# Any NEW news on MS??



## lamb (Sep 18, 2008)

Just curious if anyone knows anything new about the recall? Seems pretty quite about it around here recently. I havent been riding due to the frigid temps anyway. I assume everyone is just waiting on the next steps from geoman.


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## MOMtbiker (Jun 20, 2009)

Same here... its been too cold and icy to ride. I still will use my batterys as always, but am just real careful when storing and especially charging.

Just going by what Geoman has said... he is still working on a solution and also I read on another forum that he has some stuff in hand and is testing, etc. But I did NOT hear it first hand from Geoman so take it for what its worth.


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## Tzvia (Sep 7, 2008)

I couldn't wait, gotta ride to work in the dark and love my MS fr/r lights so did the all-batt battery. Took only a few minutes to solder/waterproof the connectors on (ordered a few Y cables from GEOMAN) and got it all working. Maybe 50bucks tops. Worth it to me to keep riding, and I have extra connectors for future replacement batteries. 

At this point, one of my MS batteries is dead- charger comes on green right away. It's the one in the metal can that came with the front light. My older style one works, but lasts only about 2/3 of what it did just a few months ago. I had been rotating them every month, but now just keep them in a metal can. I hope that All-Batt battery lasts longer.


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## rideit (Jan 22, 2004)

News?
Here is some BAD news...

Update: bad news.
The light heads are awesome, the problems seem to all be in the chargers/batteries

http://www.ul.com/global/eng/pages/c...0325125400.xml

UL warns of a bicycle light with unauthorized UL power supply

Northbrook, Ill., - March 25, 2010 - Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is notifying retailers and consumers that the power supply provided with the bicycle lighting system identified below, bears an unauthorized UL Mark for the United States and Canada. This power supply has not been evaluated by UL to the appropriate standard for safety for the United States or Canada and is not authorized to bear the UL Mark. It is unknown if this power supply complies with United States or Canadian safety requirements.

Name of Product: Power Supply, Model GFP302-0512

Number of Units: Unknown

Manufacturer: Unknown

Date of Manufacture: Unknown

Identification: On the product:

LI-ION CHARGER

MODEL: GFP302-0512

INPUT: 100-240V 50/60Hz

OUTPUT: DC 8.5V/1800mA


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## Fishlips (Jun 15, 2007)

Tzvia said:


> I couldn't wait, gotta ride to work in the dark and love my MS fr/r lights so did the all-batt battery. Took only a few minutes to solder/waterproof the connectors on (ordered a few Y cables from GEOMAN) and got it all working. Maybe 50bucks tops. Worth it to me to keep riding, and I have extra connectors for future replacement batteries.
> 
> At this point, one of my MS batteries is dead- charger comes on green right away. It's the one in the metal can that came with the front light. My older style one works, but lasts only about 2/3 of what it did just a few months ago. I had been rotating them every month, but now just keep them in a metal can. I hope that All-Batt battery lasts longer.


Are you just using your MS charger with the All-Batt battery?


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## BlownCivic (Sep 12, 2006)

And if you look beyond the actual warning, you'll discover that the charger that was shipped with your MagicShine lightset from GeomanGear probably is nothing like the one in that warning:


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## random walk (Jan 12, 2010)

Although you have to love the irony of "CAUTION: INDOOR USE ONLY."


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## [email protected] (Mar 28, 2007)

Your pictures don't look like the pictures GeoManGear has on it's web site for the charger. Those pictures look an awful lot like the ones on the UL bogus listing warning page (which can be found here).

I also don't see a UL file number on the picture of your charger. I'm pretty sure most UL listed stuff has a file number someplace on it, so you can look it up on their web site. I could be wrong, your charger may be legit. But if I were you, I'd do some research before plugging it again.

So the batteries sometimes catch fire, and depending where (and perhaps when) you bought your MagicShine, it's charger might not meet standard safety practices. Oh yeah, those lights were a real bargain  .

I think I'll keep building my own,

Mark


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## BlownCivic (Sep 12, 2006)

How does this (from your link):










Look anything like this (my picture from above)?










I will admit that GeomanGear does show a pic of what appears to be that UL warning charger on his website in the listing for the charger on it's own, but the listings for the lightsets themselves show something similar to what I have above (and what came with the MJ-808 lightset that I bought from them in the fall of 2009).


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## gmcttr (Oct 7, 2006)

[email protected] said:


> ...I also don't see a UL file number on the picture of your charger. I'm pretty sure most UL listed stuff has a file number someplace on it, so you can look it up on their web site....


My chargers are the same as BlownCivic's and my understanding is also that there should be a UL file number if the UL seal was legit.

There was a thread WAY back that discussed it. I have always assumed that these are not legitimately UL approved and simply have not been caught yet.


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## testtech (Jan 2, 2005)

New link for UL.

http://www.ul.com/global/eng/pages/...le-light-with-unauthorized_20100325125400.xml

This light is sold by Deal Extreme, according to the UL notice, which provides a link to deal extreme.


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## bmateo (Jan 13, 2004)

BlownCivic said:


> How does this (from your link):
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I have the same charger (geoman, not the deal extream one mentioned in UL listing), and came here to see about any updates too. As for now, I'm just being more careful with my charging, and will ride them if the weather ever cooperates, but looking forward to a more permenant and safe solution.

Specifically, is there any news about replacements?


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## Sebastian78 (Aug 25, 2010)

I'm a bit concerned with placing the MS battery inside my jacket. How concerned should I be compared to other more expensive systems? 

Hey, if you strap it to your carbon bike frame (or aluminum for that matter) and it goes off, it would certainly destroy it. It would definitely destroy my skin at least!

Would a li-po back be beneficial while carrying it inside your jacket?


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

Sebastian78 said:


> I'm a bit concerned with placing the MS battery inside my jacket. How concerned should I be compared to other more expensive systems?
> 
> Hey, if you strap it to your carbon bike frame (or aluminum for that matter) and it goes off, it would certainly destroy it. It would definitely destroy my skin at least!
> 
> Would a li-po back be beneficial while carrying it inside your jacket?


_Dude_.....ut:



testtech said:


> New link for UL.
> 
> http://www.ul.com/global/eng/pages/...le-light-with-unauthorized_20100325125400.xml
> 
> This light is sold by Deal Extreme, according to the UL notice, which provides a link to deal extreme.


Interestingly, the UL statement states that they have not evaluated the power supply...



> ....This power supply has not been evaluated by UL to the appropriate standard for safety for the United States or Canada and is not authorized to bear the UL Mark. *It is unknown if this power supply complies with United States or Canadian safety requirements...*


First, if they haven't evaluated it they can't say if it's safe or not. UL isn't going to do that because to do so would be to give a free evaluation. I'm sure people have to pay to get the UL seal of approval.
Secondly, UL is only commenting on the_ power supply_ to the charger, not the entire charger. The power supply supplies power to the charging circuits which do the actual charging. Most people here are only concerned how well the actual charging circuits are working. For us, that is the main issue. As long as the power supply isn't going up in flames we're good. The power supply might actually meet UL standards but they're not going to give their blessing on it without someone greasing their palms. Shame on MS for stealing that UL logo....:nono: .....Shame, shame, shame....


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## Homebrew (Jan 2, 2004)

Cat-man-do said:


> Secondly, UL is only commenting on the_ power supply_ to the charger, not the entire charger.


The power supply is inside the charger, all-in-one. It's a box with AC plug and a cord to the battery. What you see in the pics is it. So "power supply" == "charger".


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

Homebrew said:


> The power supply is inside the charger, all-in-one. It's a box with AC plug and a cord to the battery. What you see in the pics is it. So "power supply" == "charger".


Yes, the power supply and charger are in the same box but in the electronic world they are considered separate circuits that perform a separate function. The power supply converts the AC to DC. The Charging circuits need DC so it can modulate the input current and voltage to the batteries. In the business world words are chosen very carefully. Your 52'" TV has a power supply housed in the same box as the TV. It doesn't mean UL is rating the entire circuitry of the TV, only the power supply.

However in this case you could be making a good point. If the power supply was bad it could affect the charging circuits because they are housed so close together. Perhaps my previous comments are moot.


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## Baja Designs (Aug 3, 2010)

Wow! Sebastion78, that's some scary thoughts my friend!

We are one of the "more expensive" light manufacturers and I can honestly say that I have never worried about putting one of our batteries in my jersey pocket or Camelback - let alone thought about a battery blowing up my bike's frame...scary thoughts. I think that may take some of the fun out of night riding...(you should not need a LiPo bag for your battery, it's sad that you have to think that way)

E-mail me at [email protected] and we'll see what we can do to get you into a light system that you can place on your body without fear.


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## Rakuman (Oct 30, 2004)

BajaDesignsShannon said:


> Wow! Sebastion78, that's some scary thoughts my friend!
> 
> We are one of the "more expensive" light manufacturers and I can honestly say that I have never worried about putting one of our batteries in my jersey pocket or Camelback - let alone thought about a battery blowing up my bike's frame...scary thoughts. I think that may take some of the fun out of night riding...(you should not need a LiPo bag for your battery, it's sad that you have to think that way)
> 
> E-mail me at [email protected] and we'll see what we can do to get you into a light system that you can place on your body without fear.


Not showing a lot of class when you have to resort to bashing a competitor to sell your product if you have so much faith in your product why not take the high road. I wont vote for a politician that instead of telling us the whats good about themselves. they have to tell you whats wrong with the other guy. same goes with business. I own a business that is very competitive and the last thing iI would do is talk someone else down I let my work stand on its own.
Just my opinion but it seems your being pretty petty


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## TCW (Mar 13, 2006)

Or you can look at it this way. The MS lights got people hooked on nightriding and now, with the deal, will be upgrading to a higher quality light. Basically, the MS lights facilitated the addiction. Btw, my MS are still working fine after a year but I may snag a Strykr because of the trade in.


