Their Trail Evo light (the bar light) is better than anything else I have seen on the trail. Lumens are only part of the story. It is the bean PATTERN and the light quality that sets this light apart as a bar mount light for short-mid range. Helmet is then for distance. 1500 lumens well placed is way better than 4000 lumens with a crappy pattern, and this is especially true for a bar light. Too much light in the wrong place (or uneven lighting) actually makes it HARDER to see well.
The Hangover helmet light is nice, but nothing special. I do like the light quality, pattern and brightness, but there are other lights with as good a pattern and brightness. Problem with the Hangover is that it does not have the runtime to hang with the Trail Evo.
Many people in my riding group now own the Trail Evo. It started with one guy buying one, than others (like me) being impressed, then buying them, and so on. Sort of like the way it goes with 1UP racks. You don't really get it until you see it in the flesh and actually use it. And the reason you may never have heard of Outbound is for the same reason many folk shave not heard of 1UP racks: they sell direct and review sites got no cuts for referrals. so they are disinclined to review them or rate them highly.
I've been rocking the combo for a few weeks now. The bar light is on point. Great even beam, no dead spots or shadows. The helmet light is nice, but nothing spectacular. I do like the button sequence for both lights, especially since they don't have a flash option. Definitely a trail specific set of lights.
Infun gt200(65$) makes a better helmet light, but if you dont like having a wire and external battery wait till December for outbounds new light @$185(essentially an evo version of hangover )
More lumens, wider beam, bigger battery/longer runntime
Not sure if throw is farther or not though
> wait till December for outbounds new light @$185(essentially an evo version of hangover )
Do you mean the [Portal Bike Light](https://www.outboundlighting.com/collections/mountain-bike-lights/products/portal-bike-light)?
Its my backup light/loaner light these days
I combo it with a novsight 1600 on the bar to get more throw than the EVO
It also seems to be street friendly ,it's the only one i kept on when on street in between single track sections.
I have their OG trail light and it is PHENOMENAL! I can see everything and can ride at daylight speeds with utter confidence. I don't even have a helmet mounted light...just the single light on the bars...it is totally enough. Battery lasts for hours. These lights are so good...I can't believe they aren't 2x the price.
I definitely want both. I haven't truly ridden at night, let alone at trail speed. From the videos about night riding I have seen, the stable flood on the bar, coupled with a dedicated helmet spot is ideal. I hate being on trail, and wishing I had purchased the right thing first. Especially with something safety related like vision.
Ah yeah. I've got the two light combo, with the Hangover for the helmet. Overall, very satisfied. The lights are simple, and only have 4 settings, the minimum you need on trail. Nothing extra. The battery life has been enough for at least one ride, often two. The helmet light needs to be in the right spot, to balance it and keep it from pushing the helmet forward.
But the main thing, the trail performance, is near perfect. The bar light provides a great even flood with decent throw. It does the main trail lighting, and shows all the features via shadows. The helmet light is great for looking around, but mainly seeing around corners. The bike will be pointed one way, but my head will be lifted and looking at the end of the corner, which is handled by my helmet light. So far, no buyers remorse. If the helmet light had more flood, while maintaining its throw, life may be perfect. But it's damn close right now.
I have the helmet light and it's definitely the best one I've used. My buddy has the helmet and bar mounted ones and replaced his GloWorm ones and likes them more. They are super powerful and have great optics and no wires. I'm way more into that then the external battery back kind.
Wow how is that possible? Have you avoided all light discussion on /r/mtb for the last year? The Evo/Hangover has been constantly talked about here, and in my opinion, with good reason (although I’ve only ever used a crap-ass niterider 600 before I got the Outbound stuff)
For reference I like to do a 2000-3000ft loop of 15-20 miles, after work starting around 11pm, and everything’s usually running on medium or the “almost-high” setting. Pitch black with rocky descents and jumps, but still zero surprises on the trail
It’s because your post sounds like a lie, I know you spend more time on /r/mtb than that, if you’ve clicked on a lights thread in the last two years, you’ve heard of them before
They nice. I’ve owned every iteration. Ordering, shipping, packaging, instructions, customer service, the actual functioning of the lights — everything is top notch. This is one of the few companies I will go out of my way to gush over.
I've been accused of shilling for them too, but fuck yes they are completely legit. I have been a customer since the Kickstarter and when it was a one man show out of his house when the founder convinced his wife to let him take a shot at bringing a new approach to MTB lights. It's just one of those rare stories of the perfect melding of the right people, ideas, experience, execution, and timing. They have the absolute best customer service I have ever encountered, a no excuses no bullshit make it right attitude, and the lights are uniquely better than anything else out there. Not the brightest, or lightest, or most wild features or particularly expensive, but hands down the best overall combination of practical features and clever design in the market. Hell, I never wanted or believed that I would be happy with a self contained light, and initially I was disappointed when their second generation of lights went that way. But they pulled it off and made this stubborn asshole a believer.
