Commuting - Good light setup?

With the days getting shorter I'm starting to to look at getting a rear and front light for the morning commutes. What is a good and reliable brand? I just started commuting a couple of weeks ago and this is all brand new to me, so any help is really appreciated. Thx!

the first sticky in this forum is a good starting point

pitty no one posts there anymore

With the days getting shorter I'm starting to to look at getting a rear and front light for the morning commutes. What is a good and reliable brand? I just started commuting a couple of weeks ago and this is all brand new to me, so any help is really appreciated. Thx!Do you have a certain price range in mind? If you were interested in going as high as $250, then a dual-beam NiteRider Classic Plus and the optional NiteRider high-output rear flasher would be a nice, tough, weatherproof system with lots of power to see the road. And the smart charger charges fast, and won't overcharge if you forget to unplug it.

I've been using products from www.bicyclelights.com

These days I'm running both the dualie bar mount and the dualie helmet. I've got the siingle beam unit squirreled away at work just in case I get caught late one night.

You can make your own lighting system at a fraction of the cost of the expensive setups. Drop by your local building supply store and look for track light fixtures, specifically the ones made for MR-16 halogen bulbs. You will need to do a little surgery on it! Remove the part of the fixture that attaches the fixture to the track. When you're finished the fixture should look like the one below. You will need a clamp for it. Stop by the electrical supplies and find an EMT clamp that will fit whatever you will be clamping the light fixture on or use a clamp you might already have. Now order a MR-16 LED from autolumination. They have a wide selection of these LED bulb replacements. The more they cost the more light output but higher drain on the battery.
http://autolumination.com/mr16.htm
You will need a 12-volt battery. SLA batteries are cheap and dependable. Just google "SLA battery" or check your local electronics supplier. I use a 4.2 AH SLA battery I found at Wal-mart on clearance sale for $7. It fit perfectly in a BELL Stow Away seat bag also found at Wal-mart. You need a switch and connectors to wire it up.

Hi N4Zou, thanks for the suggestion. Can you provide more information? Is there a guide to reference? Reviews? thanks!

If you need information on the LED bulbs you can check out this place.
http://www.lumileds.com/
They make the Luxeon line of LED lights, which is sold by autolumination. The very brightest light is going to be the Luxeon 3-watt MR-16 bulb at the top of the page. These LED bulbs when mated to a 12-volt SLA or Gel-cell battery needs no other electronic parts like resistors, chips, or diodes. Nothing could be simpler. If you want to look at a few more LED bicycle light projects check out these links.
http://www.pilom.com/BicycleElectronics/LEDhead.htm

http://www.pilom.com/BicycleElectronics/triLEDhead.htm

If your wondering why I suggest you would just purchase an MR-16 bulb for your bicycle light project the above projects will quickly explain why! Everything has already been done for you!
If your really interested is how this stuff works and want a simple explanation…. go here.
http://www.dansdata.com/caselight2.htm
OH! The track light fixture is also makes this project very easy and relatively cheap and when mounted that track light fixture looks like one of the very expensive bike light systems as well.

NiteRider stinks. The batteries are unreliable and thew connectors are inept. I use a Lupine Passibiou with a 25w bulb. Great light, charger and battery.

Cool! Thx for the great ideas everyone.

With the days getting shorter I'm starting to to look at getting a rear and front light for the morning commutes. What is a good and reliable brand? I just started commuting a couple of weeks ago and this is all brand new to me, so any help is really appreciated. Thx!
Are you looking for a light that is effective for lighting up the road, or do you ride on well lite streets and just want one so car can see you?
Do you want the best money can buy or do you have a budget in mind.
I ride through the city so I mainly need a light that is visible to other users on the road. I use:
Cateye EL500 1W LED head light
Cateye EL200 or EL400 blinking headlight
Cateye TL1000 taillight blinking and steady

I think a bright light combined with a blinking light is a good combination for making yourself seen. The 1W LED is not bright enough to ride at road speeds on rural roads but it does appear to be bright for other people.
The TL1000 is bright and has two banks of light controlled independently. I use one steady and one blinking.