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## [email protected] (Mar 28, 2007)

Cat-man-do,

You may have passed UL compliant certification of a product more recently than me (it's been a while), but the only time they used to consider a power supply separate was if it was a wall transformer (or whatever you want to call the plastic brick that plugs into the wall) that plugged into your electrical device. The MagicShine charger is a wholly contained unit, so they probably mistakenly called it a power supply. It was never inspected by them. It seems unreasonable for them to open it up to see what it really is, that costs them time. They were simply warning consumers, via their web page, that "we never looked at this, you are being lied to by whoever put our label on this box".

They pretty much look at everything inside a box that plugs into 120 VAC (in the US). If even the smallest part of it looks dodgy, they flunk your design. It can take months to pass a UL design inspection (for complex things like TVs) and it is not cheap.

Now I'm not a UL inspector or a safety engineer, but the insides of the 2 MagicShine chargers (or power supplies) I looked at would not have passed UL specs as I remember them. They both had substandard printed circuit board material. UL likes to see FR4 printed circuit boards of a certain thickness (they don't burn very easily). The ones I saw were pretty thin, and had pretty crappy through hole soldering that had been done by hand. None of this is the sign of a quality piece of electronics.

The units I opened up did not have a false UL label on them, but looked from the outside, an awfully lot like the ones with the bogus markings (on the UL web site). I'm not about to buy another charger for a light I tossed 9 months ago, but if you'd like my impression of the one you have (from China or GeoMan), I'll gladly open it up and give an opinion. Send me a PM if interested.

All I'm trying to say is if a company lies to you (I am referring to the Chinese company that makes the MagicShine) and comes out with a "UL listed" charger that does not meet UL specs for what the listing markings look like, it seems reasonable to think you might have been lied to again.

Mark


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## GR1822 (Jun 23, 2009)

Rakuman said:


> Not showing a lot of class when you have to resort to bashing a competitor to sell your product if you have so much faith in your product why not take the high road. I wont vote for a politician that instead of telling us the whats good about themselves. they have to tell you whats wrong with the other guy. same goes with business. I own a business that is very competitive and the last thing iI would do is talk someone else down I let my work stand on its own.
> Just my opinion but it seems your being pretty petty


True. Pretty poor form Baja-designs. Shame on you:nono:


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## TraxFactory (Sep 10, 1999)

TCW said:


> Or you can look at it this way. The MS lights got people hooked on nightriding and now, with the deal, will be upgrading to a higher quality light. Basically, the MS lights facilitated the addiction. Btw, my MS are still working fine after a year but I may snag a Strykr because of the trade in.


I think people were hooked on night riding MTB some 20 years ago when Night Sun and Nite Rider where to the big players...I think MS at that low cost allowed people to upgrade into a high output light and that in itself became addicting. Now, they could never go back even if it cost more....


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## sankaman (Apr 19, 2009)

Rakuman said:


> I wont vote for a politician that instead of telling us the whats good about themselves. they have to tell you whats wrong with the other guy.


So I take it you have never voted then.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

[email protected] said:


> Cat-man-do,
> 
> You may have passed UL compliant certification of a product more recently than me (it's been a while), but the only time they used to consider a power supply separate was if it was a wall transformer (or whatever you want to call the plastic brick that plugs into the wall) that plugged into your electrical device. The MagicShine charger is a wholly contained unit, so they probably mistakenly called it a power supply. It was never inspected by them. It seems unreasonable for them to open it up to see what it really is, that costs them time. They were simply warning consumers, via their web page, that "we never looked at this, you are being lied to by whoever put our label on this box".
> 
> ...


I have absolutely no idea how or what UL does when they certify a product. I only know that a lot of stuff with the UL stamp is crap ( as a whole that is ) and that other stuff with no UL mark works perfectly well ( although it may be crap as well ). I have no problem with what you're saying. I agree totally. I just wonder how many other products are out there floating around with bogus UL markings. Something tells me this is not unusual. The Chinese make lots of different kinds of chargers. Some have UL markings and some don't. As a consumer, how are we suppose to know the bogus from the real? My Dinotte charger is made in Taiwan and is UL marked. I have a Powerizer AA battery charger made in China that is UL marked. My main concern is that the stuff I buy works the way I expect it to work whether it has a UL label or not. As long as it's not going up in smoke and does what it's suppose to, I'm good. Heck, most electronics are imported anyway, who really knows what quality standards they actually adhere to? :skep: Must be hard to enforce strict US standards on stuff made outside of the country, UL listed or not. Basically I think the Chinese company that makes the MS is just unlucky enough to have been caught. What will really make me laugh is if MS comes out with a new charger and the new charger has the UL listing as well. :lol:

Sankaman quoting Rakuman:



> Rakuman I wont vote for a politician that instead of telling us the whats good about themselves. they have to tell you whats wrong with the other guy. [/QUOTE said:
> 
> 
> > So I take it you have never voted then.
> ...


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## weedkilla1 (Jan 1, 2009)

I want to chime in on the Baja bashing aswell! I read the post and thought the same thing as others have mentioned, not the time and place for a Baja ad. However, when I reread the post I did wonder if you can take the view that if you are spending your riding time worrying about your camelbak bursting into flames - you might not be enjoying your ride!
I cant speak for Baja, but maybe they weren't actually bashing MS, just pointing out that you can ride without worrying.
Me, I'm not a worrier!
I still have my magicshine, and when I bought it there were already people in Australia on the "It'll burn your house down" bandwagon. I bought it anyway. I still use it, but when I know I can buy a better battery/charger/whatever the problem is, I will. In the mean time, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it - but thats just me. If it does start to play on my mind, who do I look to for a light? Well it'll probably be a local company so I know I can have some backup, and if I were a US local I'd be plenty keen on a company that is actually on these forums and actually involved in dialogue with light users (although I'm sure Baja will stay out of this thread from now on!). And from what I've seen here I think that Geoman and Baja have only done the right thing through this process and I'm suitably impressed. A voluntary recall with virtually no way to prove where it was purchased! Offering to do a deal to unsatisfied customers of another brand! Both great business sense, but probably eating heavily into the margins for both companies.


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## gmcttr (Oct 7, 2006)

My take on Baja: 1) they tried to play on one persons fears to make a sale...bad form. 2) They have inflated the price of their product so they can give you a "discount" if you send in another system. Granted, this is just my take on this type of promotion.

Cat-man-do - "As a consumer, how are we suppose to know the bogus from the real?"

That's what the file number with the UL symbol is for. You can go to the UL website and look up the file number to confirm what company and product it was issued for.


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## Rakuman (Oct 30, 2004)

sankaman said:


> So I take it you have never voted then.


Your right  I have not voted for a politician lately, neither party represents me, whats wrong with this country is we are forced to choose between two evils i vote now only on the proposals
My line don't blame me I didn't vote for him.:thumbsup:


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## TCW (Mar 13, 2006)

RipRoar said:


> I think people were hooked on night riding MTB some 20 years ago when Night Sun and Nite Rider where to the big players...I think MS at that low cost allowed people to upgrade into a high output light and that in itself became addicting. Now, they could never go back even if it cost more....


So true. Toting around 4 lbs worth of battery to power halogens was a pain back in the day. I guess I should've said MS got some more people into night riding. I know there are quite a few riders around here that tried it, now love it, because the MS lights made it possible at a low price.


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## ctxcrossx (Jan 13, 2004)

gmcttr said:


> My take on Baja: 1) they tried to play on one persons fears to make a sale...bad form.


I agree with that statement, esp. when the issue pretty clearly seems to be a danger when charging and not while using it. In general, I think it is bad form to "kick" a competitor when they are down. It's pretty much never going to your business, even if it's 100% true.

Having said that, I don't think it's really a big deal. I give the company huge props for exposing themselves to the forum. It's a significant risk for a company to participate in a forum like this. It only takes one post that wasn't intented in the spirit that it was written, or just having a bad day, etc, could do damage to the reputation to the company. How often do politions speak out in public and problems ensue?

Just the fact that Baja is online to have discussions would make me consider going with them. You have to have confidence in your product to do that.

I think that so far Geoman has really been exemplary in how he operates on mtbr. Forums can be a challenging addition to a business, but can be very beneficial if done correctly. I'm sure that Geoman had increased his sales noticably by his mtbr presence alone and how he has handled himself.


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## TraxFactory (Sep 10, 1999)

Re-read BajaDesignsShannon post...he is contributing like everyone else, that was not a hardcore sales pitch going on if you ask me. He just happens to represent his company. Additionally, no one knows if the pack could have issues while discharging.


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## Rakuman (Oct 30, 2004)

BajaDesignsShannon said:


> A couple of guys have asked some good questions:
> 
> Question: Does the trade-in light have to have a certain MSRP?
> Answer: No, we are not being picky, this is a good time to get rid of that old MS or ____ and let us deal with the smoldering wreckage. (please do not send in any lights that are currently on fire)
> Shannon


Quote taken from another thread
I could go back and find quite of few more examples of Shannons bashing of magicshine to sell his own lights I just think if these baja designs lights are so good he shouldn't have take swipes at the competition it shows desperation . and yes I re-read post #17 sounds like a sales pitch to me


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## Sebastian78 (Aug 25, 2010)

TCW said:


> Or you can look at it this way. The MS lights got people hooked on nightriding and now, with the deal, will be upgrading to a higher quality light. Basically, the MS lights facilitated the addiction. Btw, my MS are still working fine after a year but I may snag a Strykr because of the trade in.


Interessting thought....more like giving non-addicts free/very cheap crack and get them hooked?

I've never really gotten into night riding because it's been too "expensive" for just a bike light and for some time now I've been searching for a lighting system that would allow me to use it for a) biking b) hiking c) Nighttime Randonee (There' no light in the north of Norway now 24/7).

Magicshine was actually the first system that could do all this. The totally opposite would be the Silva Alpha 6 and there's no way that would be an option. (Here, it's approxiately 850 USD converted from NOK)


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## Sebastian78 (Aug 25, 2010)

Never trust a salesperson.....never, not even if your life depends on it. When you follow this rule, you're pretty safe from harm and salespeople are pretty ok people to be around. (I've been one)

Now I've never owned a lighting system. I have no knowledge on batteries or electrical system. I found the Magicshine system almost by accident and checked around here for information. From what I could gather, there have been some problems with their batteries and their chargers. I've also read a lot of information about Li-po, read a lot about iPhones exploding and seen YouTube videos. I then scetched out, what in my mind would be a plausible scanario of the batteri exploding while inside your jacket or on my frame. I still think it's plausible.