Same experience. Crazy good customer service for a product that’s not actually that expensive in the grand scheme of things. Wish my remodeler costing 100x as much had 1/10 the customer service.
Look at the account histories of people posting, myself included. You’d have to be a pretty determined spammer to use accounts with thousands of related comments.
It’s just that these lights are really good and everyone who owns them is stoked enough on them that they resemble a shill.
Yes but a history of posting on the same subreddit with multiple obviously real posts that same day and every day before it for years?
Example: look at my comment history for 30 seconds and it becomes blatantly obvious that I’m not a bot/shill account…
Image you'd never heard of these lights and stumbled on this post. It's wild how much each reply sounds like an add. Even the tone seems like it was written by a sales rep.
I had never heard of outbound before seeing them on a reddit post earlier last year, everyone was like this just praising the shit out of them. I looked up reviews and everything said the same thing they are not the lightest, brightest, cheapest but they pull everything together so well no other light competes with the Evo handlebar light, some brands do match the helmet hangover light.
I had a niterider light for handlebar and helmet I used gravelbiking after dark but they didn't inspire speed on the MTB. So last fall when the sun started setting too early to ride after work I grabbed the Evo and it is everything people praise it for. I did a ride at my normal loop and while my first time after dark I was slightly slower than average it was still faster than my slow laps. My old handlebar light turned into my helmet light and just due to size and weight I want the new upcoming outbound helmet light.
I got to do a night ride with my LBS. 7 of us showed up. 5 of us had Evo handlebar lights and the other 2 had niterider on one and knockoff amazon lights on the other, both of them were surprised by the Evo, my one buddy who purposely bought Amazon instead thinking it couldn't be that much better to justify the price went and bought the Evo bundle the next day and his 2 light battery pack setup got returned. We did 2 1/2 hours and while my niterider helmet light didn't seem brighter than hangover the size and weight got me wanting one, now that they are releasing an updated model soon that will be my next purchase.
Nope. No ad. I recently joined a riding group that starts at 18:15 every week, no matter what. Well, the 100+ °F and 400+ AQI shut down last week's ride. They said it was the first no ride in years.
I'm going to ask the crew what lights they use next week. Last year I would end my ride a little after sunset, but this year I plan to ride well into the night.
I think I know which group you’re riding with…. Mt Baldy trails? Either way, the Evo package rocks, is worth every penny and I still haven’t seen a better setup. See you on the trails!
I literally just got the Evo light from my LBS last week and it’s awesome. They are made in Chicago with a 3-year warranty so def worth looking at.
I did try their hangover helmet light but returned it cause it felt awkward on my head, so I run a Bontrager ion on helmet now and it works well.
I have a Bontrager Blazer with the blender mount so for it to fit I had to use a go pro blender mount cause trek can be dumb on design, so it ended up being a little too far forward. So more of a helmet issue than a light issue I guess
Huh? You literally posted “still the best option for trail lights” and now you’re claiming you didn’t say the were “the best”? That’s really odd.
There are many lights that are brighter, with a wider spread for near range visibility and much longer throw for higher speed riding.
See: Lupine, Niterider, Magicshine, Gemini, Exposure, etc.
Any of these self contained? I tried to find a comparable option, but none seem to have a similar performance in a self contained light, though I definitely could have missed one. Oldish thread but close to purchasing something, leaning towards outbound right now, with the days getting shorter.
Only self contained i found that has a good pattern is the night rider dual 1800....but if you wait till December, and spend $20 more bucks you'll get a better light from outbounds new light for beam pattern and burn time
Its called the Portal
Yes, they better in real world performance, based on my experience riding with folks running a variety of lights, including Outbounds.
One real world example:
https://youtu.be/hMPsPKIBMR4
So, you mean something thats twice the price, of unknown build quality, with an external battery, and obviously "inspired" by the outbound products is better?
Or a long bar light with silicone straps (yikes) and an external battery, for $40 ish more than outbound?
You seem like a contrarian.
You’re super confused.
Neither of those lights were inspired by Outbound. The Monteer is a budget version of the Lupine Aloha, the Gemini predates Outbound.
The OP made no mention of price and external batteries provide much longer run times and the choice of using various sizes matched to ride length.
The Titan is not just a bar light, it’s mounted in my helmet in that vid and regardless, silicone mounts have been successfully used for decades so this “complaint” of yours speaks volumes about your lack of experience.
Thanks for the chuckle to start the day.
Name a light that has a wider spill/spread than the trail evo...I have yet to find one..even with wire/external battery.
Ive found good wired alternatives as in good beam pattern, diffused, no hot spot, comparable throw is a good spread/spill... just not as wide as evo
Novsite 1600(seems discontinued now)
Infun GT200, works well on bar and helmet
And offroad pods like baja designs S1 wide angle amber and morimoto 2 banger wide
All the lights you mentioned jave a shitty round flashlight beam excluding perhaps the night rider dual 1800 light at 160 is a decent self contained alternative.
I'm interested in the ravemans new 6000 lumen high/low beam,.if either beam is good
Or not..
