# Bontrager Ion 1300



## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

*Bontrager Ion Pro RT 1300*

:Better than expected" is the best way to describe my feelings about this light. I bought it because it is the latest and greatest from Trek/Bontrager who in the past produced some of the best single cell self-contained lights but it's intended purpose was to be the single cell "whipping boy" in a single cell vs. dual cell comparison between it and the Ravemen PR1200. Purpose for the comparison was to show how much more stable output is with 2 cell lights vs. single cell ones (that typically have a fairly consistent and rapid decrease in output thru their runtime) but nobody told the Ion 1300 that! It still had a substantial drop in the first 10 min. (I estimate heat being the culprit for a single emitter at this output level) but continued on for the first hour at a consistent rate till it tapered off to a still very usable output of 680 lumens (estimated) @ an hour and forty minutes. Higher than expected battery capacity of 4800 mAh I think had a lot to do with the better than expected output performance. Output curves for both lights were very similar for the first hour, advantage Ravemen for the next 25 min. and flipped to advantage Ion 1300 for the next 15 min. where I shut it down and the Ravemen continued above 600 lumens for another 20 minutes after that. Overall the main performance difference is the beam pattern. Ravemen has a much wider beam and would be my pick as a bar light. Ion 1300 has a narrower beam but 2x the max. lux value so much more throw and a better helmet light so 2 winners here.









Weight: 150gm (lighthead) + 30gm (mount)

Battery capacity/runtime: 4800 mAh/1:40 usable (measured)

Retain price: $99.99

Estimated lumen output in highest mode: 1415 (initial), 1100 (10 - 60 min.), tapering to 680 (100 min.)

Emitter tint: Cool White

As I said above this light surprised me with how good it performed. Bigger than expected battery capacity + high than typical output gave it solid usable performance from start to 10 min. after its claimed max. runtime. I haven't seen the optional helemt mount but if it's decent I'll have no problem recommending this for the many who only want self-contained for their helmet light. Throw is very good, on par with the better throwing 1200-1500 lumen lights out there. Bar mounted the beam is a little narrow for my taste for mtn. riding but fine for path and road use. Solid bar mount fits 25.4 to 35 mm bars in a inovative way, too bad there's no provision for horizontal adjustability.









UI is a bit of a let down. 1 program, 5 modes so flashing modes have to be togeled through to go from low to high (yuck!). Double click to turn so no accidental turnons in pack or bag. Press and hold to turn off. Button action firm but precise.

Mole

SUMMARY

I've had this light for a few weeks now and am still very happy with it. I makes very good output and maintains the output far better than most single cell self-contained lights on the market currently. It has survived 100 degree ride temperatures will no ill effects. It makes plenty of power in the lower modes so running on high is a seldom needed option for me (mostly helmet mounted off-road). Excellent throw distance for higher speeds. Solid bar mount that fits 25.4 - 35mm bars. Nice quality looking fit and finish. Only real problem that came up was some instability with the helmet mount which I was able to fix without any additional cost (see post #35). So far I'd have no problems recommending this light!


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## Shauns (Aug 24, 2018)

In english, do you like the light or do you not like the light?


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Shauns said:


> In english, do you like the light or do you not like the light?


The light has its strengths and weaknesses but overall I do like the light. There are a couple of similarly priced dual cell/dual emitter self-contained lights I would choose over the Ion 1300 for bar usage but consider the Ion 1300 the best helmet option if you are looking for a self-contained unit in this price range.
Mole


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## Shauns (Aug 24, 2018)

MRMOLE said:


> The light has its strengths and weaknesses but overall I do like the light. There are a couple of similarly priced dual cell/dual emitter self-contained lights I would choose over the Ion 1300 for bar usage but consider the Ion 1300 the best helmet option if you are looking of a self-contained unit in this price range.
> Mole


That's what I got from you when I saw you earlier. Good seeing you today. Always a pleasure sir.


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## Shauns (Aug 24, 2018)

These were George's words. Lol.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Shauns said:


> That's what I got from you when I saw you earlier. Good seeing you today. Always a pleasure sir.


Weather permitting, tomorrow night I'm bringing the Bontrager with me and you should bring your lumina 800 so we can do a little comparison. I'd also like to borrow it sometime to get some runtime vs. output readings if that's OK. 
Mole


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## Shauns (Aug 24, 2018)

If you come by the shop tomorrow you are more than welcome to borrow it. I don't really use it. I'll bring it with me to work tomorrow and if you come by you are more than welcome to Barrow it and do your thing.


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## Shauns (Aug 24, 2018)

I'm putting it in my bag right now


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

*Accessories*











@ $50 retail this a pretty pricey option. Wireless remotes are nice but considering the UI layout I'm not sure how valuable this would be but up to the individual to decide. I'm not springing for this but here's a link with a couple of reviews at the bottom.

https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/equipment/cycling-accessories/bike-lights/bike-light-accessories/bontrager-transmitr-wireless-remote/p/12540/?utm_source=criteo&utm_medium=retargeting









https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/equipment/cycling-accessories/bike-lights/bike-light-accessories/bontrager-helmet-mount/p/13492/?colorCode=black

Since I consider this lights forte will be helmet mounted I ordered this mount today. Looks to be Gopro style and hopefully Gopro compatible. Mount looks pretty straight forward and if "Gopro compatible" will try it with some of the other mounts I already have (helemt & bar).
Mole


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## JBarn (Jan 7, 2010)

I'm sure not everyone has, but I have always found Bontrager to be very high quality products and worth the $$. Out to buy their new Ion 200 to supplement my bar mount light and to use as a daytime running light.


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## guidosan (Jan 18, 2004)

MRMOLE said:


> The light has its strengths and weaknesses but overall I do like the light. There are a couple of similarly priced dual cell/dual emitter self-contained lights I would choose over the Ion 1300 for bar usage but consider the Ion 1300 the best helmet option if you are looking for a self-contained unit in this price range.
> Mole


Perhaps this is an inappropriate question, but what other lights that are similarly priced dual cell/dual emitter that you could recommend for the bar? I have been sold on getting the PR1200, but still open to other suggestions. Also, this will be used on the road with my commuter bike.


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## Dennis1987 (Jul 16, 2017)

This is a good product.

Its really bright and works great with the Bontrager Transmitr remote. I have it mounted on a Bontrager Elite stem with Blendr mount. It is rock solid secured. When taking the light off and back on its exactly in the same position than before.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

guidosan said:


> Perhaps this is an inappropriate question, but what other lights that are similarly priced dual cell/dual emitter that you could recommend for the bar? I have been sold on getting the PR1200, but still open to other suggestions. Also, this will be used on the road with my commuter bike.


I'll send you a PM!
Mole


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Dennis1987 said:


> This is a good product.
> 
> Its really bright and works great with the Bontrager Transmitr remote. I have it mounted on a Bontrager Elite stem with Blendr mount. It is rock solid secured. When taking the light off and back on its exactly in the same position than before.


Nice looking setup! Do you have a Bontrager tail light that's sinc'd to the remote also or have you tried your headlight helmet mounted? I have 3 different lights with wireless remotes but unfortunately only 1 of those reliably operates the lights helmet mounted. I assume being a Trek product it probably works excellently but would be nice to get a first hand confirmation on this. Thanks for the input.
Mole


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## Dennis1987 (Jul 16, 2017)

Hi

I have the Bontrager ion 800 rt and the new Flare rt also.

The Transmitr remote works perfect with all of them at the same time connected. One press on the center buttom of the remote and everything turns on. You can adjust the mode they are in and see the battery lvl. I just haven't figured out yet how to use them as turn signals. Im not going to use them like that but i'm curious how thats done.



















The new Flare RT is a lot smaller than the original Flare RT































































Ps:
The ION PRO charging time according to Trek is 15 hours , its in the manual and Trek said that that on their site. But with the quick charge cable that comes with the light and a Apple Ipad wall charger it charged mine from completely empty to full within 6 hours 30 minutes. Maybe even faster because i had a stopwatch running but when i took a look to check on how long it was charging it was full already. I was hesetating to buy the ion pro because the charging time , but im happy with how long it actually takes.

Trek did say in the youtube video of the ion pro that the supplied cable would cut charging time in half. But it just wasn't clearly. So if anyone is wondering , it takes less than six and a half hour to charge


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Thanks! :thumbsup:
Mole


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Trees in the center are about 125' away and still lighting up under the tree and further on pretty good. Good representation of throw and beam width which I'd classify as a wide spot.
Mole


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

MRMOLE said:


> View attachment 1214135
> 
> 
> Trees in the center are about 125' away and still lighting up under the tree and further on pretty good. Good representation of throw and beam width which I'd classify as a wide spot.
> Mole


I've noticed in the photo that in the center area there is semi-circle tinge of yellow. Is this the lamp or is the terrain just yellow in that area?

Would be nice to compare this to the Wiz-1. While the Wiz-1 will likely not be as bright I remember when using mine that it does have some outstanding throw. The Ion 1300 does look to have a fairly wide beam pattern. Should make for a decent lamp for road use as long as you aren't worried about blinding anyone. In a more rural setting one of these would work really well.

Been a while since I've used my Wiz-1. The Wiz-1 made for a very good road lamp and had excellent throw. I really can't remember now just how wide the beam pattern was. I might have to take it with me on the next ride just to refresh my memory. One thing worth noting though is that with the Wiz-1 you could switch out a battery at any time. Since with mine I could use either a 26650 or an 18650 I had great choices.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Cat-man-do said:


> I've noticed in the photo that in the center area there is semi-circle tinge of yellow. Is this the lamp or is the terrain just yellow in that area?


Definitely just the trail surface. That's a low area that collects water when it rains and with all the monsoon storms we've had lately the surface can be very colorful.



> Would be nice to compare this to the Wiz-1. While the Wiz-1 will likely not be as bright I remember when using mine that it does have some outstanding throw. The Ion 1300 does look to have a fairly wide beam pattern. Should make for a decent lamp for road use as long as you aren't worried about blinding anyone. In a more rural setting one of these would work really well.


Beam pattern works very well for road riding, at least from the riders point of view. At these output levels I'm sure it's a little uncomfortable for on-coming traffic and because of the less than ideal mode menu (H-M-L-Strobe-SOS) best to cover top of beam with your hand when possible. If I planned on using this light as my main option for road or path use I'd probably spring for the wireless remote which should make rapid Hi to low (and jumping over the flash modes) changes considerably faster.



> Been a while since I've used my Wiz-1. The Wiz-1 made for a very good road lamp and had excellent throw. I really can't remember now just how wide the beam pattern was. I might have to take it with me on the next ride just to refresh my memory. One thing worth noting though is that with the Wiz-1 you could switch out a battery at any time. Since with mine I could use either a 26650 or an 18650 I had great choices


Battery in the Ion 1300 is not field changeable unfortunately. I pulled the bezel/faceplate trying to get a look at the emitter which didn't work out because most of the electronics/emittter/optic were attached to the bezel and tethered to the rest of the light by several wires. It did reveal the end of the battery though which was considerably larger than a 18650 so assuming it's a 26650 but whatever it is the 4800 mAh capacity is a good thing.
Mole


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

Thanks MRM. Nice that the Ion 1300 has a remote option. I loves me a lamp with a remote option.

