Shipping took a little while, this was no fault of Jays - just dealing with customs coming into Canada FYI Jay is super cool to deal with, professional, and has provided tonnes of extra information. And this isn't even his regular job!
So I go and unpack the box.
1st observation - Damn that battery is small. And light. seriously, the cables weigh more then anything else.
2nd observation - The secondary box packed inside did not contain the lighthead. That was the charger. When I eventually found the light head OMG that is small. That is so small.
3rd observation - Build quality. That is one very nice piece of "home-made" equipment. very slick. And it is light. very light.
4th observation - Do not turn on the light with it pointed at a co-workers face. He will go blind momentarily. Then he will grab the light, and shine it in your own eyes.
I am really looking forward to going home tonight, and mounting this up on my helmet. Will post complete feedback after a few night rides.
Thanks again Jay for what appears to be a really nice product.
Just received my Amoeba from Scar...Thanks again Jay for what appears to be a really nice product.
Not a customer here, but I am very pleased to see someone (Scar) take a hobby and turn it into something that benefits him (income) and other MTBers (affordable lights).
Sounds like win-win to me. I wish there was more of it in the general population.
Ha, lol! I'm just about to build up a dual SSC myself, now you get me thinking about the 3/4" tubing vs the 1"!
I've always been amazed he can get everything into 3/4" square tubing. I've got a similar button on my LED light using the DIY Done Cheap casing from Il2mb and it's a tight fit.
I was thinking of building up some Dinotte style lights from some aluminum tubing and was worried that it wouldn't fit in the 3/4" round tube. After seeing his lights, it looks quite possible. but I think I'll put the switch inline on the cable.
Just received my Amoeba from Scar.
FYI Jay is super cool to deal with, professional, and has provided tonnes of extra information. And this isn't even his regular job!
1st observation - Damn that battery is small. And light. seriously, the cables weigh more then anything else.
2nd observation - The secondary box packed inside did not contain the lighthead. That was the charger. When I eventually found the light head OMG that is small. That is so small.
3rd observation - Build quality. That is one very nice piece of "home-made" equipment. very slick. And it is light. very light.
Thanks again Jay for what appears to be a really nice product.
I bought an Amoeba back in December, and continue to be very happy with it. Scar was very easy to deal with, answering my many questions promptly. His light is so small and light that you can use velcro to hold the light and the battery to your bike or helmet. Jay has also hooked up my riding buddy with lights, and he is selling his dual HID set-up because he loves the Amoebas so much.
I love mankind - it's people I can't stand. ~Charles M. Schulz
Finally put the skis away and spent some time riding. Just did my first night ride with the Amoeba.
As the ride started before sunset i did not use the light for the climb up (would have been nice to see if there was any overheating issues during a 45 min uphill grind - I climb real slow)
I really liked how light it was. I honestly did not notice it on my helmet. I did find the trailtech connector difficult to connect with the helmet on my head, but once used to it it will be fine.
The switching on/off was easy to find/manipulate even with gloves on.
I was very impressed with the light output. I use a lupine betty on the bar, and no, the Amoeba was not as bright as that, there were several times where I turned off the betty and ran just the Amoeba to see how it performed. If I had not already sunk the $$$ for the betty I would be getting a second Amoeba for the bars instead.
I have already started to let my group of riders know that if they are looking for lights to seriously consider the Amoeba. I experienced no overheating, good runtime, excellent light quality, and excellent ease of use.
Excellent work Jay - a REALLY nice product you have. Now I just need some good ole Vancouver wet coast rain so I can test them with rain forest moisture.
Thanks for the review - I just ordered one for myself and a friend of mine. Did you purchase the spot or flood version? I went with the flood myself thinking i might eventually add a spot.
and as everyone asks - the next time you are out you should take some pics of that new light in action. From the other pictures i have seen the Amobea puts out a lot of light for it's size but nothing could compare to that betty - it must be like day light riding with that thing
Thanks for the review - I just ordered one for myself and a friend of mine. Did you purchase the spot or flood version? I went with the flood myself thinking i might eventually add a spot.
and as everyone asks - the next time you are out you should take some pics of that new light in action. From the other pictures i have seen the Amobea puts out a lot of light for it's size but nothing could compare to that betty - it must be like day light riding with that thing
I think I went with the spot version (Jay will chime in and confirm I am sure!). I figured the Betty acts as my flood on the bars, and I wanted a spot on my head to help "peek" around corners etc.
Nighttime pics it is really tough to tell what is going on IMHO. Depends on the camera, moonlight, background settings, humidity etc. Really not an honest method to capture the performance of a light. If there was a standard camera/camera settings that everyone uses then maybe I can try it?
As I stated, I was very impressed with the light output - yes the betty has more, but it primarily is just a "fuller" light (no faded areas). $ per $ I give the thumbs up to the Amoeba. Unless you are a 24hr/endurance racer or someone like me that likes to spend $ on the coolest gadgets I dont think a betty is the best option out there. Plus the betty is HEAVY (as a head unit). I felt like a bobble head when I had it attached to my helmet!
Granted, my neck/back are still a bit sensitive from an incident at Whistler a few years back that landed me in hospital with compressed/fractured t2/3 but I really noticed the 200g diff in weight between the betty/Amoeba.
I am certain you will be happy with your investment in the Amoeba.
006_007 - You ordered and received the SSC P4 flood Amoeba. The SSC/floods have the smooth reflectors and the Cree/spots have the faceted reflectors.
I actually think the Amoeba can and has filled some peoples needs in the 24 hour and endurance race scene. I had two guys run the Amoeba(s) in the 24hrs of Old Pueblo in the solo class. One would have finished somewhere around 24th out of over 100 solo riders, except for some confusion on how to officially end the race before noon. The other finished 10th in the solo class. Both mentioned that they never noticed that they were wearing a light on their helmet, even after doing several hours of straight night time riding. Depending on how much battery you want to carry on you at one time, you can get 3, 6, and even 10 hour runtimes. Extra non-propriatary batteries are very reasonable in price. I am currently getting a couple of racers set-up with Amoeba's for the 24 Hours of E-Rock in Castle Rock, CO at the begining of June.
DIY lights have always fascinated me... and in all my hobbies and jobs I've needed lighting at somepoint... whether it's SCUBA or working at a busy nightclub or riding my bike when I'm not too busy chasing crooks at night!!!
However, why would I struggle to make my own when I could have what looks like a fantastic piece of engineering in such a small package!!!
Definitely on my list when I start to do some night rides!!!!
"Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government!..." -- Dennis the Peasant
Not surprised some people are using the Amoeba for endurance racing due to all the items you listed below. If I ever decide to do an endurance event all I have to do is get extra batteries (currently ~ $40/per?). Oh ya, get some strong legs as well
Originally Posted by scar
006_007 - You ordered and received the SSC P4 flood Amoeba. The SSC/floods have the smooth reflectors and the Cree/spots have the faceted reflectors.