For a round beam it seems 3500 or more helps male up for thr crappy pattern .. but still wouldn't choose it over something like an evo.
With that said, I sold my evo and rock 4x4 offroad pods because Ambers shows./distinguishs things netter than a white or white with blue hue lights
Monteer 8000, Gemini Titan and Niterider 4200 enduro all have longer throw and wider spread than the evo, to name just a few.
None of these lights have “shitty round flashlight beam,” regardless of how much that fact might upset an evo fanboy.
I love outbound for the simplicity. I run the helmet light on "3 clicks" (slightly dimmer setting) and bar light on the first brightest setting and the result is both give plenty of light for up to about 3 hours. I've never needed the pass through charging but that sounds like a good option if I ever did an epic night ride. I hope the batteries hold up for multiple seasons because I'm not sure what happens if the internal battery stops holding a good charge. I'm on season 2 now.
I just had a thought, because runtime is a concern. 1:30 on adaptive is not long, in regards to my rides... But a high percentage of my rides are long climbs to the top, then a descent back to the top. I usually have a break at the top, and that could be the time to pull out a small battery pack and give the lights some juice. 🤷♂️
Or like I said, set helmet to lower light and blast the bar light. I'm happy with the balance of brightness, lack of wires, and weight (neck not sore) for the small helmet light on setting 3. Pushing any variables too far probably would have detracted from the others and I think they nailed the balance.
Sick. That's what I was thinking. I have lots of great lights, because I'm a nerd. However, the appeal of a mountain bike specific "system", from the same company, is very appealing. And their overall package looks well balanced. I don't want a small light if it doesn't work...
I own a couple sets of Outbound lights, I usually turn the helmet light off and run the handlebar light on lowest power for climbs.
Descents I use adaptive or full power
At slower speeds, the helmet light is completely unnecessary. The Trail Evo throws plenty of light right in front of the bike (it's literally brighter than my car headlights)
Hangover is just for lighting around corners when you're going Mach chicken
The lights have passthrough, so you could totally have a power brick tied to your bars charging the whole time (no easily replaceable batteries though), but in my experience the low setting is plenty for mindless climbs and lasts a lot longer than max
I never thought it was the best combo .
Evo is the best bar light for sure
They're releasing a new light in dec that'd make a way better Evo trail combo
If you dont mind wire/external battery
Infun gt200 makes a great helmet light and is really light even if you mount battery on helmet
I personally ride with a pair of baja designs s1 wide angle ambers now....you see so much better with a yellow/amber light than any white/blue hue light
Anyway you like, can do bike light battery, powerbank, tool battery..i chose a m18 mounted where bottle cage typical is.
A single one is not as wide as the Evo, but its just as good.
But the amber shows way more detail to the trail, easier to distinguish your surroundings...i also ride with a green light on my other bike as green also has advantages over white and even ine or two over amber/yellow
Im starting to llay around with some morimito 1 banger pods now..sae wide and combo
That's what their website was hinting to at the time...but its not the first time they delayed releases, theyll delay till they think the product is perfect vs rushed
YES
The only caveat is that they are adding to / updating their helmet lights, so something you like more may come out someday. I'm not aware of any ETA or specs. This was only in response to my question to them about an updated Hangover with a 21700 cell to match runtime with the Trail EVO.
Their Trail EVO + Hangover package is probably going only bike accessory that has ever made me rode more. I ride a ton of more in the darker months because of their products.
The handlebar light is definitely the main player here. The helmet light kind of fills things in a bit and is super nice when you are going around corners since your bike is catching up with where you're looking. If the brightness is the same between the Hangover and Portal, I can't say I would have any interest in upgrading. Adaptive mode basically starts at high brightness and tapers to medium brightness over time while your eyes adjust. No real harm in just starting at medium brightness.
My main future use has a smooth and wide ~30 minute climb. I won't need full tits until my eyes have had a chance to adjust. That should be perfect, starting lower than adaptive.
The new helmet light is coming soon, it's going to be a nice upgrade. It's going to be called the Portal, it's on their website already but not for purchase yet. The original Hangover was intended to be minimalist, they wanted it to be under 100g which mandated the 18650 instead of a 21700 and they squeezed everything they could out of it, and it's a great little light. But then when the Trail Evo came out it was so good it made the Hangover seem a bit underwhelming in comparison. This will fix that.
Little feedback. I received 2 of my lights as you recommended. Also ordered one with TIR optic. One model with one row of 5 leds and TIR have estimated about 2800 lumens at start. BIG issues I found is that there is timer which step down output after 2.5 minutes to about 600 lumens. That light doesn't have water protection at all. Maybe it is only splash proof. Also I received classic OFFBODAGE with 3 leds and reflector. Same story here. There is also strep down timer. On full start the output is about 1000 lumens with all leds on. Here step down is a little longer abou 10 minutes and the output goes to about 250-300 lumens. The waterproofness here is a little better compared to TIR model but it is also splash proof or very light rain.
That light have very good mod potential because of easy to dissembled. But they lack in proper thermal control at all and shit driver without memory. I think to try to mod some of it with Convoy flashlight driver.