Regarding Baja: What if every light manufacturer "contributed" in this blatant way, it would be like spam filling your inbox and people would stop using the forum. Now, it would be pretty naive to think that manufacturers of any kind of mtb related products don't go undercover here (or anywhere). It might be written with a touch of irony and a dash of California yo-dude weed induced humor....I dunno. At least they have lifetime warranty on their lights!

Regarding lighting systems in general: They've put a premium on their products for too long. I don't know if it the battery manufacturers who are the "problem" or the light manufacturers but it's been like this for some time. Magicshine, love em' or hate em. They are getting cheap systems out to people who haven't had one before, they are putting pressure on the establishment, reducing the price for everyone and helping sell more lights. All in all, Magicshine should be given some sort of medal for being the perfect example of how capitalism is good for you.


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## TraxFactory (Sep 10, 1999)

Sebastian78 said:


> Never trust a salesperson.....never, not even if your life depends on it. When you follow this rule, you're pretty safe from harm and salespeople are pretty ok people to be around. (I've been one)
> 
> All in all, Magicshine should be given some sort of medal for being the perfect example of how capitalism is good for you.


This is so so hilarious, aaaaalrighty then. Thanks for the insight!.

This turned out to be another Benny Hill thread....


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## Sebastian78 (Aug 25, 2010)

RipRoar said:


> This is so so hilarious, aaaaalrighty then. Thanks for the insight!.
> 
> This turned out to be another Benny Hill thread....


Take everything out of context will you.....


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## Baja Designs (Aug 3, 2010)

*Clarification Time...*



ctxcrossx said:


> I agree with that statement, esp. when the issue pretty clearly seems to be a danger when charging and not while using it. In general, I think it is bad form to "kick" a competitor when they are down. It's pretty much never going to your business, even if it's 100% true.
> 
> Having said that, I don't think it's really a big deal. I give the company huge props for exposing themselves to the forum. It's a significant risk for a company to participate in a forum like this. It only takes one post that wasn't intented in the spirit that it was written, or just having a bad day, etc, could do damage to the reputation to the company. How often do politions speak out in public and problems ensue?
> 
> ...


Thank you Ctxcrossx, my post was ACTUAL concern for that poor guy trying to go have fun on his bike while worrying about his battery catching fire, that is not much fun - it doesn't matter what company made the battery. It was not an attempt to put down Magic Shine, I think it is awesome that quite a few riders may have tried, and got hooked on, night riding thanks to them.

As far as GeoMan goes, those guys rock, great retailer. I met one of their reps at a 24 race in AZ last month, I have nothing but respect for them and the way they conduct business, they don't make MS they sell it and I think they have done a super job thus far with the recall, this has to be a nightmare for them.

I was not necessarily just posting to make a sale to the rider that is worried about his battery, I don't honestly care what brand light he goes with. I just think that if he is like me and has a wife and kids and has a limited amount of time to go ride it's sad that he has to spend that time worrying about a possible fault in his battery. I just happen to be in a position where I can help him.

To the guy who said something about us inflating our price so we could give you a deal...well, the "inflation" is called margin, (margin is how we feed our families and buy bike stuff) when we give someone a trade in value of $100.00 for a broken light that cost the guy $89.00 and then sell a system that retails at $298.95 for $198.95, a few things happen: the rider saves money, he gets an excellent light system, Baja Designs gets a sale (all be at a 33% discount off an already fair MSRP), and most importantly to us as a company one more rider gets out there with a Strykr system, we believe our lights are of such a quality as to sell itself to the Strykr owners buddies.

Ctxcrossx is correct, we firmly believe in our products and back them with a life-time warranty on the light-heads and electronics, not many manufacturers do that. We are on MTBR.com as a company because we honestly believe that MTBR is a great place in which to get our message out, that is why we advertise here and that is why I chime in when I think we may be able to help someone. To be honest, yes, I am also here to promote Baja Designs bicycle lights, that is my job, this is how my multiple little bike riders get fed and I keep a roof over their heads, I make no apologies for that.

I find it fun to talk about bike riding and specifically about lights and night riding which I have a deep understanding of, an understanding which has come through 12 years of experience in bicycle light manufacturing, scores of 24hr races, zillions of large group night rides, and 3 years prior to that at a bicycle retailer. I have heard and physically experienced so many things while following this career path that sometimes I just can't help but want to chime in on a post - that was the case with the poor guy worried about his batteries, I felt bad for him. Regardless of flak I may catch I will always speak up when I feel something can be done for a person.

Hopefully this explains my position and what I was trying accomplish, there is no need to shy away from trying to help someone out, I happen to be in a position to do that, at least as far as lights go.

Shannon


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## rootmaster (Jun 8, 2009)

I like it. Attitude. I think I'll look at Baja's next time I need a light (I'm still riding with explosive batteries)


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## OB1 (Jun 5, 2006)

Ridiculous to put special restrictions on the dude just cause he's a Baja Designs rep. Sounds like he's a rider giving another rider valid advice. And companies like BD support all of us by sponsoring sites like this. I think its nice to see active co reps contributing to our forums. Let's get back on topic before the thread devolves further. Interesting topic.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

gmcttr said:


> My take on Baja: 1) they tried to play on one persons fears to make a sale...bad form. 2) They have inflated the price of their product so they can give you a "discount" if you send in another system. Granted, this is just my take on this type of promotion.
> 
> *Cat-man-do - "As a consumer, how are we suppose to know the bogus from the real?"
> 
> That's what the file number with the UL symbol is for. You can go to the UL website and look up the file number to confirm what company and product it was issued for.*


That's fine. So we look the file number up AFTER we buy the product? :ihih:

FWIW, I just looked up two products I own. The Powerzier AA charger WAS listed. The Dinotte charger WAS NOT listed.....however.....There was not a complete file number listed on the charger. Additionally, the UL site stated that NOT ALL file numbers are listed through their on line service. Not to mention, the UL site does not look easy to navigate.
Now with all that said, even if all the numbers were listed and the UL web site had everything you needed, it begs the following questions"

1) Are you going to check for UL listing before you buy? That would be a real PITA if I do say so.
2)Are you going to return the product simply because there is no UL label or the printed UL label on the product does not clear with UL? Once again no real answer and a PITA I do say.
3) Are you going to buy the product and keep it ( if it works ) without worrying about all this UL listing nonsense...

I don't know about anyone else but I think I'll likely follow option three.


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## Baja Designs (Aug 3, 2010)

Rakuman said:


> Quote taken from another thread
> I could go back and find quite of few more examples of Shannons bashing of magicshine to sell his own lights I just think if these baja designs lights are so good he shouldn't have take swipes at the competition it shows desperation . and yes I re-read post #17 sounds like a sales pitch to me


Hah, wow, who would have thought that one little post would turn into this, funny. My apologies to the original poster.

Rakuman my friend, I think you may need to take a nice long ride on some sweet singletrack and relax. The key words you used were, "Quote taken from another thread", that WAS a sales pitchy type of thread, it was in response to the large number of questions that I get daily from MTBR.com members regarding our Trade-Up Program. I figured it would be good to answer questions riders were sending me before they could ask them, kind of speed up the process for everyone - including myself.

Also...you mention bashing the competition...you ASSUMED I was talking about MS when I mentioned sending in "smoldering wreckage" that was purely tongue-in-cheek, it was for humorous purposes only. I thought that would be clear when I asked people to not send in lights that were currently on fire. I think most people got the joke. That being said, I think it's great if people can get into night riding at a fair price, it gets people hooked on it. Hey, if your Magicshine is still kickin' booty, great! If not, and someone wants to trade it (or any old, dead, bike light) and get $100 credit towards one of our fine specimens of bicycle lighting - great! (now that was blatant salesmaniness if you are looking for it)

We think that chiming in here and there on MTBR.com is smart business. What better way to get in touch with hundreds upon hundreds of avid riders on a daily basis than here on MTBR.com? That's why we pay for a rather large advertisement at the top of this page, we know that this is a very good place to be, we love MTBR.com and put our money where our mouth is.

Sebastion78, I really feel bad for you not trusting sales people. I am one and I trust them and their opinions, I happen to be an honest person, so I assume that other people are honest as well - especially in our very small bicycle industry. I pay particular attention if I sense they know what they're talking about. I do my own research - a lot of which happens here on MTBR.com, then I call the company who's product I am thinking about buying, and then based on that salesperson's demeanor and advice I either buy whatever it is or not.

I am proud to work for Baja Designs Inc., we are good little American company ran by avid bicycle and off-road enthusiasts. When I do a group demo ride, (at least weekly) or I send a 24hr racer out into the night, I am confident that not only will that rider enjoy his or her experience with our product they more importantly will come back safely, and generally with a big grin on their face. (more salesmaniness - but it is true)

If you lads ever happen to be in the San Diego area let me know and we'll all go for a ride up in the Laguna's or maybe down Noble Canyon, you'll love it, delicious Mexican post-ride chow is on me!

Shannon


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## Baja Designs (Aug 3, 2010)

Thanks Rootmaster (slippery roots can be painful), have a Merry Christmas! Let me know if you ever need anything.


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## Rakuman (Oct 30, 2004)

If that's what you have to do to get business then that's the way YOU do business. Good luck too you :thumbsup:


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## Baja Designs (Aug 3, 2010)

*Invite always open for night ride and Mexican food*



Rakuman said:


> If that's what you have to do to get business then that's the way YOU do business. Good luck too you :thumbsup:


Thanks Rakuman! Building great lights, providing excellent customer service, taking care of riders online, at bike shops, on demo rides, at 12 and 24hr races, and marketing our products through every media that makes sense for us to, is, in fact, how business gets done.

The invite for a sweet night ride and tasty Mexican food is always open for you my friend.

