Comes with Intellicharger Pug and Forget Recharging System.
Quick-Cam light bracket for easy installation, removal and adjustment.
Cord-mounted on/off switch.
Planet Bike donates 25% of company profits to causes that promote the use of bicycles for the good of the planet.
Alias comes with Spectra blue halogen bulb for cleaner, brighter light, also has low and full charge indicator on battery.
Run Time: 2-4:00
Bulb: 9/12/15w power levels
Battery: NiMH bottle
Weight: 585g
Mtbr Bike Lights Shootout - over 50 bike lights reviewed, photographed and measured here.
Well I've had this light for about 6 years I think, and only posting this review as I'm looking for something new...and found reviews...
I like it a bit, and don't like it a fair bit. I only bought it as I needed lights and all my riding mates had vista lights, but all the store were sold out. I like the nice bright white light and the easy of switching between power settings. Don't really like the bootle cage mount, but not terrible either.
After having it not very long, the handle bar switch stopped working, I manage to fix it, even with my feeble electrical/soldering skills and that hasn't been a problem until last week, where I could turn it on and off, but not between power settings (but it would do it by itself, just at the worst times).
The big problem... the ever reducing run time. Down to 10 minutes at one point. sure I could turn it of and fool it for a few minutes, just plain annoying rinding home from work at 1am, but a bit tradjic when off road... fixed this by replacing all the batterys at local battery place (just ripped it apart, threw old ones away, replaced with new AA style [or whatever they are in rechargable batteries], bit of plastic welding) and I was back to regular run times... most of the time, that was 3 years ago and only now is the runtime going down, so maybe some more battteries...
Oh and I find all the straps and things annoying, you have to put in battery, strap the cord, strap the switch, plug into light, then take it all off again... but the charger is a good idea.
I guess i'll buy similar sytle to all my mates, so if in trouble we can share batteries, but i think the idea of this system is good, just that it doesn't last very long.
Strengths: Relatively lightweight and easy to install and use. Nice clean white light for road use.
Weaknesses: The battery, especially in the cold.
Bottom Line:
I'm primarily a roadie but the light reviews are here, so here I am. My major gripes are similar to the others addressed here, and my experience reflects the pattern in the reviews. Most of the favorable reviews are from owners who have had this light for a year or less. I too was very impressed with it at first: lightweight with lots of nice bright light and very easy to use. After time, like the trend of the reviews, my disappointment began to appear and grow, solely because of the battery. I would start getting the drop down to the power save mode earlier and earlier in my morning ride. Now in my second winter, the battery is shutting down completely after only 10 min or so, and I'm limping along trying to nurse it for the remainder of the ride. Very frustrating. I just ordered the Jet Lites Blast HID, hoping that more is better. With luck, I'll report back a much happier rider. If you are comtemplating buying the Planet Bike Insight, be prepared for a rapidly fading battery giving less and less burn time.
Similar Products Used: None; I had a cheapo light before, until I pinch-flatted and almost crashed after hitting a rock going too fast for the light.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
andrewt
a Cross Country Rider
from toronto
Date Reviewed: November 2, 2005
Strengths: This light has a Limited Lifetime Warranty! I have no idea where my reciept for this light is. Purchased fall of 2001!
I had a problem with the unit, and eventually (3 years later!!!) upgraded it to the well reviewed (and in fact works great) Alias system. Just email them: they are very accomodating. If they are shipping you an Alias upgrade to Canada, make sure it says:"warranty replacement product" to avoid a duty charge.
Really hard to beat this customer service level.
Bottom Line:
Anyone who is having problems with one of these should consider the upgrade to the Alias system. I was charged $37 USD.
Submitted by
Pat Hale
a Cross Country Rider
from Michigan
Date Reviewed: August 22, 2005
Strengths: Easy to install- trickle charge lets you forget about it between rides.
Weaknesses: Not as bright of a beam as I had expected. BAttery does not hold the charge for nearly as long as manufacturer claims. Cost of new battery is almost as much as a totally new light.
Bottom Line:
An OK light to allow a cyclist to make it home safely at dusk but it is certainly not powerful enough to maneuver backroads in the dark.
Submitted by
Glenn
a Weekend Warrior
from Gilbert ,AZ, USA
Date Reviewed: October 23, 2003
Strengths: Bright, light, plug and forget charger, easy quick-release clamp for light.