Well tonight I just had to take the Wiz-1 out for a spin since we started talking about it. Yep, nice thing about the W1 is that the flash mode is not in the main menu. Whoa...you know it just dawned on me while writing this that the Wiz-1 is programmable ( had to look it up because I forgot ) :lol:. I was just wishing that when I was using it tonight that the modes were reversed. Mine goes low-med-high. I like when using a light on high that I can power down fast if riding my road setup. ( otherwise the reverse is true for MTB ) I guess that means if I want to reverse the modes I can. .......now I just need to figure out how to do that.

Anyway, the Wiz-1 did real good. Not near as narrow a beam pattern as the cheap iKirkLiten lamp I just bought. On the really dark roads the spill of the Wiz-1 lights up a good bit of road. Of course the throw is excellent even when just using the medium mode. Funny but once again when I looked these up on Amazon they are of course sold out. _Gearbeast_ has them though ( not a type error ). I can't believe they are trying to sell these for $134 a pop. That's almost twice what I paid for mine and that was years ago. Even worse, they are selling the XP3 for over $300! :nono: ( not sure but this might have something to do with the Trump Chinese tariffs  )

My goodness it was hot tonight. Been hot the last three days in a row but tonight was the worse. So hot/humid tonight that I could only stand doing a really short road ride. Been so hot/humid at night I can't do any night MTB rides...just too damn hot. Might be able to get one in tomorrow night if it doesn't rain and it cools a bit. Humidity in the high 80 to 94'% at night is trying to kill me.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

> [
> 
> 
> Cat-man-do said:
> ...


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## Dennis1987 (Jul 16, 2017)

I don’t know exactly what you mean by scrolling up and down the preset menu.

You can pair up to 7 lights to the remote. The headlights assigned to the top buttom of the transmitr are also operable with the center buttom. With the center buttom you can quick switch the lights adressed to the top buttom from the current light setting (blinking or one of the steady modes) to full beam and back. 

The lights adressed to one of the side buttoms or the lower buttom cant be operated with the center buttom besides from turning all the lights on and of with it.

With the center buttom you can turn of and off all the lights at the same time. If you you just want to turn on the tail lights or headlights , just press the adressed buttom on the remote.

There is a turn signal mode , but i havent lookt into that one.


If you’re question was if you can go back to front trough the modes of the lights with the remote , no you cant. A light can only be adressed to one of the four outside buttoms of the remote and is operated by ony that buttom (exept headlights adressed to top buttom to quick switch to full beam and back with the centre buttom). A tail light adressed to the lower buttom is only operable with the lower buttom and you have to press the lower buttom 5 times to cycle trough all the modus and to come back to the light setting it was in.


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

mrmole said:


> > View attachment 1214367
> 
> 
> Interesting bell. Just make sure you don't forget your phone for your next ride ( below ) lol
> ...


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Dennis1987 said:


> I don't know exactly what you mean by scrolling up and down the preset menu.
> 
> With the center buttom you can quick switch the lights adressed to the top buttom from the current light setting (blinking or one of the steady modes) to full beam and back.
> 
> If you're question was if you can go back to front trough the modes of the lights with the remote , no you cant.


Thanks for the detailed explanation of the remote functions. What I was getting at was whether you had to go through the H-M-L-Strobe-SOS menu to get back to high or if you could reverse direction from low or med. and go back to high avoiding the flash modes. Sounds like that's not possible which is too bad but being able to quickly access the high mode (center button) from any other mode (and quickly return) helps a lot. Thanks again for sharing your hands on experence with this light. 
Mole


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

The helmet mount came in yesterday and looks good. Has a very nice retention lever similar to what I have on some of my helmet straps. Simplest, easiest to use strap type retention system I've seen for helmet mounts. QR Gopro clip that attaches to the light worked with all the Gopro mounts I tried it on and mounting kit also came with a Gopro mount that fits Bontrager's flare tail light so mount also can be used to mount a rear light to the back of your helmet. Initially I thought $20 was a little pricey but after years of messing around with typical 1 & 2 strap velcro helmet mount systems and seeing others struggle with mount straps this one is so easy to use I consider it worth the money:thumbsup:. ***(Important update: Please read post 34 in this thread!!!)***

































Just putting the helmets with the light mounted I could feel the extra weight though don't think it would be a big deal for shorter rides. Interesting to note that I thought the Kali would feel the worst because of the light being mounted farther forward and having the weight offset to the front. I'm guessing the lower mounting made a bigger difference than the offset because it was actually the most comfortable and hid the weight of the self-contained system the best.
Mole


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## varider (Nov 29, 2012)

Nice looking light. That UI kills it off for me though. Two blinker modes in the rotation, that's awful. Why would they do that? Perhaps they really just think of it as a road light. 

I'm a bit confused on the three helmet pictures. Is the last one the bontrager mount? Is that the most comfortable one? What are the other two.


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## Dennis1987 (Jul 16, 2017)

There are two blinking modus. One for day time and one for night time. 

For a day time blinking light to be visible it needs to be really bright. You cant use the day time blinking mode at night. You would blind everyone.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

varider said:


> Nice looking light. That UI kills it off for me though. Two blinker modes in the rotation, that's awful.


Agree on this! Hopefully Trek/Bontrager will fix this in the future.



> I'm a bit confused on the three helmet pictures. Is the last one the bontrager mount? Is that the most comfortable one? What are the other two


Sorry about that. Fox has the Bontrager mount, Bell is their stock mount that comes with the helmet, and the Kali's mount is a Gloworm. Gloworm mount was the most comfortable only because it mounted the light lower on that particular helmet (Kali). 
Mole


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Cat-man-do said:


> mrmole said:
> 
> 
> > Interesting bell. Just make sure you don't forget your phone for your next ride ( below ) lol
> ...


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Time to do a little summary on what I think about this light so far.
*
Pros:*

1) An excellent performing (sustainable high output with excellent throw) for bar or helemt use at a reasonable price $100 for th light kit + $20 for the helmet mount (wireles remote available for $50 but far less of a bargain).

2) Very good mounts. Extra cost helemt mount is the easiest to use strap type mount I've ever seen and comes with a slide mount Gopro adapter that makes the light itself compatible with other Gopro moun ts. Bar mount is sturdy and ccompatible with bars from 25.4 to 35mm (tested on 25.4/31.8/35mm bars).

3) Far better output stability than other typical single cell self-contained lights. High mode actually starts out a little over 1400 lumens and dims to approx. 1100 lumens (as it warms up) where it stays stable for the first hour. Last half hour of claimed max. runtime stays in the 7-800 lumen range. The med. mode has 3 distinct output levels. First hour is 800-850 lumens, sceond hour 725 lumens, and the finaly hour is around 400 lumens. Alternate option I like for off-road is to switch back to high when med reduces after 2 hrs. which nets you an additional 20 min. of 700-850 lumen use instead of the last hour @ 400.

4} Local bike shop availability + Trek to backup warranty so no worries if any problems arrise.

*
Cons:*

!) The main thing I'd like to see Trek fix is to eliminate the flash modes from the main menu to an alternate program so they don't have to be scrolled through to go from med. or low to get back to high.

2) Would be nice to have some horizontal adjustment for the bar mount. This wasn't a problem for any of the bikes I tried the light on though but there's always an exception.

All other features of this light performed adequately and am very pleased with the RT Pro Ion 1300 so far.
Mole


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## Dennis1987 (Jul 16, 2017)

Does anybody know how to re enable the wireless communication of the ion pro rt ?

The power buttom of the ion pro rt flashes blue every 15 seconds to indicate that the remote function is enabled. That annoyed me so i turned off the wireless communication to see if that stopped the flashing. It did but now it doesnt connect to my transmitr remote anymore. Makes sense but when i tried to enable the remote function on the light i cant get it to work back again.

I tried everything i could think of. The manual isnt clear about how to enable it again.


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## phalkon30 (Jan 17, 2009)

Since we're approaching night riding season, I purchased an Ion 1300 based on this thread. I ride with a few guys that have the 800 and really like them, so I can't see how you could go wrong with the new model. Great price point too.

Was hoping to find a cheaper mount, but it's so unique and it sounds like Trek has a nice helmet mount design. I'll update you guys when i get to compare it to my BT40S clone.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

phalkon30 said:


> Since we're approaching night riding season, I purchased an Ion 1300 based on this thread. I ride with a few guys that have the 800 and really like them, so I can't see how you could go wrong with the new model. Great price point too.
> 
> Was hoping to find a cheaper mount, but it's so unique and it sounds like Trek has a nice helmet mount design. I'll update you guys when i get to compare it to my BT40S clone.


Congrats on your new light.:thumbsup: I've been getting quite a bit of use on mine and have been very happy with it so far (always nice when something you buy turns out better than you expected). Look forward to hearing what you think after you get some time in with the Ion.
Mole


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Took the 1300 out (helmet mounted) on a longer (35 mi. total) ride that included several miles of rough rocky trails. Results were mostly good with one major exception. Light handled the near 100 degree ride temps just fine, illuminated the trail well but when it got rough had stability issues because of helmet mount that I had previously praised. Thick soft foam pad on the bottom of the mount + weight of the light + rough ground had the beam bouncing around enough to be a distraction and limit usefulness. The plan is to remove the pad and replace it with some friction tape so will report back when I test the modification. Other than that the light worked great!
Mole


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Sorry I still haven't gotten out to get that friction tape yet but have been playing around with the mount and came up with a no cost option that works well. Even though the Fox Meta helmet is fairly flat at the mounts contact point it still has some curvature and what was happening was when tightened the large medium density foam friction pad was compressing in the center but not at the outer edges. Rough trail + weight of the light was allowing outer foam to compress and pivot on the already compressed hard center and rock excessively. What I did was pull the pad off and cut out the center portion allowing the foam to compress and support the mount at the outer edges making it much more stable. Still think the friction tape will work better + lower the lights ride height a small amount but this way requires no extra materials.
Mole


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Was out last night with the Ion running for about 3.5 hrs. actual riding time + a few minutes to takes pics. Ran the light mostly on low setting and just a couple of miles on med. Definitely no battery life issues used this way and beam was perfect for the canal banks I was riding on.
Mole


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## phalkon30 (Jan 17, 2009)

I got my mount last night, fits pretty tight on my Giro Chronicle, although I agree the foam could be thinner. I'll hopefully get out tonight with it and compare to my BT40.

I saw at the trek store the 1200 can go brighter than the 800 it replaced, but at the same lumens has double the battery life. That's pretty impressive!


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

phalkon30 said:


> I got my mount last night, fits pretty tight on my Giro Chronicle, although I agree the foam could be thinner. I'll hopefully get out tonight with it and compare to my BT40.
> 
> I saw at the trek store the 1200 can go brighter than the 800 it replaced, but at the same lumens has double the battery life. That's pretty impressive!