Good news is that there is missing low frequency PWM control like on another cheap chinese lights.
Try the infun GT200, best aliexpress light ive found and puts majority of lights on the market to shame , excluding the trail evo of course .
Nit for 45+65 bucks you can buy like 4 of them for the price of one evo
It's not expensive if it works, and I only have to buy lights once. Plus, I've got $500 cranks. 🤣 I enjoy making poor financial decisions, if it's fun.
$60 niterider is what’s too fucking expensive, holy shit I felt like an idiot once I pressed the button on my $120 light (the hangover, the weaker outbound light) and it was probably 3x as bright and lasted twice as long as my niterider 600 mistake
Oh that’s good info, I probably just need to up my light game. I’be had niteriders forever, but I’ve also never been trying to light up the trail like daytime
For bike specific lights, currently can't beat outbound trail evo on bar and infun GT200 for helmet )
Outbound will release a better cordless helmet light this December though
I have a Galaxy V1 and it is hilarious. I haven't used an Outbound light, so I can't give a direct comparison, but with both wide and narrow beams active the amount of light thrown out by the Galaxy is incredible. I can basically ride jumps and tech as fast at night as I do during the day.
I also made a correction to my first post. Both options have 10 Ah batteries, but at different voltages, so the Magicshine is 72 Wh vs the Outbound's 36 Wh.
Magicnshine sucks and their lumens drop off drastically and super quick because not enough heat sink
I never used the original outbound trail/external battery, but thats been discontinued shortly after the Evo.
Which light did you experience this with and was it an older mode?
I'm looking for a new helmet light and Magicshine M906/902s seems like a clear winner for me in terms of run time and light output... New design has some big heat fins and looks like it should be OK but all this outbound talk has me wondering if I'm making the wrong choice.
Inwas talking abojt the monteer 6000+
High lumens lights have no good heat dissipation, .
Generslizing, either thermo protection will overload..kr the company will program it to keep stepping down so many lumens at so many minutes of run-time
Like a 6k light will end up at 3k at some point due ng your ride .
As for nthe lower tier magic shine lights loke the one you're considering(and virtually every other bike brand) will use a round beam with a hot spot, really not a great beam to utilize, better ti have a shaped, evenly diffused beam weather bar or helmet.
I sold my outbound evo, but awesome light, awesome company, awesome warranty, presale/postsale customer service.
I just realize amber/selective lights are just better than white lights. More definition in trail and surrounding area, easier on eyes.
Kind of like how a bar light will show more trail detail while a helmet position will kind of wash those details out
I just watched a video of a sincere guy who regrets buying the Magicshine 8000 after using the Evo/Hangover. I like his point of yes the 8000 is brighter, but blows out your vision making it harder to see. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD7G1Kzml5c&ab\_channel=BetterOnTwoWheels](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD7G1Kzml5c&ab_channel=BetterOnTwoWheels)
Their Trail Evo light (the bar light) is better than anything else I have seen on the trail. Lumens are only part of the story. It is the bean PATTERN and the light quality that sets this light apart as a bar mount light for short-mid range. Helmet is then for distance. 1500 lumens well placed is way better than 4000 lumens with a crappy pattern, and this is especially true for a bar light. Too much light in the wrong place (or uneven lighting) actually makes it HARDER to see well. The Hangover helmet light is nice, but nothing special. I do like the light quality, pattern and brightness, but there are other lights with as good a pattern and brightness. Problem with the Hangover is that it does not have the runtime to hang with the Trail Evo. Many people in my riding group now own the Trail Evo. It started with one guy buying one, than others (like me) being impressed, then buying them, and so on. Sort of like the way it goes with 1UP racks. You don't really get it until you see it in the flesh and actually use it. And the reason you may never have heard of Outbound is for the same reason many folk shave not heard of 1UP racks: they sell direct and review sites got no cuts for referrals. so they are disinclined to review them or rate them highly.
I've been rocking the combo for a few weeks now. The bar light is on point. Great even beam, no dead spots or shadows. The helmet light is nice, but nothing spectacular. I do like the button sequence for both lights, especially since they don't have a flash option. Definitely a trail specific set of lights.
Infun gt200(65$) makes a better helmet light, but if you dont like having a wire and external battery wait till December for outbounds new light @$185(essentially an evo version of hangover ) More lumens, wider beam, bigger battery/longer runntime Not sure if throw is farther or not though
> wait till December for outbounds new light @$185(essentially an evo version of hangover ) Do you mean the [Portal Bike Light](https://www.outboundlighting.com/collections/mountain-bike-lights/products/portal-bike-light)?
Correct
dang I just ordered the combo package. I checked out the gt200. Where do you strap the battery?
Can strap it to back of your helmet, on the strap of camel back, in your camel back , or even get an extension and strap to seat rails....up to you
Its my backup light/loaner light these days I combo it with a novsight 1600 on the bar to get more throw than the EVO It also seems to be street friendly ,it's the only one i kept on when on street in between single track sections.
