# quick Magicshine review



## beastwood9 (Nov 22, 2007)

Had my first night ride planned last night and my MS's showed up 1 hour before via USPS. Ordered from the singletrackstore b/c they had stock and offered a nice package deal with free shipping. They shipped same day. 

First off, they showed up charged, at least according to the charger and lamp indicator lights. I gave them an hour on the charger before I left for good luck anyway. Set up was easy and fast. velcro'd one to my helmet with the MS helmet mount and dropped that battery in my back pocket. Used the included cable extension. Pretty light and compact battery. Mounted the other on my 31.8 bar with the included large O ring. The battery bar/stem/frame mount is sup-par compared to my niterider but I quickly compensated with a velcro ankle band I use for commuting. The battery sleeve has a wrap around velcro/nylon deal and I wrapped it around my stem and let it hand below. Added the ankle strap aroung the whole thing and it was solid.

Was riding with 3 others but did lead/get dropped enough to judge it by itself. Most of the time used the bar mount on 'medium' and especially when with a group despite winding leaf littered single track, no issues at all. When out front added the helmet on 'medium' and lit up the woods. My other light was a niterider dual (225.00) and these completely kicked its ass. One of these would kick its ass. The light quality is also very good (tone, spread, etc.) never felt light I had blind/dead spots.

Side notes:
---Lamps were nice and cool after 1.5 hrs of riding (40 degrees outside temp)
--When I got back to the parking lot put the helmet on high and beamed the woods 50 yds away. Looked light a cop car search light. Cool.
--There is a disco/seizure inducing rapid flash mode that I may use for commuting.
--The 'manual' could be better. Mainly would be an issue if you never owned a bike light before


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## hendo13 (Nov 4, 2009)

cool nice to know as i have just ordered for me and a mate


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## The Singletrack Store (Oct 17, 2009)

beastwood9 said:


> Had my first night ride planned last night and my MS's showed up 1 hour before via USPS. Ordered from the singletrackstore b/c they had stock and offered a nice package deal with free shipping. They shipped same day.
> 
> First off, they showed up charged, at least according to the charger and lamp indicator lights. I gave them an hour on the charger before I left for good luck anyway. Set up was easy and fast. velcro'd one to my helmet with the MS helmet mount and dropped that battery in my back pocket. Used the included cable extension. Pretty light and compact battery. Mounted the other on my 31.8 bar with the included large O ring. The battery bar/stem/frame mount is sup-par compared to my niterider but I quickly compensated with a velcro ankle band I use for commuting. The battery sleeve has a wrap around velcro/nylon deal and I wrapped it around my stem and let it hand below. Added the ankle strap aroung the whole thing and it was solid.
> 
> ...


Hey Beastwood9, glad to hear your lightsets arrived in time for your ride last night and that you had a positive purchasing and riding experience. Yes we precharge the batteries before shipping to make sure everything works correctly before they are sent out. I'm running my Magicshines this weekend for a 24 Hour Solo in Phoenix. Thanks for the mention. Cheers Reade


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## rpinata (Jan 29, 2009)

At the risk of threadjacking or bringing back an old thread, I'm just going to second the OP.
Just took mine out on it's maiden voyage and was really impressed with the beam. I just had one light, on the bars, and lit more than my buddy with two lights.

*_now for the gushing part_*- I got mine from *Geoman* BEFORE the expected ship date. Great service. I just bought another one with helmet mount and Y-cable.


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## Rock (Jan 13, 2004)

*Same experience*

I've got 2 "REAL" night rides with mine. Ordered mine directly from Extreme Deals. No problems. Got my buddy the same set up, one on helmet and one on bars. We were discussing the light last night over beers after 2nd ride this week and we have decided that light is no longer an issue with night riding. With both (or acutally all 4) on high the woods are lit up as much as we could ever need. The deer don't know what to do. I am seeing owls 30 ft up in trees as I ride by. For under $200 invested, I'm good. Probably the most satisfying mountain bike purchase I've made in a long time. I bought a cable extension from Geoman, but it really isn't necessary. If you attach the battery from the helmet light to the back side of a camelbak shoulder strap (on your back, not on the front on your chest), there is plenty of cable, never restricts head movement. Since on/off functions are at the head unit, the battery really doesn't need to be accessed. I think the mountain bike light market will never be the same after MagicShine lights really get around.

