The end of Daylight Savings time means 5 night commutes every week, plus our regular evening rides. Some of you will know that I've been using DIY LED lights for many years. Commuting, even if your commute is half on trails like mine, does not demand as much light as regular trail rides, so I was interested in these 2 medium powered LED lights when they became available. I've reviewed both separately, and added some comparison data at the end of the post
Warning, this is a long!
DiNotte 5W:
Specs
The DiNotte uses a 5W Luxeon emitter, driven from 4 AA batteries via a boost circuit that provides 2 power levels (Full/Medium). The battery pack is designed to attach to your stem, and the lamp to the handlebars. It is delivered with a good helmet mount, O-rings for different bar sizes. The batteries & charger are from the Battery Station. Run time is 1.75 on High, and 3hs on medium. The complete unit as mounted is 208gm. Suggested price is ~$250. Optional C cell battery pack and elliptical beam optics are available.
The lamp head mounts with a large O-ring onto any part of the bar. It comes with 2 different sized o-rings to accommodate the different bar sizes. Although the light is easily re-directed (like when you are changing the brightness level) it stays put where it's pointed - fast rocky descent on a rigid fork (my ultimate test that has knocked many a light off the bar) didn't budge it. Crashes will not break the mounting hardware, and the O-ring is easily replaceable. However, the battery pack is strapped under the stem, and the stock strap & bag bounces around a fair bit (it's fine on the road, which is what it was designed for) - adding an additional Velcro strap that cinches around the stem & battery bag keeps everything nicely in place. The 4 AA batteries are so small and light, you don't notice them.
On the trail, the light gives off a clean uniform slightly blue white light that shows trail details very well. The clear gasket around the front optic allows some light to escape laterally for commuting purposes, but it does not glare or affect forward vision. In technical single track, the beam feels just like my more powerful 12W systems. Visibility is good. Even with a 15W halogen glaring behind you, the DiNotte fills in the details. But you don't get something for nothing, the lack of a narrow hot spot means the light only projects so far down the trail. On fireroads and straighter double track, there is still enough light to motor alone at a fast pace. The medium beam will provide enough light to pick your way through a trail, or ride comfortably within a group. This is a good trail light. Supplemented with a spot beam helmet mount, it would make a decent race light.
The 4 AA batteries gives a decent run time, with judicious use of the medium beam, I could get through our usual 2~3hour ride. (Longer runtimes are available with the optional C cell battery pack). The up-side of standard AA batteries is that you can get replacements and/or spares for ~$15 and a local store, and you can change the batteries mid-ride (although its a pain, especially in sub zero temps). The unit has a low battery warning, but it does not shut down the light. This is a good thing, since NiMH AA batteries cannot supply enough current at sub zero temperatures to drive 5W without depressing the voltage enough to trigger the low battery warning. The Green LED turns red, and the light flickers momentarily to warn you that the battery pack is below ~4.3V. At -10C, this happens around 15 min into the ride - but this does not mean the battery is low, the unit will happily draw 5W from the battery pack and continue driving the LED at full brightness for the next 1.5 hours. If you warm up the battery pack, the low battery warning will go off. This is just characteristic behavior of drawing this much current from a small battery - at full power, the DiNotte draws ~1100mA from the batteries (~600mA at medium). Since the low battery warning will not shut down the light, the DiNotte will try to draw every last bit of energy out of the battery if you leave it on - which is a good way of killing the battery. However, I prefer not to be left in the dark because some circuit thinks a battery is depleted when it's just cold and/or old ( - something that has happened to us alot), especially since the AA cells are cheap and easy to replace. Although it has held up fine, the battery connector (standard clip found on 9V batteries) appears to be a weak spot.
Conclusion:
This is an excellent light with a good attachment system (bar & helmet) and a great beam pattern. It uses it's modest 5W output with great efficiency, providing an excellent light for serious trail riding and commuting.
Pros:
Cheap replacement/spare batteries. Excellent beam pattern. Small & light. Good helmet mount.
Cons:
Beam does not project as much distance. Battery connector.
https://www.dinottelighting.com
Light & Motion Vega:
Specs:
It is listed as a 4W unit, but it uses a Luxeon-III, which consumes about 3.4W from 4 built in NiMH cells. It is a one piece unit that fits onto a standard L&M handle bar mount, comes with a plug and forget charger. Four light levels are full (2hrs), medium (4hrs), low (8hrs), flashing. The complete unit as mounted is 262gm. Suggested price is ~$180.
All in one units are nice for commuting, the light snaps on and off the bars in seconds. As long as you don't mind leaving the mounting hardware on the bar, it makes for a very quick convenient setup. The beam is clean and white (slight bluish tinge) and very narrow. On fire roads and bike paths, it projects nice and far ahead and lets you motor at a good pace. On singletrack, the beam does not light up the first 3m very well so trail obstacles are hard to anticipate. This can be improved by point the beam down, at the cost of distance. You get a strobe effect (PWM circuit) as you ride by objects, not bad, but interesting.
