Any plans for a 4Sevens bike light?

[clg0159]

So, who else would be interested in one?

There are many options already.........BUT they are either cheap 5mm varieties, poorly constructed, or extremely overpriced units.

It seems to me 4sevens could corner the market with a intelligently priced unit.Maybe a dual handlebar unit utilizing a couple of XP-Gs and a remote battery pack. Any ideas?

[Beacon of Light]

I haven't really been biking much but back when I was it seemed Cateye was the "cat's meow" for lights unless you were using the bleeding edge stuff that ran on rechargeable battery packs. Would be cool for a 4Sevens bike light, but with lock blocks you can use any current light out there and should suffice. I used to use a 2xAA Maglight with the Cyclops Lok Blocks and it worked "ok" but more for a been seen and not really a useful driving at night kind of light. Heck with LEDs now you could use a Quark 123 turbo for throw and a Quark X-ML Mini X for flood and you're set.

[Tremendo]

I have 2 Lock Block mounts on my bike (and one on everyone else in my family) and I use Mini AA's run on 14500's. Normally 1 light is enough, as I generally run on Medium, sometimes High. Having 2 works as a backup "quick switch" when the battery kicks or gives that extra light, if ever needed. Mostly dark paved trails and medium lit residential roads. I use a mountain bike with knobbies and full suspension, so I can get a great work out at only 16-18 mph average. I'm happy and don't feel the need for more light.

[freq18hz]

I keep a mini 123 in my bike bag. The mode skipping sucks, but its lightweight and in a pinch I can shove it in the vents of my helmet as a makeshift headlamp.


-Freq

[pjandyho]

Bike light would be great! I would love a duo head with a flood and a throw or maybe just run it off an XM-L? I currently have a Nitecore Extreme which I don't use anymore mounted on my handlebar and is still looking for better alternatives. The Extreme's run time is just pathetically short on an RCR. If 4Sevens could make one with a proper mounting system and maybe even a battery pack I would be in for two, for myself and for my wife.

[Lighthearted1]

Bike light would be great! I would love a duo head with a flood and a throw or maybe just run it off an XM-L?

I use Twofish Cyclopblock Flashlight Bicycle Mounts (2 of them). One with the S12, it has great flood and throw combined! I have a back-up light on the other mount and carry extra cells just in case.
I don't stay out longer than 2 hours though. If you do, some type with a battery pack will be handy.

When I wanted the S12 it was easier to justify since it also does duty on my bike!
I like this dual purpose concept so I won't be buying a dedicated bike light.

[pjandyho]

I use Twofish Cyclopblock Flashlight Bicycle Mounts (2 of them). One with the S12, it has great flood and throw combined! I have a back-up light on the other mount and carry extra cells just in case.
I don't stay out longer than 2 hours though. If you do, some type with a battery pack will be handy.

When I wanted the S12 it was easier to justify since it also does duty on my bike!
I like this dual purpose concept so I won't be buying a dedicated bike light.

Thanks! I did a search and Battery Junction carries it. But I would like to see 4Sevens make a dedicated bike light.

[carrot]

As a flashaholic, I really enjoy putting my flashlights on my bike. Although I have pestered 47s to make me a dedicated bike light on more than a few occasions.

[psychbeat]

Id like to see an well made alternative to the Magicshine type.

one that can be used on a headband or the bars and had a
fairly floody XML run ~3-4 amps with 2 18650s in parallel or
something similar...

or someone needs to make a p60 compatible headlamp module...

[Esko]

There are many options already.........BUT they are either cheap 5mm varieties, poorly constructed, or extremely overpriced units.

It seems to me 4sevens could corner the market with a intelligently priced unit.Maybe a dual handlebar unit utilizing a couple of XP-Gs and a remote battery pack. Any ideas?

Id like to see an well made alternative to the Magicshine type.

one that can be used on a headband or the bars and had a
fairly floody XML run ~3-4 amps with 2 18650s in parallel or
something similar...

Well, there is high quality alternatives to Magicshines...

I would be interested in new bike lights, too. From 4Sevens, Fenix, or any other high quality manufacturer. However, I seldom go for an off-road ride so I don't really need that much power. Neither do I like wires and separate battery packs in daily use. I just replaced my old DX P7 flashlight with a neutral white Shiningbeam S-mini ($45) and I am very happy with it. No need for more power in on-road use. A 123²/AA² Quark or Maelstrom G5 would be fine, too.

Anyway, a cheap 1*AA flashlight costs $10 in dealextreme. A 4Sevens Quark costs $60.

The basic Magicshine costs $80 and the Mickey Mouse edition is $40 more. In Dealextreme. In your opinion, what would be a fair price for a high quality alternative from 4Sevens, with a multi-cell battery pack and a charger? $500? Less? Much less? If the difference was the same, the price would be around $500.