If you look back to post #15 Dennis1987 posted pictures of the 1300 and 800 side by side. The 800 is quite a bit smaller and I'm sure has a smaller battery with less capacity which would explain the shorter runtime @ similar output. Look forward to hear how your ride goes.
Mole


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## phalkon30 (Jan 17, 2009)

Finally had a chance to get this bad boy out on the trail!

First pic is of the Revtronic BT40s, second of the ion 1300, both at max brightness on a mostly charged battery. Ion is certainly more white than the NW BT40s, and a slightly narrower beam. The picture with two spots shows a close up comparison (ion left side).

On the trail the color mismatch is noticeable, but I didn't mind after a while. It is nice riding with handlebar and head mounted at the same time, but not that much better in my opinion.

The ion is much larger and heavier than the 800 it replaced, but I couldn't notice after a few minutes on the bike. Never realized how much I hated having a wire down my back to a pack in my jersey!

Bontrager mount is annoying, I may modify like Mr Mole has, the foam is really too thick. The strap system is pretty slick though.

Button interface is not great, with gloves on I struggled to double click the light, and when mounted on the head I couldn't tell what brightness I was at without going through every setting.

Overall very happy with the purchase, we'll see how it does in the winter with sub zero Temps and snow. It's nice to ride with a light I can trust to make it through the ride


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

phalkon30 said:


> Bontrager mount is annoying, I may modify like Mr Mole has, the foam is really too thick. The strap system is pretty slick though.


As flat as the top of my Fox Meta is I estimate most will have stability problems with the mount. Luckily that mod. I did only takes about 30 sec. to do and so far seems to work though I haven't been back to that rougher trail with it yet.



> Button interface is not great, with gloves on I struggled to double click the light, and when mounted on the head I couldn't tell what brightness I was at without going through every setting.


I guess the button could be a little easier to push and less flush with the lighthead. I hadn't really noticed it till you mentioned this but I can definitely see thicker winter gloves may not work well with the mode button.



> Overall very happy with the purchase, we'll see how it does in the winter with sub zero Temps and snow. It's nice to ride with a light I can trust to make it through the ride


Since most winters we get very little weather below 40F I will (happily) rely on you to do the sub zero testing. Considering how well the light functioned thermally in the 100 degree ride temps. I see it might be difficult keeping battery temps. up. I always liked the idea of making some sort of foam glove to cover the back of lights like the Ion to reduce the outside surface area and allow the heat the light produces help keep the battery warmer. Might require some experimentation to figure out how much of the light to cover (so it doesn't overheat) but would be interesting to do if you like that sort of thing.
Mole


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## phalkon30 (Jan 17, 2009)

MRMOLE said:


> Since most winters we get very little weather below 40F I will (happily) rely on you to do the sub zero testing. Considering how well the light functioned thermally in the 100 degree ride temps. I see it might be difficult keeping battery temps. up. I always liked the idea of making some sort of foam glove to cover the back of lights like the Ion to reduce the outside surface area and allow the heat the light produces help keep the battery warmer. Might require some experimentation to figure out how much of the light to cover (so it doesn't overheat) but would be interesting to do if you like that sort of thing.
> Mole


Ooh, I like that idea! Even some foam pipe insulation cut strategically might work. I rode down to 15f, I've never really had a pack fail in that but I swear the run time is reduced. That's been under a few layers against my body, so being aluminum on my head... Should be colder.

Luckily I have a few weeks to play with it before it gets below zero here. Thanks for the thoughts!


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## Dennis1987 (Jul 16, 2017)

Trek replaced my ion pro for a new one. I disabled the wireless connection and i couldnt get it to work again.

Their customer service is great.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Dennis1987 said:


> Trek replaced my ion pro for a new one. I disabled the wireless connection and i couldnt get it to work again.
> 
> Their customer service is great.


Good to hear about the customer service. Curious if your old light still operated correctly other than the remote functions?
Mole


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## Dennis1987 (Jul 16, 2017)

It still worked perfect. Only the wireless function didnt work anymore.


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## NRP (Sep 8, 2015)

I just picked up an Ion Pro, largely based on the feedback in this thread. Thanks to everyone who provided insight.

The LBS gave me the wireless remote for free, which was pretty cool. So I picked up the Bontrager helmet mount too.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

NRP said:


> I just picked up an Ion Pro, largely based on the feedback in this thread. Thanks to everyone who provided insight.
> 
> The LBS gave me the wireless remote for free, which was pretty cool. So I picked up the Bontrager helmet mount too.


Congrats on your new light and your generous LBS too. $50 free remote with $100 light is definitely cool! Curious if this is your first bike light? Good or bad would appreciate if you'd let us know what you think of the light after you've got a few rides in with it.
Mole


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## islander (Jan 21, 2004)

I have a Bell Super helmet that came with a GoPro mount. Does this Ion light come with all I need to attach it to this GoPro mount or do I need to buy an accessory mount?


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

islander said:


> I have a Bell Super helmet that came with a GoPro mount. Does this Ion light come with all I need to attach it to this GoPro mount or do I need to buy an accessory mount?


Lighthead is a slide mount. You'll need to buy Bontragers helmet mount which is a Gopro style strap mount with an adapter clip for the lighthead. All you really need is the slide clip to work with your super.
Mole


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## NRP (Sep 8, 2015)

MRMOLE said:


> Congrats on your new light and your generous LBS too. $50 free remote with $100 light is definitely cool! Curious if this is your first bike light? Good or bad would appreciate if you'd let us know what you think of the light after you've got a few rides in with it.
> Mole


Yes, first bike light and first time riding at night. Will definitely post impressions after a few rides. The whole idea is to try to stay active during the winter months.


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## Vancbiker (May 25, 2005)

islander said:


> I have a Bell Super helmet that came with a GoPro mount. Does this Ion light come with all I need to attach it to this GoPro mount or do I need to buy an accessory mount?


That's a pretty heavy light to put on a helmet.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Vancbiker said:


> That's a pretty heavy light to put on a helmet.


I agree, 60-80 gm. lighthead is more comfortable (you can't even tell it's there) but that didn't stop me from putting in 54 mi. last night with this setup. I can't say I wasn't happy to take the helmet off at the end of the ride but overall it wasn't too uncomfortable. Used an Ituo mount, Bontrager's mount strap was just a little short for this helmet.
Mole


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## snowboardgeek1 (Jun 1, 2016)

Based on this review, I purchased two Ion 1300's, helmet strap, and wireless remote. I have to say, I love this setup. It has a clean look on the handlebars, and I love how I can turn on/off both the handlebar and helmet lights with one touch of the remote, and can cycle through the modes easily from one spot. From a convenience standpoint, I don't think it can get any easier than this setup. 

As for how the lights perform at night, I don't ride at night often so I'm not the person to ask technical questions. But from what I've experienced using both of the lights, it sure as hell lights up the trail 10 times better than the amazon lights I had lol.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

snowboardgeek1 said:


> Based on this review, I purchased two Ion 1300's, helmet strap, and wireless remote. I have to say, I love this setup. It has a clean look on the handlebars, and I love how I can turn on/off both the handlebar and helmet lights with one touch of the remote, and can cycle through the modes easily from one spot. From a convenience standpoint, I don't think it can get any easier than this setup.
> 
> As for how the lights perform at night, I don't ride at night often so I'm not the person to ask technical questions. But from what I've experienced using both of the lights, it sure as hell lights up the trail 10 times better than the amazon lights I had lol.


:thumbsup: Sounds like a nice setup! Does the remote operate the lights together with one button or individually from 2 buttons (or both ways)? Usually I don't run my helmet light and bar light at the same levels so wonder how this works. Remote is tempting but I know I don't need it for the way I'll end up using this light. Good to hear some positive input on it though.
Mole


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## snowboardgeek1 (Jun 1, 2016)

MRMOLE said:


> :thumbsup: Sounds like a nice setup! Does the remote operate the lights together with one button or individually from 2 buttons (or both ways)? Usually I don't run my helmet light and bar light at the same levels so wonder how this works. Remote is tempting but I know I don't need it for the way I'll end up using this light. Good to hear some positive input on it though.
> Mole


The remote is awesome. It can turn on the lights all at once or it can turn them on individually. It also can control the lights functions/brightness levels. You can also assign each button per light you want to control. I set mine up with the top button to control the helmet light and the bottom button for the handlebar. The remote can control up to 7 lights.

The remote was on sale at Trek for $39.99 and I think it's worth it.


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

You guys probably know that the Bontrager Rally and Circuit helmets come with magnetic blender mounts for the headlight. I've used it and it works really well. It clips in and out securely and easily, and will come out in a crash.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Lone Rager said:


> You guys probably know that the Bontrager Rally and Circuit helmets come with magnetic blender mounts for the headlight. I've used it and it works really well. It clips in and out securely and easily, and will come out in a crash.


Thanks, the dealer where I got my light told me about the magnetic mount but I've never seen one. If you could post a picture that would be appreciated. Curious how this affects the mounting height. I have several different Gopro interface helmet options and have found even small differences in height have a noticeable affect on comfort and perceived weight.
Mole


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## Dennis1987 (Jul 16, 2017)

?


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## phalkon30 (Jan 17, 2009)

Lone Rager said:


> You guys probably know that the Bontrager Rally and Circuit helmets come with magnetic blender mounts for the headlight. I've used it and it works really well. It clips in and out securely and easily, and will come out in a crash.


A friend I ride with that recommended the original ion to me lost his light due to the magnetic system, I can't say I'm impressed. Luckily we found the light... A low hanging small branch brushed it off without him knowing


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

I guess that possible. Maybe his magnet wasn't as strong or it wasn't seating properly for some reason. I haven't had that happen and it takes enough force to eject it that I'm pretty sure I'd notice. I'd certainly notice the reduced weight on my head, if nothing else. I'd also notice the loss of lighting when riding at night. 

It's very quick to put it on the helmet, and it maintains alignment very well when I do, so I don't keep it on my helmet unless it's dark enough to be using it.


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## phalkon30 (Jan 17, 2009)

We were off trail walking out bikes when it happened, he noticed after it got dark and went to reach for it 

The ion 1300 I would definitely feel missing, the 800 I'm not sure. I'm sure trek did a lot of testing and it's probably fine, but wanted to share my experience fwiw


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## fordee7 (Jul 30, 2009)

Is it worth it to have 2 lights (helmet and bar)? If you were to only have 1 light would it be helmet or bar and Bontrager Ion 1300 or Ravemen pr1200? If a 2 light setup would you choose a PR1200 for bars or run an ion for both bar and helmet? From reading all the posts it seems the PR1200 might be a better bar light BUT I like that the bontrager remote can control both lights. Thoughts?


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## phalkon30 (Jan 17, 2009)

fordee7 said:


> Is it worth it to have 2 lights (helmet and bar)? If you were to only have 1 light would it be helmet or bar and Bontrager Ion 1300 or Ravemen pr1200? If a 2 light setup would you choose a PR1200 for bars or run an ion for both bar and helmet? From reading all the posts it seems the PR1200 might be a better bar light BUT I like that the bontrager remote can control both lights. Thoughts?