I actually think the Amoeba can and has filled some peoples needs in the 24 hour and endurance race scene. I had two guys run the Amoeba(s) in the 24hrs of Old Pueblo in the solo class. One would have finished somewhere around 24th out of over 100 solo riders, except for some confusion on how to officially end the race before noon. The other finished 10th in the solo class. Both mentioned that they never noticed that they were wearing a light on their helmet, even after doing several hours of straight night time riding. Depending on how much battery you want to carry on you at one time, you can get 3, 6, and even 10 hour runtimes. Extra non-propriatary batteries are very reasonable in price. I am currently getting a couple of racers set-up with Amoeba's for the 24 Hours of E-Rock in Castle Rock, CO at the begining of June.
Excellent work Jay - a REALLY nice product you have. Now I just need some good ole Vancouver wet coast rain so I can test them with rain forest moisture.
Here in Oregon, a couple of Amoebas were in use all winter, and there have been no problems with rain and snow so far!
I love mankind - it's people I can't stand. ~Charles M. Schulz
Just got mine delivered today and I am very impressed. I got two of the same flood model for friend and I The pictures don't do it justice in showing how small they really are. They also put off a lot of light for the size. The construction is great and they feel really solid. I ran it for about 15 minutes sitting on my desk and they get hot but not so hot that you can't touch them. With some airflow going over them they will be fine. I can't wait to test them out on the trails.
I will take some more pics myself when I get a chance. Here is the one that Scar/Jay sent me. Also he is a great guy to deal with answering my my inane questions
So I am still itching to get out for a night ride with my Amoeba but in the meantime I got them all mounted up to an extra helmet I had to test out positioning. I think the neighbors thought I was a little nuts when I was in the backyard with a helmet with light on top last night. Took some pics of the setup and everything is great. Hopefully will get a night ride in this weekend.
Sorry guys, my ad ran out a couple of days ago and I have just been too busy to put up a new one. PM me or email me at [email protected] (for non MTBR members) and I will try to get another ad up in the next couple of days.
Great light, good value. He really put everything you need to set it up in the box. My friends referred to it as the sun. Cars didn't know what to make of it and would slow way down or stop and wait for us. Worked great out in the country, the trails, and in town to shine drunk kids and cop cars. I got the spot with the Q5's, BTW. I asked Scar on Sunday to try to get it to me on Thursday and he succeeded and it was great having it on the ride. Thanks Scar
I received my 'moeba on Wednesday; the short version of my response is.... WOW!
Service:
All my dumb questions were answered well, clearly, and accurately. The explanation of the pros and cons of the various configurations (spot vs. flood; high vs. ginormous output) was very helpful.
Speed:
After we agreed, he started building on a Saturday; I received them Wednesday afternoon.
Size:
I opened the box and found the battery pack, the charger, and the charger cable. I did not see the lighthead, and had to empty the box of all the packing before I found it. I started the insane chuckling right then - it is tiny!
Quality:
I had some minor reservations plunking down the cash, even after reading reviews and viewing images. After seeing it in person, I am very impressed by the excellent workmanship.
Performance:
Using the instructions provided, I positioned the head atop the center of my helmet, and went outside. More insane chuckling - it provides more and whiter light than anything I've ever had. I'm a new-to-night-riding road rider, so the concept of "you light where you look" is amazing. Still more insane chuckling.
Tested it on the commute this morning (full dark when I started) and it's great. As someone else noted, I get a significant reaction from oncoming and cross traffic when I look/shine the light in their direction.
My expectation is that I'll continue to be very happy for some time.
ordered a light and paid for it on the same day. two days later it was in the mail and i received it a day later. fantastic shipping!!! well packaged and safe.
all my questions were answered promptly and with more information than i would have expected. very impressed.
the weight of the entire setup is nothing to be conerned about. i put my helmet on and moved my head more then when on a bike and i didnt notice the extra weight straining me at all.
a friend of mine decided to shine the light towards but not directly aimed at another friend (whos eyes were closed) five minutes later he was still seeing spots. this was from about 3-4 feet
i giggled like a little girl when i used the light in pitchblack for the first time( a few days ago) and again tonight when i used it in the rain. no problems at all. its brighter, has a wider beam and is an all round better light then any flashlights or lamps i have. even a maglight. when i first used it in my yard(off the bike ) i thought it would cause a white washout, but once i took it on the road those concerns faded quickly.
the light is tiny, light and simple.
a couple problems(if you can call them that) one is with my helmet.
i wanted to mount the light in the center of my helmet but the center has ridges and vents so theres no flat mounting surface meaning the batterys velco doesnt make full contact with the helmet. just shaking the helmet around in my hands and i fear the battery is going to fall possibly taking the light with it. fixed that by looping a ziptie through two vents and around the battery. went on a 45min night ride and the ziptie looked perfect along with the light. no signs of melting or anyting bad like that.
i still use the velcro
the way i have it mounted on my helmet the battery and 90%of the cable face parallel to the ground and the light is angled down, causing a slight bend in the cable leaving the light head. i fear the bend in the cable may cause problems down the road but that is pure speculation. i have no idea what type of wire is in the cable and how resilient it is to bending.
the other problem i had was with the battery extension cable. the male and female connections dont fit together all the way becuase of the oring inside the connector. scar pmed me about it before i even realized it happened and said it was a problem and to work it a few times and the oring loses some of its tension causing the connection to fit better. i havent tried but it makes perfect sense to me and i believe that as soon as i try to connect them a few times it shall work flawlessly(like the rest of the setup does) i dont even plan on using the extension cable because with it attached the battery doesnt reach the bottom of the pocket on my hydration pack(with the staps as small as possible)(meaning it hangs in midair, threatening to disconnect from the lighthead)
im extremely happy with the light and none of the problems are the fault of scar or his work. i was planning on getting a troll from scar but after using this one i know its not needed.
all testing done on open uncontrolled roads on my gitane. no trail riding as i only have a xmart MTB
Haven't been on this board for awhile. No need since I got my lights!
I went big: I got a spot-beam helmet mount light and a flood beam for the bars. Also got three 3.5 hour batteries (do plenty of solo night riding - better safe than sorry) and two chargers, so in case I sell one I can sell it as a package. Me very happy.
Wow, Scar, looks like you're getting quite the following -- deservedly so. I'm loving both my Amoebas...going riding again tonight!!
Haven't been on this board for awhile. No need since I got my lights!
Albee
You have not missed much. It has been somewhat quiet in there. After the time change, people had more daylight hours to ride. Now things seems to be picking up a little, as it gets hotter in certain parts of the states, people turn to the night for relief from the high temps.
When under pressure, your level of performance will sink to your level of preparation.
