Just received my Cygolite Trion 600 Led combined light & battery unit.
Contents:
1 x combined light & battery unit
1 x charger
1 x handle bar mount with diameter inserts for different size bars (25.4mm & 31.8mm)
1 x instruction/trouble shooting manual
1 x registration card
1 x carry pouch
Performance
Refer to attached photo - no chance to ride with it yet. (distance to rear fence = 30m/100 feet).
Narrow beam, good depth.
white/blue light - rated @ 600 lumen
Compact unit
Charge time, burn time etc - refer to box photos
NOTE: no helmet mount available
Enjoy!!! - feedback welcome
PS - Time permitting I will make an equivalent post on my Lupine Betty 14
Can I say LOL?
It seems to be using exactly the same optics, maybe even the same LEDs as the Dinotte 600L.. for approximately the same price - smaller battery (and only one) but at least built-in the lighthead. No wonder that there is no helmet mount - I wouldn't want to put 230+ gramms on my head...
I'd say it belongs to the $250 category... yes, the Dinotte 600L has become overpriced too...
odtexas wrote: ..Put some lock-tite on the bottom screw. It comes loose at the worst possible times.
...interesting...when I saw what the handlebar bracket looked like I was wondering just how well that was going to work considering what the ( all-in-one ) light/battery system must weigh. It probably would have been better if they had used an adjusting clamp that locks in ( like the Dinotte ). Still, this looks to be an interesting offering from Cygolite. The beam pattern looks very much like the Dinotte 600L. If you're the kind of person that hates having to mount a battery this could be right up your alley. Even better, it mentions the option of using an external battery so I suppose there must be a plug outlet on it somewhere which would be a nice touch. Performance is listing these on sale @ $369.
Like radirpok wrote, this is very much in the same price range as the Dinotte 600L. Personally, I'd still rather have my 600L due to the fact that the 600L has two batteries. Add to that the fact that the 600L can swivel back and forth and tilt up and down without moving the quick release mount one iota. You just can't find a better mounting system than what the Dinotte 600L uses. Still, the Cygolite Trion 600 is a nice offering and looks to be a worthy option for the MTB'er looking for a decent bar mounted light system.
Front half of light is metal with a heatsink. 4 screws out and the silver metal head pulls away from the rear black plastic battery/switch. You have about 1.5 inches of wire holding the 2 parts together.
Flip to the back side of the silver metal head unit. 4 more screws and the whole light assembly comes apart.
Battery section is seamless sides and back. Think of it as a small dixie cup. Whole assembly (battery/switch/ports) slide in and glued in place.
It can surely be opened, and cells are probably available from batteryspace. But it is stamped with a nice big warning to replace with cygolite lithium only.
Light does have option for piggyback battery. This would probably work if internal battery fails.
I have a strong dislike for external cables. Been running Planet Bike Alias HID's. Thought this would be a good option for LED.
Glueing one of scars batteries to a handle bar mount and velcroing the Amoeba to the battery would work nearly as well. Cost a little less too.
... Personally, I'd still rather have my 600L due to the fact that the 600L has two batteries. Add to that the fact that the 600L can swivel back and forth and tilt up and down without moving the quick release mount one iota. You just can't find a better mounting system than what the Dinotte 600L uses. Still, the Cygolite Trion 600 is a nice offering and looks to be a worthy option for the MTB'er looking for a decent bar mounted light system.
Not to mention that the 600L has a 3.5 hr burn time per battery. Dinotte is definitely a better deal unless you are looking for a self-contained unit. The self-contained aspect is pretty appealing - not so much for my night bike, but for my errand bike. Hmm. Must-not-spend-money . . . must-not. Aggh.
Does it look like the battery is user replaceable or is this another one of those back to the factory deals?
Haven't found any reviews on this light other than this one thread. Has anyone seen any comparisons between this light and any of the other regulars?
I've just also got Trion600.
Although I do not have other regular lights shown in this forum, I have some LED lights and an old small halogen light.
Distance to wall is about 3m. ISO50, F2.6, 1/8sec.
Maybe the camera registers light differently from the human eye. Under identical conditions, the shot of the Betty doesn't really look that much better than the trion, yet I am sure that in person, there is no comparison. True? What I see is that the Betty is only slightly brighter but throws light everywhere - that is, it has a slightly more intense beam but much wider. Is that true or is the Betty a lot more intense as well?
Edit: OK, after adjusting my display I can see that the Betty IS a lot more intense as well. That has got to be a spoiler, after getting used to the Betty, how can you enjoy using the Trion?
Maybe the camera registers light differently from the human eye. Under identical conditions, the shot of the Betty doesn't really look that much better than the trion, yet I am sure that in person, there is no comparison. True? What I see is that the Betty is only slightly brighter but throws light everywhere - that is, it has a slightly more intense beam but much wider. Is that true or is the Betty a lot more intense as well?
Edit: OK, after adjusting my display I can see that the Betty IS a lot more intense as well. That has got to be a spoiler, after getting used to the Betty, how can you enjoy using the Trion?
Hi Cino,
You are correct. The photo does not really show the differential between the lights. The Betty blitzes the Cygolite, however, the Cygolite is still a good light.
I also took the same photo with both llights on, and interestingly enough the Betty washed out any noticeable contribution the Trion was making.
To answer you question:
Betty = MTB
Trion = road bike
As long as I dont have the side by side, the Trion suffices for its intended purpose.
Thanks, Fury. I went ahead and ordered one from Performance while they were on sale.
Hi Cino.
Good Luck. For what it is it does its job well. Dont forget that you can also get and external battery for longer burn times (approx 6 hours all up I think).
Well, I have the Trion, but have had limited opportunity to check it out. Still, I am favorably impressed. Played w/ it a bit next to the 600L and the beams are very comparable both in spread and intensity. Seems to be well made too. This could be a very good light for situations where you may need to lock the bike up and take the light w/ you, and it is still plenty bright enough for serious night riding.
Throw is not all that good. It is holding up well. Once you put loctite on screw holding clamp to light body everything stays put.
I would recommend Scar's Amoeba over it. I like the color and throw of his spot version Amoeba alot better than the Trion 600. It can be mounted on the handle bars or helmet. The Amoeba is small enough that velcro holds everything on your helmet or bar mount. That is light head and battery, so basically no cables to run. He wil be back in town and start building again. Its worth the short wait. No intermal proprietary batteries to go bad as with the Trion 600.
Just picked one up on eBay for my road bike, $280 after cash back from Bing which seemed like a pretty good price compared to Performance at $349 + tax + shipping. Will post review when I receive it but I'm sure it's going to be good as I've been using a Planet Bike 1/2W unit so far and got sick of hitting the same pothole every night on my way home :-(.
Strop.
Vintage 83 Road Bike, Full Custom Columbus SL Frame.