Mountain Bike lights

[Welderpaul]

Hi Paul, That's a kind offer and thank you. If it's going to waste and not going to be used then i will say yes. I will obviously pay you post and anything you want for it. It would be a good intro to modern lighting... I think my problem is I'm like 10 years behind as i have not ridden for several years. I Just didn't want to go through the process of ending up buying 5 lights to find one that right for me. We all know the cheap stuff varies a hell of a lot.
Mind you anything has to be better than the one i can barely see with at the moment.

I will dig it out tomorrow night and stick it on charge to check it.

 

[Maker]

I've got one of those 12000 lumen £20 jobbies on eBay, it's definitely not 12000 lumen but it lights far enough for me to comfortably hillbomb in the middle of the night with no fear of an obstruction appearing too close for me to react, even on the low setting. The high setting rivals some car headlights. The battery is a pack of 6 18650s in splash proof shrink wrap (Which I took off to see if they were branded cells, they're not) that straps below your seat. It even came with a decent rear light.

I did have an issue with the screw on the clamp coming loose, the light falling off the bars and pulling snapping the battery wires off the board. It was easy to find as it has a phosphorescent seal behind the glass, a nice touch. Getting home was a bit of a pain in complete darkness but I've soldered it back on with a dab of hotsnot as a strain relief and it's excellent again, would 100% recommend

 

[Wozzaaah]

Woz, I did look at these but was a bit concerned being more torchy if they had more of a spot than a flood. Where i cycle some of the terrain is very bumpy, the downs being full of flints, in addition for the runs i do are very heaving tree lined with tons overhanging and very twisty narrow paths this is why i need to make sure i get a flood and not a spot.... what are they like from that regard?

The front of the light slides in and out to change from spot to flood.
I used both on a recent night ride and set the beams differently to give plenty of coverage.

 

[Rocketman]

Those seats cost more than the bike!



I do get that you are saying about the other stuff though. I literally can't use shorts of any kind where i cycle. I would be stung to death and pricked to death by thistles. I always just use jogging bottoms... which is what i live in anyway, which is rather convenient.

Oddly enough I am getting used to the new saddle on the new bike, although i doubt it's very comfy compared to a decent saddle. I did nigh on 19 miles last night all offroad more or less and didn't think OMG here we go when i did the first 10 yards which is normally the case.

Seriously if you can't face cycling shorts (bibs mainly these days) at least wear the leggings. It really will be night and day compared to jogging bottoms. If you go with leggings you can get padded underwear. You don't have to buy expensive stuff sure chainreaction will have some cheap end of line gear.

Yeah can take a good few weeks to be saddle ready. If you are riding regular and it still hurts after a few months it really is the wrong saddle and needs changing.

 

[malcolm]

I bought some daytime riding lights last week A Bontranger Flare rear and Cateye 800 front. They are very effective even in bright sunlight. Expensive, and they don't work for the car drivers who don't look at all like the one that got me last month. Also they are for road not mountain biking.

I'm looking for a jersey in neon orange - that bright pinky orange fashionable with sporting young ladies at the moment. It is really visible, but fashion more than visibility seems to dictate what cycle clothing suppliers sell and I can't find one.

 

[malcolm]

Yes the beam tends to be more narrow on road lights. Road cyclists tend to go in a straight line where the course of mountain bikers can be less predictable.

 

[Maker]

When I was younger I fell into the 'trap' of thinking that because cycling shorts/leggings/bibs were padded that I needed the padding.

With a saddle that fits properly, padding makes it a bad experience (for me).

To me, you shouldn't have to get used to a saddle as such, the saddle should get used to you - that's why I'm a brooks fan, you break them in and they conform to your shape (if you get the appropriate one, I tried a b17 narrow that didn't work for me).

To clothing, the other thing that causes problems is seams - from a heavy seam down the middle on jeans to the edge seam on certain underwear (visible pantyline syndrome, only it digs in ).

These days I cycle commando and wear (unpadded) running leggings or shorts (tight fitting, not flappy jog pants or trackie bottoms) and an optional pair of appropriately constructed unpadded shorts over the top - sat on a hard leather unpadded saddle that fits me properly.

I'm fully aware that won't suit everyone so I'm not saying it's the way anyone should go - but surely these 'online resources' that say padded shorts and gel saddles are essential are worse...

How do you tell the difference between the right seat just not broken in vs the wrong seat?

 

[Welderpaul]

Ho

When I was younger I fell into the 'trap' of thinking that because cycling shorts/leggings/bibs were padded that I needed the padding.

With a saddle that fits properly, padding makes it a bad experience (for me).

To me, you shouldn't have to get used to a saddle as such, the saddle should get used to you - that's why I'm a brooks fan, you break them in and they conform to your shape (if you get the appropriate one, I tried a b17 narrow that didn't work for me).

To clothing, the other thing that causes problems is seams - from a heavy seam down the middle on jeans to the edge seam on certain underwear (visible pantyline syndrome, only it digs in ).

These days I cycle commando and wear (unpadded) running leggings or shorts (tight fitting, not flappy jog pants or trackie bottoms) and an optional pair of appropriately constructed unpadded shorts over the top - sat on a hard leather unpadded saddle that fits me properly.

I'm fully aware that won't suit everyone so I'm not saying it's the way anyone should go - but surely these 'online resources' that say padded shorts and gel saddles are essential are worse...

How far do you ride in your err 'Unpadded' set up?

 

[fixerupper]

I used to use a head torch and normal bike lights when cycling off road at night ...

 

[malcolm]

You can get your sit bone spacing measured at a bike shop for saddle width. Turns out I am big boned - I thought it was just a beer belly.

 

[Rocketman]

I think all Evans shops have the bone fit facility. Then it's like other big shops that sell high end bikes. You don't have to buy an expensive saddle to use the facility though.

 

[Scruffywelder]

Have a look on eBay for cheap memory foam seat pads for measuring sit bones. Sit on one in your undercrackers then measure the spacing of the dents.

Which is basically what a bike shop would do.

Without trying to flog you the most expensive bum perch in stock...