Merry Christmas!

Shannon


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## skankingbiker (Jan 15, 2010)

BlownCivic said:


> How does this (from your link):
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ok. I am confused now. My charger is the square one at the bottom. Does the recall cover both, or only the rectangular one in the top picture?

I bought my MS lights this year to do my first night-time race. I would never have done the race or gotten into night riding in the first place except MS had such a good deal on their lights.


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## indebt (Nov 8, 2009)

BajaDesignsShannon said:


> Wow! Sebastion78, that's some scary thoughts my friend!
> 
> We are one of the "more expensive" light manufacturers and I can honestly say that I have never worried about putting one of our batteries in my jersey pocket or Camelback - let alone thought about a battery blowing up my bike's frame...scary thoughts. I think that may take some of the fun out of night riding...(you should not need a LiPo bag for your battery, it's sad that you have to think that way)
> 
> E-mail me at [email protected] and we'll see what we can do to get you into a light system that you can place on your body without fear.


 Even though i agree that it doesn't make good buisiness scense to bash other competitors to make a sale,this does not sound like a bashing to me. Maybe there is a biasness here from an older post, i don't know. What i do know is that there shouldn't need to be any reservation for anyone promoting their product properly on this forum as many others have done.


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## betweenrides (Oct 19, 2010)

It seems every time Shannon posts in a thread, someone gets all in a dither about it. I for one think his company offers a great product at a fair price - the trade in special is just added incentive to buy. The Strykr was on my short list and me and a riding buddy were ready to buy when he announced the trade-in offer. Both of us had old lights lying around, so it turned out to be a great bonus. 

I couldn't be happier with my purchase. And Shannon has always been more than happy to answer any questions or offer advice to anyone that asks about any product on these forums. When I've called Baja Designs and talked to other people on staff, they are the same way.

His posts might not always be PC, but wouldn't call out the one above as bashing. His job is to sell, cut him a little slack for doing it well.


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## gmcttr (Oct 7, 2006)

skankingbiker said:


> Ok. I am confused now. My charger is the square one at the bottom. Does the recall cover both, or only the rectangular one in the top picture?...


At this time there is no recall on any of the chargers. There is a warning from UL that there is one charger (the one with the model number UL lists in the warning) that is falsely claiming UL certification.

There has also been some of us that *speculate* other chargers with the UL label that do not list the UL file number, *may* be falsely claiming UL certification.


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## znomit (Dec 27, 2007)

gmcttr said:


> At this time there is no recall on any of the chargers. There is a warning from UL that there is one charger (the one with the model number UL lists in the warning) that is falsely claiming UL certification.
> 
> There has also been some of us that *speculate* other chargers with the UL label that do not list the UL file number, *may* be falsely claiming UL certification.


One reseller (NZ) has said the helpful folks in China will supply fake UL certs. 

... Not the factory he uses though.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

znomit said:


> One reseller (NZ) has said the helpful folks in China will supply fake UL certs.
> 
> ... Not the factory he uses though.










:skep: 
Do they taste the same?...um...Oh, wait...never mind...you mean certification.... 

But seriously, all they have to do is write UL on something and include a known file number and who would know. It's not like they can be sued, they're another country and can copy all they like I presume.


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## znomit (Dec 27, 2007)

Cat-man-do said:


> :skep:
> Do they taste the same?...um...Oh, wait...never mind...you mean certification....
> 
> But seriously, all they have to do is write UL on something and include a known file number and who would know. It's not like they can be sued, they're another country and can copy all they like I presume.


They might qualify for the Mexican safety mark:









:lol:


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## Gemini Lights (Sep 20, 2010)

Hello, 

Indeed they are a lot of fake certifications, UL stickers etc in China. Also many battery and charger suppliers who do not deliver exactly perfect, not to say safe, products. 

A meausure that a responsible company can take is to crosscheck with UL the certifiations and to take care that the charger and battery suppliers are trustworthy. 

It really takes much effort to conclude those deals but once they are in place you can be sure that you deliver safe and quality product. 

Do not forget that many of the products we use everyday (Brand Laptops, Mobile phones, Iphones etc) are produced in China. So, Yes, you can find quality, and safe, products coming from China but those can only come from responsible companies who stand behind their product. 

Just some inside information coming from a European living in China.

Greets and Merry Christmas to everybody.
Vag
Gemini Lights


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## GR1822 (Jun 23, 2009)

Gemini Rides said:


> Hello,
> 
> Indeed they are a lot of fake certifications, UL stickers etc in China. Also many battery and charger suppliers who do not deliver exactly perfect, not to say safe, products.
> 
> ...


This sounds like a fellow mt. biker trying to offer some good advice. No sales pitch, no fear of explosions, just a simple explination.

Follow his lead Shannoon.


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## Baja Designs (Aug 3, 2010)

ajmelin said:


> This sounds like a fellow mt. biker trying to offer some good advice. No sales pitch, no fear of explosions, just a simple explination.
> 
> Follow his lead Shannon.


Yep, he's a good guy, with a good company I am sure.

I didn't mention explosions by the way, the poster had mentioned he was afraid of his battery catching fire. I said he shouldn't have to worry about that sort of thing, and that is a fact, he shouldn't need to be afraid of his light. I wasn't trying to make him afraid of anything - he was/is already afraid.

I won't go too in-depth again but I happen to be in position where I could help that guy get a system that he need not fear. I wish when I had a problem with one of my frames cracking some bike company had offered me a nice deal on a new frame, I don't think I would have been angry about that.


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## my51isfast (Sep 16, 2008)

I work for a shop and we have had some great success with the Magicshine lights. I have a Gemini from Vag and I have not had a lot of time lately to do a write but I will be getting one posted (sorry have been doing a lot of ice fishing lately). 

I had a theory near the beginning of getting everyone whipped up, that I did not want to share. (just so you know I am a competitor of Geoman, but we sell more components etc, not just a lighting site)

The theory is basically that Geoman and Magicshine had a falling out. When Geoman gear dropped this bomb on thousands of cyclists (me included because I own a Geoman light that I purchased prior to going to Magishine Direct) I have heard that Geoman wanted some brand name batteries, I think LG or Panasonic. Now most of us think that a brand name is better, but they are also more expensive and if you are the manufacturer your prices go up. Can you imagine Geoman telling his customers that the price of the lights is going up? I think, and this is my opinion only, that Geo tried forcing his hand to get brand name batteries for the price of generic spec batteries. 

It's been he said she said at best with this, as there has been no CSPC recall announced after months of promising so. Okay so the government had a lot of red tape...we know that but if these batteries were really exploding and blowing up houses, cars, blinding people etc, there would have been a recall already. 

I'm not faulting Geoman for wanting a better quality unit to sell to his customers, but I am disappointed that a recall was announced before the CSPC actually recalled them. From the sounds of it there were very few if any incidents, most information here or in this forum all seemed to be 2nd hand also. 

Basically it's a long way to get to....put your battery in your pocket worst case you will feel it getting hot before it melts your skin or fuses your seat post to your frame.....

Did that even make sense? I'll try to get it more concise on my blog


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## steveh250 (Dec 27, 2010)

I'm in the possibly unfortunate position of having ordered one of the MS lights and it'll be here in the next few days. When I scan the threads and look at Geomangear's site the batteries I see discussed look like their sealed (dipped?). When I look at the MS light I ordered the battery pack looks slightly different - some form of aluminum and plastic container (http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.44459). Does anyone happen to know if the issues being discussed also refer to this version of the MS?

Cheers - Steve


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## ctxcrossx (Jan 13, 2004)

my51isfast said:


> The theory is basically that Geoman and Magicshine had a falling out. When Geoman gear dropped this bomb on thousands of cyclists (me included because I own a Geoman light that I purchased prior to going to Magishine Direct) I have heard that Geoman wanted some brand name batteries, I think LG or Panasonic. Now most of us think that a brand name is better, but they are also more expensive and if you are the manufacturer your prices go up. Can you imagine Geoman telling his customers that the price of the lights is going up? I think, and this is my opinion only, that Geo tried forcing his hand to get brand name batteries for the price of generic spec batteries.


I'm not sure how this would benefit Geoman. This seems like quite a bit to save a couple dollars. It seems like it did the opposite since he is now not selling one of his main products. There is also nothing even close to this price range for the light output. Adding 10 or even 20 wouldn't hurt sales too much at all. Especially with how he has operated via mtbr, making a statement that he is increasing costs to make sure there are better batteries for the user wouldn't cause him any problems at all and would more likely help his customer service reputation.

I have purchased from him and think that the MS products are great for their price. Having said that, I'm open to any conspiracy theory, but I don't think it's very professional (as a competitor) to post up this theory with no evidence to support it.:nono:


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## Rakuman (Oct 30, 2004)

my51isfast said:


> It's been he said she said at best with this, as there has been no CSPC recall announced after months of promising so. Okay so the government had a lot of red tape...we know that but if these batteries were really exploding and blowing up houses, cars, blinding people etc, there would have been a recall already.
> 
> I'm not faulting Geoman for wanting a better quality unit to sell to his customers, but I am disappointed that a recall was announced before the CSPC actually recalled them. From the sounds of it there were very few if any incidents, most information here or in this forum all seemed to be 2nd hand also.
> 
> ...


Even if it has only been 3 incidents of batteries catching fire with minor damage should Geoman wait until someones house burns down and there is a potential loss of life ,putting his company and the consumers, at risk. it was the right thing to do to warn us of the potential danger of these defective batteries. 
You my friend are doing your customers a disservice buy downplaying the potential situation I for one would love to know the name of your store front so i could avoid it like the plague, sounds like you would sell out your customers safety to make a fast buck.


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## gmcttr (Oct 7, 2006)

Rakuman said:


> ...I for one would love to know the name of your store front so i could avoid it like the plague...


Check his blog and the link for "cheap bike parts". That would be my guess.