Well here is my report of use. Finished my first 24 hour event last weekend as a tag team and we both had Amoebas. I had a couple night rides in before the event but this was the major test and everything worked great. I ended up going with the 6 and 3 hour battery and never needed to use the 3 which I carried as a backup. It rained for a couple laps and I was wiping mud and water off of it and the light worked flawlessly. I had a couple people ask me about the light because they couldn't believe how small it was and the light it put off. These lights are great and if you are thinking about getting one don't hesitate.
Here is a pic of me with the amoeba on the helmet. Sadly I didn't have it on at the time as it wasn't dark enough.
We just had another member of our MTB club order an Amoeba. I think that makes 6 of us here in Oregon running Amoebas, and loving them! Scar is a genius!
I love mankind - it's people I can't stand. ~Charles M. Schulz
I thought about asking about this in PM but figured someone else might be able to help or maybe it will help someone else. Who knows? I’m still wondering which light to get.
I live and do all my night riding in the Phoenix/Tuscon area. For the most part our trails are;
Rocky
Dusty
Light colored
All of the guys and gals I ride with on Wednesday night use bar mounted lights for their primary light. If the helmet light is brighter than the bar light it tends to wash out the contrast (bad for rock recognition) and the helmet light reflects off the dust. Still, about half of the group including me likes to have a light on our helmet to help in corners and drops.
As of now I plan to order the flood version with a Fenix L2D on my helmet. I may swith the L2D to a slightly brighter light (18650 powered Cree R2) after I integrate the Ameoba. To work around hereI don’t want my helmet light to over power the light from my Amoeba on the bars.
What do you think?
Also, do you think I’ll be OK at 90 degrees? That’s about as hot as it gets before daylight in August. (Although the tougher part of the Wed night crew keeps going all summer even when the temp at 8:00 PM hits 105!)
Last edited by rideandshoot; 07-28-2008 at 11:36 AM.
Hey rideandshoot,
Yeah, I know the problem with dust. We haven't had a real rain around here since Memorial Day. I can say with confidence that you won't have to worry about a flashlight strapped to your helmet overpowering the Amoeba on the bars.
We have a group of guys here at work that meet at the trailhead at 5:00 am for rides before work. It has been about 72 degrees on the warmest mornings. I also have a couple of customers in Florida, have not heard any problems from them. I ain't going to lie to you, it will get pretty warm on the slow uphill climbs when the temps are in the 70's and 80's. Hasn't been a problem yet and I don't expect it to be. When you are talking temps of 90's and 100's, I don't think there is a light out there that aint going to get hot.
Please PM me and we can discuss in detail what you are looking for.
Any one comment on the R2 vs the Q5 light that Scar sells? Which one is brighter and better for wet northeast trails or is the difference negligible? I'm also planning on purchasing the flood light as well if that makes a difference.
To be a little more specific, Q5 WC vs R2 WH. Color tint can be very important to some people. I had stated that I had read that some people think that the Q5 WC appears brighter than the R2 WH because of the tint. I believe they classify WC as "cool white" and WH as "warm white".
I looked at the pictures. I held a quarter in my hand. I got a ruler out. But until you see it there is no way you can possible appreciate the diminutive size until you actually have one in your hand. I haven’t had a chance to ride with the light yet but backyard testing indicates that the spill (I got the flood version) is great, very HIDesque in its width. When it cools off at night (its 95 right now at 8:00 PM) I’m going to experiment with various combinations of bar and helmet mounted Cree based AA flashlights but I can tell you that it’s probably bright enough by itself.
On another note… delivery speed was way above expectations. I got it in less than a week after I ordered it. Fantastic considering I got to specify the color and he had to build it???
I looked at the pictures. I held a quarter in my hand. I got a ruler out. But until you see it there is no way you can possible appreciate the diminutive size until you actually have one in your hand. I haven’t had a chance to ride with the light yet but backyard testing indicates that the spill (I got the flood version) is great, very HIDesque in its width. When it cools off at night (its 95 right now at 8:00 PM) I’m going to experiment with various combinations of bar and helmet mounted Cree based AA flashlights but I can tell you that it’s probably bright enough by itself.
On another note… delivery speed was way above expectations. I got it in less than a week after I ordered it. Fantastic considering I got to specify the color and he had to build it???
I ran the flood version on my helmet for a 24 hour race and the light output was more than enough for me. I think the trails you ride on would tell you the light you need. Where i ride it is a lot of tight twisty single track (same for the 24 hour race) If i had a spot it would have been pretty useless because you don't get a sight line far enough ahead to really use the spot. If the trails you are on have lots of open straight aways where you could see into the distance and pick up significant speed then a flood on the bars and spot on the helmet might be the best solution.
I think Jay (scar) is currently out of town as he normally is super fast at responding. He normally has an ad in the MTBR classifieds. - I believe they are around $200ish for a light, battery and charger. Price also depends on what configuration you go with (different LEDs, batteries, bar mounts etc) Very economical for such a great product.
Sorry guy, work has been getting in the way the last few days. I took my classified down as I ran out of parts. Just getting in the last of my parts so a new ad will be up by tomorrow. Sorry to keep you hanging.
Thanks for the interest in the Amoeba. I have been having a lot of fun building this light for people. Takes quite a bit of time as almost every piece has to be modified to fit in the 3/4" housing. That is the easy part. Communicating with multiple people at the same time, taking orders, ordering parts, dealing with companies when the orders are not correct, waiting on UPS to figure out where they are supposed to be delivering to, those are the hard parts! And oh yeah, the family and work seem to be needing quite a bit of attention latley. I also like to ride my bike I have boxes of parts sitting on my bench, but that is as far as they have gotten. Seems like we tried to cram everything we possibly could into the last two weekends as the kids started school this week, which left me with no time or energy to do anything concerning lights.
I am taking this weekend to clean up my work area and restock my inventories of parts. I will have another classified ad up next week sometime. Nothing has changed. PM me and I will give you the info contained in the ad.
Originally quoted by jrhinds
Where do they get optics that small? 3/4" wow thats small
I have to modify the size of the reflectors to fit inside the 3/4" tubing. Fun stuff.
So, I have been nonchalantly looking at lights for a few weeks now. My roadbike training will most likely fall between the hours of 4-6am (end of my shift and a lot less traffic). So I have been looking at the NR MiNewt and the smaller Dinotte's... but this one has always caught my eye...
Another factor in my lighting choices has been the desire to get into adventure races... Now it looks like I'll end up getting a light for the bars and one for the head.
Any adventure racers in here that could give me some advice?
I would rather throw some ducketts to a fellow rider...
"Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government!..." -- Dennis the Peasant
So, I have been nonchalantly looking at lights for a few weeks now. My roadbike training will most likely fall between the hours of 4-6am (end of my shift and a lot less traffic). So I have been looking at the NR MiNewt and the smaller Dinotte's... but this one has always caught my eye...
Another factor in my lighting choices has been the desire to get into adventure races... Now it looks like I'll end up getting a light for the bars and one for the head.
