Magicshine 900 light

I bought this based on the comments on the Bike Forum website:

http://www.geomangear.com/index.php?...duc ts_id=138

and for $90 it is an astonishingly powerful light. I previously used a
15 watt Planet Bike halogen which I thought was pretty good, but this
thing really lights up the road. I'm not a fan of the mounting system,
which is essentially an O-ring that wraps around the handlebar. It
works ok but with winter coming on it's going to be annoying to remove
with gloves on. On the other hand, because no mount is needed on the
handlebars, it's easy to move to another bike.

The batch mine came from also has a strobe mode that is way too fast -
good for inducing epileptic fits I think. Most of the lights
supposedly do a 3 flash/second rate but mine is like 30/second. Not a
big deal for me though since I have a "be seen" light to handle that
chore.

Anyway, if you're looking to light up the road without spending a few
hundred bucks, this is your light.


I have no connection to anyone producing, selling, or otherwise
profiting from this light; I just think it is amazing considering the
others that I've seen/tried.

dgk wrote:
I bought this based on the comments on the Bike Forum website:

http://www.geomangear.com/index.php?...duc ts_id=138

and for $90 it is an astonishingly powerful light. I previously used a
15 watt Planet Bike halogen which I thought was pretty good, but this
thing really lights up the road. I'm not a fan of the mounting system,
which is essentially an O-ring that wraps around the handlebar. It
works ok but with winter coming on it's going to be annoying to remove
with gloves on. On the other hand, because no mount is needed on the
handlebars, it's easy to move to another bike.

The batch mine came from also has a strobe mode that is way too fast -
good for inducing epileptic fits I think. Most of the lights
supposedly do a 3 flash/second rate but mine is like 30/second. Not a
big deal for me though since I have a "be seen" light to handle that
chore.

Anyway, if you're looking to light up the road without spending a few
hundred bucks, this is your light.


I have no connection to anyone producing, selling, or otherwise
profiting from this light; I just think it is amazing considering the
others that I've seen/tried.

My concern is that it's overkill for the road. From one of the comments
on the DX site:

"Other Thoughts: This is the first bicycle light I have used that
elicits complaints from people on the street. I light to grab the
attention of cab drivers but the hostility of pedestrians is a bit too
much."

In article ,
Peter Cole wrote:

dgk wrote:
I bought this based on the comments on the Bike Forum website:

http://www.geomangear.com/index.php?...th=4_41&produc
ts_id=138

and for $90 it is an astonishingly powerful light.

My concern is that it's overkill for the road. From one of the comments
on the DX site:

"Other Thoughts: This is the first bicycle light I have used that
elicits complaints from people on the street. I light to grab the
attention of cab drivers but the hostility of pedestrians is a bit too
much."

I have a light of very similar power: a flashlight using a P7-SSC
emitter also rated at 900 lumens.

My light has a high and low light mode. The low mode makes for a very
good "being seen" light on already lit roads, as well as providing
noticeable additional light. It's not obnoxious to bystanders though.

The high beam is good enough to ride in otherwise-unlit terrain, at
speed.

I'd recommend aiming the light low for city use: the normal travel
speeds of bicycles mean you don't need nearly as much throw as a car's
headlights, and if your light is aimed fairly close in front of your
bike, you won't be annoying pedestrians.

Dealextreme sells exactly the same bike light now, so compare prices.

--
Ryan Cousineau http://www.wiredcola.com/
"In other newsgroups, they killfile trolls."
"In rec.bicycles.racing, we coach them."

On Oct 15, 9:48*am, dgk wrote:
I bought this based on the comments on the Bike Forum website:

http://www.geomangear.com/index.php?...nfo&cPath=4_41....

and for $90 it is an astonishingly powerful light...

I'm disappointed that the beam is the usual radially symmetric spot-
plus-fog pattern. For $90, couldn't they afford to put a proper lens
on the front?

Think of the benefit of having more light spread off to the left and
right, for seeing into sharp turns and for being seen by motorists at
stop signs, etc. Why are we instead trying to melt asphalt 100 yards
dead ahead?

- Frank Krygowski

Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Oct 15, 9:48 am, dgk wrote:
I bought this based on the comments on the Bike Forum website:

http://www.geomangear.com/index.php?...nfo&cPath=4_41...

and for $90 it is an astonishingly powerful light...

I'm disappointed that the beam is the usual radially symmetric spot-
plus-fog pattern. For $90, couldn't they afford to put a proper lens
on the front?

Think of the benefit of having more light spread off to the left and
right, for seeing into sharp turns and for being seen by motorists at
stop signs, etc. Why are we instead trying to melt asphalt 100 yards
dead ahead?

- Frank Krygowski

I have to agree. When bike lights start approaching car lights in
brilliance, if they're ridden on the same roads, they should adhere to
the same standards. Seeing an oncoming car, or having them see you,
isn't much good if you blind them in the process.

These lights can often be run at reduced power -- LEDs being
particularly good at that, since they get more efficient and don't color
shift. Without beam shaping/masking, I think going over 100 lumens or so
(a good 5-10W halogen) can be a problem.

These high output bike lights are really intended for off road use,
where lots of light and a broad beam pattern are what you want. Now that
they've become cheap, they're going to cause problems.

On Oct 16, 12:26*pm, Peter Cole wrote:
Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Oct 15, 9:48 am, dgk wrote:
I bought this based on the comments on the Bike Forum website:

http://www.geomangear.com/index.php?...nfo&cPath=4_41...

and for $90 it is an astonishingly powerful light...

