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As an all in one tidy (no leads/battery pack) are they worth it and are they capable as a stand alone off-road MTB trail light?
Any suitable alternatives?
I've had mine since they first came out and wouldn't have anything else (when using a Joystick as well). I know there are brighter lights out there, but as an all-in-one I can't fault it. With it not having wires and an external battery, you'll end up using it for more than biking too.
The newer ones are brighter than mine and have the ability to charge other gadgets from them...I wish I had the funds to upgrade!
The only thing is, if I only had the money for one light, I think I would have to go for something that I could mount on my helmet. A mate has a Lupine Tesla that is quite versatile and Troute's lights are nice too.
They are excellent.
Can be used on their own, but I find no matter what light you have on the bars a helmet mounted one is a great addition as it moves to where you look which makes twisty trail riding at night alot easier.
The MaxxD is very bright and does last 3 hours on full as claimed, and as you say has no leads or external battery pack. You dont notice its weight on the bars and the quick release clamps are excellent. That and a joystick are the best night riding kit investment I have made. I did over 40k of night rides last week and on average run 20K+ every week and they have run faultlessly for over 8 months now.
Ps. biggest problem with helmet lights is that get knocked off by low hung branches, so if thats your only light on a fast downhill trail you can end up crashing quite badly.
We've got two in our house (as well as quite a few other Exposure lights). I reckon they're brilliant: no faff with leads, seem to be very reliable. Beam is pretty bright on medium (which lasts 12 hours). Depth could be a bit longer but I think that's common to all LED's. Spread is very good, even works fairly well on twisty singletrack. Exposure are very good with support at races, warranty or paid repair if you get any problems too.
The only downside I've found is with the Maxx D on full or med, it's almost too bright to see a joystick beam. A Diablo works a bit better as a companion helmet light IMO.
I'll second the comment above. They're great lights, but I'd rather have a helmet mounted light if I had only one light. A diabolo and piggy back battery would be my choice for a single unit. I've got an old MaxxD and a Diabolo for the lid and both are brilliant, but I'd rather do without the MaxxD than the Diabolo. How about getting a cheaper bar light and backing it up with a Joystick?
I've a Strada (bars) and Joystick (helmet). Love the simplicity and they're bright enough for decent singletrack speed.
Good attachments too, the remote means you're more likely to switch settings and the piggyback batteries are light and double capacity.
I've te MaxX D on the bars, and a Joystick on my Helmet. ( 😳 )
Perfect for night riding IMHO.