Weaknesses: It would be nice if the light switch had a rubber backing. It slips around on the handlebar if you don't put one between it and the handlebar. You need to shut off the battery or it will run down even if you don't have the light on. This hasn't bitten me yet but I've read reviews from people it has.
Bottom Line:
I've had great luck with this light. It's bright, lightweight, and easy to install. Mine is over a year old and I haven't had the low run times others have mentioned but I live in Phoenix and it usually doesn't get that cold. I love the quick release clamp for the light. The water bottle battery works great if you have a water bottle holder. It also has a velcro strap and an indent if you want to strap it to your top tube(that's what I do). I've gotten over 2 hours runtime switching between the medium and high settings (12Watt and 15 Watt).
Weaknesses: If your frame does not have water bottle mounts it is slighly more difficult to mount the battery in a secure fashion.
Bottom Line:
I bought this light despite some complaints by others about the battery and I am very pleased so far. I don't have water bottle bosses so I carved a foam holder and the battery then straps to the top tube.I have been riding techinical trails with stunts and drops and the light has shown no signs of breaking and has provided adequete light.Thus far I am happy with it and i would recommend it.
Bike Setup: Tank DS1 dirtjump bike (check it out at ragebike.com )
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from Agoura Hills, Ca, USA
Date Reviewed: July 23, 2003
Strengths: battery gage
Weaknesses: Something is always going wrong with their product: bad battery circuit(3 times), bad on-button, plastic loop holding velcro broke off, pin on hadlebar mount came out.
Bottom Line:
I won't buy from Planet Bike again. Although they have replaced defective parts, and I have upgraded to better systems with them(for a price), I've had it with the hassle. I'm buying another light this week from someone else.
A so far great light! Seemingly well designed. They say they give 25% of profits to bike advocacy groups. How's this for the bottom line: compared to Nite Rider, I got A LOT more for my money!
Strengths: Customer service, light weight, bright lights, ease of use, easy to set-up, and no worry battery charger.
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
This is an update to the review I wrote back in September. I experienced some problems with the battery after two months of communting to work. The battery would switch to the power save mode after 30 - 40 minutes and then eventually go off. I barely made it to work. I called Planet Bike and explained the problem and they sent me a replacement light within the week. They indicated that there was some problems with some of the batteries not being to hold power.
So far I haven't had any problems. Planet Bike has great customer service. You can get their phone number at Planetbike.com
Strengths: Plug and forget charger, CUSTOMER SERVICE
Bottom Line:
Planet Bike customer service rocks! I did have some issues with my first battery (see review below); however, those seem to be resolved with a new replacement battery sent to me by Jon at Planet Bike. I would give them 10 chilis for customer service if I could.
If you're looking for a light, consider one from a company willing to back it up, like Planet Bike.
Strengths: This product shines bright white light like the HID.
Weaknesses: Coil Cord is not flexible enough stretch to reach helmet, The cable keep pulling the connection off. Had to return battery unit due earlier defect. They were prompt to replace it with Newer battery version solved the premature switch to power-saving mode. Now it works great.
Bottom Line:
This is a great light that shine bright and lightweight. Battery last 2hours. Was dissapointed at first due to battery defect but they promptly sent me an improved battery that solved the premature power-saving mode. I like the charger unit where you could just plug it in and forget. Overall, I highly recommend this light.
What a piece of garbage. I never got a run time over 1hr. Now it runs for ~5min before going into power conserve mode, then shuts down shortly thereafter. I'm through wasting my time trying to contact the company. I'll be buying a Light and Motion or Lupine system very soon.
Submitted by
lee
a Cross Country Rider
from winnipeg, canada
Date Reviewed: October 11, 2002
Strengths: -Colour temperature of bulb -nice looking housing -easy to field change bulb
Weaknesses: -curly cord not quite stretchy enough to reach vertical cage -digital control delicate -charger claims -cheezy bracket
Bottom Line:
I saw this light in a pile of nite hawk lights at mec. The price was good $139 cdn for a 4.5 ahr nimh battery medium high power bulb.