I'll try again tonight, but the one ride I've done with two bright lights I didn't feel like it was any better to run 2 lights. That said ... The biggest reason I'll continue to ride with 2 is for redundancy, it's no fun when you're bombing down a hill and your light dies!

No idea how the raveman is, but 100% if you had to choose only one I would put something on your helmet. Your bars don't always point where your head is looking!


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

fordee7 said:


> Is it worth it to have 2 lights (helmet and bar)? If you were to only have 1 light would it be helmet or bar and Bontrager Ion 1300 or Ravemen pr1200? If a 2 light setup would you choose a PR1200 for bars or run an ion for both bar and helmet? From reading all the posts it seems the PR1200 might be a better bar light BUT I like that the bontrager remote can control both lights. Thoughts?


I only run 1 bar mounted headlight for road riding and always use a bar/helmet combo when I ride off-road. If one light was my only option for off-road I'd use it helmet mounted. Two light setup provides the best visibility + is also a safety feature in the event of a light failure. For most situations I consider the PR1200 a better bar light (high speed road riding being the exception) though the Ituo Wiz20 is my favorite self-contained for bar use and also worth looking at. I consider the Ion 1300's beam a little too narrow for off-road use. No optic options for a wider beam that I know of but I've had good luck using elliptical lens covers externally mounted (cut down to fit). I messed around with this a little and it looks like it will work, would require a little DIYing but would allow you to operate both lights with the remote.
Mole

Wall shot of standard beam.








Wall shot w/elliptical lens cover


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## fordee7 (Jul 30, 2009)

MRMOLE said:


> I only run 1 bar mounted headlight for road riding and always use a bar/helmet combo when I ride off-road. If one light was my only option for off-road I'd use it helmet mounted. Two light setup provides the best visibility + is also a safety feature in the event of a light failure. For most situations I consider the PR1200 a better bar light (high speed road riding being the exception) though the Ituo Wiz20 is my favorite self-contained for bar use and also worth looking at. I consider the Ion 1300's beam a little too narrow for off-road use. No optic options for a wider beam that I know of but I've had good luck using elliptical lens covers externally mounted (cut down to fit). I messed around with this a little and it looks like it will work, would require a little DIYing but would allow you to operate both lights with the remote.
> Mole


So what is your go-to setup for trail?


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

fordee7 said:


> So what is your go-to setup for trail?


Ituo XP3 S/S/S optic's for the helmet, Ituo XP2 S/W or W/W optic's depending on the trail for the bars.

For self-contained I'd do the Bontrager Ion 1300 for the helmet and PR1200 for the bars (only because it's emitter tint matches the Bontrager better than the Wiz20).

Mole


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## fordee7 (Jul 30, 2009)

MRMOLE said:


> Ituo XP3 S/S/S optic's for the helmet, Ituo XP2 S/W or W/W optic's depending on the trail for the bars.
> 
> For self-contained I'd do the Bontrager Ion 1300 for the helmet and PR1200 for the bars (only because it's emitter tint matches the Bontrager better than the Wiz20).
> 
> Mole


Thanks for the feedback and info. Think I'm going to start with a single ion.


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## Vancbiker (May 25, 2005)

fordee7 said:


> .....Think I'm going to start with a single ion.


Just be sure to pack a backup light of some kind. Even if it is just a flashlight with some way to attach it to your helmet or bars. Lights sometimes fail, batteries die, bike breaks down, etc.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

fordee7 said:


> Thanks for the feedback and info. Think I'm going to start with a single ion.


Sent you a PM.
Mole


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

Yeah. Very common to run bar and helmet lights mtbing and only a bar light on the road. And yeah, running two provide provides redundancy in case of failure. With two, you can also extend run time by only running one when you don't need two or running one high and the other low and switching during the ride.

If you're only running one headlight, you can use a small light, like a Bontrager Ion200, as a backup so that you're not in total darkness should your main light fail and still be able to find your way out.


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## phalkon30 (Jan 17, 2009)

Some photos of my ion road biking, it's almost too much on high! I can't believe how far this thing throws for its size, that boardwalk is over a quarter mile long to the curve. You could see it in person.

I live in Trek country so this may be skewed, but I think half the night group ride last night had one of these.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

phalkon30 said:


> Some photos of my ion road biking, it's almost too much on high! I can't believe how far this thing throws for its size, that boardwalk is over a quarter mile long to the curve. You could see it in person.
> 
> I live in Trek country so this may be skewed, but I think half the night group ride last night had one of these.


Nice shots! I agree about the high setting being a bit much. My normal rides are around 30 mi. (and I don't average 20 mph) so I almost always use the med. mode to extend the runtime but the light produces more than enough light set that way for road riding. I did like the high mode when I was testing the Ion 1300 helmet mounted off-road though. This light continues to be much better than what I expected.
Mole


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Last nights ride was the second time I've ran the Ion 1300 till the battery indicator light turned red. 2:19 run the entire time in the med. mode so I estimate there's a good 45 min. after you see red to safely run the light in the med. mode (actual bench test I ran in med. was a little over 3 hrs). Was a nice 70 degree evening on a MUP west of where I live. Heard the Coyote's howling and spotted a couple of Javelinas in my beam. 34 mi. total, 14.3 average on one of my fatbikes. That's really fast for me on the fatbike so I need to figure what I did to get so much energy!
Mole


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## Pilky (Sep 30, 2016)

Mole, just want to say great thread. I'm in the market for self contained bike light and stumbled upon it when researching the Ion

I've finally narrowed it down between two lights, the Ion and the Cygolite Metro Pro 1100.

Do you feel as though the Ion is worth the extra $30 over the Cygolite?

I'll mainly be using it on the road, mounted to my handle bar, for about 2.5 hours. I would like to try trail riding at night so that is also a possibility too.

Thanks!


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Pilky said:


> Mole, just want to say great thread. I'm in the market for self contained bike light and stumbled upon it when researching the Ion
> 
> I've finally narrowed it down between two lights, the Ion and the Cygolite Metro Pro 1100.
> 
> ...


I don't have any first hand experience with the Cygolite 1100 unfortunately. I did dig up a output curve on the wetestlights website and roughly drew in the curve for the Ion 1300 (black line). Both lights look pretty similar for the first 30 min. but after that the Ion looks to have a good advantage for the last 60 min. Beam pattern, UI, mount quality and function I just don't know. Sorry I wasn't more help with this.
Mole


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## Pilky (Sep 30, 2016)

If those graphs are accurate, that's pretty good. I'm going to spend the extra $30 and try the Ion. Maybe if I get into night riding on the trails I'll give the Metro a shot and use it as a helmet light.


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## snowboardgeek1 (Jun 1, 2016)

I've been using the ion pro 1300 at night (3 nights per week) for the past month. It's an awesome light. The remote is worth it to be able to control the light brightness individually or both from the handlebar.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Pilky said:


> If those graphs are accurate, that's pretty good. I'm going to spend the extra $30 and try the Ion. Maybe if I get into night riding on the trails I'll give the Metro a shot and use it as a helmet light.


I'd definitely trust the graph of the Cygolite as they were done in an integrated sphere belonging to Light&Motion. Output curve of the Ion was calculated from lux readings I took (bounce test) with my light meter. Formula used to convert lux to lumen were calibrated with similar lights that were tested in the MTBR Light Shootout that also used the L&M sphere for it's lumen ratings. I've seen mostly 2-3% variation in results when testing with my method compared to results obtained with that sphere as long as the beam is not too wide (which makes sense considering how I collect my data). That said there's probably more error in my attempt to free hand the curve on to the existing graph. So certainly not as good as having "wetestlights" do the curve (which I hope they do eventually) but IMO still acceptably accurate considering the differences in output for the last hr. are so large.

Since we have no current input on the Cygolite if you end up getting one I hope you'll post your impression of it.
Mole


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

*Tracking the competition*


I haven't posted anything here for a couple of weeks but have been doing a review of one of the Ion 1300's main competitors the Lumina 1200 Boost and thought I'd do a brief overview of some of the important differences, my opinion of course.

First I'll do the Ion's "wish I were a Lumina" list which is short. Lumina's beam pattern is a little nicer (wider) and its flash modes are not in the UI's main program so you don't have to scroll through them when changing brightness levels. These are the only reasons I've noticed sofar for the Ion 1300 to be envious of the most powerful to date Lumina.

Now for the "Glad I'm not a Lumina" list. The big one is power output. While both lights have similar output for the first 20 or so minutes the Lumina fades quickly after that and much past 30 minutes the lights aren't even comparable anymore. Bontrager's much warmer emitter tint makes its higher output modes much more usable (less reflective glare) IMO. Mount more solid and much easier to use. Bigger battery not only means more stable power output but beter mode runtimes. Wireless remote option.

Here's a output vs. runtime chart I did. I redid the Ion 1300 and Lumina 1200 at the same time to make them as equally comparable as possible and also included the Lumina's high beam (1000 claimed lumens).
Mole

Ion 1300 high = Red
Lumina 1200 boost = Black
Lumina 1200 high = Lavendar
Metro 1100 high = Blue


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Got a "Black Friday Sale" email today showing a 20% off this light deal. Unfortunately out of stock online so not possible to order from the link (at the moment).

https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/equipment/cycling-accessories/bike-lights/bike-front-lights/bontrager-ion-pro-rt-front-bike-light/p/22466/

Maybe you can snag one at a dealership or possibly order from there and still get the discount (not sure on this). Sale lasts from the 23rd to the 26th.
Mole


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

LBS was out and said they're BOed. IDK if you can get the deal ordering them through the LBS.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Lone Rager said:


> LBS was out and said they're BOed. IDK if you can get the deal ordering them through the LBS.


Thanks for the update. I think at this point if I was interested in one of these lights I'd email Trek/Bontrager while the sale is still on to see if they'll backorder it for you at the sale price. If they decline to do so you might want to remind them that it's not really a sale if they are out of stock at the beginning of the sale and unavailable at the dealerships. Most retailers are happy to go the rain check route but you have to ask.
Mole


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Lone Rager said:


> LBS was out and said they're BOed. IDK if you can get the deal ordering them through the LBS.





> Luke
> Hello, *
> Any Trek Bike or Bontrager product ordered within the sale period will get the sale pricing if your retailer is participating in the Trek Black Friday sale. *This applies to back orders
> You can find dealers who are participating in the sale by following this link to our retailer locator page and selecting the "Black Friday Sale" filter below the map!
> https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/store-finder/


This was the response I got from Trek online chat. So not sure if your dealer is a "participating" one but if they are they are not following Trek policy according to the information I got. Hope this helps!
Mole


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

*Actual integrated sphere test*



"Wetestlights" added the a Pro RT test recently so I thought I'd add this as a more accurate output curve representation. I just do spot checks @ timed intervals with a light-meter so output transition points look smoother on my tests but my light does have these fluctuations. Output fluctuations are not noticeable to me when using the light so shouldn't be a problem.
Mole

https://screenshots.firefox.com/9EYDwHAehbwfZwVR/www.wetestlights.com


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## Pilky (Sep 30, 2016)

I finally found the Ion Pro in stock somewhere and made the purchase. 