Any adventure racers in here that could give me some advice?
I would rather throw some ducketts to a fellow rider...
Talk to Scar.
EVERY doubt you have, he will tell you the truth, and explain anything you need to know.
As for the light, it speaks for itself (or rather, shouts), its seriously small/light and very powerful too.
Just got my Amoeba and it's SO small! Oh it's bright too! I'm still amazed at the size and weight. Only problem I can see with this light is me losing it. Little bugger is so small!
I can't say enough good things about Scar and his lights. I will be buying more of these lights very soon.
Also received my amoeba in Switzerland recently. I'm very pleased with the product and it did me proud in a 24h race a couple of weeks ago
Scar is an excellent and knowledgable contact person
Payment is seamless
Shipping to Europe was fast and reasonably priced
Everything is well packed
The light is tiny. Build quality is great and the beam is just as bright as you'd expect
Scar includes everyting you will need in the box. It's a similar gleeful feeling to what you get if you unpack an Apple product (if you've done it then you'll know what I mean)
I got the spot cree R2 that I mount on my helmet and it complements my Lupine Nightmare Halogen on the bars perfectly
I finally got my hbar mount Flood version Amoeba out on the trail a couple times.
The beam pattern is wide, lot's of spill. That's what I wanted. I haven't tried it side by side with an HID yet but the spill is closer to my old HID than the dual Cree based Fenix L2Ds I was running. I tried using one of the Fenix L2Ds on my helmet along with it. It makes a nice combination, the Amoeba flood is all the light I need for slower and technical sections and the helmet mounted L2D throws a nice spot way down the trail when the speed picks up.
I also haven't tried riding it dust yet (I’m rarely in the front of the pack). That will be the acid test to determine which one ends up on the bars, the Amoeba or the L2Ds.
One last thing… I want to vouch for Scar. If you’re thinking about one of his lights you can be confident that he is going to take care of you. The guy takes a lot of pride in what he is doing.
Quick question for Scar or anyone else who might know:
The switches used on the Amoebas are the 526PB-ND switches from Digi-Key, correct? These have a momentary action and do not "click" down, right?
For those interested, I'm asking because I believe I have recieved the 528 switches from digikey instead of the 526, however now I'm starting to wonder if perhaps I just ordered the wrong switches. I need something momentary for my B-flex and while I have a couple other switches I could use, I'm really liking these ones and just need them in a momentary, non "clicky" version.
Hmm Im getting pretty tempting on one of these as I was planning on getting another cygolite rover II but am getting some extra money so am planing on getting a mitycross. How long does it run on high? I think I saw 3.5 hours. Anyone know "about" how many lumens? Is the two sidded velcro the only way to mount it or is there another mounting system? $200 is the price?
Scar how long does it take you built an Amoeba from scratch? What is the process? This whole homemade bike light building thing is starting to interest me.
Takes me a weekend to build one. EVERYTHING has to be modified to fit!
Process :
Cut metal
Epoxy metal together
Wait 24 hours
Machine housing
Epoxy LED's in place
Wait an hour
Modify remaining parts
Install remaining parts
Epoxy housing together
Wait 24 hours
Final clean-up
This is the general process. I build them in batches to help with downtime while epoxy is drying.
To bad you didn't have step by step pictures. Not to take business away from you as I am sure many people would still purchase them because not all folks like to spend the time putting stuff together. I am just very curious about the process.
Scar delivered my lights yesterday, and wow, are they cool! Talk about tiny. I went with 400L (flood) on the bars, and 400L (spot) on my helmet. I went for a very brief test ride last night with just the bar-mounted light, and was thoroughly impressed by the amount and quality of the light.
After using the P4 floods for the past 6 months I decided to invest in a Q5 spot as well. I spent a whole bunch of time debating if I needed the Q5 spot, or the R2 spot - scar suggested both and I said, why, so I can be seen from space?.
Anyway, readers digest - I am super pleased with the combination of the flood on the bars/spot head. Once again scar was super easy to deal with, answering all my pestering questions (again) and for sure guiding me in the in the right direction.
I got mine yesterday and put 10miles on them in the dark last night. I'm running the spot on my helmet (my first light ever) and I couldn't be happier. I'll post a picture when I get home from work.
I can't believe how tiny these are to put out such a monster light. My riding buddy with his minewt-usb helmet, and Minewt xp dual bar was instantly jealous.
Marketing department says sorry. I have kept the same prices for a year now. No increases due to gas surcharges. Li-Ion prices continue to go up with the hybrid vehicle craze. I am just a dude working out of his garage trying to raise a family on a single income, pretty tough these days.
Thanks for the interest and thanks for asking, but sorry, same price as they have always been.
Another vote for the quality/craftmanship/output/size/price/VALUE of the Amoeba lights. You quickly realize when you have and use them. ... I'm waiting for my second complete kit, my wife stole the first one... hehehe...
I'm picky and pretty hard to please, but I will say that I absolutely LOVE my Amoebas. Outstanding value, great performance, and backed by one of the nicest guys around. Two thumbs up.
2nd year now with my Amoeba Flood,.....
Scar's customer service/support should be a model for all bike shops to copy.
Now if I can just find a buyer for my HID bar light, I'll get another Amoeba.
That's my story. I'm dumping my HID, and getting the brighter spot Amoeba to go with my Amoeba flood bar light. I'll put the spot and battery on the helmet so I don't have to deal with a cord tying my head to my backpack. That's one of the best things about the Amoeba. Truth is, if I could afford it, I'd go with 2 Amoebas on my helmet, and an Amoeba bar light.
I love mankind - it's people I can't stand. ~Charles M. Schulz
i ask because i already have a 7.2v 2600mah liion battery/charger with trailtech connectors that i used on a old jet lites headlamp....a lighthead from you would make for a sweet upgrade.
i ask because i already have a 7.2v 2600mah liion battery/charger with trailtech connectors that i used on a old jet lites headlamp....a lighthead from you would make for a sweet upgrade.
We spoke via PM about a light, I'm ready to order. Your PM box is full, drop me a line when you get a chance.
J-No
Hey J-No, thanks for the heads up on the full PM box, that always sneeks up on me, sorry about that. Shoot me a PM, or as 006_007 so kindly pointed out, you can always email me at [email protected]
(Note to self) My classified ad is probably about due to expire any day also.
I've been reading about the newer leds, P7 and MC-E. Will those fit into an Amoeba, or are they too big? If they'll work, do you have any plans for a new model?
Happy Holidays from a happy Amoeba user!
I love mankind - it's people I can't stand. ~Charles M. Schulz
I've been reading about the newer leds, P7 and MC-E. Will those fit into an Amoeba, or are they too big? If they'll work, do you have any plans for a new model?
Happy Holidays from a happy Amoeba user!
