I've not stressed too much about a decent front light in the past, partly because there was always someone in my cycling group who had one and partly because my bike was worthless.
The brief: get a kickass front light which would allow me to race at night time without breaking the bank.
The research: there are plenty of sites out there with comparisons showing the varying degrees of brightness of bike lights. I particularly like Wiggle's (no, I'm not putting in the link otherwise you'll clear off to the Wiggle site and not come back). The problem is that all the top lights in the comparisons (Exposure, Hope etc) come with hefty GBP200+ price tags. Converted to SA zots, that's a lot. So putting the research sites aside I started with local online store CWCycles and lo and behold they had two lights for under a grand (that's GBP85) on their front page. There was no brand name, just a reference number for one of them: SG B-1000. A little more research lead me to discover this was Sprocket Gear. Further digging and a several reviews on Amazon later... it became clear that this is simple Chinese fare which is dished up under different names in different countries. Price comparisons revealed that you can pick up the one light I was interested in for as little as US$65 (that's about R500 - so don't think we don't know what you're up to CWC). Being extremely tight fisted I was going to order the US$65 version and have my wife pick it up from the States late April. That was until I rode smack bang through the middle of a pothole last week...
The outcome: Saturday I ordered the SG N-1000 online and today - Tuesday - its here and unpacked. What's the difference between the SG N-1000 and the SG B-1000 - well the picture of the N-1000 on the CWC site looked closer to the B-1000 reviewed on the Amazon site and I wanted to think I was getting the light that someone else had reviewed. Confused? Me too, let's move on.
When I picked up the delivery box I had a fright: it weighed a ton. As I walked to the house I pondered how such a small looking light could weigh so much. Then I remembered: I'd ordered 950ml of Stan's tire sealant! Anyways, chapeau CWC, yet another order dispatched quickly and delivered in one piece.
And so I opened the box. No doubt it's Chinese. There's nothing on the box or the kit itself that says "Made in China", but there are other tell tale signs. You can tell because there are not 65 pages of instructions in 14 different languages congratulating you on your purchase, or telling you that swallowing it is dangerous or that this light should not be shone in a baby's eyes from 5cm.
The least tell tale sign though is the build-quality. First up it looks pretty good. The light looks proper with a solid metal case, beautifully polished glass and machine bolts that you can actually undo with an allen key (no cheap plastic clip together facia here). The battery pack is covered in a removable non slip rubber which fits snuggly and looks like it will resist the elements. Huh - pleasant surprises.
There were more surprises too. Notably two wonderful head straps / bands / contraptions. They're pictured here.
The first I'm calling the Mary Poppins strap - it is a very simple lamp mount which attaches under the chin rather like those old hats at the turn of the 20th century. For the life of me I can't think what it's for or how it stays on, but on the plus side, at least the light faces forward.
The second strap / contraption I'm calling the Doctor as the light position reminds me of cartoon pictures of doctors from the 50's with white coats, stethoscopes and big examination lights on their forehead. It's a fully adjustable strap and comfortable fitted my noggin. However, when mounted the light faces... down into your chest. This may or may not be what they intended. Who knows? I may have got it completely wrong and this is a crotch strap - but even then it only lights up your chest again (or your back if you swing it round).
Weight wise - it's 347grams with the battery pack. That's not a problem, I consulted the local weight weenie guru - (Arno D that's you) - and he told me that to keep my bike at its same current weight I'll just have to remove the pedals. He then reminded me that my pedals are very heavy and that his weigh under 200g.
Brightness? Can't tell yet - it's not charged (there were no instructions remember). I'm not expecting it to compete with the Exposure's of this world, but I am hoping it will prove a good value alternative to the MagicLights that much of the peloton ride here on the highveld.
Tune in later this week for some real feedback.
Would make a good waterproof reading light.
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