift, early morning, tin can drivers roll into the street from their driveways with fogged out windows, lighting cigarettes and drinking their coffee while talking on their cell phones.. a BRIGHT headlight has saved my *** a few times now..
 
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