Hi, I think that the "problem" of the new leds P7 and MC-E don't is the size, is the great hot with run to 3 amperes above all with 2 of this leds!!!!! well, too will need a 2,8 driver more big than the 800ma driver that use actually the amoeba. Maybe it would done one amoeba a little more big with external heatsink, but better don't have work this stopped
Good Morning Sasquatch,
What in the world are you doing up so early?? I got up at 3:00 am this morning to get ready for our FIFO (First In First Out) 5:00 am ride before work this morning and you had just posted an hour earlier. Hope you had a good Christmas. You guys getting alot of snow up there in Eugene? Saw the "Whypass in White" thread, looked like a hoot. Yeah my classified ad ran out and I haven't renewed it yet. Going to be forced to doing some international travel for work in a couple of weeks so I am trying to finish up orders currently in the que.
No new design yet, been too busy building Amoeba's to even think about anything. I also don't have the expendable cash to run out and buy the first release of every new LED and optics like some others. Been watching others building with P7's and MC-E's and I have got to say that I am not that impressed with the results. The Amoeba housing is definately too small for P7's or MC-E's.
Why mess with a good thing. Still hard to beat the Amoeba for size, weight, and value (dollars per lumen).
A little background info:
Sasquatch was my very first customer a year ago. Since then many of his DOD brothers (Disciples of Dirt) have become Amoeba customers. If you want to read about a very tight group of people that have a passion for bikes like no others check out the Oregon forum and do a search for DOD. Beware, if you don't have much time you might want to avoid it, because Sasquatch takes some incredible photos that make that area look like some kind of Utopia.
Amoeba production going to be shut down for a couple of weeks
Just wanted to put out a note to anyone interested that I am going to be forced to shut down the Amoeba production line for a couple of weeks in January. I am going to be travelling to Japan and China for a couple of weeks for work. I am currently finishing up all orders in my build que. I have room for a couple of more builds that I could finish up this weekend and be able to ship out next Monday. After that, it will probably be the end of January before I can start taking orders again and the first week of February before I could start shipping out again.
I will be checking PM's and emails if you need to get ahold of me. Just might be a day or two before I answer back.
Can't wait to see what kind of LED goodies I can find.
I just used my new Amoeba for the first time this week... It is awesome! Very small and bright. I have it set up on my roadie with aero bars, and the flood keeps me out of the potholes and ruts that my skinny tires hates! I actually have it mounted underneath the handle bars due to the aero bars blocking the only available space on my drops (computer is mounted on the stem).
Scar included plenty of mounting hardware and an extension for the power cable... When I'm looking for a night MTB setup the Amoeba will be at the top of the list!
"Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government!..." -- Dennis the Peasant
hey the amoeba sounds pretty good. i guess scar is traveling this week and there's no ad to read, so maybe some of you satisfied customers can fill in some blanks.
~$200, 400 lumens, ~3 hr runtime? right so far?
flood and spot options. anybody try one of each in the same light head?
are there low med hi settings?
lumens & run time on those settings?
weight w/battery? are there battery options for longer runtimes?
can i get a big battery and 2 light heads?
charger included...charge time?
Great light Jay. I have used mine several times now. Makes lots of light, and is so light I cant even tell it's on my helmet. Great product at a great price. Thanks!
My Amoeba arrived today. Went with the 2x SSC P4 LED's (flood beam pattern). Excited to try it out tonight. Jay was super easy to work with! Some pics of my setup:
It took a long time to arrive here (i blame brazilian customs) but i finally can say "Ohh my God, it´s so small".
Amoeba is already on my bars, so simple, so easy, so well made, congratulations scar.
The longest day ever. Worked from 07:00am to 05:00pm, left home at 6:00pm just after sunset and took a bumpy dirt road, 2km flat + 4,5km uphill (from 850m to 1350m), than all back home, faster going up than under sunlight, downhill almost as fast as during the day. Tomorrow i´ll try to get up earlier to see the sunlight at the top of the mountain. It is a shame that i can not go inside the park (the entrance is 6,5km far) after sunset or before sunlight.
ps1: as i read in another MTBR post, you never have enough light. Amoeba is fantastic but i think i need another Amoeba flood patern on my helmet and may be a third one (spot) on my headtube.
ps2: i almost forgot, tonight a maned wolf crossed the road in front of me.
Ola Bruno. Glad to hear you finally got the light out of customs hands. Sounds like the locals are going to be telling tales of seeing strange lights in the hills again. The best compliment to the flood on the bars would be a spot for your helmet. A maned wolf, how cool is that! That is what is so great about riding at night. You get to see things that very, very, very few people experience. My local trails are very crowded during the after work weeknights and weekends. It is very addicting to have the trail all to yourself. Enjoy, sounds like you are well on your way.
Time for a confession (which feels a bit silly) leading for a bit of advice.
I had my Amoeba in my camelbak on a ride (as I often do, for just incase im enjoying myself so much that it gets dark and it would come in useful), and unknowingly had switched it on. It got so hot, that it started to melt the glue holding the velco onto the bottom (just enough that the corners started to peel back a little), yet its still working seemingly with no lasting damage.
So... the advice... its possible for it to get turned on without you intending to (with bad luck, which I must have had), so keep the cables disconnected.
Odd as it sounds to confess being so stupid, I'm sure im not the only one who wouldnt think to disconnect the cell from the light - but from now on, theyre only connected when using it.
OK, so a few weeks ago I got a very nice Flood from jay to run on my helmet...within 2 minutes of my first ride with it I knew I made the right choice. It had been between the CYGOLITE Mity Cross. I had one on hand to test back to back and the pattern and brightness were the same, with the real difference being between the color of the two and the weight. The Amoeba was much smaller. So I ended up with a Helmet mounted Spot as well and moved the flood to the bars....Now I'm REALLY STOKED.
Only issue came when I went to put the velcro onto my new Flux...I also needed to mount my helmet cam (Digital Wide Hero). I really didn't want to have both there, so I dug into the bag of mounts GoPro sends and used a spare to make a mount for my spot. I used the same stuff jay uses for the handlebar mount to affix it to the GoPro Part. Voila...now both light and camera use the same mount. I don't plan on filming any night rides and if I decide to I'll mount the Camera on my chest.
Jay was GREAT to deal with...great communication from the word go, awesome product. Thanks Jay!
Thanks for the reply Scar. I am trying to mount a similar light design using the industrial strength velcro from Home Depot and there is no way it is going to stay in place, I can't figure out the problem. Funny how what I thought was going to be the simplest part of the build is not.
any help would be appreciated.
I have met nothing but amazing people doing this light stuff. The internet makes the world so small anymore. I have made a friend in Brazil that wanted me to build him something special.
Based on Brazilian folklore - The Boitata'
Boi-tatá
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Boi-tatá [boj.ta.'ta] is a monster from Brazilian folklore. Regionally it is called Boitatá, Baitatá, Batatá, Bitatá, Batatão, Biatatá, M'boiguaçu, Mboitatá and Mbaê-Tata. The name comes from the Old Tupi language and means "fiery serpent" (mboî tatá).