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## arashi (Jan 15, 2009)

steveh250 said:


> I'm in the possibly unfortunate position of having ordered one of the MS lights and it'll be here in the next few days. When I scan the threads and look at Geomangear's site the batteries I see discussed look like their sealed (dipped?). When I look at the MS light I ordered the battery pack looks slightly different - some form of aluminum and plastic container (http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.44459). Does anyone happen to know if the issues being discussed also refer to this version of the MS?
> 
> Cheers - Steve


That's very interesting...The battery is different and seems to be incased in a clear plastic casing with a built in digital voltage display. I wonder why we haven't heard anything from Geoman about this new battery.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

arashi said:


> That's very interesting...The battery is different and seems to be incased in a clear plastic casing with a built in digital voltage display. I wonder why we haven't heard anything from Geoman about this new battery.


Just to keep the record straight: This new battery ( with the digital display ) was announced quite a while ago. However I wasn't aware it was released yet so maybe this is the one Geoman will have. No way to know for sure until GMan speaks up.


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## znomit (Dec 27, 2007)

Cat-man-do said:


> Just to keep the record straight: This new battery ( with the digital display ) was announced quite a while ago. However I wasn't aware it was released yet so maybe this is the one Geoman will have. No way to know for sure until GMan speaks up.


No way, Geoman is designing his own battery and having it made in the good old USA ...

"_Hey guys
Yes we have made progress, custom designing and manufacturing an intelligent battery pack to maximise safety, durability and battery life is no easy task. We are are underway and are waiting for the ETA from our US manufacturer on the availability of the finished product. Thanks for your continued patience and support, we appreciate it._"


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## nick d (May 25, 2007)

arashi said:


> That's very interesting...*The battery is different and seems to be incased in a clear plastic casing with a built in digital voltage display. I wonder why we haven't heard anything from Geoman about this new battery*.


might those be the 'other' MJ-816 battery packs mentioned on the recall page?:

_Which battery packs are included in the recall?
All of the Magicshine battery packs that Geomangear sold between June 2009 and November 2010, including all battery packs sold with the MJ-808 and MJ-816 headlight sets and the MJ-818 taillight sets, are included in the recall. The MJ-808 and MJ-818 batteries are either shrink-wrapped and enclosed in a nylon-velcro case or enclosed in a metal canister inserted into a fabric sleeve. The MJ-816 batteries are all enclosed in the metal canister inserted into a fabric sleeve. *Geomangear has not sold any of Magicshine's newest battery packs that are enclosed in a hard plastic case, and our engineers have not evaluated those new Magicshine battery packs that other retailers may be offering for sale*. Thus, the newest Magicshine battery packs in the hard plastic case are not included in our recall._



znomit said:


> No way, Geoman is designing his own battery and having it made in the good old USA ...


I could see it designed here, possibly(although unlikely) assembled here, but certainly not using cells manufactured here, not at the pricepoint the light sells at. I dont get that he was implying they would be using USA parts, just that they wanted batteries to meet their standards.



ctxcrossx said:


> I'm not sure how this would benefit Geoman. This seems like quite a bit to save a couple dollars. It seems like it did the opposite since he is now not selling one of his main products. There is also nothing even close to this price range for the light output. *Adding 10 or even 20 wouldn't hurt sales too much at all*. Especially with how he has operated via mtbr, making a statement that he is increasing costs to make sure there are better batteries for the user wouldn't cause him any problems at all and would more likely help his customer service reputation.
> 
> I have purchased from him and think that the MS products are great for their price. Having said that, I'm open to any conspiracy theory, but I don't think it's very professional (as a competitor) to post up this theory with no evidence to support it.:nono:


+1, id given the option id pay $10-15 more for name brand batteries!


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## rideit (Jan 22, 2004)

And people wonder why MTBR has the reputation of being populated by cube-dwelling goobers...

I just want to know 
A: If my lights will be warranted with high quality batteries and chargers
B: If I should seek other alternatives due to the heads being so kick as$.

Are those such complicated questions?


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## my51isfast (Sep 16, 2008)

ctxcrossx said:


> I'm not sure how this would benefit Geoman. This seems like quite a bit to save a couple dollars. It seems like it did the opposite since he is now not selling one of his main products. There is also nothing even close to this price range for the light output. Adding 10 or even 20 wouldn't hurt sales too much at all. Especially with how he has operated via mtbr, making a statement that he is increasing costs to make sure there are better batteries for the user wouldn't cause him any problems at all and would more likely help his customer service reputation.
> 
> I have purchased from him and think that the MS products are great for their price. Having said that, I'm open to any conspiracy theory, but I don't think it's very professional (as a competitor) to post up this theory with no evidence to support it.:nono:


well I did fully divulge I was a competitor and I also said it was theory and not proven fact. I can probably dig the email I received from the Magicshine factory stating something to the effect that Geoman wanted brand name batteries. Trust me Geoman outsells everyone probably about 3:1 in any lighting category.

I'm a shop employee that already has a customer base, I'm not trying to ruin Geoman by stating my opinion.

Also if you look at Geomans post from yesterday when someone asked for an update his response was something akin too....it takes time to develop a new battery...recall was not mentioned in that statement, which I think is what most people are concerned about.


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## my51isfast (Sep 16, 2008)

Rakuman said:


> Even if it has only been 3 incidents of batteries catching fire with minor damage should Geoman wait until someones house burns down and there is a potential loss of life ,putting his company and the consumers, at risk. it was the right thing to do to warn us of the potential danger of these defective batteries.
> You my friend are doing your customers a disservice buy downplaying the potential situation I for one would love to know the name of your store front so i could avoid it like the plague, sounds like you would sell out your customers safety to make a fast buck.


No one is trying to put anyone in danger (that's vastly taking my post waaaaay out of proportion). I am simply stating my opinion. Not sure what part of that wasn't clear, was it missed when I stated It was THEORY, or MY OPINION, or the fact I fully disclosed I work at a shop that sells magicshine lights? I sell the product and I FULLY believe it's safe and I also FULLY believe to be a good value for any rider of any level. If you want to do some night riding, buy one of these. Buy one from GEOMANGEAR, but seriously buy one they are great lights for what you are paying.


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## my51isfast (Sep 16, 2008)

BajaDesignsShannon said:


> Thank you Ctxcrossx, my post was ACTUAL concern for that poor guy trying to go have fun on his bike while worrying about his battery catching fire, that is not much fun - it doesn't matter what company made the battery. It was not an attempt to put down Magic Shine, I think it is awesome that quite a few riders may have tried, and got hooked on, night riding thanks to them.
> 
> As far as GeoMan goes, those guys rock, great retailer. I met one of their reps at a 24 race in AZ last month, I have nothing but respect for them and the way they conduct business, they don't make MS they sell it and I think they have done a super job thus far with the recall, this has to be a nightmare for them.
> 
> ...


I think people have taken a few of our statements out of context. I have not seen you bash GEOMANGEAR at all. I too agree that they are a 1st class company. It seems most people are offended that companies, GEOMAN included as well as you and I are using available and current technology to help spread the word about new products. I think that by offering an alternative you are offering competition that allows all parties to up their game and improve their products quality and pricing.


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## Rakuman (Oct 30, 2004)

my51isfast said:


> No one is trying to put anyone in danger (that's vastly taking my post waaaaay out of proportion). I am simply stating my opinion. Not sure what part of that wasn't clear, was it missed when I stated It was THEORY, or MY OPINION, or the fact I fully disclosed I work at a shop that sells magicshine lights? I sell the product and I FULLY believe it's safe and I also FULLY believe to be a good value for any rider of any level. If you want to do some night riding, buy one of these. Buy one from GEOMANGEAR, but seriously buy one they are great lights for what you are paying.


What I took from your post is that you were chastising geoman for pulling these batteries from the market prematurely and were downplaying any faults in these batteries 
Are YOU saying there is NO problem with the batteries and Geoman is making all this up so he can get Better batteries for his customers ???? By the way I own 6 magicshine lights all bought from geoman and I cant wait till I get some new batteries.


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## my51isfast (Sep 16, 2008)

Rakuman said:


> What I took from your post is that you were chastising geoman for pulling these batteries from the market prematurely and were downplaying any faults in these batteries
> Are YOU saying there is NO problem with the batteries and Geoman is making all this up so he can get Better batteries for his customers ???? By the way I own 6 magicshine lights all bought from geoman and I cant wait till I get some new batteries.


What I said was I didn't blame him for wanting a better product. I do think it's a bad idea to get a bunch of people whipped up when there is not a government recall. Stating there is a recall on a product when there is not one, only harms the company selling the products and the product itself.

I give Geoman all the props in the world for bringing such a great product to the mountain bike community. Over the summer I saw more and more of these green lights at the local trails, more traffic on the trails than I have seen in years past.

I feel they are safe. Lets just keep the math simple and say Geoman has sold 3000 Magicshine lights since 2009. We all know that the number is probably 3-4 times that given his success and popularity. 3 incidents would be somewhere in the 1/10th of 1% failure rate. Not being a scientist or statistician I still know that's a very low rate of catastrophic failure and not a reason to cause mass concern.

I'll admit to some the logic may be flawed but in the world of number 1/10th of 1% seems pretty small to me.


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## Rakuman (Oct 30, 2004)

my51isfast said:


> What I said was I didn't blame him for wanting a better product. I do think it's a bad idea to get a bunch of people whipped up when there is not a government recall. Stating there is a recall on a product when there is not one, only harms the company selling the products and the product itself.
> 
> I give Geoman all the props in the world for bringing such a great product to the mountain bike community. Over the summer I saw more and more of these green lights at the local trails, more traffic on the trails than I have seen in years past.
> 
> ...


So for the record You are saying there is NO recall 
and the old battery packs ARE safe for All YOUR customers to use with out any safety concern
and accordingly to your math 1 house burnt in 3000 is an acceptable loss ratio? 
and what is the company you represent?


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## my51isfast (Sep 16, 2008)

Rakuman said:


> So for the record You are saying there is NO recall
> and the old battery packs ARE safe for All YOUR customers to use with out any safety concern
> and what is the company you represent?