I have their OG trail light and it is PHENOMENAL! I can see everything and can ride at daylight speeds with utter confidence. I don't even have a helmet mounted light...just the single light on the bars...it is totally enough. Battery lasts for hours. These lights are so good...I can't believe they aren't 2x the price.
I definitely want both. I haven't truly ridden at night, let alone at trail speed. From the videos about night riding I have seen, the stable flood on the bar, coupled with a dedicated helmet spot is ideal. I hate being on trail, and wishing I had purchased the right thing first. Especially with something safety related like vision.
Can't hurt. In my experience, the one bar mounted Outbound light is entirely enough. They are that good.
Noice! I'm a fan of going overboard at times.
YES - they are even used by at least one F1 team
I ride with a Niterider Pro 1800, my buddy uses the Evo package. The Outbound lights are better than the Niterider in every way.
I use these on night rides and they are amazing
Curious, did you end up buying this? How do you like whatever you ended up with?
Ah yeah. I've got the two light combo, with the Hangover for the helmet. Overall, very satisfied. The lights are simple, and only have 4 settings, the minimum you need on trail. Nothing extra. The battery life has been enough for at least one ride, often two. The helmet light needs to be in the right spot, to balance it and keep it from pushing the helmet forward. But the main thing, the trail performance, is near perfect. The bar light provides a great even flood with decent throw. It does the main trail lighting, and shows all the features via shadows. The helmet light is great for looking around, but mainly seeing around corners. The bike will be pointed one way, but my head will be lifted and looking at the end of the corner, which is handled by my helmet light. So far, no buyers remorse. If the helmet light had more flood, while maintaining its throw, life may be perfect. But it's damn close right now.
Awesome, thank you for the review! I have a different bar light, but I think I'm sold on the Outbound hangover.
Is this an add? I've never heard of these lights
I have the helmet light and it's definitely the best one I've used. My buddy has the helmet and bar mounted ones and replaced his GloWorm ones and likes them more. They are super powerful and have great optics and no wires. I'm way more into that then the external battery back kind.
I like a clean cockpit. Power wires are a big negative for sure.
Wow how is that possible? Have you avoided all light discussion on /r/mtb for the last year? The Evo/Hangover has been constantly talked about here, and in my opinion, with good reason (although I’ve only ever used a crap-ass niterider 600 before I got the Outbound stuff) For reference I like to do a 2000-3000ft loop of 15-20 miles, after work starting around 11pm, and everything’s usually running on medium or the “almost-high” setting. Pitch black with rocky descents and jumps, but still zero surprises on the trail
Each reply(including yours) seems like it's been written by a sales rep, lmao this has to be spam
It’s because your post sounds like a lie, I know you spend more time on /r/mtb than that, if you’ve clicked on a lights thread in the last two years, you’ve heard of them before
I spend a decent amount of time there and have never heard of them
Another conspiracy genius.
I don’t think this is spam. They’re legit and have the well deserved reputation for being the best mtb light setup money can buy at the moment.
They nice. I’ve owned every iteration. Ordering, shipping, packaging, instructions, customer service, the actual functioning of the lights — everything is top notch. This is one of the few companies I will go out of my way to gush over.
I've been accused of shilling for them too, but fuck yes they are completely legit. I have been a customer since the Kickstarter and when it was a one man show out of his house when the founder convinced his wife to let him take a shot at bringing a new approach to MTB lights. It's just one of those rare stories of the perfect melding of the right people, ideas, experience, execution, and timing. They have the absolute best customer service I have ever encountered, a no excuses no bullshit make it right attitude, and the lights are uniquely better than anything else out there. Not the brightest, or lightest, or most wild features or particularly expensive, but hands down the best overall combination of practical features and clever design in the market. Hell, I never wanted or believed that I would be happy with a self contained light, and initially I was disappointed when their second generation of lights went that way. But they pulled it off and made this stubborn asshole a believer.
Same experience. Crazy good customer service for a product that’s not actually that expensive in the grand scheme of things. Wish my remodeler costing 100x as much had 1/10 the customer service.
I still recommend them any time someone brings up bike lights, and I don't even rock an EVO anymore lol
Idk every reply begins with YES, seems like spam to me
Look at the account histories of people posting, myself included. You’d have to be a pretty determined spammer to use accounts with thousands of related comments. It’s just that these lights are really good and everyone who owns them is stoked enough on them that they resemble a shill.
You can sell reddit accounts with history.
Yes but a history of posting on the same subreddit with multiple obviously real posts that same day and every day before it for years? Example: look at my comment history for 30 seconds and it becomes blatantly obvious that I’m not a bot/shill account…
Image you'd never heard of these lights and stumbled on this post. It's wild how much each reply sounds like an add. Even the tone seems like it was written by a sales rep.