Rock


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## [email protected] (Oct 17, 2009)

The Singletrack Store said:


> Hey Beastwood9, glad to hear your lightsets arrived in time for your ride last night and that you had a positive purchasing and riding experience. Yes we precharge the batteries before shipping to make sure everything works correctly before they are sent out. I'm running my Magicshines this weekend for a 24 Hour Solo in Phoenix. Thanks for the mention. Cheers Reade


Yep, I ordered mine from The Single Track Store. It arrived quicker than I expected and was pre-charged. It looks promising, but I am sick, so I can't night ride yet. Thanks Reade!


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## d365 (Jun 13, 2006)

The Singletrack Store said:


> Hey Beastwood9, glad to hear your lightsets arrived in time for your ride last night and that you had a positive purchasing and riding experience. Yes we precharge the batteries before shipping to make sure everything works correctly before they are sent out. I'm running my Magicshines this weekend for a 24 Hour Solo in Phoenix. Thanks for the mention. Cheers Reade


Reade, what's up with your site? Your link directs me to something else.


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## The Singletrack Store (Oct 17, 2009)

d365 said:


> Reade, what's up with your site? Your link directs me to something else.


Hey D365
That's exactly what I said when I called the IT guys 20 mins ago, they should have everything back up and running in a few mins. Thanks for the heads up

Cheers Reade:thumbsup:


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## d365 (Jun 13, 2006)

Is one MS light on the helmet enough light for tight singletrack?


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## The Singletrack Store (Oct 17, 2009)

d365 said:


> Reade, what's up with your site? Your link directs me to something else.


Gotta love it when they do updates during the day, we are backup and running :thumbsup:


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## loudawwg56 (Apr 6, 2009)

d365 said:


> Is one MS light on the helmet enough light for tight singletrack?


I am using one mounted on my helmet and ride fine in singletrack using the high setting. But another one on the handlebar would be perfect.


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## alanmushnick (Oct 14, 2009)

this is obviously a very cost effective light. of course the biggest issue is the durability of the light, the mount, and the batter. Although, at the current price a replacement after a year of use wouldn't be a tragedy, either. If they fail unexpectedly or after a couple of months, the raves will need to be tempered. I have one, and a Dinotte, too. Neither long enough for me to comment on, other than that the Dinotte appears to be more solid all around. For the price the magicshine is a deal.
I will eventually report my findings.


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## CdaleTony (Jun 21, 2005)

*My cable exits the rear?*

I like it like this better.


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## CdaleTony (Jun 21, 2005)

*I modded the mount*

Looks sloppier than it really is. The plastic is fairly soft.
CDT


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## GEOMAN (May 30, 2006)

rpinata said:


> At the risk of threadjacking or bringing back an old thread, I'm just going to second the OP.
> Just took mine out on it's maiden voyage and was really impressed with the beam. I just had one light, on the bars, and lit more than my buddy with two lights.
> 
> *_now for the gushing part_*- I got mine from *Geoman* BEFORE the expected ship date. Great service. I just bought another one with helmet mount and Y-cable.


Thanks for the kind words. We appreciate your support.

Geo


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## POG (May 20, 2004)

d365 said:


> Is one MS light on the helmet enough light for tight singletrack?


One is plenty for me - I have been using the L&M ARC for the past several years and I think the MS is similar in light output. To my eye the MS is significantly brighter overall but it doesn't have the little long throwing tight spot in the middle the ARC has. The MS also has a more natural color.

I still have one working L&M ARC and actually used it this week due to having had a bad cable sent with my MS. My feeling is I could use either the ARC or MS but would definitely pick the MS as the overall better light.

I want to thank Singletrack Store for responding and getting me a replacement cable so quickly even though he was not the vendor who sent the faulty one.


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## steve66 (Oct 25, 2009)

CdaleTony said:


> I like it like this better.


Did you just unscrew the base and put it on the other way?


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## bentboy242 (Nov 7, 2009)

I also wonder, why does the cord exit out of the front?


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## eratanun (Oct 3, 2009)

steve66 said:


> Did you just unscrew the base and put it on the other way?


Another notch needs to be put in the back with a channel running through it. Seeing CdaleTony's post inspired me to whip out the dremel for a quick mod. Only took about 10 or so of grinding, test fitting, grinding again before I got it just right. Test fitted it on the helmet with the cable running the new way, and I like it MUCH better coming out the back!