There is no voluntary recall or involuntary recall on the CSPC website. I have searched back as far as October when this all started and there is no updated or any information on a CSPC recall. Note that the Easton, Giant and other related recalls are all posted there.

I know that the Magicshine lights I have sold are safe. I would recommend anyone who purchased a magicshine light from us to use it and enjoy it.

I'm not sure if you are upset about companies using forums and other social media outlets to join in conversations, or just upset in general but it is my opinion that these lights are safe to use.

I have no qualms leaving my battery at home with my pets (Dogs). I do unplug my coffee maker every morning and I also make sure my clothes dryer is turned off before I leave. I am more worried about those two appliances than a battery pack.

If you have concerns about me or my company I can give you my phone number so you can see that I am an honest/real person. Would that work for you?


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## Rakuman (Oct 30, 2004)

my51isfast said:


> There is no voluntary recall or involuntary recall on the CSPC website. I have searched back as far as October when this all started and there is no updated or any information on a CSPC recall. Note that the Easton, Giant and other related recalls are all posted there.
> 
> I know that the Magicshine lights I have sold are safe. I would recommend anyone who purchased a magicshine light from us to use it and enjoy it.
> 
> ...


You are the one that threw out the claim that there is nothing wrong with the batteries and that geoman is making up the recall issue I'm just calling you out to prove it. Don't type it if you are not willing to back it. 
again What is the company You represent?


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## tyrion (Nov 24, 2010)

> I feel they are safe. Lets just keep the math simple and say Geoman has sold 3000 Magicshine lights since 2009. We all know that the number is probably 3-4 times that given his success and popularity. 3 incidents would be somewhere in the 1/10th of 1% failure rate. Not being a scientist or statistician I still know that's a very low rate of catastrophic failure and not a reason to cause mass concern.
> 
> I'll admit to some the logic may be flawed but in the world of number 1/10th of 1% seems pretty small to me.


I guess it depends on what the ramifications of the failure are. 1/10 of 1% is fine is the consequence is a non-functioning battery pack. It's not fine if the consequence is an explosion.

It's not too bad if .01% of cars suffer a burned out reverse light in the first 3 years of operation. But what if it's the master brake cylinder instead of a reverse light?

Anyway, no need to address this specifically, but I wanted to point out that the details on the battery pack 'failures' are vague so far, and it's not easy to quantify what level of failure is acceptable.


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## my51isfast (Sep 16, 2008)

Rakuman said:


> You are the one that threw out the claim that there is nothing wrong with the batteries and that geoman is making up the recall issue I'm just calling you out to prove it. Don't type it if you are not willing to back it.
> again What is the company You represent?


Rakuman, I do like your debate style, I will concede that. Again what I said was Theory and my opinion. I said that I worked for a shop (which most people will construe as me trying to make some sort of gain off of this, I work there get a paycheck and go home, I don't reap profits or gains, unless the 'ol atta boy is going to pay my mortgage) The truth is I could care less which light you buy and where you buy it.

I wanted to be open and honest about that so my intentions were not mis-construed as they have been.

How about this, can you go to the CSPC and get me the link to the Magichshine recall? If you can I will admit that my opinion (again my opinion no one elses) is flawed. Until then I will continue to use my Magicshine light that I purchased from GEOMANGEAR.COM.

Did you not want to take me up on my offer of phoning me? I have nothing to gain here, Forums are meant as discussion places where people of differing opinions can share them, if you do not like mine I respect that, but the fact remains the CSPC has not issued a recall on these lights.


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## Rakuman (Oct 30, 2004)

my51isfast said:


> Rakuman, I do like your debate style, I will concede that. Again what I said was Theory and my opinion. I said that I worked for a shop (which most people will construe as me trying to make some sort of gain off of this, I work there get a paycheck and go home, I don't reap profits or gains, unless the 'ol atta boy is going to pay my mortgage) The truth is I could care less which light you buy and where you buy it.
> 
> I wanted to be open and honest about that so my intentions were not mis-construed as they have been.
> 
> ...


You throw it out in public forum that's were it stays
Why would I call you and put this discussion behind the scenes you opened up the up the discussion with these claims ,do you not expect someone to call you on it. I know you say it is just a theory then you say you have a email from Magicshine to back it.
all I am saying do not throw anything out that don't want to be called on especially with a theory as Bold as this one.


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## my51isfast (Sep 16, 2008)

Rakuman said:


> You throw it out in public forum that's were it stays
> Why would I call you and put this discussion behind the scenes you opened up the up the discussion with these claims ,do you not expect someone to call you on it. I know you say it is just a theory then you say you have a email from Magicshine to back it.
> all I am saying do not throw anything out that don't want to be called on especially with a theory as Bold as this one.


Generally phone calls tend to reduce any type of tension, and people are less bold about calling out one another because they realize they are dealing with real people and not just a post on a forum.

So if I ask the guy at Magicshine if his lights are safe because Geoman is recalling them and he says he was unaware of any recall, and that they want brand name batteries, I guess it becomes one persons word over another, you take the info you have and form an opinion. One person in this case say's I think the product I export is safe and another person says there is a recall on that very same product.

As far as I can tell the CSPC has not recalled the product there for I can assume it has not been recalled....what are you not getting about that?

You seem very hostile to anyone that has a differing opinion, or may not believe their light is going to kill them.

You are also Geoman's fanboy so you are either their employee of the month and got the good spot, or you are genuinely passionate about these lights and hating anyone who is not as passionate as you.

Both are fine by me but don't hate because I don't think there is a recall on these because it's not posted or verified by the CSPC.

If as you say 1 in 3000 houses are getting torched these would have been off the market faster than 650b's. We both know that, and I do agree any loss is unacceptable but me being a skeptic will remain until the CSPC recalls these lights.


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## BlownCivic (Sep 12, 2006)

Would you not agree though that in an effort to preserve their sales, that MagicShine themselves could be fibbing?


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## Rakuman (Oct 30, 2004)

my51isfast said:


> Generally phone calls tend to reduce any type of tension, and people are less bold about calling out one another because they realize they are dealing with real people and not just a post on a forum.
> 
> So if I ask the guy at Magicshine if his lights are safe because Geoman is recalling them and he says he was unaware of any recall, and that they want brand name batteries, I guess it becomes one persons word over another, you take the info you have and form an opinion. One person in this case say's I think the product I export is safe and another person says there is a recall on that very same product.
> 
> ...


Where do we begin
#1 Generally phone calls tend to reduce any type of tension, and people are less bold about calling out one another because they realize they are dealing with real people and not just a post on a forum. 
answer : starts on the forum ends there .

#2 So if I ask the guy at Magicshine if his lights are safe because Geoman is recalling them and he says he was unaware of any recall, and that they want brand name batteries, I guess it becomes one persons word over another, you take the info you have and form an opinion. One person in this case say's I think the product I export is safe and another person says there is a recall on that very same product.

Answer: if you put this on your first post it would be taken a different way

#3 As far as I can tell the CSPC has not recalled the product there for I can assume it has not been recalled....what are you not getting about that?

answer: does the CSPC have a listing of recalls pending I do not know personally.
just because its not there does not mean it is not in process..

#4 You seem very hostile to anyone that has a differing opinion, or may not believe their light is going to kill them.

answer: OH NO   no hostility I have a smile on my face right now and I still use my lights twice a week your going no where with that one.

#5 You are also Geoman's fanboy so you are either their employee of the month and got the good spot, or you are genuinely passionate about these lights and hating anyone who is not as passionate as you.

Answer: Fanboy no , Passionate Yes great lights without these lights my wife and kids would not be so into night riding, whats the matter when someone talks s&%t, calling them on it. i post on a lot of forums on a lot of subjects, this is one I happen to watch daily because I have a horse in this race to the tune of 6 batteries, so what if I call you out on such a outlandish post did you expect zero reply's or did you expect that everyone would accept your theory on its face value.

#6 Both are fine by me but don't hate because I don't think there is a recall on these because it's not posted or verified by the CSPC.
Answer: no ones hating if you cant take the heat don't get into the kitchen:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

#7 If as you say 1 in 3000 houses are getting torched these would have been off the market faster than 650b's. We both know that, and I do agree any loss is unacceptable but me being a skeptic will remain until the CSPC recalls these lights.
Answer: 
I feel they are safe. Lets just keep the math simple and say Geoman has sold 3000 Magicshine lights since 2009. We all know that the number is probably 3-4 times that given his success and popularity. 3 incidents would be somewhere in the 1/10th of 1% failure rate. Not being a scientist or statistician I still know that's a very low rate of catastrophic failure and not a reason to cause mass concern.
I'll admit to some the logic may be flawed but in the world of number 1/10th of 1% seems pretty small to me.
*these were your words *
each one of these failures is a potential house burnt to the ground or loss of life this should be taken seriously.
Don't get your panties in a wad, if you do you should stay off the forums 
I don't take this seriously but please think before you speak someone just might call you on it:thumbsup:


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## my51isfast (Sep 16, 2008)

.
Don't get your panties in a wad, if you do you should stay off the forums 
I don't take this seriously but please think before you speak someone just might call you on it:thumbsup:[/QUOTE]

You're right on that, I prolly shouldn't have gotten hurt feelings over this, after all it's just a light and either way your right to question me is just as valid as mine to post what I think...no worries, but seriously I do like your debate style. :thumbsup:


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## Rakuman (Oct 30, 2004)

Its all good :thumbsup:
Hopefully Geoman will get everyone some new batteries soon and this will all be moot.:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:


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## dirtyjack (Jan 22, 2010)

Any NEW news on MS??


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## steveh250 (Dec 27, 2010)

Hi all,

My new MS light just arrived and sure enough it has the plastic/aluminum encased battery pack (as per http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.44459). The battery showed 8v on the display straight out of the box - photo's here for anyone who's interested.

I connected the MS head unit up and the light worked as expected - 3 modes (4 if you include off - high, low, flash); connecting the battery up does not turn the light on - the light starts up offline.

Cheers - Steve



Cat-man-do said:


> Just to keep the record straight: This new battery ( with the digital display ) was announced quite a while ago. However I wasn't aware it was released yet so maybe this is the one Geoman will have. No way to know for sure until GMan speaks up.