The light output is very good. The focus of the beam doesn't leave any strong halos and puts light to a good distance. The colour temperature is hotter than 3000 K that most mr11s come in. I judge it to be 3300-3500 K. There is very minute tinge of blue in the light but not as much as HID or white leds that I find kinda wash out objects with their blue grayish white light.
Run times are around what PB claims on regular setting. By regular I mean at 15 watts. The other settings I suspect are acheieved by running the bulb at lower voltages. This is a really inefficient way of running a bulb and more light output and longer run times would be acheived with a lower power bulb run at its rated voltage. I've ridden it in 10 to 20 C temps and don't notice any large variance in capacity.
The light housing is quite nice looking and compact. PB chooses to mount an outrigged switch which is handy for flipping the light between settings on the fly, But I don't flip through settings and prefer switches integrated into the head. I have noticed that the bottom back piece of the light head appears to be a seperate part. PB goes to a lot of trouble to make a nice fit for the bulb and O-ring to seal out crap but this two peice at the back leaves a slight gap. It is about the width of a few pages of paper and light can be seen through it. The L bracket that holds the bulb looks cheezy and I used my BLT bracket instead.
The charger is no smart charger at all. PB recommends 12 hours to fully charge the battery (note to guy only charging 8 below). 12-16 hours is the time taken to trickle charge at 1/10 C which is what this system is doing. At this rate you could leave your battery hooked up and still run minimal risk of damaging your battery. The cycle charge at the end would have been nice if they designed a rapid charger. I'd definitely pay more for that. Note you have to cycle your battery before it performs consistently.
For the price it's a nice package and I would like to keep it but....
There is always a freak situation that can cause a short. I went over the bars onto some rocks which in the process I got seperated from the bike. The power cable got squashed and partially severed by a collision with the rocks and part of the bike. The wires contacted created a short. When I went to pick up the bike I could hear the battery humming and noticed the wires. Took the light back to the work bench and went about fixing the connection. The light now will be on contiuously irregarless of toggling of both switches. I think the current fried the controlling circuitry -possible a PIC. I was a little annoyed that the battery didn't have a polyfuse or something to protect the circuit.
At this point I'm not really interested in another of the same product due to this flaw. If I got another one I'd fuse it myself but that't really PB job. If they fix this then they have a good priced fairly good product.
Strengths: Light weight, bright lights, and easy to set-up.
Weaknesses: none so far
Bottom Line:
These lights have performed very wll for me. I have not experienced any problems with cold weather shut downs as noted by other riders. I commute to work early in the morning 2-3 times per week and the temperature can be in the low 40's this time of year. My commute is about 35 - 45 minutes. 9 watts is what I typically run but there are some areas that get real dark and then I push the button to get up to 12 watts and that is more than enough.
Charging is a bit slow but with the smart charger I don't have to worry about overcharging.
Similar Products Used: cheap household battery powered lights
Bike Setup: Flat bar road bike
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Tom B
a Weekend Warrior
from Baltimore, MD
Date Reviewed: March 23, 2002
Strengths: Good price (bikeusa.com does me right) 15W setting is plenty bright for commuting Decent burn time Lightweight battery
Weaknesses: The low battery auto-shutoff circuit shuts down the light on a full charge when it's cold outside. Of course, the time you really need a light is when you are riding (esp. commuting) in the winter. I am on my 3rd battery now (or maybe it is the 4th?) from the warranty guys at Planet Bike and they all have the same problem. It is pretty irritating to get sent a replacement with the same problem again and again. They have been helpful in getting me new batteries to try, but I am starting to think that there is a fatal design flaw in this light, and that all of the batteries out there are going to fail sooner or later in the cold.
I am getting ready to punt on P.B. and see if they will comp me for the cost to buy a new light from another company. I wish I could support these guys because I like their company, but this product is a dog.
Bottom Line:
Stay away until they have a fix for this light. I'm not sure how to know when that is, though!
Hey,
I'm new to the forum and I'm a long time rider from Charlotte, NC. Let me start off by saying that I realize this forum receives many questions such as this one and that I Read More »
So after a search with not much info to be found, do any of you have any experience with these racks? I want a rack system that I can use with three bikes and not have to remove th Read More »
After months of going back and forth I have FINALLY decided on a custom wheel build. I have chosen the rims (WTB i23) and hubs (Hope QR front and Hope ss/trials rear). The proble Read More »
