Ride Singletrack while the world sleeps

R. Cunningham

CHOOSE THE BEST SYSTEM FOR YOUR BUCKS

There are no inexpensive lighting systems that can keep an accomplished cyclist out of trouble. Plan on spending $150 for an entry-level system if you want to ride at a reasonable clip. Enthusiasts who wish to match their daytime speed and technical ability will be shopping in the $350 to $500 range. Entry-level lighting packages are split between halogen incandescent lamps and multiple-LED (Light Emitting Diode) systems. Makers of each type make inflated claims about illumination and battery duration. The bottom line is that, given the same battery, halogen systems put out much more usable light than LED clusters, but halogen lamps drain the battery much faster. Burn times for Halogen systems are rarely longer than two hours, while LED systems can run most of the evening on the same juice. Yes, there are breakthrough mega-bright LED lamps available - but you won't find them in affordable system. So, let's start with a good example of an entry-level light.

TURBOCAT S10/S15

Price: $100 - $200

Lamp: 10/15 watt Halogen

Beam: Medium spot (flood optional)

Burn time: 1.5 hours (NiMH/S-15) to three hours (NiCad S-10)

Mount: Quick-release handlebar

Contact: (800) 869-7618

One of our favorite compact lighting systems is TurboCat's S10/S15 bar-mount system. It uses an overdriven ten-watt halogen bulb (a powerful, 15-watt lamp is also available) and an ultra-efficient reflector to cast a bushel of very white light in a seamless, medium-spot pattern. Buy the 25-dollar upgrade to the quick-release aluminum bar clamp (standard or oversized handlebars). The beautifully machined, black-anodized system utilizes a remote thumb switch and is powered by a waterbottle-mount battery. Burn time is 2 to 3 hours for the 10-watt and 1.5 to 2 hours for the S15, depending on your choice of battery packs. TurboCat offers four battery options, but the most useful are the longer-running, heavier NiCad and significantl lighter-weight NiMH battery.

How it rides: The only aspect of the S10 that leaves us wanting is that the halogen bulb limits its battery burn when compared with LED systems. Still, if you want an extremely compact light that takes up only 3/8 inch of real estate on the bar and puts out an astounding amount of useful illumination, the S10 is worth a try. Its beam penetrates well ahead of the bike and its useful light extends 40 feet. The S10 can take a good bike handler to 80-percent of his daytime singletrack speed, but it won't handle anything faster. The S15 is a magnitude brighter and will get you to the big chainring as long as the way ahead isn't all that technical. Depending upon your battery and options, you'll pay between $100 and $200 for TurboCat's single-beam setup, which is a steal compared to the $350 you'll have to upgrade to in order to beat TurboCat's brilliance. Note: For maximum performance, TurboCat recommends the S15 bar mount paired with their 10-watt TrailGuide helmet mount light ($120 to $170.)

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