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## znomit (Dec 27, 2007)

dirtyjack said:


> Any NEW news on MS??


Nope.

If you're concerned maybe contact the CPSC.


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## ctxcrossx (Jan 13, 2004)

my51isfast said:


> I think people have taken a few of our statements out of context. I have not seen you bash GEOMANGEAR at all. I too agree that they are a 1st class company. It seems most people are offended that companies, GEOMAN included as well as you and I are using available and current technology to help spread the word about new products. I think that by offering an alternative you are offering competition that allows all parties to up their game and improve their products quality and pricing.


Just my take on what you said. Nothing was taken out of context. You said that your theory was that Geoman did this intentionally to get better batteries at generic pricing, but with no proof whatsoever. You can certainly say that, but would you like if someone posts (for everyone to read) that they think that you are selling a product that you know to be dangerous just to make a buck. No evidence, of course, but it's only a theory anyway. I think it's unprofessional (and unnecessary) to do that to a competitor.

I have no problem with businesses contributing online. It's actually a wonderful thing. I think that one thing that you may not realize is that your comments aren't linked to only you, but to your company as well. Before forum postings, this wasn't really a big deal. If you said something along these lines, it would be to just a couple of people. With a forum posting, you are telling many more people. It's sort of like a politician saying something to one person vs. making a speech to a group.

I do own a MS light purchased through Geoman. I have never talked with anyone in the company, but I do like how they operate. Nothing more, nothing less.

In the end, it's your business and your reputation. Just realize that everything you say reflects upon you and your business.


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## 9speed (Aug 12, 2009)

Cat-man-do said:


> Just to keep the record straight: This new battery ( with the digital display ) was announced quite a while ago. However I wasn't aware it was released yet so maybe this is the one Geoman will have. No way to know for sure until GMan speaks up.


I don't like the digital readout battery. Looks bulky and heavy, perhaps not as good for hanging from the handlebars, and isn't black and well.. why would you need a digital readout on the battery when you have the colour indicator on the back switch of the head unit? More dorkyness I think....

I like the new plastic dipped battery and the round battery that comes with the dorky MS 1400....

I've decided to make my own battery pack for my MS.


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## 9speed (Aug 12, 2009)

steveh250 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> My new MS light just arrived and sure enough it has the plastic/aluminum encased battery pack (as per http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.44459). The battery showed 8v on the display straight out of the box - photo's here for anyone who's interested.
> 
> ...


can the battery attach to the handlebars ok?


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## 9speed (Aug 12, 2009)

Since magicshine is still selling fine and dandy in the UK....

I call bullshjt on this recall.


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## steveh250 (Dec 27, 2010)

Funny you should ask - I've just got back from my first night time ride with it. On my Kona Scrap I couldn't fit the battery pack on the handlebars but it fit just fine on the top tube and comes with a small loop of Velcro to tie up the power cables with. On my Marin Larkspur there's enough room on the stem for me to attach it vertically.

All in all I'm blown away by the power of this light (compared to my old Cat Eye). I'll be looking for a helmet mounted solution before taking on some more serious trails (probably the Amoeba).

Cheers - Steve



9speed said:


> can the battery attach to the handlebars ok?


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## 9speed (Aug 12, 2009)

When you say it wouldn't fit to the bars.. is it because the arc of the battery tube channel has too great a diameter and therefore swings about a bit even when secured with the velcro? Or do you mean you didn't have enough room, perhaps because of the rise of the bars?

I'd like to buy another MS of the original version of the light, 3 mode with strobe and bar mounted battery in a little velcro bag.. All these new ones have features I don't like.


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## steveh250 (Dec 27, 2010)

When I tried to mount it on the bars, because of the shape of the bars and the length of the battery case, the battery case would not sit on the bars along it's entire length (make sense? - if not I'll try and upload a photo tomorrow).



9speed said:


> When you say it wouldn't fit to the bars.. is it because the arc of the battery tube channel has too great a diameter and therefore swings about a bit even when secured with the velcro? Or do you mean you didn't have enough room, perhaps because of the rise of the bars?
> 
> I'd like to buy another MS of the original version of the light, 3 mode with strobe and bar mounted battery in a little velcro bag.. All these new ones have features I don't like.


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## 9speed (Aug 12, 2009)

steveh250 said:


> When I tried to mount it on the bars, because of the shape of the bars and the length of the battery case, the battery case would not sit on the bars along it's entire length (make sense? - if not I'll try and upload a photo tomorrow).


Totally makes sense. That's the scenario I pictured. In which case, I hate that new battery design! Seems like it would be ok for straight bars though!

Funny company this magicshine.. who wants a frame mounted battery? Not me. Who wants or needs a cable operated 3w rear light when an RSP Astrum is more than bright enough? Who wants SOS? Who wants a 3 headed light that looks strange sitting off centre, and looks like it belongs in the original Flash Gordon? Not me, not me, not me.


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## Maximus_XXIV (Jun 7, 2009)

I like the cable tail lights. Less batteries to deal with and they are very bright. Good thing we have someone that can tell us all our needs, wants and desires.


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## Johnny? (Sep 13, 2010)

One of a seller on ebay say they have a newer version of the battery and offer a 6 month warranty


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## slocaus (Jul 21, 2005)

Johnny? said:


> One of a seller on ebay say they have a newer version of the battery and offer a 6 month warranty


Yes. If there is a new battery from MagicShine, why doesn't Geoman have for replacement?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270669922335&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280598825934&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270660811108&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT


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## GR1822 (Jun 23, 2009)

9speed said:


> Totally makes sense. That's the scenario I pictured. In which case, I hate that new battery design! Seems like it would be ok for straight bars though!
> 
> Funny company this magicshine.. who wants a frame mounted battery? Not me. Who wants or needs a cable operated 3w rear light when an RSP Astrum is more than bright enough? Who wants SOS? Who wants a 3 headed light that looks strange sitting off centre, and looks like it belongs in the original Flash Gordon? Not me, not me, not me.


I've got one of the funny looking 3 headed lights, and love it. There is a mount available for it that lets it be mounted directly infront of or above the stem.


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## znomit (Dec 27, 2007)

slocaus said:


> Yes. If there is a new battery from MagicShine, why doesn't Geoman have for replacement?
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270669922335&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
> 
> ...


Oh, heres the interesting bit from those auctions:

"_As of 11/9/10 MagicShine switched to a new supplier that is UL and CE approved. 
These are a much higher quality battery than those previously supplied._"


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## steveh250 (Dec 27, 2010)

Nice find - I'll be bookmarking that for future reference.



znomit said:


> Oh, heres the interesting bit from those auctions:
> 
> "_As of 11/9/10 MagicShine switched to a new supplier that is UL and CE approved.
> These are a much higher quality battery than those previously supplied._"


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## 9speed (Aug 12, 2009)

Maximus_XXIV said:


> I like the cable tail lights. Less batteries to deal with and they are very bright. Good thing we have someone that can tell us all our needs, wants and desires.


Yeah no batteries just a long cable to connect to your battery pack or... another battery and a cable.. and really, who needs a rear light that bright?

My self contained Raleigh Astrum rear light is bright enough (2 x 0.5W LED's claimed) to blind you for a few moments (if you stare directly at it) and bright enough that pedestrians and motorists routinely comment on how bright it is. Yet it only cost £12 and is totally self-contained and runs on two AA batteries.

So how bright does a rear light really need to be?


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## Maximus_XXIV (Jun 7, 2009)

9speed said:


> Yeah no batteries just a long cable to connect to your battery pack or... another battery and a cable.. and really, who needs a rear light that bright?
> 
> My self contained Raleigh Astrum rear light is bright enough (2 x 0.5W LED's claimed) to blind you for a few moments (if you stare directly at it) and bright enough that pedestrians and motorists routinely comment on how bright it is. Yet it only cost £12 and is totally self-contained and runs on two AA batteries.
> 
> So how bright does a rear light really need to be?


Opening a light every Few days or week to change batteries is not something I like to do. Much easier to run the wires and charge the battery my front light uses. I also need water proof and opening the case on a light opens possible watt proofness issues.

A light needs to be pretty bright to compete with heavy traffic on a wet evening. Competing lights in the city and wet street really suck up the light.

What conditions do you commute in?


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## 9speed (Aug 12, 2009)

Maximus_XXIV said:


> Opening a light every Few days or week to change batteries is not something I like to do. Much easier to run the wires and charge the battery my front light uses. I also need water proof and opening the case on a light opens possible watt proofness issues.
> 
> A light needs to be pretty bright to compete with heavy traffic on a wet evening. Competing lights in the city and wet street really suck up the light.
> 
> What conditions do you commute in?


The light opens really easy. Can do a battery change in less than 1 minute including taking it off the bike and putting it back on. Alkaline cells last around 18 hours on solid and nearly 80 hours on flashing.. and the flashing mode is very good, my favourite in fact, it basically alternates from one side to the other.. it gives plenty of glow and flood.. the area behind the bike just becomes flooded with red..

The Raleigh Astrum easily competes with car rear lights, it's bright enough that people feel compelled to comment on it. It claims 1W (2x0.5W) output, though whether it actually achieves that... either way it is the brightest rear light I have ever owned.

http://road.cc/content/review/21734-rsp-astrum-led-rear-light

I've not had any issues with waterproofing, and besides, waterproofing can be improived with vaseline or lithium grease... what conditions do I ride in? I live in the UK, enough said.

So yeah, I like my magicshine front light, just not sold on the magicshine rear.. I spose I like the idea of 3w, but then wonder why I would need anything brighter on the rear than the Astrum.. and then as soon as I factor in cables and such, I lose interest totally.

The astrum is bright enough that all I can hear when I cycle past people is how bright the front light (MS P7 900) and rear light are...


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## slocaus (Jul 21, 2005)

9speed said:


> The Raleigh Astrum easily competes with car rear lights, it's bright enough that people feel compelled to comment on it. It claims 1W (2x0.5W) output, though whether it actually achieves that... either way it is the brightest rear light I have ever owned.
> 
> http://road.cc/content/review/21734-rsp-astrum-led-rear-light


Hmmmm?!?!