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## CdaleTony (Jun 21, 2005)

eratanun said:


> Another notch needs to be put in the back with a channel running through it. Seeing CdaleTony's post inspired me to whip out the dremel for a quick mod. Only took about 10 or so of grinding, test fitting, grinding again before I got it just right. Test fitted it on the helmet with the cable running the new way, and I like it MUCH better coming out the back!


 
Me? Inspirational??

Simply flipping the mount wouldn't. And I gave a quick thought to the stresses on the cord. But if it bends one way to go out the front, what difference could there be bending the other way to go out the back?
CDT


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## [email protected] (Oct 17, 2009)

CdaleTony said:


> Me? Inspirational??
> 
> Simply flipping the mount wouldn't. And I gave a quick thought to the stresses on the cord. But if it bends one way to go out the front, what difference could there be bending the other way to go out the back?
> CDT


You can't simply flip it. It is not front back symmetric..


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## CdaleTony (Jun 21, 2005)

[email protected] said:


> You can't simply flip it. It is not front back symmetric..


That Was my point.. That why I modded the mount. With pics


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## [email protected] (Oct 17, 2009)

CdaleTony said:


> That Was my point.. That why I modded the mount. With pics


Sorry, bad reading comprehension on my part 

The only other thing I would do is try to plug up the old route and try to seal the new route ... 
1. To get a minimal amount of moisture barrier
2. Additional cable support ... prevent cable sliding or the ability to pull it out.


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## Pedaling Nowhere (Jul 18, 2005)

Question: Do you have to unscrew the o-ring mount to squeeze it in passed the wire? I tried to force it, but gave up and thought I'd just learn from others experience...


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## GEOMAN (May 30, 2006)

tweezerGlint said:


> Question: Do you have to unscrew the o-ring mount to squeeze it in passed the wire? I tried to force it, but gave up and thought I'd just learn from others experience...


No, no, no. Just stretch the o-ring to make it smaller and pass it under the power cable into the mount.

Geo


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## The Singletrack Store (Oct 17, 2009)

[email protected] said:


> Yep, I ordered mine from The Single Track Store. It arrived quicker than I expected and was pre-charged. It looks promising, but I am sick, so I can't night ride yet. Thanks Reade!


Our pleasure Gary, thanks for the mention we aim to please. Sorry I'm responding so late, didn't see this until today. Cheers Reade


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## ireland57 (Sep 11, 2009)

d365 said:


> Is one MS light on the helmet enough light for tight singletrack?


I used two last night - one on bars and one helmet.
They were just enough..... tight single track and reasonably technical uphill/downhill.

At my current slow pace they are ok but I hope to get quicker.

For me one is definitely not enough for the tracks I do.


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## Schultz29 (Oct 12, 2005)

Thanks to GeoMan for a quick delivery of my new Magic Shine. It came yesterday as expected. Tonight will be it's first test ride. We are having our local "Brew Ride" which is an unsanctioned beer drinking and mtn biking event hosted at night at a local trail system. As my vision is likely to be impaired I will need to use all the light the MS can provide. 

Last night I hooked up the light and rode around the block to check head lamp security and test it's output. I tested it in the back yard against my old NiteRider Storm which I always considered to be the bench mark in mtn biking lighting. The Storm was a joke compared to the Magic Shine. The Storm matched the MS in light output only when the MS was on its lowest setting. On high the MS was almost twice as bright. The MS also had a much warmer light color. The Storm casts a cold blue hue whereas the MS is much more white. 

Right now, I'm in the "Can't Believe It's True" camp but I'll know more tonight after an evening of racing and drinking. I'm presently in between bikes right now so, I'll be riding a full rigid 29'er. I hope the MS can hold up mounted to the bars of the harsh riding bike? I also question it's burn time with such a tiny battery? Anyway, I guess all those questions will be answered tonight. I'll report my findings here as well as long as I survive the evening.


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## rpinata (Jan 29, 2009)

Hey Shultzy, you'll be fine with mounting it on the bars of your FR SS. I just use the smaller o-ring and that little F-er stays put. I even move mine up or down depending on the trail.