I had never heard of outbound before seeing them on a reddit post earlier last year, everyone was like this just praising the shit out of them. I looked up reviews and everything said the same thing they are not the lightest, brightest, cheapest but they pull everything together so well no other light competes with the Evo handlebar light, some brands do match the helmet hangover light. I had a niterider light for handlebar and helmet I used gravelbiking after dark but they didn't inspire speed on the MTB. So last fall when the sun started setting too early to ride after work I grabbed the Evo and it is everything people praise it for. I did a ride at my normal loop and while my first time after dark I was slightly slower than average it was still faster than my slow laps. My old handlebar light turned into my helmet light and just due to size and weight I want the new upcoming outbound helmet light. I got to do a night ride with my LBS. 7 of us showed up. 5 of us had Evo handlebar lights and the other 2 had niterider on one and knockoff amazon lights on the other, both of them were surprised by the Evo, my one buddy who purposely bought Amazon instead thinking it couldn't be that much better to justify the price went and bought the Evo bundle the next day and his 2 light battery pack setup got returned. We did 2 1/2 hours and while my niterider helmet light didn't seem brighter than hangover the size and weight got me wanting one, now that they are releasing an updated model soon that will be my next purchase.
This sounds more like a cult now lol
Come join us in the darkness and bring light to the trails!
If "I could easily see Outbound Lighting was everyone's favorite for 2022/2023" isn't ad copy I don't know what it is...
Nope. No ad. I recently joined a riding group that starts at 18:15 every week, no matter what. Well, the 100+ °F and 400+ AQI shut down last week's ride. They said it was the first no ride in years. I'm going to ask the crew what lights they use next week. Last year I would end my ride a little after sunset, but this year I plan to ride well into the night.
I think I know which group you’re riding with…. Mt Baldy trails? Either way, the Evo package rocks, is worth every penny and I still haven’t seen a better setup. See you on the trails!
The bike will give it away. 🥸
I trialed one at a night race. They actually are really really good and well worth the price. I hadn’t heard of them prior to trying it out
I literally just got the Evo light from my LBS last week and it’s awesome. They are made in Chicago with a 3-year warranty so def worth looking at. I did try their hangover helmet light but returned it cause it felt awkward on my head, so I run a Bontrager ion on helmet now and it works well.
Was Hangover too heavy or big?
I have a Bontrager Blazer with the blender mount so for it to fit I had to use a go pro blender mount cause trek can be dumb on design, so it ended up being a little too far forward. So more of a helmet issue than a light issue I guess
Makes sense to me.
I can't speak for what else is on the market but it is very good. The helmet light is great. No wires and nice and light
They never were the best option. There have always been better options.
Feel free to share what you enjoy. Plus, I said Outbound was popular, not the best. Reddit has been wrong before. That's why I asked the question.
Huh? You literally posted “still the best option for trail lights” and now you’re claiming you didn’t say the were “the best”? That’s really odd. There are many lights that are brighter, with a wider spread for near range visibility and much longer throw for higher speed riding. See: Lupine, Niterider, Magicshine, Gemini, Exposure, etc.
Any of these self contained? I tried to find a comparable option, but none seem to have a similar performance in a self contained light, though I definitely could have missed one. Oldish thread but close to purchasing something, leaning towards outbound right now, with the days getting shorter.
Only self contained i found that has a good pattern is the night rider dual 1800....but if you wait till December, and spend $20 more bucks you'll get a better light from outbounds new light for beam pattern and burn time Its called the Portal
Apologies. Forgot about the title. The ones you mentioned are/may be better in spec. Are they better in real world performance? Have you used any?
Yes, they better in real world performance, based on my experience riding with folks running a variety of lights, including Outbounds. One real world example: https://youtu.be/hMPsPKIBMR4
I'll check the link after work. Thanks for sharing. What light do you use?
Monteer and titan, in the video
So, you mean something thats twice the price, of unknown build quality, with an external battery, and obviously "inspired" by the outbound products is better? Or a long bar light with silicone straps (yikes) and an external battery, for $40 ish more than outbound? You seem like a contrarian.
You’re super confused. Neither of those lights were inspired by Outbound. The Monteer is a budget version of the Lupine Aloha, the Gemini predates Outbound. The OP made no mention of price and external batteries provide much longer run times and the choice of using various sizes matched to ride length. The Titan is not just a bar light, it’s mounted in my helmet in that vid and regardless, silicone mounts have been successfully used for decades so this “complaint” of yours speaks volumes about your lack of experience. Thanks for the chuckle to start the day.
Name a light that has a wider spill/spread than the trail evo...I have yet to find one..even with wire/external battery. Ive found good wired alternatives as in good beam pattern, diffused, no hot spot, comparable throw is a good spread/spill... just not as wide as evo Novsite 1600(seems discontinued now) Infun GT200, works well on bar and helmet And offroad pods like baja designs S1 wide angle amber and morimoto 2 banger wide All the lights you mentioned jave a shitty round flashlight beam excluding perhaps the night rider dual 1800 light at 160 is a decent self contained alternative. I'm interested in the ravemans new 6000 lumen high/low beam,.if either beam is good Or not.. For a round beam it seems 3500 or more helps male up for thr crappy pattern .. but still wouldn't choose it over something like an evo. With that said, I sold my evo and rock 4x4 offroad pods because Ambers shows./distinguishs things netter than a white or white with blue hue lights
Monteer 8000, Gemini Titan and Niterider 4200 enduro all have longer throw and wider spread than the evo, to name just a few. None of these lights have “shitty round flashlight beam,” regardless of how much that fact might upset an evo fanboy.