[pjandyho]

Well, there is high quality alternatives to Magicshines...

I would be interested in new bike lights, too. From 4Sevens, Fenix, or any other high quality manufacturer. However, I seldom go for an off-road ride so I don't really need that much power. Neither do I like wires and separate battery packs in daily use. I just replaced my old DX P7 flashlight with a neutral white Shiningbeam S-mini ($45) and I am very happy with it. No need for more power in on-road use. A 123²/AA² Quark or Maelstrom G5 would be fine, too.

Anyway, a cheap 1*AA flashlight costs $10 in dealextreme. A 4Sevens Quark costs $60.

The basic Magicshine costs $80 and the Mickey Mouse edition is $40 more. In Dealextreme. In your opinion, what would be a fair price for a high quality alternative from 4Sevens, with a multi-cell battery pack and a charger? $500? Less? Much less? If the difference was the same, the price would be around $500.

DealExtreme lights on my bike? With all the vibration on the handlebar, the last thing I want is to have the lights die on me halfway while cycling at 25 mph, off-road or not. Haven't you heard of how unreliable DX lights can be?

[Esko]

DealExtreme lights on my bike? With all the vibration on the handlebar, the last thing I want is to have the lights die on me halfway while cycling at 25 mph, off-road or not. Haven't you heard of how unreliable DX lights can be?

I did not suggest anyone to buy any DX flashlight for any use. The quality of the products is inconsistent and below average. Especially I don't recommend anyone to buy any Magicshines, due to safety reasons (battery pack and charger).

If you read my message again, you can see that I just replaced my old (and only) DX flashlight with a Shiningbeam one. And I am happier with it. The DX flashlight did work nicely for 2+ years in daily use, though (as a helmet light).

It just seems to be that when it comes to price, many people have unrealistic expectations. This is not the only thread. If you check the E01 killer discussion, you can see that every second week (or so) the expectations rise to multimodes and power leds and other fancy features. Then someone points out that the light would cost twice or three times more than E01, and the feature suggestions calm down a bit. After a few days, the economic realities are forgotten and the feature suggestions rise again. If we want a high power high quality bike light, it won't be cheap. After all, even with the not so good quality and low safety standards, dealextreme couldn't make it for a cheaper price than 80 dollars.

[pjandyho]

I did not suggest anyone to buy any DX flashlight for any use. The quality of the products is inconsistent and below average. Especially I don't recommend anyone to buy any Magicshines, due to safety reasons (battery pack and charger).

If you read my message again, you can see that I just replaced my old (and only) DX flashlight with a Shiningbeam one. And I am happier with it. The DX flashlight did work nicely for 2+ years in daily use, though (as a helmet light).

It just seems to be that when it comes to price, many people have unrealistic expectations. This is not the only thread. If you check the E01 killer discussion, you can see that every second week (or so) the expectations rise to multimodes and power leds and other fancy features. Then someone points out that the light would cost twice or three times more than E01, and the feature suggestions calm down a bit. After a few days, the economic realities are forgotten and the feature suggestions rise again. If we want a high power high quality bike light, it won't be cheap. After all, even with the not so good quality and low safety standards, dealextreme couldn't make it for a cheaper price than 80 dollars.

I probably misunderstood you. Yes, as you pointed out, there will definitely be a price increase for quality but those who value quality and their lives (if your life depended on it) should have no issues paying for it unless the said product costs in the thousands. After a few Surefires, HDS, and 4Sevens, I no longer bother with cheap stuffs. Not like my life depended on it but I treasure quality stuff and have no qualms about paying for it. Maybe I should just stick my HDS 140 Clicky with the 17670 battery tube onto my bike and be happy with it until some better alternatives comes up.

[curiousCrandall]

I currently use my Maelstrom G5 as my headlight (on a 2-fish block). I used to use my Turbo Quark. Before that, for a while, I used a Fenix TK40 (kinda heavy for the lockblocks, though, and tended to tip forward because of that).

I really like the fact that these are first-rate flashlights that I can also use as a bike-light. And with each of them, I also like the fact that I can use them in strobe-mode during the day, and in constant mode at night.

But if I were looking for a light that was more optimized for biking, there are two things I would change:

1) I would like a slower strobe than the current Quark/Maelstrom strobe. One good thing about the TK40 was that its strobe is something more like 2 or 4 hz, instead of 15 hz. Still very eye-catching, but not as disorienting.

2) Ideally, a headlight should have a carefully shaped beam that puts the light on the road, and not in the on-coming drivers' eyes. That didn't matter so much back when bike-lights were puny 50-lumen weaklings. But now, we can basically mount all the lumens of a car headlight on our handlebars--600, 800, and up. When that shines in a driver's eyes, it is dangerous for everyone.