It has great fiery eyes, by day almost blind, but by night, it sees everything. According to legend, Boi-tatá was a big serpent which survived a great deluge. To save itself, it entered a cave and rested in the darkness for centuries, so that its eyes grew. After it left the cave, it went through the fields looking for the bodies of animals to eat, but also sometimes attacked people and animals. It's not like a dragon but most like "Anaconda" the giant snake, that in native language is called "boa" or "mboi" or "mboa".
The Boitata'
Matte silver anodized aluminum housing - 3" width x 1 3/8" length x 3/4" height
Outer spots - 2x Cree Q5 WC current regulated at 800ma
Inner floods - 2x SSC P4's current regulated at 800ma
7.4V 4800maH Li-Ion battery for power
Estimated output- ~ 800 lumens
Estimated weight of light head - ~ 85 grams
Thanks for looking, my responses may be erratic as I am attending to a family emergency.
kuksul08 - I was going to say thanks for the info on the connectors and the pics of the connectors but I guess you decided to remove them from your original post.
May be I was just dreaming that you posted something else. Oh well.
kuksul08 - I was going to say thanks for the info on the connectors and the pics of the connectors but I guess you decided to remove them from your original post.
May be I was just dreaming that you posted something else. Oh well.
haha, yeah... I posted them and then it struck me that they looked just as big as your connector and changed my mind. But yeah, switchcraft micro connectors have been working well for me.
And you may be interested in what you and achesalot inspired me to build . The far left one I made for my friend and he loves it The far right one is the first one I built. It's such a simple yet effective design!
We can bomb the world to pieces, but we can't bomb it into peace -Michael Franti
kuksul08 - very nice looking lights. What are the dimensions?
The ones with the four center LEDs are about 1.75" front to back, roughly 2.25" wide and just over 1" tall. I don't have any exact specs because they are all different when I do it by hand. So much work.
We can bomb the world to pieces, but we can't bomb it into peace -Michael Franti
Hey guys...I ordered an Amoeba Flood from SCAR back in May....showed up, LOVED it. Loved it so much I bought a Spot to compliment it. Turns out I don't need THAT much light LOL!
That looks really interesting Jay - I assume the toggle powers all 4 LED at once? Any beamshots available?
Originally Posted by scar
I have met nothing but amazing people doing this light stuff. The internet makes the world so small anymore. I have made a friend in Brazil that wanted me to build him something special.
Based on Brazilian folklore - The Boitata'
Boi-tatá
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Boi-tatá [boj.ta.'ta] is a monster from Brazilian folklore. Regionally it is called Boitatá, Baitatá, Batatá, Bitatá, Batatão, Biatatá, M'boiguaçu, Mboitatá and Mbaê-Tata. The name comes from the Old Tupi language and means "fiery serpent" (mboî tatá).
It has great fiery eyes, by day almost blind, but by night, it sees everything. According to legend, Boi-tatá was a big serpent which survived a great deluge. To save itself, it entered a cave and rested in the darkness for centuries, so that its eyes grew. After it left the cave, it went through the fields looking for the bodies of animals to eat, but also sometimes attacked people and animals. It's not like a dragon but most like "Anaconda" the giant snake, that in native language is called "boa" or "mboi" or "mboa".
The Boitata'
Matte silver anodized aluminum housing - 3" width x 1 3/8" length x 3/4" height
Outer spots - 2x Cree Q5 WC current regulated at 800ma
Inner floods - 2x SSC P4's current regulated at 800ma
7.4V 4800maH Li-Ion battery for power
Estimated output- ~ 800 lumens
Estimated weight of light head - ~ 85 grams
Thanks for looking, my responses may be erratic as I am attending to a family emergency.
No video, the atc3k camera just do not work after sunset, it needs lots of light.
Well, today i´ll take my photo camera, hope it works.
Lumens are addictive.
At the road size does matter? Well, now i know that at night lumens does matter.
No one can imagine that behind that small sun there is only a MTB. Now i have respect (at night).
Hola Bruno!
I am so glad that you got the Boitata' in your hands finally. Sounds like you are enjoying it and that is what it is all about.
I went out for an urban assault last night and it is alway funny when you come up on people walking along the paths. They can see a very bright light approaching and the sound of my knobbies rumbling along the hardpack. They always stop like deer caught in the headlights. Always makes my rides
I have a couple of customers that are riding the Colorado Trail Race using their Amoeba's. It is a 470 mile self supported race on the Colorado Trail from Waterton Canyon Trailhead (Denver) to the Junction Creek Trailhead (Durango) with 60,000 feet of elevation gain. This ride is not for the weekend warrior and not something that you would want to be carrying a huge light head and/or a huge battery pack. I built up special AA battery packs to run the Amoeba from so that they can purchase and stock up on batteries in small towns as they go thru them.
Here is a link to some photos from the start. Interesting to see the different set-ups. Some are packing everything on their backs, some are packing everything on their bikes, some a little of both - https://s949.photobucket.com/albums/...albumview=grid
Course record is currently 5 days, 2 hr and 26 minutes done last year. The guy leading this years race actually finished first last year in 4 days, 8 hours and some but was disqualified for not following a reroute correctly and missing about 8 miles of the course. Needless to say, I think he is going after the record this year.
First night out with the lghts and they were awesome. Bright way beyond my expectation, with an excellent colour and great aid to peripheral vision.
Good Product, good Price, excellent service from Jay.
OK So I've had the Amoeba since Sept 2008. Did a number of MTB night rides on it, but mostly was used for my nearly-daily bike commute to/from work of ~20km (12mi) each way. Since I live up here in the great white north (Calgary Canada) the lights have been through a wide variation of temps (summer, winter), moisture levels (rain, snow, sleet, etc), etc. They also got used for a 24hrs race. Overall they have been excellent and worked as well as I could have hoped for. Getting the 6hr battery was a good move, getting BOTH 3 and 6hr batteries was the best move.
Now just a few weeks back I got another new LED light, sorry not an Amoeba, it's the Magicshine. Admittedly it's less costly, but it's NOT as basic and simple as the Amoeba. I still run my Amoeba as my primary light and keep it as a helmet mount due to its small size and weight. Running 2 lights is definitely the way to go for any serious rider.
Now SCAR has likely changed the design since I bought but here would be my improvement suggestions based on what I have and how it's used:
- smaller guage wire, current guage is so thick it's hard to bend or flex on either battery or on light, and hard to wrap around bike stem/frame.
- add an option for an inline switch for the bar-mount folks
- not sure if there's room, but add a controller for a 50% output (good for climbs, or commuters) and a flash-mode.