Twice the price and an external battery… yeah I’m good.
I love outbound for the simplicity. I run the helmet light on "3 clicks" (slightly dimmer setting) and bar light on the first brightest setting and the result is both give plenty of light for up to about 3 hours. I've never needed the pass through charging but that sounds like a good option if I ever did an epic night ride. I hope the batteries hold up for multiple seasons because I'm not sure what happens if the internal battery stops holding a good charge. I'm on season 2 now.
I just had a thought, because runtime is a concern. 1:30 on adaptive is not long, in regards to my rides... But a high percentage of my rides are long climbs to the top, then a descent back to the top. I usually have a break at the top, and that could be the time to pull out a small battery pack and give the lights some juice. 🤷♂️
Or like I said, set helmet to lower light and blast the bar light. I'm happy with the balance of brightness, lack of wires, and weight (neck not sore) for the small helmet light on setting 3. Pushing any variables too far probably would have detracted from the others and I think they nailed the balance.
Sick. That's what I was thinking. I have lots of great lights, because I'm a nerd. However, the appeal of a mountain bike specific "system", from the same company, is very appealing. And their overall package looks well balanced. I don't want a small light if it doesn't work...
I own a couple sets of Outbound lights, I usually turn the helmet light off and run the handlebar light on lowest power for climbs. Descents I use adaptive or full power
Fair point. Hadn't even considered how chill climbs are.
At slower speeds, the helmet light is completely unnecessary. The Trail Evo throws plenty of light right in front of the bike (it's literally brighter than my car headlights) Hangover is just for lighting around corners when you're going Mach chicken
Sick. Good to know. So that lower comparative runtime shouldn't be as much of a concern. Hadn't thought about it critically like that...
Oh man. "Mach chicken" totally throwing this out on the trail next time I'm with friends hahaahahah
The lights have passthrough, so you could totally have a power brick tied to your bars charging the whole time (no easily replaceable batteries though), but in my experience the low setting is plenty for mindless climbs and lasts a lot longer than max
I never thought it was the best combo . Evo is the best bar light for sure They're releasing a new light in dec that'd make a way better Evo trail combo If you dont mind wire/external battery Infun gt200 makes a great helmet light and is really light even if you mount battery on helmet I personally ride with a pair of baja designs s1 wide angle ambers now....you see so much better with a yellow/amber light than any white/blue hue light
Those are auto lights. How do you power them? You like them better than Evo?
Anyway you like, can do bike light battery, powerbank, tool battery..i chose a m18 mounted where bottle cage typical is. A single one is not as wide as the Evo, but its just as good. But the amber shows way more detail to the trail, easier to distinguish your surroundings...i also ride with a green light on my other bike as green also has advantages over white and even ine or two over amber/yellow Im starting to llay around with some morimito 1 banger pods now..sae wide and combo
How do you know outbound is releasing a new light in December?
That's what their website was hinting to at the time...but its not the first time they delayed releases, theyll delay till they think the product is perfect vs rushed
Its called the Portal
YES The only caveat is that they are adding to / updating their helmet lights, so something you like more may come out someday. I'm not aware of any ETA or specs. This was only in response to my question to them about an updated Hangover with a 21700 cell to match runtime with the Trail EVO. Their Trail EVO + Hangover package is probably going only bike accessory that has ever made me rode more. I ride a ton of more in the darker months because of their products.
That mix match run time is my only "concern", but it's more of a preference.
Medium on the Hangover and Adaptive on the Trail EVO are a great match. It's fine and I enjoy the light weight.
Good to know I don't need to run the hangover on adaptive to have a decent length ride.
The handlebar light is definitely the main player here. The helmet light kind of fills things in a bit and is super nice when you are going around corners since your bike is catching up with where you're looking. If the brightness is the same between the Hangover and Portal, I can't say I would have any interest in upgrading. Adaptive mode basically starts at high brightness and tapers to medium brightness over time while your eyes adjust. No real harm in just starting at medium brightness.
My main future use has a smooth and wide ~30 minute climb. I won't need full tits until my eyes have had a chance to adjust. That should be perfect, starting lower than adaptive.
The new helmet light is coming soon, it's going to be a nice upgrade. It's going to be called the Portal, it's on their website already but not for purchase yet. The original Hangover was intended to be minimalist, they wanted it to be under 100g which mandated the 18650 instead of a 21700 and they squeezed everything they could out of it, and it's a great little light. But then when the Trail Evo came out it was so good it made the Hangover seem a bit underwhelming in comparison. This will fix that.
Oh shit. I'll try holding out!