I am no where near as technical as MRMOLE when it comes to lights but I'll give my experience thus far anyway.

I charged the light the day before the first ride and the elapsed time of the ride was about 2:25. The light sat in my house for a week and I went on the second ride without charging it. Elapsed time was also ~2:25. A little over half way through ride #2, the indicator light changed from green to red but I still made it home and it never went to flashing red. On both rides I cycled through all the settings to try them out but used the low setting for the rest of the ride. I ride my hard tail with slicks on the streets and averaged 14.3 and the low setting was fine. The temperature for ride #1 was 32 degrees and ride #2 was 36.

So far I'm very happy with the light, although one could argue that I'd be happy with anything, coming from a 300 lumen Chinese light.


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## wschruba (Apr 13, 2012)

My $0.02 here:

Trek warrantied my broken 800 (switch broke off the PCB) for a Pro 1300. They make a variety of Go-pro style mounts for their lights, of which I was using one for the old 800. The 1300 is so much heavier that I have to tighten the screw with a tool, and it is still a bit loose, and moves sometimes with large hits (mountain biking here...). Those looking for a cheaper 'secure' mount, might be interested to know that Trek makes a 'blendr' mount for the Ion series lights that they sell with most hybrids/some cheaper road/mountain bikes. The mounting lug for the light adapter uses a toothed connection, just like a reflector. 

The 1300 is my secondary light, and I usually run it on low/medium--just to provide enough light that if I take a swig of water, the trail doesn't go dark. With the 800, I would wind up having to charge it every 2-4 rides, while the 1300 has ample capacity to go 3-7, depending on the time I'm out (30 minutes to 1:30+).

Mole's assertion that the light has a larger battery is correct--it is a 26650. It also makes the light HEAVY (as noted for my go-pro style mounts, as well...), and not quite as suited for helmet use as the smaller 800. I suspect as the march of progress goes on, the smaller lights that are lowering in stock will be replaced with a model better suited to helmet use, even if that isn't the primary goal ($$$). I would note, also, that the new flare RT has a LiPo battery in it...take care where you charge it. We are getting better at dealing with such batteries, but they still do not like being knocked around.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

wschruba said:


> My $0.02 here:
> 
> Trek warrantied my broken 800 (switch broke off the PCB) for a Pro 1300. They make a variety of Go-pro style mounts for their lights, of which I was using one for the old 800. The 1300 is so much heavier that I have to tighten the screw with a tool, and it is still a bit loose, and moves sometimes with large hits (mountain biking here...). Those looking for a cheaper 'secure' mount, might be interested to know that Trek makes a 'blendr' mount for the Ion series lights that they sell with most hybrids/some cheaper road/mountain bikes. The mounting lug for the light adapter uses a toothed connection, just like a reflector.
> 
> ...


Main advantages of the Ion 1300 compared to the old 800 are the extra output and battery capacity (+ a more stable output curve compared to most other self-contained lights). To get that the compromise that is made is the associated issues (accessory Gopro mount instability and less comfort when helmet mounted) of having extra weight. Since you never use the extra output and the only advantage for you to the extra battery capacity is the convenience of not having to charge the battery as often probably made the lighter weight of the 800 a better fit for you (unfortunately a decision you didn't get to make). Good to bring things like this up though to help others compare pro's and con's when choosing which light would work best for them. :thumbsup:
Mole


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## JNKER (Feb 19, 2016)

For the riders using this as their bar-mount option what are you using as your helmet mount option? Or is everyone using this as helmet-mount?

(apologies if it clearly states above where people are riding this light  )


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## Dennis1987 (Jul 16, 2017)

I use the ion 800 on a Bontrager Rally mips helmet with magnetic mount.


























Its much more stable than a velcro mount. It has no play in any direction but it will fall off if a thick branch hits it. But i was amazed how secure and strong it is.


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## JNKER (Feb 19, 2016)

Sorry. I shoulda been more specific. What’s the other light people are using that I can go buy that’s still avail? The 800 is no longer, right?


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## Spec7 (May 3, 2000)

MRMOLE said:


> Sorry I still haven't gotten out to get that friction tape yet but have been playing around with the mount and came up with a no cost option that works well. Even though the Fox Meta helmet is fairly flat at the mounts contact point it still has some curvature and what was happening was when tightened the large medium density foam friction pad was compressing in the center but not at the outer edges. Rough trail + weight of the light was allowing outer foam to compress and pivot on the already compressed hard center and rock excessively. What I did was pull the pad off and cut out the center portion allowing the foam to compress and support the mount at the outer edges making it much more stable. Still think the friction tape will work better + lower the lights ride height a small amount but this way requires no extra materials.
> Mole
> 
> View attachment 1217324


I just took two, long zip ties and zip tied it to the helmet. I've had a couple of these mounts over the years and the little compression clip that holds the strap in place tends to work its way loose. If you can imagine how odd it is to be JRA when all of a sudden your light starts going a different direction than you are, in actuality its every bit as odd if not more and pretty unnerving in technical sections. Zip ties have completely eliminated that issue, but its frustrating to pay that much for a mount that will eventually fail due to basic design.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Spec7 said:


> I just took two, long zip ties and zip tied it to the helmet. I've had a couple of these mounts over the years and the little compression clip that holds the strap in place tends to work its way loose. If you can imagine how odd it is to be JRA when all of a sudden your light starts going a different direction than you are, in actuality its every bit as odd if not more and pretty unnerving in technical sections. Zip ties have completely eliminated that issue, but its frustrating to pay that much for a mount that will eventually fail due to basic design.


Thanks for sharing your experiences with this type of mount. I have to admit as time has gone on I've been less happy with it but unfortunately it's currently the only way I know of to get the Gopro adapter that slides into the clip mount on the light body. With the adapter I've been happiest using it with my Bell Super and it's integrated Gopro mount.
Mole-


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## philoanna (Mar 1, 2008)

Just got a Ion 1300 tonight. Gonna get out tomorrow night with it hopefully. Can't wait. I'll let you know what I think.


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## philoanna (Mar 1, 2008)

Got in a night ride after my day ride with my wife. Great little light. Wasn't sure what to expect but it light up the road and the paved trail I was on so any ride is a good ride. If I can get in more riding because of this little light then it is money well spent for sure. I don't have any thing to compare it to except the cheap eBay lights, which will make for good backup and nice little hand held flashlights too. 3 of my 4 bike have Jones Loop Bars, so I had to cut a little section of an old grip to make a shim. Maybe I didn't have to, just seemed a little more secure and didn't cost a thing.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

philoanna said:


> If I can get in more riding because of this little light then it is money well spent for sure.


That's what got me started riding at night. I live in the Arizona desert so pretty brutal to ride in the summer unless the sun is down. 
Mole


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## phalkon30 (Jan 17, 2009)

Same, riding in Wisconsin it's dark after work 6 months out of the year.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

This BIKE magazine review was in an email trek sent me.
Mole

https://www.bikemag.com/gear/accessories/mtb-lights/tested-bontrager-ion-pro-rt-100/?_bta_tid=298752200321392306582501883426948864883854947774245705975483364734443114080856438055321919046541894457&_bta_c=fp53k4adrv5n4wpioonusoshzfs5h


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## MrGT (Aug 19, 2005)

fordee7 said:


> Thanks for the feedback and info. Think I'm going to start with a single ion.


Not sure what you ended up with for lights but I ride a ton at night and I'd suggest helmet and bar mount together if you are riding Singletrack technical trail. I have not ridden with one light only since I started night riding over 15 years ago. The lights perform different functions and when they are aimed correctly they work together to help you navigate technical trail. Frankly I NEVER see myself riding with only one light unless I'm on the pavement or some kind of canal or rail trail.


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## Dennis1987 (Jul 16, 2017)

One thing i didnt know about these single cell lights is that they quickly lose their maximum brightness.

After 30 minutes or so they are a lot dimmer. I came from lights with a battery pack and i didnt notice that there.


Im going to add a second Blendr mount on my stem and use a ion200 as front light when i cycle from my home towards the forrest so i can save the battery on my ion pro bar light and ion800rt headlight. 

Besides that , after using these lights for a couple of months i still really like them. 

Oh and in the the bike magazine review they said that you can pair up to 4 lights to the remote ..... you actually can pair up to 7 lights. You can adress multiple lights to one side buttom of the remote. You could have 2 bar lights , 1 front helmet light , 1 rear helmet light , 1 rear light on the seat post and if you tow a trailer 2 rear lights on the trailer if you want to go all out.

I dont know about the new ionpro and new flare rt but with the older model flare rt and ion800rt you could even use them as turning signal lights.

Oh one more thing , sometimes i have to pair my lights again to the remote because one of them doesnt react. This is a little bit annoying but pairing all the lights again is done within 20 seconds. This happens to me once every few weeks.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Dennis1987 said:


> One thing i didnt know about these single cell lights is that they quickly lose their maximum brightness.
> 
> After 30 minutes or so they are a lot dimmer. I came from lights with a battery pack and i didnt notice that there.
> 
> ...


If you look at the output charts I posted (post 78) that is what you should expect from your light as the one I tested matched the one tested on the wetestlights website. My light dropped from 1400 to a little over 1100 lumens in the first few minutes as the emitter warmed up to operating temperature and stayed above 1000 lumens till about 60 minutes where it had a couple of step downs but ran between 850 and about 650 till 1:40. All single cell self-contained lights do this to a certain extent bucause of battery capacity limitations . Charts I posted also show a direct comparison between the RT Pro, Lumina 1200, and Cygolite 1100 metro with the Bontrager being far superior to the other lights. If your light doesn't match those charts I would say something is wrong with it and you should seek a warranty replacement from trek since they were only released around 5 mo. ago.
Mole


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## Mike2288 (Feb 26, 2019)

hello Dennis1987 (that button thing... how much is it and is it still available Feb 26th 2019?), I have the Ion Pro 1300 mounted on my handlebars (bought from American Cycle and Fitness) and just curious if you know if the cold weather (Michigan 18 for the low yesterday). I went out commuting pretty much, some light trails....

full charge, I use mainly the low and blinky night flash modes and the light turned to solid red after only about 35 mins.

Does the cold weather cause that? It worked for a good decent while when it was warmer out (60's). 

I paid quite a bit for it $150 for the kit with the Flare RT tail light also. Flare lasts forever so no problems there.


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## Dennis1987 (Jul 16, 2017)

18 degrees fahrenheit ? Thats minus 7 degrees celcius right ?

I used the ion pro rt and flare rt in the cold a couple weeks back. It was minus 4 degrees celcius or something and both the ion pro and flare worked for 4 hours on the day flash modes. (Even longer but i charged them when i got home and they warent empty yet) If your ion pro works for just over half an hour i would return it for a new one.

Was the ion pro fully charged ? One of my flare rt lights (the new small one) wouldn’t charge anymore since last week. I returned it to my lbs. I think i get a new one. Maybe your ion pro isnt charging also or the battery is bad. Trek’s warranty is good. They replaced lights for me before without any issues.


