Bike Lights
HID Lights
Run Time: 6 to 12 hours
NiteRider Moab, $600, 720 grams, 12 hours max time, 13.5 watts.
The NiteRider Moab provides up to 12 hours of bright white/blue light. On highest mode, it will last for 8 hours, but the 12 hour mode is fine for all conditions we seen racing. It can be either handlebar mounted or helmet mounted (however, the lamp is sufficiently heavy that the helmet mount option isn't optimal). It take 4:30 minutes to fully recharge, and the battery will not develop any "memory" effects, so there is no need to discharge fully before re-loading it. The handlebar mount is highly effective, allowing the light to be easily re-directed off trail when searching for PCs.. The light features three LEDs, which we have used for riding fire roads. (The output is low -- about half of a Cat eye 400) -- on LED mode the light will last for 30 days...yes, 30 days, not hours.
Update: RWG's recent experiences with the Moab have been mixed at best. The Moab relies solely on a velcro strap to hold it to the bike...it doesn't work well. We resorted to using duct tape to help hold batteries in place. Worse, the cable system for the Moab isn't good. The cables on the first set of lights we received wouldn't even fit in the battery. The second generation cables seemed to fit...however, three out of four cables one of our team members used failed during Primal Quest. On the plus side, NiteRider did offer to replace the cables without cost and noted that the cable design had been recently changed.
Light & Motion Arc Li-ion Ultra, $500 street price, 660 grams, 675 lumens, 6 hours max time, 13.5 watts
Before the Moab came out, the Arc Li-ion Ultra was our go-to light. While the list price of the Arc Li-ion is $600, there are few reasons to choose the Li-ion Ultra over the Moab. However, it's easy to pick up a new Li-ion for around $500. We've seen them sold new for under $400. If you think 6 hours is enough time for what you'll be doing, picking up a Li-ion Ultra on the cheap is a viable option.
Run Time: 4 to 6 hours
NiteRider Flight, $530 street price, 4 hours max time, 430 grams, 13.5 watts
Although the Flight isn't well suited for a 24 hour race, it is good for training rides and races that may go just a bit beyond sunset. For us, however, the 4 to 6 hour lights just fall into a bad area -- We'll carry the Moab for longer rides, or go with the much lighter low output lights or two hour lights discussed below.
Jet Lites Phantom, $295, 6 hours max time (4 hours at 10 watts), 740 grams
This is our favorite helmet mount light out there. Although the overall system is heavy, the light is only 65 grams. The light output is bright and the build quality as rock solid. For more stories of love, check out the MTBR reviews. Note: the battery is the old-style that fits in your water bottle cage.
Light & Motion Arc Li-ion, $400 street price, 300 grams, 4 hours max time, 675 lumens, 13.5 watts
Like the Flight, this is a fine light, but with only 4 hours of light, we'll go with the heavier Moab and have no worries about running out of juice or go with the much light-weight varieties discussed below.
Run Time: Under 4 hours
Light & Motion Solo Logic Li-ion SL, $275, 180 gram, 4 hour max burn time (1.5 hour at 13 watt)
At only 180 grams, this light provides a couple hours of bright light and up to four hours of light that is good enough to ride fairly challenging single track. Along with the Jet Phantom, this is a fine helmet mounted light.
Standard Lights
Light & Motion Vega, $150 street price.
The Vega has the most light output of any backup light we tested, and lasted just short of the estimated 8 hour battery life when operating in the brightest mode. The built-in rechargeable batteries may have some advantages, but you lose the convenience of just keeping a few spare batteries in your pack or transition area. Product specs boast a flashing mode that will last 24 hours, but it lasted for 8.5 hours when we tested it. We've been told (but haven't confirmed) that L&M will revamp your light without charge to have a slower blink that will actually last 24 hours. The mount is a standard L&M bracket, which has always worked fine for us, but draws plenty of criticism from some for being hard to remove and too easy to accidentally redirect. If you have $150 to blow and can live with 8 hours of light, the Vega will throw off enough light in a pinch to ride challenging terrain as a sole lighting source. (Another review here)
Cateye HL-EL-530, $45 street price
The Cateye EL-530 is the newest addition to the Cateye outstanding line of lights. It produces a remarkable 90 hours of reasonably bright blue/white light, and at 1,500 candlepower, it is 33% brighter than the EL-500, adequate for use on moderately technical single track with no other light sources. When riding with a team, with one person using an HID and the other members using the EL-530, it provides more than enough light for almost any conditions.
Cateye HL-EL-410, $30 street price
The Cateye EL-410 is a smaller and less bright option for supplemental or emergency lighting. Its main advantage is the compact design, which allows it to sit under a bar mounted map board. However, the light output is fairly low at 180 candlepower, making any technical riding a bit of a challenge. One solution is to mount two of these, a reasonable option given the low cost and low weight involved; however, even the double mounted EL-400 doesn't measure up to the EL-530 in light output. Cateye promises 60 hours of light before a battery swap is required. As a true backup light or a source of ambient light while riding as a team, the light does perfectly well. We also have seen it used as a headlight, but there seem to us to be better headlight options available.