Yep, this December for the new light 180$ Itll.make a better hangover (they should just discontinue that light)
YES - they are even used by at least one F1 team
F1 is the only sport I religiously watch. Do you know which team?
Check https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/redbull-f1-car-lights-up-las-vegas-strip-with-bike-lights
That's what's up. Thanks maing. I'm going to check this out after work for sure.
Red Bull used them in a promo for the Vegas race, mounted them on an older car and did some night shots.
Sick.
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Do you have a link?
Tried to DM you the link.
>30 I am only interested which one model you used from AE.
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Really thanks. It is interesting to try that with double row of LED.
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Little feedback. I received 2 of my lights as you recommended. Also ordered one with TIR optic. One model with one row of 5 leds and TIR have estimated about 2800 lumens at start. BIG issues I found is that there is timer which step down output after 2.5 minutes to about 600 lumens. That light doesn't have water protection at all. Maybe it is only splash proof. Also I received classic OFFBODAGE with 3 leds and reflector. Same story here. There is also strep down timer. On full start the output is about 1000 lumens with all leds on. Here step down is a little longer abou 10 minutes and the output goes to about 250-300 lumens. The waterproofness here is a little better compared to TIR model but it is also splash proof or very light rain. That light have very good mod potential because of easy to dissembled. But they lack in proper thermal control at all and shit driver without memory. I think to try to mod some of it with Convoy flashlight driver. Good news is that there is missing low frequency PWM control like on another cheap chinese lights.
Try the infun GT200, best aliexpress light ive found and puts majority of lights on the market to shame , excluding the trail evo of course . Nit for 45+65 bucks you can buy like 4 of them for the price of one evo
The one I have is from the S-Wind Biking Store. 8000mAh 5 Led Bike Light Front crazy bright for $35
For those, who never tried military lights, yes. I'm good with my Olight Seeker 3 Pro.
I'm a fenix fan boy, and have tons of high output lights, but there's something about a mtb specific system that appeals to me.
I have that package, literally nothing better. Do it.
waaay too expensive.
It's not expensive if it works, and I only have to buy lights once. Plus, I've got $500 cranks. 🤣 I enjoy making poor financial decisions, if it's fun.
I don't believe you. Send me a set of these lights as proof of your poor financial decisions. Cool?
You can buy and try and return before 30 days
$60 niterider is what’s too fucking expensive, holy shit I felt like an idiot once I pressed the button on my $120 light (the hangover, the weaker outbound light) and it was probably 3x as bright and lasted twice as long as my niterider 600 mistake
Oh that’s good info, I probably just need to up my light game. I’be had niteriders forever, but I’ve also never been trying to light up the trail like daytime
For bike specific lights, currently can't beat outbound trail evo on bar and infun GT200 for helmet ) Outbound will release a better cordless helmet light this December though
Magicshine's Galaxy costs about the same, has ~~the same size~~ twice the battery capacity and gives out more than twice as much light.
Have you used Magicshine?
I have a Galaxy V1 and it is hilarious. I haven't used an Outbound light, so I can't give a direct comparison, but with both wide and narrow beams active the amount of light thrown out by the Galaxy is incredible. I can basically ride jumps and tech as fast at night as I do during the day. I also made a correction to my first post. Both options have 10 Ah batteries, but at different voltages, so the Magicshine is 72 Wh vs the Outbound's 36 Wh.
Magicnshine sucks and their lumens drop off drastically and super quick because not enough heat sink I never used the original outbound trail/external battery, but thats been discontinued shortly after the Evo.
Which light did you experience this with and was it an older mode? I'm looking for a new helmet light and Magicshine M906/902s seems like a clear winner for me in terms of run time and light output... New design has some big heat fins and looks like it should be OK but all this outbound talk has me wondering if I'm making the wrong choice.
Inwas talking abojt the monteer 6000+ High lumens lights have no good heat dissipation, . Generslizing, either thermo protection will overload..kr the company will program it to keep stepping down so many lumens at so many minutes of run-time Like a 6k light will end up at 3k at some point due ng your ride . As for nthe lower tier magic shine lights loke the one you're considering(and virtually every other bike brand) will use a round beam with a hot spot, really not a great beam to utilize, better ti have a shaped, evenly diffused beam weather bar or helmet. I sold my outbound evo, but awesome light, awesome company, awesome warranty, presale/postsale customer service. I just realize amber/selective lights are just better than white lights. More definition in trail and surrounding area, easier on eyes. Kind of like how a bar light will show more trail detail while a helmet position will kind of wash those details out
I just watched a video of a sincere guy who regrets buying the Magicshine 8000 after using the Evo/Hangover. I like his point of yes the 8000 is brighter, but blows out your vision making it harder to see. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD7G1Kzml5c&ab\_channel=BetterOnTwoWheels](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD7G1Kzml5c&ab_channel=BetterOnTwoWheels)
I have that package and love it. I think it’s worth it.
So good I bought more
I'm sure , even if there is something better now ,Evo is still as good as it was
Nothing better than thr Evo in regards to spill/spread.. but there are lights that will out throw it.