The medium and low beams are useful for conserving power when there is enough ambient light, but are not very useful on dark trails. At low temperatures (0C ~ -10C) the low battery warning kicks in after a little over and hour, and reduces the light output to medium, but you can still re-set the beam to high until the battery is empty. You cannot carry spare batteries, but then the unit is about the size of a battery back, so why not carry a spare light? Actually, this unit would be ideal as a spare backup trail light.
Conclusion:
Excellent commuting light, great for roads, bike paths, and OK for well known trails. A great backup light for those already using L&M bar lights.
Pros:
Single self contained unit without being too large. Simple charger. Good light for road and bike path commuting.
Cons:
Narrow beam angle not good for singletrack. Battery replacement requires factory service. No spare batteries.
https://www.bikelights.com/
Comparisons:
Trail shots for comparison. For reference, I have included the beam patterns from my DIY triple Luxeon-III unit using a NightLighting housing, and Fraen optics (2x 10 deg + 30 deg) - this has been my standard light for the last 2 years. I have also added the beam of a 13.2V 12W NiteRider halogen system for reference (which is very similar to a Niterider 6V 10W beam). As always, photos don't show the subtleties of these lights.
The DiNotte (left) provides ample foreground light for tight singletrack, while projecting far enough down the trail so you can lead a group at a moderate pace. The Vega (right) has a much narrower beam which projects farther down the trail, but you cannot see nearby trail object. The beam can be pointed downwards to illuminate the near field at a cost, but still does not provide as much illumination as the DiNotte.
For comparison, here is the trail shot for my triple Luxeon-III unit (left) and a NiteRider 12W Halogen (left). As expected, more wattage give you superior distance coverage and decent foreground lighting.
Here is an animated version of all the trail shots - it makes it easier to see the differences in how each beam lights up the foreground and distance (down the center of the bridge).
Here are beam patterns measured using a Sekonic L-328 incident light meter, showing incident light at 4.25m measured in Exposure Value (EV) at 1000 ISO. EV is an logarithmic absolute scale so it "should" be repeatable, and mirrors how our eyes interpret light. The area under the curve can be used to calculate lumens. Most eyes can see reasonably down to 0EV, but trail details are comfortable visible at 2~3 EV. Eyes have a dynamic range of 8~10 EVs, meaning if you stare at a hot spot at 10EV, you may not be able to see detail at 2EV any more.
Just for reference, I have plotted the beam profiles for my triple Luxeon-III light, and a NiteRider Classic at 12W and 32W.
Beam shots to scale for the mentioned lights.
Not responsable for grammatical errors and typos - I'm just to damn lazy!
Warning, this is a long!
DiNotte 5W:
Specs
The DiNotte uses a 5W Luxeon emitter, driven from 4 AA batteries via a boost circuit that provides 2 power levels (Full/Medium). The battery pack is designed to attach to your stem, and the lamp to the handlebars. It is delivered with a good helmet mount, O-rings for different bar sizes. The batteries & charger are from the Battery Station. Run time is 1.75 on High, and 3hs on medium. The complete unit as mounted is 208gm. Suggested price is ~$250. Optional C cell battery pack and elliptical beam optics are available.
The lamp head mounts with a large O-ring onto any part of the bar. It comes with 2 different sized o-rings to accommodate the different bar sizes. Although the light is easily re-directed (like when you are changing the brightness level) it stays put where it's pointed - fast rocky descent on a rigid fork (my ultimate test that has knocked many a light off the bar) didn't budge it. Crashes will not break the mounting hardware, and the O-ring is easily replaceable. However, the battery pack is strapped under the stem, and the stock strap & bag bounces around a fair bit (it's fine on the road, which is what it was designed for) - adding an additional Velcro strap that cinches around the stem & battery bag keeps everything nicely in place. The 4 AA batteries are so small and light, you don't notice them.
On the trail, the light gives off a clean uniform slightly blue white light that shows trail details very well. The clear gasket around the front optic allows some light to escape laterally for commuting purposes, but it does not glare or affect forward vision. In technical single track, the beam feels just like my more powerful 12W systems. Visibility is good. Even with a 15W halogen glaring behind you, the DiNotte fills in the details. But you don't get something for nothing, the lack of a narrow hot spot means the light only projects so far down the trail. On fireroads and straighter double track, there is still enough light to motor alone at a fast pace. The medium beam will provide enough light to pick your way through a trail, or ride comfortably within a group. This is a good trail light. Supplemented with a spot beam helmet mount, it would make a decent race light.