The transmittr remote is great. However i have to re pair the lights sometimes. This is no big deal because it takes just 10 seconds or so.


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## Mike2288 (Feb 26, 2019)

yes -7 celsius. As far as the charge level im not sure. I used my Anker 3A charger overnight last night so that should be plenty of charge. I will try it out again tonight and if it still dies or turns red like that i will try and get a replacement for sure. 

it was sitting for a week or 2 inside so if i know li-ion like i think i do, it should have had plenty of charge left for just a shortish ride.

I think its charging... It does the whole flashing yellow and then turns to green. I usually leave it on the charger for an hour or so after the switch stops blinking colors except the blue light for the bluetooth thing.


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

As with all Li-ion powered lamps, just be sure to let the lamps ( batteries ) acclimate to ambient room temp at least an hour after they have been out in sub-freezing temperatures before you decide to recharge the lamp. Charging the batteries when they are still cold will damage the batteries....FYI

I should also mention that when using smaller lamps with self-contained batteries, don't expect the same run time you get when outside temps are warmer. This pretty much goes for all Li-ion batteries. The smaller the battery the more dramatic the loss in run time when cold. This is normal. Better to use bigger batteries when riding in really cold conditions. ( cold temps effect the batteries internal resistance which can have an effect on how the lamp's circuitry perceive the available voltage to run the lamp. ) This doesn't damage the battery per say and once temps get warmer the batteries usual return to normal run times.


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## Dennis1987 (Jul 16, 2017)

If the light is blinking its charging. But it takes 6-7 hours to charge from empty to full when using the supplied micro usb cable. Might take up to 15 hours when using another cable with a slow charger.


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## Dennis1987 (Jul 16, 2017)

@Cat-man-do

Thnx , i didn’t know that


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## Mike2288 (Feb 26, 2019)

thanks Cat-man-do! I do let them warm up to room temperature along with all my other 18650 26650 cells (im a member of the budgetlightforum BLF) for when i first got into the Li-ion lights. 

I am hoping I just had a brain fart and forgot to charge the light.


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## Mike2288 (Feb 26, 2019)

Dennis1987 said:


> If the light is blinking its charging. But it takes 6-7 hours to charge from empty to full when using the supplied micro usb cable. Might take up to 15 hours when using another cable with a slow charger.


I will test it out tonight. I turned it on high mode for a minute and now its blinking yellow, switched to green and just now it stopped blinking. I always use the included USB cable along with usually my iPad charger or the Anker "3A USB fast cable charger" that came with the Anker huge power bank which is about 93 watt hours if i remember correctly

I know woah!! a whole minute lol


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

The "included" usb cable with the 1300 is grey in color. It says "Fast Charge" on the side of the big plug. It conducts more current and will charge 1300 twice as fast (7 hr) than the typical USB cables or the ones supplied with Bontager's smaller lights (15 hr). The charge indicator flashes twice per second with 4 wire USB cable and a 500mA charger, or once per second with 2 wire USB cable.


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## Mike2288 (Feb 26, 2019)

ok other than the blinking on the light, does anyone know how to tell if a USB cable is 2 wire or 4 wire?


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## Vancbiker (May 25, 2005)

Cat-man-do said:


> As with all Li-ion powered lamps, just be sure to let the lamps ( batteries ) acclimate to ambient room temp at least an hour after they have been out in sub-freezing temperatures before you decide to recharge the lamp. Charging the batteries when they are still cold will damage the batteries.......


Yep, cold can be a problem. High quality cordless power tool batteries have a temp sensor in them. The charger checks that and will not charge them if too cold as a protective measure.


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## Mike2288 (Feb 26, 2019)

*Ion Pro 1300*

Here is my mount setup. Kinda looks like the helmet mount... I could be wrong though. I didnt get the thumb screw with my kit.

sorry they're sideways


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Mike2288 said:


> Here is my mount setup. Kinda looks like the helmet mount... I could be wrong though. I didnt get the thumb screw with my kit.
> 
> sorry they're sideways


That's the accessory Blendr mount. Since it comes with a Gopro adapter looks like they gave you an upgrade IMO!
Mole


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## Mike2288 (Feb 26, 2019)

What does the Blendr mount for? I love this setup! You can loosen the allen keys so you can tilt the light up or down, or tighten it so it dont bounce around on those big unexpected bumps. 

Update all about the run time of 35 or so minutes...... it was definitely brain fart on my end! Been out riding in the cold with it on medium for 2 hours and its still kicking in green. It goes down to yellow, then back up to green for a bit but none of that pretty much instant red light!


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## Mike2288 (Feb 26, 2019)

you all probably already knew about the adjustment with the allen keys/screws. I dont use GoPro stuff.


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## farfromovin (Apr 18, 2009)

Mike2288 said:


> What does the Blendr mount for? I love this setup! You can loosen the allen keys so you can tilt the light up or down, or tighten it so it dont bounce around on those big unexpected bumps.
> 
> Update all about the run time of 35 or so minutes...... it was definitely brain fart on my end! Been out riding in the cold with it on medium for 2 hours and its still kicking in green. It goes down to yellow, then back up to green for a bit but none of that pretty much instant red light!


Blendr is Bontragers mounting system. They got a few of them, but the one that always interested me was their helmets with Blendr. You can magnetically snap your light with the blendr adapter onto those helmets. No fussing around with GoPro adapters or clips or bands.


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## Mike2288 (Feb 26, 2019)

Oh ok. That’s neat. I have a question but not sure if I should post it in this thread... I’d hate to be that annoying guy that always posts stuff in the wrong area.

But I have one of them Bontager MIPS helmets $65. When I do commute I notice yes this ion pro 1300 lights up a ton of area, but I’d also like to see where I am looking so my question is.... is it a good idea to have a light mounted on to my helmet along with this headlight? 
My commutes are to and from work with a lot of big holes that come out of nowhere (you think I’d know that by now riding same area for about a year now)

Anyway, it’s on a main road on the grass and dirt/mud, knee sized rocks here and there. 

I don’t want to blind drivers, but I got to see where I’m going too. 

Any advice and also the best bang for buck on a helmet mount?

I can save up for the more expensive mounts if it’s really a huge deal (I want something really reliable)

Never used a helmet light before and it gets pretty dark where I ride. Sometimes I take a shortcut where there are no city lights lighting up the path at all just to save a few mins if I wake up late on truck days


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

Mike2288 said:


> ok other than the blinking on the light, does anyone know how to tell if a USB cable is 2 wire or 4 wire?


I don't know how to tell just by looking at it, other than the grey color and "Fast Charge" molded on the side of the provided cable. With other cables, the blink rate of the charging light will tell if you if it's fast charging or not.


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

Mike2288 said:


> Oh ok. That's neat. I have a question but not sure if I should post it in this thread... I'd hate to be that annoying guy that always posts stuff in the wrong area.
> 
> But I have one of them Bontager MIPS helmets $65. When I do commute I notice yes this ion pro 1300 lights up a ton of area, but I'd also like to see where I am looking *so my question is.... is it a good idea to have a light mounted on to my helmet along with this headlight? *
> My commutes are to and from work with a lot of big holes that come out of nowhere (you think I'd know that by now riding same area for about a year now)
> ...


I'm of the opinion that if the road you ride on is that narly that the use of a secondary light ( helmet or bar mounted ) would be a good idea. On my road setup I use a Gemini Duo ( spot /spot optic setup ) for easy on/off high-beam access. I use mine on the bars along with my Raveman lamp but I could use it on the helmet just as well if I wanted to. The Duo includes a wireless ( two button ) handlebar remote. Output with the dual emitter Duo is close to 1500 lumen. With the two buttons I can use one button for press/hold high beam or use the other button for normal operation ( three programmable modes ). Though I don't use it too often I like knowing it's there if I really want to look far ahead of where I'm riding. My biggest danger is deer standing on the side of the road. When deer are spooked you never know what they will do.

Actually I do use another light on the helmet when riding road but I only use that light for "spotting duties" ( viewing stuff off-road or on dark MUP trails in the semi-urban environment I live in. ). My choice for this is a Convoy M1 18650 torch powered with a single 18650 cell and a Cree XPL-HI emitter. Super-duper throw. I basically carry it along because one, I own it and two, having a super thrower for looking at stuff along the sides in dark areas is kind'a fun. Not to mention it would also make an awesome self-defense tool if needed as well ( output on boost near 1200 lumen for about 90 seconds ) ( driven a tad over 3A )


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## Mike2288 (Feb 26, 2019)

Cat-man-do said:


> I'm of the opinion that if the road you ride on is that narly that the use of a secondary light ( helmet or bar mounted ) would be a good idea. On my road setup I use a Gemini Duo ( spot /spot optic setup ) for easy on/off high-beam access. I use mine on the bars along with my Raveman lamp but I could use it on the helmet just as well if I wanted to. The Duo includes a wireless ( two button ) handlebar remote. Output with the dual emitter Duo is close to 1500 lumen. With the two buttons I can use one button for press/hold high beam or use the other button for normal operation ( three programmable modes ). Though I don't use it too often I like knowing it's there if I really want to look far ahead of where I'm riding. My biggest danger is deer standing on the side of the road. When deer are spooked you never know what they will do.
> 
> Actually I do use another light on the helmet when riding road but I only use that light for "spotting duties" ( viewing stuff off-road or on dark MUP trails in the semi-urban environment I live in. ). My choice for this is a Convoy M1 18650 torch powered with a single 18650 cell and a Cree XPL-HI emitter. Super-duper throw. I basically carry it along because one, I own it and two, having a super thrower for looking at stuff along the sides in dark areas is kind'a fun. Not to mention it would also make an awesome self-defense tool if needed as well ( output on boost near 1200 lumen for about 90 seconds ) ( driven a tad over 3A )


I really like the idea of that Gemini Duo with the buttons. I'll have to try and find that online and check it out.

Yeah the deer around me before I get into the city scare the crap out of me when they bolt in front of me. They seem so much smaller while I'm in a vehicle. They are everywhere here.

I actually got to thinking about the helmet light and I'm not too sure if I'd like it or not. I'd have to try it out I guess.

Thanks for the tips!


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Mike2288 said:


> I really like the idea of that Gemini Duo with the buttons. I'll have to try and find that online and check it out.
> 
> Yeah the deer around me before I get into the city scare the crap out of me when they bolt in front of me. They seem so much smaller while I'm in a vehicle. They are everywhere here.
> 
> ...


Here's some links you might find useful.

https://www.action-led-lights.com/collections/gemini-sets-1/products/2016-gemini-duo-light-set

https://www.action-led-lights.com/collections/gloworm-lights/products/2018-gloworm-x2-1700-lumen-light-set

https://www.action-led-lights.com/collections/helmet-mount/products/gloworm-universal-helmet-mount

I included a Gloworm X2 link also. It's a little more money than the Gemini but also a bit better in output and thermal performance and comes with much better functioning mounts that would be compatible with the Ion since yours has the Gopro slide mount adapter already. Standard daylight emitter tint on the Gloworm would also be a better match for the Ion. 
Mole


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## Mike2288 (Feb 26, 2019)

MRMOLE said:


> Here's some links you might find useful.
> 
> https://www.action-led-lights.com/collections/gemini-sets-1/products/2016-gemini-duo-light-set
> 
> ...