_Just an FYI- You will probably go back and order one for your helmet. Talk about sunshine in the night._


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## Schultz29 (Oct 12, 2005)

rpinata said:


> Hey Shultzy, you'll be fine with mounting it on the bars of your FR SS. I just use the smaller o-ring and that little F-er stays put. I even move mine up or down depending on the trail.
> 
> _Just an FYI- You will probably go back and order one for your helmet. Talk about sunshine in the night._


Thanks, what I've seen so far is pretty awesome. The construction quality is also better than expected. I wrapped a piece of rubberized tape around the bar and used the large O-Ring as I'm running 31.8 bars. The lamp head seemed pretty secure and I bounced some curbs and rode down my side walk stairs a couple of times. You're probably right another Magic Shine may be on order after tonight's debut ride. However, I did order a Milion 200 for the helmet and it's due in today. After seeing the MS in action the Milion may be too overwhelmed by the power of the MS.

By the way, what's the MS burn time on the highest setting?


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## gmcttr (Oct 7, 2006)

Schultz29 said:


> ...By the way, what's the MS burn time on the highest setting?


I have one I am testing this morning. The indicator light changed from green to red at 3hr10min warning the battery is low.


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## The Singletrack Store (Oct 17, 2009)

gmcttr said:


> I have one I am testing this morning. The indicator light changed from green to red at 3hr10min warning the battery is low.


That's usually about what I get on average aswell, Cheers


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## gmcttr (Oct 7, 2006)

gmcttr said:


> I have one I am testing this morning. The indicator light changed from green to red at 3hr10min warning the battery is low.


At 3hr 45min the light changed to the annoyingly fast flashing (possibly at a reduced light output).

At 4hr 15min the flashing had dimmed to a guess-timated 30 lumens. Test ended.


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## The Singletrack Store (Oct 17, 2009)

gmcttr said:


> At 3hr 45min the light changed to the annoyingly fast flashing (possibly at a reduced light output).
> 
> At 4hr 15min the flashing had dimmed to a guess-timated 30 lumens. Test ended.


Wow great burntime, under what kind of test conditions were those numbers achieved? Cheers Reade


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## gmcttr (Oct 7, 2006)

The Singletrack Store said:


> Wow great burntime, under what kind of test conditions were those numbers achieved? Cheers Reade


Outside...38F at start...50F at the end.


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## The Singletrack Store (Oct 17, 2009)

Awesome thanks for the info. Cheers Redae


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## fda47 (Aug 26, 2009)

Not to hijack but since this is a quick MS review, thought I'd add in.

Ordered the Turkey day special from TheSingleTrackStore.com. Got a quick reply stating that shop was out of stock but expecting shipment that night or the following day. This was on a Friday so I thought from AZ to NH, I probably will get it Tues of Wed the following week. But Monday come and voila, the lights were at my doorstep :thumbsup: And as a bonus, the batteries we all charged up.

Son and I tried it Wed and all I can say is wow. It's everything everyone else says. It lights up the woods pretty good. We ride at the same time so be basically have 2 lights always lighting up the trails. For the riding we do, these lights are more than enough. Can't compare it with other lights as these are the first ones we've had but I don't think we need more.

Well I ran into a problem, {or what I thought was a problem - see later}, with one of the chargers. After the charging cycle is complete, I didn't see a green light on one of them. Unplugged the charger from the wall and reconnected either battery still nothing. So I immediately emailed Reade and he sent a replacement charger same day, no kidding. Were to head out again Fri night so recharged the batteries. Again same thing, both leds go red but once done, only one lits green. However after a little bit, I came back to the room with the lights off and I saw a very faint green light on the charger that I thought was broken. Well, it wasn't really broken after all. The green led must just be a little off center that with room lights, it's not visible at all.

