# Lighting -- Cateye doubleshot?



## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

All the searching I could do on this sucker really only got MTB reviews, and those mostly said it was okay, but not great, for nighttime trail riding.

Anyone use one on the road? I needs some decent lighting, and my old 10W halogen's battery lasts like 20 min now. I like the idea of a long runtime and reasonable affordability compared to the HID systems.

But, I need it to work well on cloudy nights with no streetlights. They also have the Tripleshot, bigger, less battery life, more $$$, but another light.

Other ideas welcome, but it needs to be Cateye, Cygolight, or Topeak.


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## lemonlime (Sep 24, 2003)

How much do you have to spend?

I think if you're going to need the lighting to see, rather than to be seen, your best option is to go with an HID setup. Pretty pricey, but they put out an awesome spread of light and will light up the road ahead of you.


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## Guest (Oct 20, 2007)

I use the triple shot as my commuter light, it has more spread and power than the double shot which is more of a kind of narrow beam of light for mounting on your helmet...or at least that is the way Cateye try and sell it; as a combo.

The triple shot has plenty of power to see and be seen on the road, it is maybe inadaquate for MTB use IMHO and is probably an overpriced light for the money.

LED is still maturing and I would suggest a NiteRider MiNewt.X2 for road use as a good value for money light...and they are lightweight.

HID is overkill for road use IMHO...and I think they can screw up HR monitors.

Good halogens may be worth a look also, lots of light and some come with rechargeable battery packs.


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## dewaday (Jul 26, 2006)

I just got one of these:
Fenix L2D

Mounted with this:
TwoFish mount

Pretty amazing, simple set-up. Lasts about 2+ hours on brightest setting, and is perfectly adequate for road riding. I'm going to add a second same light for pitch black trail riding, one focused closer and one for distance. If you don't need longer run times, I'd consider it.


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## roadfix (Jun 20, 2006)

With the current advancement in LED tech I would not even consider buying a HID.
I currently use Cygolite Dualcross 300's and am pretty happy them. My next light purchase will be another LED, no doubt.


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## wasfast (Feb 3, 2004)

I just went through this decision process a couple weeks ago. I bought a 5 LED economy light from Performance last year. It will allow you to be "seen" but not to "see". I'm commuting in the early morning and also like to have the freedom to train after dark this time of year. 

I considered spending $200 for a LED unit and picked the NiteRider MiNewt.X2. Not bad but at around 300 lumens, not spectacular.
I certainly didn't want to spend $500 plus for an HID.

I read all the homebrew ideas and did this one:

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=245737

Used the Harbor Freight light, got 20W spot bulbs at Lowes and bought this battery pack and charger:

http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2462
I didn't order their waterproof switch (about $5.00) but should have. I've just been plugging/unplugging the light from the battery.

Here's a great, simple chart that gives you a comparison of the actual lumen output of the various choices:

http://nordicgroup.us/s78/wattslumens.html

The homebrew solution total was around $110. A great value I think.


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## schwinnrider32 (Aug 22, 2004)

Argentius said:


> All the searching I could do on this sucker really only got MTB reviews, and those mostly said it was okay, but not great, for nighttime trail riding.
> 
> Anyone use one on the road? I needs some decent lighting, and my old 10W halogen's battery lasts like 20 min now. I like the idea of a long runtime and reasonable affordability compared to the HID systems.
> 
> ...


Why only those three brands? There are plenty of good options. DiNotte is my recommendation, but there's Niterider, Light & Motion, Ay-Ups, and a whole bunch more LED manufacturers. I like DiNotte because their lights(both the 200L and 600L) are compact. Cateye's lights are HUGE in comparison.


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## California L33 (Jan 20, 2006)

Argentius said:


> Other ideas welcome, but it needs to be Cateye, Cygolight, or Topeak.


Ignoring your needs for a moment-

There are a lot of light reviews on the Mountain Bike Review forum, and beam shots of a pair of Dinotte 200Ls vs. the Cygolite Dualcross got me to choose the former. I use one pointed low, one higher, and find them quite suitable for speeds up to around 20MPH (if you know the road and there are no sharp turns). The pair produce more usable light than my old 30 watt halogen system.


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

Ha, never fails that when you ask for advice between A,B, or C, people give ya D and E, right?  Those are the brands that I have to choose from. Ya know, sponsors, and stuff.