Thanks! I really like the mount on the Gloworm X2. I'll have to save up for quite a bit, but main problem im facing right now is the fact that idk how they got that GoPro mount on there....

I have a cheap Thorfire bike light that i used before i got the Ion and those rubberband things drive me insane.

Hit one of these knee cap sized rocks or even just a little crack and the light starts moving around like crazy. Not a fan of those type mounts.


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## Mike2288 (Feb 26, 2019)

Alright guys/gals I THINK my Ion Pro just went kaput on me. It is not charging at all I dont think with the included USB cable and every other cable I could possibly try. 

The switch just stays a SOLID RED ON and OFF. 

I didnt use it at all in the cold or at all sense the last full charge.

Anyone else have this problem or know what that solid red means?


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Mike2288 said:


> Alright guys/gals I THINK my Ion Pro just went kaput on me. It is not charging at all I dont think with the included USB cable and every other cable I could possibly try.
> 
> The switch just stays a SOLID RED ON and OFF.
> 
> ...











Going by the chart from the Bontrager manual solid red means 5-25% battery charge. Could be the battery or the LED in the power button went bad but my guess is there is something wrong with the USB port making it impossible to charge. No matter what the problem is Trek should warranty this and give you a new light.
Mole

***Please check out fix in post #124 before taking your light back to Trek***


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## Mike2288 (Feb 26, 2019)

MRMOLE said:


> View attachment 1239847
> 
> 
> Going by the chart from the Bontrager manual solid red means 5-25% battery charge. Could be the battery or the LED in the power button went bad but my guess is there is something wrong with the USB port making it impossible to charge. No matter what the problem is Trek should warranty this and give you a new light.
> Mole


Ok i figured it out this morning on the trek website 4 ish hours ago. I pressed and held the button down for 15 seconds to reset it. I read that about the bluetooth acting up on someone so i figured why not right? 
It flashed once after about 8 seconds (idk i was tired) then flashed again at 15 seconds (the headlight, not the switch).

Went back to blinking green right away so hopefully that fixed it. 
Mine didnt come with a manual or they didnt give it to me sense they just put it on my bike right then and there.

I'm still gonna go to the shop and ask them about what happened unless you all think i should just look for the manual online? I bought the kit tho. 1300 with the flare rt. With the Flare rt, i never know what mode im in unless it's steady on or full blast day time blink which is very bright! 
Only 6 hours run time on that mode.

I figured out how to get the all day full blast mode out of frustration by just pressing and holding the button and then i seen the red light blink. 11:30pm shining on a white wall (my eyes are bleeding) lol


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Mike2288 said:


> Ok i figured it out this morning on the trek website 4 ish hours ago. I pressed and held the button down for 15 seconds to reset it. I read that about the bluetooth acting up on someone so i figured why not right?
> It flashed once after about 8 seconds (idk i was tired) then flashed again at 15 seconds (the headlight, not the switch).
> 
> Went back to blinking green right away so hopefully that fixed it.


I didn't know that one. I edited my post referring to your fix before they take their light back to Trek. Thanks for sharing!
Mole


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## Mike2288 (Feb 26, 2019)

MRMOLE said:


> I didn't know that one. I edited my post referring to your fix before they take their light back to Trek. Thanks for sharing!
> Mole


Not a problem! Glad to help where I can. 
Went to the trek store with my cheap best buy charger and cable, had them test it at the shop and the men told me both the charger and the cord was fast charging the headlight. Don't know much about resistance in the cord or cable, but they said it works. 
Even tested it on a few of their other Ion 1300s. 
Thanks Mole.
I also found the original mount with the thumb screw on it. It was still in the kits box lol. Wonder why they upgraded me with the GoPro blendr.. ?


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## wschruba (Apr 13, 2012)

Mike2288 said:


> [...]I also found the original mount with the thumb screw on it. It was still in the kits box lol. Wonder why they upgraded me with the GoPro blendr.. ?


If they're anything like the shop I frequent, they've got 5 million of those blendr adapters floating around, and they felt like being nice. I feel like it is a cleaner, more secure mount, to boot.

FWIW, that's just a regular blendr mount, though they DO make a go-pro style mount for all the blendr stems now, and a bevy of different light mounts to fit them. I use one of the many different Bontrager-to-Go-pro mounts to fit an Ion under my Barfly.


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## Mike2288 (Feb 26, 2019)

I didn't even know what a blendr was until someone mentioned it lol. I definitely like it better with the blendr mount instead of the included mount. I like how it's right in the middle of the handlebars. Not off to the side. 
No idea what a Barfly is. I'm not an expert with this mountain bike stuff. That's why I joined this forum. 

I will never own a go pro. I usually just commute with concrete and some trail riding with big rocks and roots here and there


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## phalkon30 (Jan 17, 2009)

Got out for my first daylight road ride with my ion (its a balmy 45 here, almost shorts weather!) and used the daytime blinky mode.

Man does that mode turn heads. I had very confused looking drivers staring at me during daytime riding. Met my wife, she said staring into a 6pm setting sun she could see me coming for over half a mile. Some dude was ahead of me in neon green and she never saw him.

Still very happy with my purchase, light enough for a head lamp, great battery life on medium for snow riding, and super punchy when I need it.


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## RiltonHuggles (Feb 21, 2019)

Based on reading this Thread, I am looking forward to picking up one of these lights! Thanks for the detailed info and posts.


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## Mike2288 (Feb 26, 2019)

It’s a really good light if you don’t want an external battery pack. Only thing I think could be a con is the fact of the built in battery. But the manual says it’s good up to 500 recharges I believe. Not bad.


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## RiltonHuggles (Feb 21, 2019)

500 charges sounds like a lot of night rides! Works for me!


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## Mike2288 (Feb 26, 2019)

RiltonHuggles said:


> 500 charges sounds like a lot of night rides! Works for me!


Yup. Plenty of night riding for me too. I love it. Small but packs a punch!


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## Dennis1987 (Jul 16, 2017)

Since i use two transmitr remotes i had the issue that my lights sometimes didnt turn on when i pressed one of the remotes. Two of them turned on and one not , all random. I think the lights where a little confused because one light can be paired to multiple remotes at the same time. (Stupid if you ask me)

So i resetted all my lights but since that doesnt delete them from the memory of the remote transmitr i turned off the wireless conectivity on all my lights and then turned the wireless conectivity back on again. 

The Ion200 and Flare RT turned on no problem. But the Ion Pro not 

And this is the second time im stuck with this problem. Bontrager replaced my previous Ion Pro for a new one because that one also couldn’t turn on the wireless conectivity.

These lights are great but i kinda dislike the remote function. Its buggy and its not working all the time. 

I think if you use the remote on one bike and with one or two lights (front and rear light) its a good product. But on two bikes with each a transmitr and multiple lights connected to both remotes its just not great.

I dont want to bother my local bike shop again with a issue i have with these Bontrager lights. They replaced a Ion Pro , two Flare RT’s and a Ion 800 allready for me. They see me coming again.....


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

^^^ I can't say anything about using the Bontrager remotes, but I tried controlling my lights from a Garmin and it was way to erratic to bother with. I just turned off the BT on the lights and use the normal switches.


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## wschruba (Apr 13, 2012)

Lone Rager said:


> ^^^ I can't say anything about using the Bontrager remotes, but I tried controlling my lights from a Garmin and it was way to erratic to bother with. I just turned off the BT on the lights and use the normal switches.


The only reason that I have my light(s) paired to the Garmin is to see the battery percentage left. I honestly wish I could shut off the 'auto-on' feature.


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## disentis (Apr 16, 2019)

Hi to all, I'm new here and I hope I am allowed to hijack this thread.

I own the ION PRO RT 1300 lamp too since last week, but I am not sure if there is a problem with it.
Does anybody of you also feel that there is a very light flicker or pulsing in the Low Brightness mode? In Med Mode or High Mode I dont perceive such a flickering, only in the low mode. (It is definitly not the Night Flash or Day Flash mode)

I got a replacment today, and there is the same flickering visible.

Now I am curious if anybody else see the same.

Best Greetings,
disentis


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## Dennis1987 (Jul 16, 2017)

Mine does that also.


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## Vancbiker (May 25, 2005)

disentis said:


> .......Does anybody of you also feel that there is a very light flicker or pulsing in the Low Brightness mode?


I do not have that light, but it may be an indication that it is using PWM to alter the brightness. Pulse Width Modulation is a technique that actually flashes the light on and off at a frequency that is fast enough for the eye to perceive as continuously on. The apparent brightness level can be controlled by altering the the time period that it is on versus the time period it is off. At low levels the "on time" can become short enough versus the "off time" that the eye begins to perceive the flashing as a flicker.

You can test to see if the light is using PWM. Point the light at the spinning wheel of your bike. If the spokes appear to be stopped or not rotating at the actual rate of spin then the light is using PWM.


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## disentis (Apr 16, 2019)

Thanks for your two replies.

I also had the thought that there could be PWM visible. But usually the frequency is much higher than an eye can catch it. Usually the frequency is in a region above audible, to avoid noise or ringing of the power switch.

I did a test again. It seems like there is only 2-3 times per seconds a small brightness drop. Really small and hardly noticable. And it is not constant or in the same rhythm.

btw: I believe the lamp has no brightness sensor of the environment. Because this could also be an issue when regulating the lamp power.

Summarized, I am a bit disappointed about this issue, but I will keep the lamp. Perhaps in the future there is a firmware update via USB


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## Vancbiker (May 25, 2005)

disentis said:


> .....I did a test again. It seems like there is only 2-3 times per seconds a small brightness drop. Really small and hardly noticable. And it is not constant or in the same rhythm......


The random flicker is not a symptom of PWM. I don't know the details, but the manufacturer of the drivers that I use in my lights had to redesign one of their models to go to full hardware current regulation. The earlier version used a software based current regulation scheme that caused random flickering at low settings.


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## czarli (Feb 27, 2011)

wschruba said:


> The only reason that I have my light(s) paired to the Garmin is to see the battery percentage left. I honestly wish I could shut off the 'auto-on' feature.


You can shut off the auto-on but it is tricky. You have to get into the the settings of the light via Garmin where you can set how the light works when you turn on the Garmin. There are few options.


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## SergMTB (Oct 30, 2019)

A guy in my area is selling this light but it seems it has a different bar attachment to the current model. Looks like it has the V2 attachment or similar.

Can anyone tell me if this was maybe a older model? Or is it the current model? Thanks!

Attachment: https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/...ries/bontrager-light-bracket--syncv2/p/08924/

Advert:https://www.gumtree.co.za/a-biking-...umens-bicycle-light/1007346702150910050800109


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

SergMTB said:


> A guy in my area is selling this light but it seems it has a different bar attachment to the current model. Looks like it has the V2 attachment or similar.
> 
> Can anyone tell me if this was maybe a older model? Or is it the current model? Thanks!