I'm disappointed that the beam is the usual radially symmetric spot-
plus-fog pattern. *For $90, couldn't they afford to put a proper lens
on the front?

Think of the benefit of having more light spread off to the left and
right, for seeing into sharp turns and for being seen by motorists at
stop signs, etc. *Why are we instead trying to melt asphalt 100 yards
dead ahead?

- Frank Krygowski

I have to agree. When bike lights start approaching car lights in
brilliance, if they're ridden on the same roads, they should adhere to
the same standards. Seeing an oncoming car, or having them see you,
isn't much good if you blind them in the process.

These lights can often be run at reduced power -- LEDs being
particularly good at that, since they get more efficient and don't color
shift. Without beam shaping/masking, I think going over 100 lumens or so
(a good 5-10W halogen) can be a problem.

These high output bike lights are really intended for off road use,
where lots of light and a broad beam pattern are what you want. Now that
they've become cheap, they're going to cause problems.

uh, motorcar headlamps are generally 55W of halogen, each. You have a
good point that vehicles sharing the same roads should use the same
standards. But you must be on crack if you think anything you're
gonna buy in a bike shop is too powerful to shine at a motorist.

Some of the cheaper running light kits ($20 for a pair) work nicely on
a bike. The common 55W model requires too big of a battery for my
little gumby legs. But if you look around you can find 36W
replacement bulbs or even some kits that start out with 'em. Using
36W makes the math a lot easier too, 3a as opposed to 4&7/12ths.

DennisTheBald wrote:
On Oct 16, 12:26 pm, Peter Cole wrote:

These high output bike lights are really intended for off road use,
where lots of light and a broad beam pattern are what you want. Now that
they've become cheap, they're going to cause problems.

uh, motorcar headlamps are generally 55W of halogen, each. You have a
good point that vehicles sharing the same roads should use the same
standards. But you must be on crack if you think anything you're
gonna buy in a bike shop is too powerful to shine at a motorist.

Yes, but halogens are at most 20 lumens/watt, so that's 1100 lumens max.
A 700 lumen light is getting into the ballpark.

50W halogen bike lights are not uncommon off road, HID lights can be
even more powerful.

On Oct 16, 3:53*pm, DennisTheBald wrote:
*You have a
good point that vehicles sharing the same roads should use the same
standards. *But you must be on crack if you think anything you're
gonna buy in a bike shop is too powerful to shine at a motorist.

I've been nearly blinded by an oncoming cyclist with super-bright
unfocused lights on a bike path. In my view, it's no better than
those fool oncoming motorists who say "Hey, is that a bicycle coming
toward me? I'd better put on my high beams and accessory lights to
make sure."

You just don't need very much light above the horizontal plane.

- Frank Krygowski

dgk wrote:
I bought this based on the comments on the Bike Forum website:

http://www.geomangear.com/index.php?...duc ts_id=138

and for $90 it is an astonishingly powerful light. I previously used a
15 watt Planet Bike halogen which I thought was pretty good, but this
thing really lights up the road. I'm not a fan of the mounting system,
which is essentially an O-ring that wraps around the handlebar. It
works ok but with winter coming on it's going to be annoying to remove
with gloves on. On the other hand, because no mount is needed on the
handlebars, it's easy to move to another bike.

The batch mine came from also has a strobe mode that is way too fast -
good for inducing epileptic fits I think. Most of the lights
supposedly do a 3 flash/second rate but mine is like 30/second. Not a
big deal for me though since I have a "be seen" light to handle that
chore.

Anyway, if you're looking to light up the road without spending a few
hundred bucks, this is your light.

I'd also check out the 900 lumen Li-Ion light at
"http://dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.17383". Actually it's no cheaper
because you still have to buy the two 18650 Li-Ion cells and a charger,
but it is self contained. Attach it with a TwoFish block. Three advantages:

1. No separate battery pack
2. You can carry spare, fully charged batteries.
3. Low mode

I don't know how many times I'd need a 900 lumen light, but at least the
flashlight has two lesser brightnesses as well as a strobe.

DealExtreme also sells the same light you have, for less, with free
shipping.

"http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.25149"

These are good lights to use on bicycles with dynamo systems when the
dynamo lights aren't powerful enough. Certainly powerful enough to
eliminate the need for a several hundred dollar HID system!

BTW, both of these lights are temporarily sold out or back-ordered. I
know bicyclists have been ordering both of these based on what I've seen
around here.

In article
,
Frank Krygowski wrote:

On Oct 15, 9:48*am, dgk wrote:
I bought this based on the comments on the Bike Forum website:

http://www.geomangear.com/index.php?...nfo&cPath=4_41...

and for $90 it is an astonishingly powerful light...

I'm disappointed that the beam is the usual radially symmetric spot-
plus-fog pattern. For $90, couldn't they afford to put a proper lens
on the front?

Think of the benefit of having more light spread off to the left and
right, for seeing into sharp turns and for being seen by motorists at
stop signs, etc. Why are we instead trying to melt asphalt 100 yards
dead ahead?

The major market for these is probably more interested in off-road
riding than on-road riding. For off-roaders, the optics are very good.

Also, a fair number of these will end up on helmets. When you can point
your light by looking somewhere, several theoretical problems go away.

In practice, I have two flashlights with a similar emitter (SSC-P7), and
I use them almost exclusively on low-beam mode on streets at night. Even
so they provide visible ("seeing" as opposed to "being seen")
illumination for finding your way. In truly unlit conditions, the
hi-beam will see you through.

--
Ryan Cousineau http://www.wiredcola.com/
"In other newsgroups, they killfile trolls."
"In rec.bicycles.racing, we coach them."