bookthug85

Hi All,

Recently purchased a brand new Trek SL5 and trying to choose the best light.

I live in an inner suburb of a big city and enjoy my evening/nighttime rides.

My stem has already a light mount ready to go to fit Bontrager lights. I can't decide between the following:

Bontranger ION 200 lumen / 40g / AUD $85

Bontranger ION 450 lumen / 79g / AUD $90

Bontranger ION 700 lumen / 135g / AUD $130

Bontranger ION PRO 1300 lumen / 192g / AUD $190


I'm hoping some more experienced riders can shed some light (no pun intended) on what the optimal choice is for both daytime and nighttime riding around the city?

Many thanks! All these gear decisions are doing my head in

flacplnj

For the money it is hard to beat a Nitecore BR35. Solid light. Can kick out 1800 Lumens, if needed. It has four settings road,trail,city and turbo. It has dual beams in turbo. It also has a charge count down clock for each mode letting you know how much time you have left on that setting.

I use mine on road mode mostly. I have never run it down completely. It boast up to 17 hours in city mode, but I can't verify that. Current street price is $129.00. You might be able to find a deal that beats that. IMO the light is worth the price, not because I bought it, the light is just that good.

I have owned mine for almost two years with absolutely no issues. I ride at 3:00 am just about every morning to beat the Florida heat. I live rural so a good strong light is imperative.
Like you, I did a lot of research on light before I replaced my Bontrager. Lots of reviews and videos online for this model.Good Luck.

bookthug85

Thanks, like I said Id prefer a Bontranger light to fit my blendr stem so I don't have to install an extra mount.

shelbyfv

https://www.bikeforums.net/electroni...hting-gadgets/

jlockwood98

How long of a burn time do you need? When buying lights, I usually ignore the highest lumen rating since the burn time is usually too short. Look at the lower lumen ratings and burn times since those will be the ones you will most likely be using.

I used to lead group night time rides, and I can assure you that (1) burn times are sometimes much shorter than advertised and (2) sometimes your lights will fail. If you are doing true night rides, I would suggest two lights (helmet and handlebar).

Koyote

How long (in hours) will you be riding and needing the light? How much ambient light on your rides? What is the road surface and terrain? All of this info will help in answering your question. However, if you want to just buy a light, and it needs to be a Bontrager, get the Ion 1300. I have one, and the claimed run times are accurate. On the medium setting (which I believe is 800 lumens) you'll get enough light for riding in complete darkness for three hours. Also, the beam pattern and light color are both pretty good.

bookthug85

Just hour or two in terms of running times at night.

Id say that ambient light is very good on streets and very poor on dedicated bike trails.

I was thinking the 1300 but the weight of it deters me, in terms of riding with it as a day time running light also. Do you think the 700 would suffice? Very similar design and build.

biker128pedal

Do they have the ION Elite R down your way? This is 1000 lumen. That may be a good compromise over the Pro 1300. I have the Pro 1300. Great light. I use as a daylight light On the road and at night on Mountain bike trails. Looking at your list I would not go below the 700 if riding at night. I also have ION 100 F/R for spares.

Oh if yo go the 1300 then later you can pair with a Garmin Edge to control the light. Not sure about Wahoo computers.

Pop N Wood

You only need about 300 lumens for riding in pitch black. The higher lumen rating really doesn't make a huge difference in visibility but does make a difference in battery run time.

I prefer Cygolite brands because they have a better beam pattern than other brands. Nice to have something that lights up the width of the trail. I have no experience with the Trek store brand lights. If they don't have some type of diffuser and instead focus into more of a straight ahead beam, than you will need more lumens to get the peripheral lighting needed. You really don't need to see 1000 yards down the trail at bicycle speeds.

The suggestion to always carry two lights is an excellent one. I typically ride before the sun comes up. If a light goes out I am stuck waiting for the sunrise.

veganbikes

I would go with a Light and Motion and in higher lumens. The biggest reason to get really high lumens is for longer battery life in the settings you will use more often. The reason for Light and Motion is they are excellent quality lights with good warranty support and a good beam and side visibility.

Koyote

Bear in mind that most lights will only run about 1.5 hrs on their highest settings - hence the recommendations to buy a light that is brighter than necessary, so that you can run it on a lower setting and still get 2+ hours of runtime. That's why I recommended the Bontrager light with 1300 lumens, since you are looking for that brand. And if you have one of those integrated mounts - which are very slick and cool - I think that's a good idea.

You can buy a 700 lumen light, but there is a tradeoff in the brightness vs runtime equation.

fietsbob

Ok Road bike
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...-sl-5/p/32560/

assuming you will ride fast . get 2, 200 for the day, 1300 for night NB: brighter (w) = shorter battery life..(Amp/Hr)

I have opted for hub-dynamo power (unlimited run time) , just not needing Carbon Race Bike..
buy a 2nd front wheel with a dynamo hub ?




...

fietsbob

High summer I bring a battery light plenty of day light.

I use them again when there is Ice on the street as they stay warm in my pocket until I get on the bike with the studded tires..

AlmostTrick

I can't report on the other models, but I've been using the 700 for years and really like it. During the months with shorter days, I run it on high for up to an hour on the way to work in the morning, and then on flash mode coming home in daylight. Never ran out on me once. In the summer when only using flash, it goes several days without a charge. Plenty bright, with a clean wide beam, and best of all, lightweight.