Be Prepared

So there I was, grunting through another climb with a huge grin on my face. I was surrounded on both sides of the trail by golden grass dried stiff by the season. Above me, a cloudless deep blue sky hung bright. It was cool, but definitely not cold with the sun out in full force. I was glad for my gloves, but the winter shoes were probably over-kill.

It actually took me some time to prepare for this ride. I haven't been out in this cold of weather yet this year. A few weeks ago, and just before I left on a trip to the southern hemisphere, I looked at the weather and saw storms and cooler weather on the way. I remember on my last ride that week saying to those riding with me, "Well guys, this is probably it for me for the year. What a great ride." (And it was!)

After a week away, I came back to find that, though the temps had dropped, the trails were in excellent condition and neither mud nor snow was a problem. So, here I was, out in 38-degree weather with a silly grin plastered across my face.

Was that my last day out on the trails for this year? Probably not. I'm determined to milk this season as long as possible. And thanks to this ride, I feel just a little more prepared for tomorrow.

For the feast. I mean, The Feast.

Exposure Eyes

Yes, it's true, I was planning on having this up last week. But... well, it didn't happen. That's the bad news. The good news is that I am posting it right now! With beam shots! On with the post...

Lets say that you picked up an Exposure Joystick MaXx 2. You wanted a helmet light that was lightweight and didn't have a separate battery. Now, about a year later, you're finding that it just isn't quite bright enough. Or, you need a new tail light... what do you do?

Exposure has just the thing for you. These are add on lights that are powered via the charging port on the Joystick, and clip onto the body of the light.

First up, the WhiteEye (silver light above). This little light doubles the output of the Joystick MaXx, upping from 240 lumens to 480 lumens (all lumen ratings are claimed).

Without the WhiteEye:

With the WhiteEye:

The larger red light, the RedEye is plenty bright (85 lumens), it'll get you noticed, but doesn't flash.

Or, if you only need a small light, the RedEye Micro:

This tiny light weighs hardly anything at all!

The other plus? These accessories are inexpensive. The WhiteEye and RedEye are $45 each, and the RedEye Micro will only set you back $15.

These accessories are just the thing to extend the usefulness of the Joystick.

A Few Beam Shots

You've asked.

I've heard.

There was a lull in the weather, allowing me to run out and get these. I had to change the camera settings a little, since the lights are so stinking bright. (My settings were: F5.6, shutter at 1.3seconds and an ISO of 800. I just now realized the ISO bit, and since I am a rank amateur with the camera, I'm going to have to read up on how to change that.) Here's the lineup:

Lupine Tesla

Magicshine 900

Lupine Betty*

NiteRider Pro 1200

NiteRider Pro 600

*It may seem like I am picking on Lupine. I'm not. The Tesla is in here because the Magicshine is a knock off of it and the Betty is included because it is the brightest headlight I've got laying around and I had to have something to compare the Pro 1200 to. Note though, that this is an older Betty, not the new 1750 lumen (claimed) version.

Now that that disclaimer is out of the way, on with the images.

The Lupine Tesla:

The Magicshine:

The Lupine Betty:

The NiteRider Pro 1200:

The NiteRider Pro 600:

And there you have it. I'll be back later this week with some Exposure Light stuff.

With a Name Like Magicshine...

Last time we looked at NiteRider's new entrants in the crowded LED light market. This time we're going to look at Magicshine's latest.

What... you've never heard of Magicshine?

Don't feel bad, neither had I until recently. Turns out, Geomangear.com is importing these lights to the U.S. market at a very low price.

There are two things that I find very interesting about the Magicshine. 1st, it seems to be a direct knock-off of the Lupine Tesla. I mean, you'd have to try HARD to get it more similar.

As you can see, while the Magicshine is slightly larger, both sport the silver bezel, black body, and O-ring attachment. Both locate their switch on the back, dead center. Both use a similar emitter, though the Magicshine's appears to be a lesser bin. The reflector on the Lupine is--in my opinion--better, but the Magicshine does have an "orange peel" type finish, to help smooth out the beam.

There is, though, one HUGE difference between the lights. The Magicshine is $85+shipping. The Lupine is $420.

Yes, the Tesla is made in Germany and the Magicshine is from China, if that matters to you. To be honest, I'm a little torn about this light. On the one hand, it's a bit of a rip off of Lupine's work. On the other hand, it seriously lowers the cost of entry for real night riding lights--and I consider that a good thing. At $85, nearly everyone can afford to run a light that is bright enough for real riding at night.*

*I define real riding at night as riding the same trails and very nearly the same speed (or faster) than you ride the trails during the day.

This light, I am sure, will introduce many mountain bikers to the joy that is riding after dark. It will also cramp the style of the do-it-yourself crowd, since--and let's be honest here--you, the individual, cannot build a light for what it costs to buy this one (don't forget to add in the batteries and charger).

Have you got any questions? Post them in the comments and I'll see what I can do.

I know you want beam shots. I can hear you chanting "beam shots, beam shots, beam shots." I'll have some later this week or early next, of the Magicshine, the NR Pro series 1200 and 600 and the Exposure stuff I'll talk about next time.