Craig

There are all sorts of lights and price ranges available, if you tell us your budget we can get you close to your budget.

I'm went for the low end budget of around $100 but still wanted to be seen, so I got the CygoLite Metro with dual beams and 12.5 watts total for $49. I also got a Vistalite front amber flasher (which now I think all they have is clear) for $12 because the flasher attracts attention while the small bicycle lights head diameter does not vs a car headlight. I also got the Cateye TL500 LED rear light for $18 which is extremily bright and if placed in the vertical position can be seen from the side very well. Then I got a pair of barend red LED lights for $15. Put that all together with highly reflective leg bands for about $6 and reflective tape on the helmet for about $4 and your at $104 plus or minus and tax.

With this system I've had no problems either seeing or be seen which I've had numerious motorists comment on how well they could see me.

Cygolite makes a variety of headlights from my cheap Metro (which I don't think they make anymore) that runs on 6 D bats which I like because I'm not tied to a wall outlet but use rechargeables anyway but could buy bats from any store during a ride should they by chance go dead. Or you could go with about $30 more and get the Cygo Rover NiMh xtra with 16 watts and a rechargeable battery that last about 6hrs on low beam.

http://www.cygolite.com/

LED's are not anywhere near as bright as the headlights I mentioned unless you got the jack to spend $250 to $300 for the new Cateye Triple Shot LED headlight.

Care to expand on your needs (riding conditions) and budget? I prefer not to play darts without a dart board.

Avoid the Cateye EL400 if you plan to lock your bike up as it doesnt have a quick release, it uses zip ties to secure to the handlebar so you cant quickly take the light away with you

Avoid the Cateye EL400 if you plan to lock your bike up as it doesnt have a quick release, it uses zip ties to secure to the handlebar so you cant quickly take the light away with you

Not exactly... the EL400 doesn't use zip ties, it uses it's own built in strap.
OTOH... it's small enough to attach your helmet.

Sorry for not being more specific at first. I ride in the city so street lights help, I was just looking for something that would make me visible to drivers. I cant afford much so something around $50 or less would be good. Thx again everyone for the help.

I started out with a costly NiteRider, it broke
Less expensive CygoLite, it broke

I've gone down the food chain to a Cateye EL500 1W LED head light with rechargeables, and I really like it!

Best tail-light is this one:
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=19647&subcategory_ID=4322

bright and cheap! get several

Given your budget constraints I'd suggest two LED white blinkies on the front and two more on the back. The performance product mentioned above is a great value. You CAN do better IMHO, but not much. For the front I suggest the blinkies be spaced as wide as possible and the rear one on the helmet and another on the bike. Avoid attaching them your bag(s) as they tend to shift out of ideal alignment.
Also, don't forget LOTS of reflective material and bright clothing.

I really like the blackburn system i bought off a member here. It is BRIGHT!!!

Sorry for not being more specific at first. I ride in the city so street lights help, I was just looking for something that would make me visible to drivers. I cant afford much so something around $50 or less would be good. Thx again everyone for the help.
Sounds like about the same situation as me (suburban environment, street lights most places I ride at night):

I use this Planet Bike 1 Watt LED light (got on sale for $25 or so): http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=101&subcategory=1067&brand=&sku=11266&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=
http://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photos/medium/PB-SS1.gif

It's cheap for a 1 W LED, and it's very bright. It's much brighter than my previous 1 W halogen light, and the batteries last WAAAAY longer. It comes with 4 AA batteries, but I use rechargeables instead. It's a very white color, and bright enough to light up the road in total darkness, enough to go 10-15 mph comfortably. But the thing I like about it best is that it has a much wider beam than comparable headlights. When I aim it straight ahead, I lights up the ground right in front of me too, which is helpful.