- on the 6hr battery with extra long wire, the wire is so thick that the coil doesn't "uncoil" so allow much extension. As a result I cannot put the battery in my back pocket, or even in a backpack.
Bottom line though is that LED's are here, dump the old lead battery incandescents, the halogens, and even the HID's. Can't go wrong with LED's, especially the Amoeba.
- smaller guage wire, current guage is so thick it's hard to bend or flex on either battery or on light, and hard to wrap around bike stem/frame.
- on the 6hr battery with extra long wire, the wire is so thick that the coil doesn't "uncoil" so allow much extension. As a result I cannot put the battery in my back pocket, or even in a backpack.
I don't have an Amoeba, but a tip for those fat cables:
You can put a semi-permanent bend or curve in thick cables like these, or stretch out the coiled portion: dunk them in near-boiling water for 20 seconds, then stretch or bend, and rinse under cold water while holding the stretch/bend. Semi-permanent because if you don't like the results you can dip it in the hot water again and it will return to it's original shape. I've done this to the thick Trailtech type cables as well as to the thin cell phone coiled cables.
If you leave them in a hot car in the sun (or even a crappy car in the sun ;-) they will assume their original shape
Thanks for the advice on how to relax a tight wire coil. Worked like a charm. The key is to use extremely hot water, let the heat get into the plastic and metal for a few minutes, stretch it out as much as necessary, and then hold that stretch until the cable/wire/plastic are cool. Simple but effective. I guess that means my "complaint" list is not only shrinking but changing form to a "suggestion list".
2x XR-E WC spots in the center, 2x SSC P4 U2SWOH on the outsides
Independently controlled
Being driven at 800ma with 2 drivers
3.00" L x 1.38"W x .75" H
Let me start off by saying, it is winter here in Colorado, so no beam shots with tropical plants and grass in the background. Got out on trail this morning before work at 5 am, 24 degrees with 4-6 inches of powder. I keep reading in this forum about guys putting their bikes away until riding season. Around these parts, riding season is all year round1
So yeah, beam shots in the snow are not preferred, but it is what it is. Beam shots pretty much look all the same.
That's my light! I've been meaning to take some beam shots with of the flood vs. spot vs. combined but the trails are all snow covered still. I'll try and post up some snow versions at least.
To echo others in this thread, Scar is awesome to work with, and his lights really do rock! He built me that custom light to my specs using a battery I already had. He even dipped my battery and attached a TrailTech connector for me.
I can run both the lights at the same time, or I can run either the floods or the spots independently. On the climbs, I usually run just the floods, and then I will light up the spots on the descents. Running a 4,000mah battery, I have at least 2.5 hours of power with all four lights on (my longest ride). I'm guessing the max burn time to be 4+ hours if I use just the floods until the downhill (75% flood, 25% both).
Since having the lights, I've done about 5 XC rides and two technical rides (BTW, I also have a 2x flood Ameoba on my helmet). I've ridden some "moderate" freeride lines and there is plenty of light for that type of terrain. The only thing that's weird are drops where you can't really spot your landing in the dark. I really like having the spot/flood combo on the bars since you can really see in front of you at speed. The flood helmet is also excellent--I wouldn't want it any more focused than the flood for low speed technical, but it also seems good at high speed.
Thought I would post up some pics of another Kombi build. This one was a patchwork of the 3 different material finish options - matte silver, dark bronze, and bright silver.
Kombi light
1x Cree R2 WC spot
1x SSC P4 U2SWOH flood
single mode - on/off
driven at 800 ma
size of housing - 1 1/2" x 1.38" x 3/4"
total weight of completed housing - 44.5 grams
Obviously a trail less travelled, at least since the previous snowfall.
Who needs loads of lumens? Highly reflective snow is nearly blinding. But melt it on black pavement and it bounces your light ahead to infinity (and beyond?). H20 is weird stuff.
That special scrunch of some snows under the tires is a joyful sound.
yeah!! those are my lights that Scar made me they are sweet as hell! The first one I already have and the second one I am waiting for them to arrive. Great job Scar! awesome work!
Let me start off by saying, it is winter here in Colorado, so no beam shots with tropical plants and grass in the background. Got out on trail this morning before work at 5 am, 24 degrees with 4-6 inches of powder. I keep reading in this forum about guys putting their bikes away until riding season. Around these parts, riding season is all year round1
So yeah, beam shots in the snow are not preferred, but it is what it is. Beam shots pretty much look all the same.
Originally posted by chelboed
What camera settings are these? Impressive light for sure...and the stark white snow really enhances it...but it almost looks a tad over-exposed.
A couple of P4's and XP-G's appear somewhat like 3x P7s
Not sure of the exact settings, just using a point and shoot. Probably are overexposed a bit. As I said in the original post "beam shots in the snow are not preferred, but it is what it is. Beam shots pretty much look all the same."
No XP-G's for me, seem like a waste of time trying to get something to work. I use the "tried and true" throwers, XR-E's
Here is a night time beam shot of a 6 LED light setup that Scar made me and all I used was a cellphone to take this shot. Trust me he makes the best lights at the right price. You will not be disappointed.
Scar, Nice idea to make a three-up. I think these will sell well as there are always people who want a little more. Beam shots please when possible and a photo of the light mounted on a helmet would be nice.
Is the battery set-up on these any different than the two up? Run time differences? Any modes?
Finally getting a chance to post up some beam shots (without snow!) Just a little background, working full time as the only “bread winner” for our family and having small children, 95% of my riding (all off road mtn biking) takes place in the dark. I have a buddy who is the same situation so we meet up at the trailhead at 5am 3-4 days a week for our therapy sessions no matter what the conditions – dry, rain, snow. We have some others that join us for these therapy sessions with total number of riders ranging from us two to ten was the max. In the winter time it is usually just me and my friend and as the weather get nicer the number of attendees starts growing. No better way to start off the work day than with a mtn bike ride with your buddies!! It is amazing how “chill” the drive from the trail head back into work can be after a ride. You see people zigging and zagging, cutting in front of you trying to get one car ahead of you, beginning their day all stressed out. I just smile and think about how great my day is going to be. We call ourselves the FIFO group, first in, first out. I have been averaging well over 1000 miles a year for awhile doing these rides so my lights get banged on quite hard.
I got out to the trailhead at 4am yesterday so that I would have a few minutes to take some beam shots. I had to get my bike all ready (check tire pressures), get my shoes on, clothes situated, Camelbak packed (water, wallet, and phone) before I even started taking pictures. If I don’t do this, then when people start showing up around 4:30 and we start shooting the breeze and I usually end up forgetting something like water, gloves or something. I took several shots of my personal 2 Cree XR-E WC Amoeba spot set-up and the 3 Cree XR-E WC Amoeba spot set-up that I just built up for someone. These shots were taken with a Canon SD point and shoot camera. Settings were 4 seconds at F3.2 and ISO at 80. Looks like I had the camera set to Auto White Balance. This particular camera is new to me and I haven’t had time to really mess with the manual settings. I will try to get more beam shots with the MTBR standards of Aperture - f/4, Shutter speed - 6sec, ISO – 100, WB – daylight once I figure out this new camera.