Real car headlights have reflectors and baffles designed to make sure that the light does not go above a certain height, i.e. roughly eye-height for the seated driver. I don't know if there is any way that such a combo reflector and baffle could be worked out for pocket-sized LED lights of the Quark/Maelstrom variety.

[clg0159]

It just seems to be that when it comes to price, many people have unrealistic expectations. This is not the only thread. If you check the E01 killer discussion, you can see that every second week (or so) the expectations rise to multimodes and power leds and other fancy features. Then someone points out that the light would cost twice or three times more than E01, and the feature suggestions calm down a bit. After a few days, the economic realities are forgotten and the feature suggestions rise again. If we want a high power high quality bike light, it won't be cheap. After all, even with the not so good quality and low safety standards, dealextreme couldn't make it for a cheaper price than 80 dollars.

I personally would be willing to pay 100-150 usd for a dual XP-G with an external pack (batteries not included). I do not at all find this unreasonable considering I can pick up two 4sevens flashlights with more total mass for less than this. The problem is that we have manufacturers offering old luxeons for goodness sake at the $120+ range, not to mention the quad core offerings going for 300-500. If you do a bit of searching you will quickly see that the prices are grossly inflated.

I am not suggesting that 4sevens offer a product that appeases the cheap, but rather to offer what I cannot seem to find. A well made bike light at a reasonable price. I personally believe this is a market that has not yet been intelligently exploited..........key word, "intelligently".......

[Esko]

I personally would be willing to pay 100-150 usd for a dual XP-G with an external pack (batteries not included). I do not at all find this unreasonable considering I can pick up two 4sevens flashlights with more total mass for less than this. The problem is that we have manufacturers offering old luxeons for goodness sake at the $120+ range, not to mention the quad core offerings going for 300-500. If you do a bit of searching you will quickly see that the prices are grossly inflated.

I guess that a bike light with dual head and separate battery pack for multiple batteries + the mounts&wires would be more expensive than two tubular flashlights, which are relatively simple to manufacture. It is also possible, that 4Sevens don't want to produce a light with separate li-ion cells in parallel due to safety reasons.

What kind of light do you actually want? A light for commuting or a light for training (MTB/road)? For commuting, I wouldn't buy anything with a separate battery pack. It should be quick and easy to take with me whenever I leave my bike, and quick and easy to put back when I am ready to ride again. And convenient to store while I'm gone. Separate packs and wires would be a real annoyance. I had one of those before the led era.

If you ask me, I could be happy with a single unit single battery (li-ion D-cell) single XM-L light. A few modes. Tubular is fine, but the beam pattern should be optimized for bicycle use (i.e. not round). This kind of light should be rather easy and cheap to manufacture, because the only structural differences to the current flashlights are a new kind of reflector and the handlebar mount. And IMHO the handlebar mount should be fixed to the light, NOT a separate part to be fixed to the handlebar. Make it long-lasting and sturdy.

Oh and of course, make the light neutral white, too. Please.

[clg0159]

If you ask me, I could be happy with a single unit single battery (li-ion D-cell) single XM-L light. A few modes. Tubular is fine, but the beam pattern should be optimized for bicycle use (i.e. not round). This kind of light should be rather easy and cheap to manufacture, because the only structural differences to the current flashlights are a new kind of reflector and the handlebar mount. And IMHO the handlebar mount should be fixed to the light, NOT a separate part to be fixed to the handlebar. Make it long-lasting and sturdy.

Oh and of course, make the light neutral white, too. Please.

That doesn't sound too bad I like the idea of one large cylindrical cell and the mount being integrated. I would definitely pull the trigger if something like this came along. And a big +1 on the neutral tint, although I would buy one in cool white if that was all that was offered.

[curiousCrandall]

It should be quick and easy to take with me whenever I leave my bike, and quick and easy to put back when I am ready to ride again. And convenient to store while I'm gone. Separate packs and wires would be a real annoyance. I had one of those before the led era.

Roger on that! That's part of why I am happy with my current set-up, i.e. Maelstrom G5 on 2-fish blocks. As soon as I get to work, I lock up the bike and take off the light. With velcro, it's super easy off and on.

I too would be unwilling to go back to wires all over the frame.

[clg0159]

Yeah, I guess for you guys it doesn't make a lot of sense considering the type of riding you do. I enjoy off road MTBing and a lockblock just won't do.......to much bouncing around even when using a small light!

[MathiasHogevold]

Sounds great! What about a two-headed mount? One for a warm flood and one that can give a little better throw? Give it a right price and JIPPII!!

[Esko]

Yeah, I guess for you guys it doesn't make a lot of sense considering the type of riding you do. I enjoy off road MTBing and a lockblock just won't do.......to much bouncing around even when using a small light!