I don't know of any spec. changes on the RT Pro light. Mine was the first 1300 my local dealer got and it came with the thumbscrew clamp style that is currently pictured on the Trek site. I'd at least ask the seller about the mount but personally would look for another light since I hate strap mounts.
Mole


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## SergMTB (Oct 30, 2019)

Okay I see. What's wrong with the strap? Do they tend to move and lose position?


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

SergMTB said:


> Okay I see. What's wrong with the strap? Do they tend to move and lose position?


I've had problems with the straps holding the light solidly (some would lose position and some the beam would bounce around) + have had a couple of straps that failed. 
Mole


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## phalkon30 (Jan 17, 2009)

MRMOLE said:


> I've had problems with the straps holding the light solidly (some would lose position and some the beam would bounce around) + have had a couple of straps that failed.
> Mole


Agreed, I've ripped a few silicone straps trying to get them tight enough to stay put. The screw clamp style has been rock solid

I was using the go pro attachment that came with the helmet kit so I could attach to my Bell Sixer helmet till a tree caught it and flipped it into the woods. Have to buy the whole damn $25 strap kit for that one little adapter... F-proprietary mounts

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


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## matadorCE (Jun 26, 2013)

Anyone have this light completely **** the bed and stop working on them? I pulled this light out now that daylight is getting shorter and it refuses to turn on or charge or do anything really. I have other lights (like Nightrider or amazon lights) and they discharge but don't plain die like this one.


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## phalkon30 (Jan 17, 2009)

matadorCE said:


> Anyone have this light completely **** the bed and stop working on them? I pulled this light out now that daylight is getting shorter and it refuses to turn on or charge or do anything really. I have other lights (like Nightrider or amazon lights) and they discharge but don't plain die like this one.


I know many people that have this light that I ride with, never heard of that happening. Tried different cables and chargers I assume?

Contacted trek?

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

Much more common for Niterider than for the Bontrager lights among those that I know. The Bontrager lights have been solid. Sounds like a one-off. If you have a good relationship with an LBS, have them submit a claim for you. If you bought it there, they'll have your receipt. If not, you'll need to supply it.


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## matadorCE (Jun 26, 2013)

I tried multiple chargers and cables with no results. Luckily I did buy it from a Trek dealer online so I have a receipt, and now I just need to see if my Trek LBS is willing to help out. This was not what I was expecting from a $100+ light. I have two Nightrider Luminas and a couple of amazon/ebay lights it's the first time I have found myself with a paperweight. I did look on Trek's website and at least one review for the light mentions one person having two bricked lights, so while not very common it does seem it happens.


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## Wessel (Apr 8, 2021)

My Bontrager Ion Pro RT 1300's battery died some weeks ago. I cannot find the original one here, in Brazil. I bought another battery, but with 1300 lumens its lasting junst 30min instead os 1,5 h. Its a 18650 6800 mAh, but probably not a good brand/fabricant. Anybody have a good replacement battery to indicate? The original is INR21700E 50LACA1 0N60JCS 3.7V 18.5Wh 4800 mAh.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Wessel said:


> My Bontrager Ion Pro RT 1300's battery died some weeks ago. I cannot find the original one here, in Brazil. I bought another battery, but with 1300 lumens its lasting junst 30min instead os 1,5 h. Its a 18650 6800 mAh, but probably not a good brand/fabricant. Anybody have a good replacement battery to indicate? The original is INR21700E 50LACA1 0N60JCS 3.7V 18.5Wh 4800 mAh.


I didn't know it was possible to replace the battery of the Ion Pro (1300). Did it slide right out or was there some soldering required for removal and installation? I think your on the right track questioning the quality and actual capacity of the replacement battery you used. I don't have any particular battery to recommend but any major brand (Panasonic, Sanyo, etc...) with capacity and specifications similar to the original battery (4800mAh rechargeable lithium-ion 21700, buttton or flat top) should work. If you can't find 21700's a quality high capacity 18650 will at best have 3500mAh which I would guess would give you approx. an hour of high mode runtime in the Ion 1300.
Mole


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## bcriverjunky (Jul 8, 2014)

Battery specs. https://batteryservice.bg/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/INR21700-50E.pdf Samsung 50E 21700 5000mAh 9.8A Battery - INR21700-50E2


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## wschruba (Apr 13, 2012)

MRMOLE said:


> I didn't know it was possible to replace the battery of the Ion Pro (1300). Did it slide right out or was there some soldering required for removal and installation? I think your on the right track questioning the quality and actual capacity of the replacement battery you used. I don't have any particular battery to recommend but any major brand (Panasonic, Sanyo, etc...) with capacity and specifications similar to the original battery (4800mAh rechargeable lithium-ion 21700, buttton or flat top) should work. If you can't find 21700's a quality high capacity 18650 will at best have 3500mAh which I would guess would give you approx. an hour of high mode runtime in the Ion 1300.
> Mole


IIRC (and assuming that it's the same as the 800), the battery has leads soldered to it, which go to the board. Both lights are assembled with [1.5mm?] hex screws. Welding/soldering leads onto a battery without provisions for it is touchy without the right equipment, but I suppose if the guy got it done, he knows how.


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## Wessel (Apr 8, 2021)

MRMOLE said:


> I didn't know it was possible to replace the battery of the Ion Pro (1300). Did it slide right out or was there some soldering required for removal and installation? I think your on the right track questioning the quality and actual capacity of the replacement battery you used. I don't have any particular battery to recommend but any major brand (Panasonic, Sanyo, etc...) with capacity and specifications similar to the original battery (4800mAh rechargeable lithium-ion 21700, buttton or flat top) should work. If you can't find 21700's a quality high capacity 18650 will at best have 3500mAh which I would guess would give you approx. an hour of high mode runtime in the Ion 1300.
> Mole


Yes, it's possible.
I bought a Panasonic battery, its a 21700 4800 mAh 3.7V. Same weight the original. Let's see if it gonna work well, at least 1,5h with 1300 lumen.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Wessel said:


> Yes, it's possible.
> I bought a Panasonic battery, its a 21700 4800 mAh 3.7V. Same weight the original. Let's see if it gonna work well, at least 1,5h with 1300 lumen.


Let us know how it works out please. When new mine ran 100 min in the high mode so I'd expect the same capacity Panasonic should at least equal the performance of the original battery.
Mole


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## Wessel (Apr 8, 2021)

MRMOLE said:


> Let us know how it works out please. When new mine ran 100 min in the high mode so I'd expect the same capacity Panasonic should at least equal the performance of the original battery.
> Mole


Apparently, the Panasonic battery is pretty good. It's lasting more than 100min in the high mode, what's better than original one.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Wessel said:


> Apparently, the Panasonic battery is pretty good. It's lasting more than 100min in the high mode, what's better than original one.


Thanks for sharing your little project with us! 
Mole


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## phalkon30 (Jan 17, 2009)

After 3 years my Ion Pro started blinking red on a hot day and got stuck in one mode (click it through and it's only medium, every click). Tried charging, no luck. Fully discharged then charged and it worked again!

Took the casing apart (4 T2.5 screws I think) and sliced the wire casing do I could take a voltage. Was reading 2.6v when discharged, forget what it was when charged. I'll try another ride but thinking the battery is flaking out.

If I can find a battery with leads soldered on it will be a quick fix. Anyone have a reputable store for that?









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## C619V (Mar 8, 2021)

phalkon30 said:


> After 3 years my Ion Pro started blinking red on a hot day and got stuck in one mode (click it through and it's only medium, every click). Tried charging, no luck. Fully discharged then charged and it worked again!
> 
> Took the casing apart (4 T2.5 screws I think) and sliced the wire casing do I could take a voltage. Was reading 2.6v when discharged, forget what it was when charged. I'll try another ride but thinking the battery is flaking out.
> 
> ...


A full discharge on liions is down to 2.5v, below this it can cause damage to the cell.

Depending on what the charge rate is, let's say it's .5a, it's going to take a good 6h+ to fully charge.

Additionally, depending on the amp draw at the lumens you chose, at 2.6v there isn't much room to supply the needed voltage at a higher selected output.

Most high mAh cells have low amp capability, so when it gets down to the end of the charge cycle, the board/chip will read the available voltage and only allow the correct lumens for said voltage call.

I would charge it for a good half day, take a rested voltage read again (read 1h off charge min) if it holds 4.1v+ then it's fine.

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## froze (Feb 5, 2011)

My HUGE gripe with modern lights is the inability to replace the battery when it will no longer take a charge, this usually occurs at around 3 to 5 years out, the LED's are still good for another 10 years at least but you have to throw away a perfectly good light because of the battery, this makes no sense to me.

I contacted Ravemen and they told me that the battery is NOT replaceable, that's a lot of money to throw away in 3 to 5 years. I also contacted Bontrager and for some reason they will not respond which leads me to believe theirs too is a throw away light. Any thoughts on this situation?

Fenix does use replaceable batteries, but the odd thing is that you have to open the battery compartment each time you want to recharge the batteries, at this point I'm willing to accept that hassle since I haven't been able to find a suitable light with enough lumens with replaceable batteries. I don't want to get into soldering stuff either.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

froze said:


> Fenix does use replaceable batteries, but the odd thing is that you have to open the battery compartment each time you want to recharge the batteries, at this point I'm willing to accept that hassle since I haven't been able to find a suitable light with enough lumens with replaceable batteries. I don't want to get into soldering stuff either.


Luckily you at least have this option. You could also go the torch route. Anduril UI equipped examples are pretty bicycle friendly and you can get almost any emitter you want. I still haven't found a mounting system I'm 100% satisfied with and at least with the single emitter torches some beam reshaping is required for best results but lots of lumens are available for pretty reasonable prices. Additionally there are some proprietary field changeable battery lights (Gloworm, Moon, Cateye, Knog) but the replacement batteries are much more expensive. I do believe some of the Outbound lights have replaceable batteries that only require some disassembly of the light and they are supposed to be coming out with a new self-contained road light soon though I don't know any of the specs. yet but could possible work for you. Love to hear what you think of the Fenix if you end up getting that light.
Mole


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## CrozCountry (Mar 18, 2011)

Does anyone know if Blendr is natively compatible with GoPro? It looks the same in the photos, yes they have an adapter. Thinking because I want to use a gopro mount for my ION which has Trek's mount. It looks like I can just unscrew it and screw it into a GoPro mount, but I don't have one here to test.


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## wschruba (Apr 13, 2012)

CrozCountry said:


> Does anyone know if Blendr is natively compatible with GoPro? It looks the same in the photos, yes they have an adapter. Thinking because I want to use a gopro mount for my ION which has Trek's mount. It looks like I can just unscrew it and screw it into a GoPro mount, but I don't have one here to test.


The Blendr mounts with fingers (so, not the cheapest ones available--not sure if those are even in production anymore) are gopro standard.

For a couple of years, I used an Ion light with my bar-fly stuff, and currently use another gopro-compatible light on my Bontrager helmet. "Blendr" is just their cute trademarked name. Shops that stock the lights will almost certainly stock the mounts, too.


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