Anyways, sorry for the long post but I just want to point out that first, the Magicshines are amazing for the price, in fact, I'd probably buy 1 more set in the future for the handlebars, but second and probably more important, Reade's customer service is just outstanding. Can't ask for more. +++++Rep


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## The Singletrack Store (Oct 17, 2009)

fda47 said:


> Not to hijack but since this is a quick MS review, thought I'd add in.
> 
> Ordered the Turkey day special from TheSingleTrackStore.com. Got a quick reply stating that shop was out of stock but expecting shipment that night or the following day. This was on a Friday so I thought from AZ to NH, I probably will get it Tues of Wed the following week. But Monday come and voila, the lights were at my doorstep :thumbsup: And as a bonus, the batteries we all charged up.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the kind words, we aim to please and try ship same day and precharge all units prior to shipping whenever possible, I know exactly what it's like hoping your lights will come in that day so you go straight out and tear it up. Cheers Reade


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## ab138501 (Nov 6, 2009)

*Bad luck with Magicshine*

I tried the Magicshine and did not have very good luck with it. The battery is supposed to last for three hours on high. Mine lasted for only about 45 minutes on high while I was commuting to work on 10/26/09. Granted, it was very cold out that morning.

Check out the beam shots of the Magicshine, Lupine, and Niterider lights at http://acidinmylegs.blogspot.com/2009/11/few-beam-shots.html

The Magicshine is clearly not up to the level of Lupine or Niterider.

I ordered a Niterider Pro 600. It's supposed to arrive on 11/18/09.


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## The Singletrack Store (Oct 17, 2009)

ab138501 said:


> I tried the Magicshine and did not have very good luck with it. The battery is supposed to last for three hours on high. Mine lasted for only about 45 minutes on high while I was commuting to work on 10/26/09. Granted, it was very cold out that morning.
> 
> Check out the beam shots of the Magicshine, Lupine, and Niterider lights at http://acidinmylegs.blogspot.com/2009/11/few-beam-shots.html
> 
> ...


Sounds like a faulty battery or charger, I got 3 hours on high on Mt Lemmon last month at 8,000 feet, started climb at 4am still dark at turnaround at 6.30am, temps at bottom approx 45 and definitely around 32 at turnaround


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## Datalogger (Jul 5, 2008)

ab138501 said:


> I tried the Magicshine and did not have very good luck with it. The battery is supposed to last for three hours on high. Mine lasted for only about 45 minutes on high while I was commuting to work on 10/26/09. Granted, it was very cold out that morning.
> 
> Check out the beam shots of the Magicshine, Lupine, and Niterider lights at http://acidinmylegs.blogspot.com/2009/11/few-beam-shots.html
> 
> ...


Did you contact someone regarding your issues?

I noticed you're new, and 4 of your 6 posts are the same as you posted above. Which is cool if you really had problems. But have you tried to resolve the battery issue?


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## mtb143 (Aug 26, 2007)

d365 said:


> Is one MS light on the helmet enough light for tight singletrack?


One MS on the helmet is probably enough light, and helmet mounting gives a big advantage by pointing the light where you're looking. But there is one disadvantage that is rarely discussed about running only a helmet light. The problem is that it can screw with your depth perception. A helmet light doesn't create shadows like pretty much every other light source does - shadows that angle across the surrounding terrain. This isn't something that you ever think about consciously, but your brain's visual system uses shadows to figure out how big things are, how close they are to you, and where they are relative to one another. Put a second light on your handlebar and this problem disappears. A personal anecdote of how I painfully learned about this problem: A few years ago I ran into a six inch asphalt barrier that was put up to separate a bike lane from a car lane. The barrier was the exact same color as the surrounding asphalt, and because my ARC HID headlight didn't create a shadow that would make it stand out, the barrier was essentially invisible as I sailed into it and launched over it at about 25 mph.

Just food for thought. Back when the ARC HID was my only light I did use it on the helmet more often than the bars though, knowing that I was trading depth perception for the ability to see better into corners. Today I have two MS's on my handlebar and one on the helmet. Awesome lighting, and a fraction of the cost of just one ARC. As a side note, I was curious to find the light pattern of the MS to be very similar to the ARC - nice wide flood with a good center spot. But I will say that the ARC's spot had more punch, and I miss that.


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## beastwood9 (Nov 22, 2007)

*update*

Since I started this thread I thought it appropriate to update my initial review.

Been riding offroad about 2x/week at night (40-50F) for the last few weeks.

No issues so far. My rides are about 1.5 hours on tight twisty singletrack. Run time a non-issue and a couple times have done two rides on one charge. Running one on helmet and one bars. I tend to run them on 'medium' as high seems like overkill with 2 of them.

Durability: I'm veryyy tall and have hot my helmet/light on branches several times. Still ticking.

Thats it-short and sweeet

They blow away my old niterider dual. Light quality and quantity very nice.


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