That is why I asked you about the intended use. You wrote about a handlebar light, but for mountain biking, the primary light should be in helmet. Separate battery pack would make sense in MTB (with handlebar mount, too). But it would make the light more complicated = costs more. The two XP-Gs you said might be enough, but you would still be slightly underpowered if compared to other high quality MTB lights. And if it used separate li-ion cells in parallel, you could have a safety issue. Solution: a dedicated battery pack + charger = costs more again. After all, 4Sevens is so careful that it only allows protected cells with its li-ion charger (at least I hope it is only a precaution, not a real safety issue). I doubt they would release a light with multiple cells in parallel.

There are a few billion bike commuters in the world. Hundreds of millions of them have the economic possibilities to buy a decent light. However, there is hardly any high quality led light that has an optimized beam pattern. Why not? I don't know, it is a mystery. Maybe the led lights are too powerful. You don't need to worry about the beam pattern, because in any case you have enough light where you need it, too. Even though you might have a side effect of blinding other bikers and drivers with your lights. I wouldn't be too surprised if in a few years, we might even have some legislation to limit the power.

For the relatively small markets of mountain biking lights, you can find many high quality manufacturers. They might be expensive, but at least they do exist.

[B0wz3r]

I agree with Crandall, my days of futzing with external battery packs and all are over. I simply don't ride enough hours anymore to make it worthwhile. That said, my regular handlebar light is a Quark regular low voltage XPG-nw head on an 18650 body, attached with a Twofish block. It's nice and floody, lighter than any dedicated bike light I've ever had, is easy to mount and remove, and gives me a solid two hours of burn time on max with an AW P18650-26. Brighter would be nice, sure, but then I can just put a second light on my bar if need be. And yeah, the icing on the cake is seeing people slap themselves on the head *hard* when I blow away their NiteRider system with a light that's brighter than theirs that costs no more than a third of what they paid. And I don't have to futz with the wires, external battery, etc.

[psychbeat]

Id like a rear of the strap or removable 2x18650 pack
headlamp style - I agree that the 2 fish makes having
a bar specific mounted bike light almost unneeded.

I use an SST-50 p60 on the bars and a
DUAL XPG 2.8a (4000k) p60 strapped to my
zebralight H51 (cool) for DH and freeride
(jumps drops etc)

on XC rides I just use the zebra and my
4sevens mini 123 with a few AW123s for
extended rides and use BLAST mode on the descents
sparingly

the p60 strapped to my headlamp
works fine and is a more reliable than my
friends Magishines which ALWAYS seem to
have battery connector problems etc.
My set up is noticeably brighter as well.
kind of a pain to strap it up and it shakes
a bit.

I also modded my twofish by adding some
shoe-goo to the strap so it doesnt rotate on
the bars when hitting big drops or jumps

I think a semi floody XM-L (neutral!) with a 2x 18650
in parallel pack thats detachable would be SUPER nice.
run it at 3-4 amps on max and have lower settings for
more runtime.

I think 4sevens could do it better than Magicshine and CHEAPER
than Lupine!

great for spelunking too!

[curiousCrandall]

For my rear light, I have a Quark RBG running on the 18650, attached to my left chain-stay with duct tape. Since I'm in the US, the left-side chainstay is towards the center of the road, and easy for cars behind me to see.

I keep it on the RGB Red color, solid at night (five levels of brightness) and strobe during the day. It makes a *huge* cone of light, because the RGB is so floody--really important for being visible across a wide angle to the rear.

And between the low amp-draw of the red LED, and the capacity of the 18650, I don't even have to think about that battery for weeks and weeks. I think it must give me something over 20 hours of riding time, even though it's on high.

So for the rear set-up, I find it hard to imagine anything better than what 4sevens already has given me.

[rickypanecatyl]

I think a semi floody XM-L (neutral!) with a 2x 18650
in parallel pack thats detachable would be SUPER nice.
run it at 3-4 amps on max and have lower settings for
more runtime.

Are there any good bar holders out there for the non round TK35, or Eagletac M series lights? Holders that can handle off road?

[psychbeat]

^^^you could probably mod a twofish
or just jam the light in.

shoe goo on the straps REALLY helps them grip the
bars n light better.

i still say 3 amp XM-L 18650 HL would RULE!
even 2 amp...

[mandrews58]

I'd like to use fenix ld10 in strobe mode for a rear bike light, and need to mod it to red. are there red led's or colored lens for this out there? is it better to go with red led or colored lens?

[Customerservice@4Sevens.com]

mandrews58- Welcome to CPFM! I recommend you direct that question over to the custom and modifications forums. They will have a better idea of what you need to do.

-Trevor