I use this Nashbar red rear LED light (only $5):
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=101&subcategory=1068&brand=&sku=2149&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=
http://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photos/medium/NA-BL.gif

Despite being really cheap, it's the best light I've had. 5 different blinking modes :p Much brighter than the crappy 3 LED red light my LBS charges $10 for. It comes with a seat post attachment, or you can clip it to a bag. Unlike other clip-on lights, this one doesn't come spontaneously unclipped when you go over bumps (I've broken 3 or 4 lights that way).

I started out with a costly NiteRider, it broke
Less expensive CygoLite, it broke

I've gone down the food chain to a Cateye EL500 1W LED head light with rechargeables, and I really like it!

Best tail-light is this one:
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=19647&subcategory_ID=4322

bright and cheap! get severalAs you may know, the NiteRiders are fixable, however.

A new 3-watt LED light with a tiny lens made into the LED is now available providing a 35-degree cone of illumination, which is perfect for a bicycle light. It's mounted on a small .1/2" X .1/2" circuit board and heat sink. I could get these LED light circuit boards molded into a white bike reflector. Couple with a small bag for the batteries, switch, and electronics and you would have a very bright LED light with low battery drain. I personally detest "flashlight" type bicycle lights with smallish batteries which quickly die from vibration and must be clamped to the handlebar which already has too much stuff clamped to it. Molding the LED light into a standard front bicycle reflector allows replacing your current reflector on that nice mounting bracket on the fork. The only problem is the requirement of ordering 1,000 or more of them! I don’t know if I could sell that many or how popular they would be. Would you purchase a system like that?

I really like the blackburn system i bought off a member here. It is BRIGHT!!!
Which Blackburn lights, X3, X6? I just ordered X6 to replace my slowly deteriorating Fireballs lights for this fall and winter. I would like to know that they will do a good job for me. Thanks!

There are all kinds of systems you could get into for under $50 that would at least make you visible. You can start with the Cateye HL-500II headlight which is brighter then any LED light you can find in that price-BUT, it does consume batteries which you can negate the cost by getting rechargables; I think this light runs about $28 but check. This light does put a beam of light on the road ahead of you. http://www.cateye.com/en/products/viewProduct.php?modelId=24&catId=7&subCatId=2

Then you can get the Cateye TLLD600 tailight for less then $18. http://www.cateye.com/en/products/viewProduct.php?modelId=26&catId=7&subCatId=4

Then make sure you get a pair of highly reflective leg bands for about $5.

So the total price is under $55 and you can probably get these items cheaper doing a internet search.

The beauty of the headlight I mentioned is that later when you get more money to buy a brighter headlight you can use this light for a helmet light that will supplement your main headlight with the added ability to be able to turn your head and shine the light anywhere you move your head. Also when you get the extra cash get yourself a bright blinking front flasher as soon as possible. Then lastly get barend lights when the cash is available.

n4zou, your idea is ingenious! Me and a few friends might make our own lights based on your idea. Just one question: where can I buy an SLA battery charger?

^^^

This place has all manor of batteries and chargers. Poke around the site a little and you'll find what you need.
http://www.batteryspace.com/

I'm a big fan of LED flashlights, having trialled a lot of them and a good range of incandescants too. Eight or more high brightness LEDs let me see pits'n'potholes on the shoulder of unlit highway at bike speeds with no other vehicles or streetlight illumination. Other road users can see that level of light easily. In addition, the little sucker pictured runs on 1 rechargeable AA battery. Can't be beat, for mine.

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=23723&d=1157437698

http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2519

Thanks for that Ziemas! ;)

two problems I see... 1st, heat dissipation. How do you plan on removing the heat that the LED creats? If you get the size of the down, you don't have much thermal mass.

2nd, if you take the amount of light that a 3W LED puts out and spread it over a 35 degree cone you won't have enough light to ride at any speed. By focusing the light to a spot, you don't get much peripheral light, but you do get a spot far enough away so that you don't outrun it at 12 mph.