Anyway, I do need to see, not just be seen. On-road only, but my typical trek includes an unlit MUT. I liked the battery life, charge time, looks, and simplicity of the Double / Triple shot, but wasn't sure how the light level worked out. The MTBR test hasn't got the 'shots in the side-by-side comparo with the other lights, so it is hard to see how they stack up.


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## California L33 (Jan 20, 2006)

Argentius said:


> Ha, never fails that when you ask for advice between A,B, or C, people give ya D and E, right?  Those are the brands that I have to choose from. Ya know, sponsors, and stuff.


 That's the way of the world. Most people have limitations in terms of money, not brands, so it seemed like a strange request. If you've got a sponsor paying get the Triple Shot Pro. I doubt even it will be good for a screaming descent, but it should be more than enough for an unlighted MUT- just try not to blind the oncoming users which is pretty easy when it's really dark- hand in front or pivot away when they get close.

You really want as much light as you can get (until it gets so bright that your pupils contract and it ruins your peripheral vision, but that won't be a problem until you start getting into multiple HID systems). More light lets you see obstacles earlier and more clearly.


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## cydswipe (Mar 7, 2002)

I have 2 of the Cateye hl-el530's they work pretty good for a battery opperated led system. If you are set on Cateye, check the pro series of the shot line. If you have Topeak as a sponsor check out the Moonshine line. These are kinda spendy, but nice. I've seen a lot of the systems in dark conditions. HID are the best. The batteries/charging is sort of a hang-up. Some are fast, others take all day. Some are heavier than you might like. Most of the newer systems have smart charge now that won't screw up the battery. A neat evaluation of light systems, from one company mind you, is on planet bike's site. They have a path that shows different illumination from their systems. biased, maybe, real world testing, yes. http://www.planetbike.com/page/ click the elf.


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## TWD (Feb 9, 2004)

Argentius said:


> Ha, never fails that when you ask for advice between A,B, or C, people give ya D and E, right?  Those are the brands that I have to choose from. Ya know, sponsors, and stuff.
> 
> Anyway, I do need to see, not just be seen. On-road only, but my typical trek includes an unlit MUT. I liked the battery life, charge time, looks, and simplicity of the Double / Triple shot, but wasn't sure how the light level worked out. The MTBR test hasn't got the 'shots in the side-by-side comparo with the other lights, so it is hard to see how they stack up.


The Cateye LED lights are decent. I've had some time on the double shot, triple shot, and the pro versions of both. I wouldn't recommend the Double shot as a stand alone light for mounting on the handlebar. The beam is a really narrow spot, which makes it one of the better helmet lights, but it doesn't provide the width of coverage you need up close.

The triple shot would be a better option for the handlebar. 

For some comparison shots on the bearm patters and reviews of the lights, check out the links below.

http://www.gearreview.com/2007_led_lights.php

http://www.gearreview.com/2006_led_lights.php

I think the Cataye lights aren't the best bang for the buck out there in LED lights, nor would they be my first choice (I think DiNotte has them beat on both counts) but they are decent lights, and the triple shot would be fine for the type of riding you are talking about. 

LED light technology is advancing at an exponential rate right now, and there are a number of offerings on the market that are on par with HID for light output. I think the days of HID being the be all and end all of high end lights is pretty much at its end.


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## Val_Garou (Apr 30, 2002)

As Cygolite is an option, I have to give the DualCross 300 an enthusiastic thumbs up. Both my buddy and I have one. After riding some double centuries last year, two guys we usually hooked up with opted out of lugging their light systems to run simple to-be-seen rigs and simply counted on riding within the throw of our lights. It worked out too, cheap bastards. Burn time is ridiculous, too.


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

Thanks for that link, good info there.

I'm agreeing with you on LED's, they seem to be the way to go for me. I like the long runtimes, short chargetimes, fast on/off, sturdy bulbs, etc., and since I'm not doing hardcore trailriding at night, I probably don't need the worldkilling power of some of the HID's. Wow, though.

The DiNotte lights look really cool! Very slick design. But, their marginal cost for me is just too much.

Cateye's websites seem to suggest the "pro" model of both are a little brighter, and a lot lighter. Is it the battery that's lighter? They seem like they might be the way to go, since li-ion batteries are a lot tougher than NiMH's, at least in other applications.

Thanks again.


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