The 4 AA batteries gives a decent run time, with judicious use of the medium beam, I could get through our usual 2~3hour ride. (Longer runtimes are available with the optional C cell battery pack). The up-side of standard AA batteries is that you can get replacements and/or spares for ~$15 and a local store, and you can change the batteries mid-ride (although its a pain, especially in sub zero temps). The unit has a low battery warning, but it does not shut down the light. This is a good thing, since NiMH AA batteries cannot supply enough current at sub zero temperatures to drive 5W without depressing the voltage enough to trigger the low battery warning. The Green LED turns red, and the light flickers momentarily to warn you that the battery pack is below ~4.3V. At -10C, this happens around 15 min into the ride - but this does not mean the battery is low, the unit will happily draw 5W from the battery pack and continue driving the LED at full brightness for the next 1.5 hours. If you warm up the battery pack, the low battery warning will go off. This is just characteristic behavior of drawing this much current from a small battery - at full power, the DiNotte draws ~1100mA from the batteries (~600mA at medium). Since the low battery warning will not shut down the light, the DiNotte will try to draw every last bit of energy out of the battery if you leave it on - which is a good way of killing the battery. However, I prefer not to be left in the dark because some circuit thinks a battery is depleted when it's just cold and/or old ( - something that has happened to us alot), especially since the AA cells are cheap and easy to replace. Although it has held up fine, the battery connector (standard clip found on 9V batteries) appears to be a weak spot.
Conclusion:
This is an excellent light with a good attachment system (bar & helmet) and a great beam pattern. It uses it's modest 5W output with great efficiency, providing an excellent light for serious trail riding and commuting.
Pros:
Cheap replacement/spare batteries. Excellent beam pattern. Small & light. Good helmet mount.
Cons:
Beam does not project as much distance. Battery connector.
https://www.dinottelighting.com
Light & Motion Vega:
Specs:
It is listed as a 4W unit, but it uses a Luxeon-III, which consumes about 3.4W from 4 built in NiMH cells. It is a one piece unit that fits onto a standard L&M handle bar mount, comes with a plug and forget charger. Four light levels are full (2hrs), medium (4hrs), low (8hrs), flashing. The complete unit as mounted is 262gm. Suggested price is ~$180.
All in one units are nice for commuting, the light snaps on and off the bars in seconds. As long as you don't mind leaving the mounting hardware on the bar, it makes for a very quick convenient setup. The beam is clean and white (slight bluish tinge) and very narrow. On fire roads and bike paths, it projects nice and far ahead and lets you motor at a good pace. On singletrack, the beam does not light up the first 3m very well so trail obstacles are hard to anticipate. This can be improved by point the beam down, at the cost of distance. You get a strobe effect (PWM circuit) as you ride by objects, not bad, but interesting.
The medium and low beams are useful for conserving power when there is enough ambient light, but are not very useful on dark trails. At low temperatures (0C ~ -10C) the low battery warning kicks in after a little over and hour, and reduces the light output to medium, but you can still re-set the beam to high until the battery is empty. You cannot carry spare batteries, but then the unit is about the size of a battery back, so why not carry a spare light? Actually, this unit would be ideal as a spare backup trail light.
Conclusion:
Excellent commuting light, great for roads, bike paths, and OK for well known trails. A great backup light for those already using L&M bar lights.
Pros:
Single self contained unit without being too large. Simple charger. Good light for road and bike path commuting.
Cons:
Narrow beam angle not good for singletrack. Battery replacement requires factory service. No spare batteries.
https://www.bikelights.com/
Comparisons:
Trail shots for comparison. For reference, I have included the beam patterns from my DIY triple Luxeon-III unit using a NightLighting housing, and Fraen optics (2x 10 deg + 30 deg) - this has been my standard light for the last 2 years. I have also added the beam of a 13.2V 12W NiteRider halogen system for reference (which is very similar to a Niterider 6V 10W beam). As always, photos don't show the subtleties of these lights.
The DiNotte (left) provides ample foreground light for tight singletrack, while projecting far enough down the trail so you can lead a group at a moderate pace. The Vega (right) has a much narrower beam which projects farther down the trail, but you cannot see nearby trail object. The beam can be pointed downwards to illuminate the near field at a cost, but still does not provide as much illumination as the DiNotte.
For comparison, here is the trail shot for my triple Luxeon-III unit (left) and a NiteRider 12W Halogen (left). As expected, more wattage give you superior distance coverage and decent foreground lighting.
Here is an animated version of all the trail shots - it makes it easier to see the differences in how each beam lights up the foreground and distance (down the center of the bridge).
Here are beam patterns measured using a Sekonic L-328 incident light meter, showing incident light at 4.25m measured in Exposure Value (EV) at 1000 ISO. EV is an logarithmic absolute scale so it "should" be repeatable, and mirrors how our eyes interpret light. The area under the curve can be used to calculate lumens. Most eyes can see reasonably down to 0EV, but trail details are comfortable visible at 2~3 EV. Eyes have a dynamic range of 8~10 EVs, meaning if you stare at a hot spot at 10EV, you may not be able to see detail at 2EV any more.
Just for reference, I have plotted the beam profiles for my triple Luxeon-III light, and a NiteRider Classic at 12W and 32W.
Beam shots to scale for the mentioned lights.
Not responsable for grammatical errors and typos - I'm just to damn lazy!