2x Cree XR-E WC Amoeba helmet mounted
Beamshot
3X Cree XR-E WC Amoeba helmet mounted
Beamshot
Here are a few shots from a ride just a couple of weeks ago
I've been studying and searching to buy or to build a definitely helmet light and I'm wondering if you could work on something like 1 XPG - 1 P7 - 1 XPG.
I already read that you don't like the XPG, but.. doesn't kill to ask.
Been loving the warm summer nights here lately. Been having to take short breaks away from building lights and cruise the chopper around the neighborhood to help cool down.
Originally posted by odtexas Very cool, but the glare off the tire would make me crazy.
Yeah, the location of the lighting for that night was not the best. Must of had a few too many Fat Tires at that point Had one light mounted on one side of the down tube and another on the other side.
Originally posted by eliflap
finally tomorrow we have planned a 5-10 bikers ride...
Very cool. Be sure to let me know how the light works on the ride
Finally got a chance to take a break and build up an Amoeba XP-G R5 version with Ledil Regina reflectors for myself. Nice little unit. Haven't gotten a real good chance to ride with it yet. Will try to get out this weekend and do some beam shots.
Here is a picture from this mornings 5am "before work" ride. Haven't had to use lights on our 5am rides for about a month. The days are just now starting to get shorter
Thought I would post up my trunk lights up again since there are so many new people in this forum and I took a couple of pics of them this morning. Built these up around May 2008 and they are still pumping out the lumens. Got three of these units (3 Cree XR-E's in each) mounted in the trunk area. Really nice to be able to get the bike out and get it set-up without having to use your helmet light. Whenever I have someone meeting me for a light demo I just tell them to look for the trunk lights, don't need to say anything else
2x Cree XP-G's driven at 800ma with Ledil Regina reflectors
***
Scar,
have to say - your lights are really impressive.
Since the Regina has 19mm OD (approx 3/4"), I assume you take off some material on all 4 edges of the Regina to make it fit inside the 3/4" tubing.
Is this trouble-free?
I'm debating whether to do something similar myself or not...
langen - Thanks for the good words, means a lot to me. Yeah, almost every component I use in the Amoeba has to be modified to fit the 3/4" tubing. Quite labor intensive. Yes, I have modified the diameter of all of the reflectors that I have used since creating the Amoeba back in November of 2007 and have not had any problems.
So I have 2.5 years on my P4s and 2 years on my Q5s. Everything has been working perfectly. Chargers still working (one of them I have not taken out of the box yet), Batteries still last over 2.5 hours, and the light is still quality.
Lots of wet weather riding on the stuff as well - it has all remained water tight.
Still a top quality product that lasts and is competitive.
006_007 - Great to hear from you! You are the one that started this thread back in 4/2008, how cool is that! Glad that you are still rocking the darkness with your Amoeba's. I love hearing this kind of stuff, makes me want to go out in the garage and get some chips flying.
Got myself a GoPRo a couple of weeks ago. Been trying to get some video of our 5am before work morning rides. Here is one of my first tries. The video is of the last part of the Chimney Gulch trail on Lookout Mountain in Golden, CO. The video is from the middle section of the trail. No better way to start your day than with a straight shot of adrenaline.
After a scary 2,5 miles pedal and praying on the tech trail in the dark on my Wednesday night ride this week after loosing track of time, I think it's time to get some decent illumination for the after work rides.
Looks like you're providing a kick ass value w/ lots of satisfied customers. Not sure exactly how much light I need, I'll shoot you a PM w/ my questions.
After a scary 2,5 miles pedal and praying on the tech trail in the dark on my Wednesday night ride this week after loosing track of time, I think it's time to get some decent illumination for the after work rides.
Looks like you're providing a kick ass value w/ lots of satisfied customers. Not sure exactly how much light I need, I'll shoot you a PM w/ my questions.
You won't be sorry ,Jay will fix you up with what you need.
Ordered 2 2xXP-G dealies last week. Can't wait to get out on some night rides, after work biking is pretty much a non-starter at this point. Stupid winter... Can we just go ahead and make it daylight savings time all year round?
Due to the overwhelming interest for my Amoeba light as of late, my lead times are currently 2-3 weeks! YIKES, I know, that is crazy! I have a full time job and a family and only build lights on the weekends so my capacity has it limits.
I would like to say sorry to all of those MagicShine owners contacting me trying to get a light right away, I feel for you. If you can wait, I can guarantee that the wait will be worth it.
Due to the overwhelming interest for my Amoeba light as of late, my lead times are currently 2-3 weeks! YIKES, I know, that is crazy! I have a full time job and a family and only build lights on the weekends so my capacity has it limits.
I would like to say sorry to all of those MagicShine owners contacting me trying to get a light right away, I feel for you. If you can wait, I can guarantee that the wait will be worth it.
***
Golly glad its going well! when can you start taking advantage of child labor?
I like the video because it's MUCH more realistic than the beamshots. The beamshots make it seem like the whole path is lit, the video shows how it really is riding with lights. BTW, fantastic beam SCAR. I like 'em.
Just received my dual Amoeba setup. Looks pretty awesome so far, thanks Scar
Checking them out in the office and the reflection from one the light heads off a white piece of paper was enough to leave a spot in my eyes for 20 seconds or so.
Debating if I want to try to check them out on the trails after work, forecast has rain starting sometime later tonight and I think I've got the beginning phases of bronchitis creeping up on me.
Tested mine out the past couple of nights. Once you get it aimed right, it's AWESOME!
I have a lot of drop to my bars so I had to rig up a mount that would aim the beam a little further out. The Velcro would have worked fine if I had a more upright position on the bike. Once properly aimed the light shoots a solid beam way down the trail with the prefect amount of flooding off to the sides. I'm running it solo on my helmet and it's more than enough light to handle tight single-track at full speed (mostly sub 15mph).
I ran this setup next to my friend's Light and Motion ARC and the Amoeba XP-G blew it away. The sad part is that he just spent $180 on a new battery. For $50 more he could have had a Amoeba (and probably sold off the ARC for more than $50.) Our other friend just spent $400+ on a Light & Motion Seca 700 and while it's a nice light, I bet my Amoeba gives it a run for it's money and can't wait to see him.
This little thing exceeded all of my expectations. Thanks Jay!
Need some cool clothing, Merino Wool, or a tour of Pisgah? Check out www.PisgahWorks.com Pisgah Works, more than just shirts!
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FYI Jay is super cool to deal with, professional, and has provided tonnes of extra information. And this isn't even his regular job!
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Originally Posted by 006_007
Amoeba's rule!
. The far left one I made for my friend and he loves it 