From the review you linked//////


> Nearly great rear LED, *weather sealing let our test model down*


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## 9speed (Aug 12, 2009)

They say in that one review that weather sealing let the model down and they implied that this was only when they used the light without a rear mudguard.. I on the other hand haven't had any issues with weather sealing, though I admit I use a mudguard.. Though I dare say where I live is much wetter than where you live.. 

They also say that weather sealing can be improved with grease or vaseline... but like I said, my Astrum hasn't had any issues with water ingress and I live in the Uk where it can be wet for 8 months of the year.

I just don't see the point in this particular Magicshine product. I doubt it makes you more visible than me with my Astrum. And my Astrum is self-contained; I don't want wires tr4ailing to a rear light sharing power with the front light. 

In fact, I am beginning to think that Magicshine is run by a bunch of chumps. 3 mode, 4 mode, 5 mode, SOS that isn't really SOS, non-functioning battery health indicator clicky switch, non-functioning light on charger... frucking idiots if you ask me. To think they could have ruled the market if they had just improved on the original 808 model and thought more sensibly about their offerings and capitalised on the initial interest, but no, they frucked it up.


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## Sebastian78 (Aug 25, 2010)

steveh250 said:


> Nice find - I'll be bookmarking that for future reference.


I ordered these mid December and have used them a couple of time skiing at night. I like the new silicone battery cover. I actually returned the "old" Magicshine to a "local'ish" webstore because they had the old battery and old light head.

I really like the new 4-function light head!

S


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## Maximus_XXIV (Jun 7, 2009)

slocaus said:


> Hmmmm?!?!
> 
> From the review you linked//////


And the weather sealing will degrade as you pull the battery out again and again.

The 80 hour run time is factory spec. Other lights like the SF degrade in brightness with a weak battery so the optimal run time is les than spec.

How long have you been using this light 9speed?


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## 9speed (Aug 12, 2009)

Maximus_XXIV said:


> And the weather sealing will degrade as you pull the battery out again and again.
> 
> The 80 hour run time is factory spec. Other lights like the SF degrade in brightness with a weak battery so the optimal run time is les than spec.
> 
> How long have you been using this light 9speed?


About a year.. wonderful little light for the money.. and even with a weak battery it is brighter than say my old Specialized Vegas with fresh batteries. I am careful opening it up and haven't had any issues. I tend to put lithium or alkaline bats in it..

Each to his/her own. I just don't like the cable of the rear magic shine, or the fact it shares the front light's battery. Neither do I see the need for a 3W rear light when the claimed 2x0.5w of the Astrum is brighter than any rear light I have heretofore seen.


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## Tuff Gong (May 8, 2009)

9speed said:


> So how bright does a rear light really need to be?


The brighter the better

I ride to and from the trail head and if I'm riding at night, on goes the MS tail and bar light. If I head out in the afternoon knowing it'll be dusk on the way home, I use the simple self contained Princeton Tech tail light (forgot the name).

Anyway, the way I see it, with all the cell phone, touchscreen radio/navigation, eating, medication/substances and whatever else distraction that the general driving public seem to drive around in all the time, I'll spend the extra minute to route a cable to the seatpost

It's no big deal really, just as long as you have some sort of light, Its way better then those chintzy reflectors we used to remove when we were kids......wait a minute, I still remove reflectors off my bikes:???: :bluefrown:


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## 9speed (Aug 12, 2009)

Tuff Gong said:


> The brighter the better
> 
> I ride to and from the trail head and if I'm riding at night, on goes the MS tail and bar light. If I head out in the afternoon knowing it'll be dusk on the way home, I use the simple self contained Princeton Tech tail light (forgot the name).
> 
> ...


Well I don't know if the USA is like the UK, but in the UK drivers display real animosity toward cyclists. In fact, these newer generation of +500 lumen headlights rile some drivers so much that they seem even more intent on hitting you or causing you harm. My new light has caused the odd driver to stop and offer me a fight. I've had drivers turn around and try and swerve into me because of my light. Yet I am not angling the light in a peculiar way, and I am not always using the full high beam. The problem here (I think) is mostly stupidity; motorists and pedestrian sheeple cannot help but stare at the light because it is a bright light on a vehicle not normally known for bright lights. Then these sheeple get angry that they are blinded because they have stared directly at the light! You don't go around staring at motorbike or car headlights, but for some reason we cannot help but stare at the light on the little push bike!

I'd like to see the Dutch law implemented in the UK whereby the driver is invariably found culpible in accidents involving a car and cycle, regardless of whether it was entirely the fault of the driver. You'd have motorists behave a whole lot better in that framework, and indeed, in Holland that seems to be the case.

Ultimately, I find road riding very stressfull and so I rarely do it these days, and when I do, I hop between pavement and road. Because very bright lights do not mean that motorists will behave around you. They don't. You could be lit up like a xmas tree, and drivers will not afford you any more space or respect than the dude riding a cheap bicycle sans any lighting at all! In fact, he might get afforded more space.


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## betweenrides (Oct 19, 2010)

9speed, I feel for you. I have a riding buddy who's a Brit and he's told me some horror stories. Sounds even worse than my experiences riding in Texas and Florida - two of my least favorite places to ride.


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## slocaus (Jul 21, 2005)

So.......

Does anyone have any news on MagicShine from Geoman? He has been pretty absent lately.


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## steveh250 (Dec 27, 2010)

I've used my MS for three rides in some rotten weather and so far I am sold on these types of lights - they are incredible compared to the light I used to use.

The only downer so far is that the velcro for holding the battery on broke yesterday (not while I was riding, thankfully it came apart while I was looking for the best place to secure the battery). In the end I just went out and bought a frame bag from MEC which I'll stick with that as it's great for holding the battery.

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_...4442632409&FOLDER<>folder_id=2534374302693353



9speed said:


> can the battery attach to the handlebars ok?


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## rschultz101 (Oct 5, 2009)

warranties or so funny. 
It mostly starts out like that,
you got to have a receipt....
you got to prove, you bought it,... 
you got to send it in, and hope for the best,.... will cost you an arm
when you send it, it needs to be in approved or original packing,... yeah right
you have to pay for return shipping,... they seam to always charge a lot....
they'll try to determine, any defects cause by you,... well you used it,... it's dirty, and has scratches...
you have only a short window, time/date to send it in,.... oh, you missed
there are only certain once eligible , from to, bought at, made by,.... nobody knows
they will offer a replacement,.... most likely , just charge/discharge 5 times, and send you somebody else battery back.
they reuse the old stuff, and wrap it in a new case, with a fresh new label.
they try , the offer you a repair, because, there where scratches on it.
they'll be so overworked, they won't answer phone, email, etc,...
your return, most likely , sitting somewhere, for 10-12 weeks, month,
... for them waiting for you to stop email/phone
it will definitely , take so long, you have to buy a replacement battery,
of course, they will offer you one.
they'll open up a new company,... magically offering a compatible replacement battery,
for a very good price.
they'll have some court, decide to , their is not enough of pressing need for a actual recall , due the new ones, are much better
....
ever brought your car in, with bumper to bumper,.... and they'll come back with a repair bill in 4 digits,... mumbling something about a fine print, something about wear and tear, 
drivetrain, etc,..... bottom line, it say , you car Battery is not covered .

or the ones,.... like bb,...where they offer you an additional warranty,...
you get and extra year or two,... and you'd expect you can just, dump it on their service desk, if it craps out,.... to find out,... the first year is mfg,.... manufacturer,...
and they don't take it , you got to ship that TV for $400 bucks, to get it repaired,...
and another $400 bucks, to get a refurbished one back,... and you bought a warranty for 300,.... while the thing was on sale for 599,... 
it's just not so funny, on the other side
or you buy a new disk, years of warranty, brand new, you pay for shipping,
you plug it in , dead,... on no mfg , what the f... send it in, .... now the wait,...
you get one back,... refurbished,... 1/2 the warranty, or just 6month, since it's refurbished,... you could have gotten a used one, for less,... where you know, it was working before he unplugged it; and if it is really dead after you get it, usually gets your money back, because he has it insured. 
oh, another never ending story, feel free to add to it, 
cheers, Rob


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## 9speed (Aug 12, 2009)

betweenrides said:


> 9speed, I feel for you. I have a riding buddy who's a Brit and he's told me some horror stories. Sounds even worse than my experiences riding in Texas and Florida - two of my least favorite places to ride.


Reading Berkshire in the UK is the worst I have experienced so far. Roads are congested to the point of being choked and there are numerous traffic calming methods like islands (pinch points) to prevent overtaking. The problem is that these pinch points are a real danger to cyclists because many motorists are stupid and selfish enough to try and overtake cyclists in road widths of 8 feet or less. In many parts of the UK you cannot travel more than 100m without encountering numerous 'traffic calming measures'.

So I don't road cycle any more. It's not enjoyable. Once upon a time I was aggressive and assertive and alert and fit enough to cope with the demands of modern UK roads, but roads have got pregressively more dangerous and I am not willing to expend the effort and suffer the stress in sharing roads with cars any longer. To me, riding is just off-road and canal paths and pavements.... the enjoyment comes from NOT being near cars. The point where I made the decision to stop cycling on the roads was the point where I was regularly getting into fights and the point where I started carrying around a stubby hammer (to damage the cars of idiots). Just not worth it.. the UK government isn't interested in making things safe for cyclists.


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## Jeepdude (Nov 22, 2007)

*Geoman update posted on another website...*

"Just a little update for our STR friends, we are working with a US battery pack manufacturer who is located in SoCal. We are having an intelligent battery produced with the best components available, sorry it's taking so long we are expediting the process as much as possible. We can't provide the date of the availability of the new GeoManGear battery pack as it depends on testing and approval. Also we have been busy testing new products in the last few months and plan to have some items of interest on our site before the end of the month. Again, we are sincerely sorry for the inconvenience that the Magicshine battery issue has caused."


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