Otherwise, I like the idea.


A new 3-watt LED light with a tiny lens made into the LED is now available providing a 35-degree cone of illumination, which is perfect for a bicycle light. It's mounted on a small .1/2" X .1/2" circuit board and heat sink. I could get these LED light circuit boards molded into a white bike reflector. Couple with a small bag for the batteries, switch, and electronics and you would have a very bright LED light with low battery drain. I personally detest "flashlight" type bicycle lights with smallish batteries which quickly die from vibration and must be clamped to the handlebar which already has too much stuff clamped to it. Molding the LED light into a standard front bicycle reflector allows replacing your current reflector on that nice mounting bracket on the fork. The only problem is the requirement of ordering 1,000 or more of them! I don’t know if I could sell that many or how popular they would be. Would you purchase a system like that?

I'm a DIY kind of guy, I bought a 10w halogen spotlight (husky) from home depot for $25. It has a 6v, 4ah rechargable SLA battery with ac and car charger included. The housing is a little tricky, and it doesn't look good (it's huge, and red), but perhaps I'll post some pictures when I get it finished.

Hi CBBaron,

how are you liking the EL500? How's the power consumption/battery life? Is this model fairly compact? I haven't seen one "in person."

thanks in advance


Are you looking for a light that is effective for lighting up the road, or do you ride on well lite streets and just want one so car can see you?
Do you want the best money can buy or do you have a budget in mind.
I ride through the city so I mainly need a light that is visible to other users on the road. I use:
Cateye EL500 1W LED head light
Cateye EL200 or EL400 blinking headlight
Cateye TL1000 taillight blinking and steady

I think a bright light combined with a blinking light is a good combination for making yourself seen. The 1W LED is not bright enough to ride at road speeds on rural roads but it does appear to be bright for other people.
The TL1000 is bright and has two banks of light controlled independently. I use one steady and one blinking.

Craig

I went to my LBS where they had a Serfas 1 watt LED light on sale which I thought I might use as a helmet light. NO WAY! As usual with all other LED lights I've seen, the light output was only marginal.

I have seen all sorts of LED headlights on the road and let me tell you, you can't even notice them PLUS they put very little light on the pavement. They fail to compare to my Cygolite Metro with it's meager 12.5 watts of halogen power!

Guys, the high power 1 watt LED's and especially the multiple 1 watt LED lights cost almost as much as a low priced Cygolite. The multiple LED's I've seen go for as much as $45; but the point here is that for another $35 you can get a Cygolite Rover NiMh Xtra with 16 watts total and dual beams with a choice of wide, spot or both and run times up to 6 hours on a rechargeable battery. This unit on low beam would put out a lot more light then any current LED light on the market except for Cateye's Double and Triple Shot LED lights that start at $200! And with the Cygolite you can actually see the road, gee what a concept!! Even the guys at my LBS don't like the LED's...BUT they said having a light is better then having no light; to that end I agree. Cygolite does make a less expensive 12 watt light called the Rover and those run about $45; and again way brighter then any LED.

So why pay $20 to $40 for a light that is only marginal at best for light output when for another $20 or so you can actually see with it? Then more then likely down the road your going to want a brighter light anyway, thus will have to pay more money. Plus your safety will be markedly improved. If nothing else, I would think your safety is worth the extra $20...do you?

Froze, I can't find the Cygolite Rover for $45, but if you can, that seems far better than a home made 3W LED light setup.

You can easily sink the heat away from an LED with a block of aluminium.

For a good idea of just how bright 1 watt of LED is, here's a compilation that I made.
http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/7310/compilationmf4.jpg

n4zou, your idea is ingenious! Me and a few friends might make our own lights based on your idea. Just one question: where can I buy an SLA battery charger?
Any company you find that will sell you an SLA battery will be more than happy to sell you a charger for it as well! Just google SLA batteries and have at it. Here is one example link.
http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=309
This was just a quickie, you will most likely find better deals with more googling.