Commuting - See headlight

I've got plenty of be seen lights, but I'm looking for a see light for commuting.

Moved into an area that has a lot less street lights. I'm not looking for an expensive light for offroading.

Just want a light that will let me see far enough ahead in town to be safe assuming no streetlights in the neighborhood.

Ben looking at the Cat-eye hl el135, but reviews say it's not enough light, but most of the reviews I find are from an MTB perspective.

Thoughts?

I have adopted a hub dynamo light system,
there are nice practical lighting systems that can be assembled.

.. made in Germany NL, and of course, Asia.
what's your budget?

Hub, Schmidt, lights, Busch and Muller or Schmidt
I have a Halogen bulb headlight , and an LED taillight, now.

may get a B&M Lyt it's a modest priced LED headlight, for Dynamo power.


have had for years, ..
An external battery pack from Nightrider, [San Diego Cal]
with a 10w halogen bulb is great, nice and bright.
the Sport set uses a 5 D cell battery pack , screws closed watertight,
they also use it as a Dive light.

The most efficient headlights will use LEDs, but they are expensive unless you build one yourself. With that being said, dynohub lights are sooo much nicer than charging/replacing batteries all the time. Probably the best, cheapest solution would be to get a very nice Cree LED mini flashlight from Dealextreme.com and mount it on the handlebars... and if 1 isn't enough, they're cheap enough to get two.

A flashlight like this:
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/uniquefire-g10-cree-xp-e-r5-6-mode-350-lumen-white-led-flashlight-with-strap-1-14500-1-aa-55243

and a mount like this:
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/universal-bicycle-mount-22mm-32-8mm-15342

This mount works better IMO:
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/universal-adjustable-bicycle-mount-for-flashlights-2cm-4cm-diameter-31871

Get a Lupine Betty.

I own two of those Cat-eye hl el135 you mention. The amount of light they output are hardly much. I don't use them much anymore except as loaner for rides with friends who wants a blinkie.

There's a lot of LED light option out there with Lumen ranging 100 to 1000 OTF lumens. What are your price range? You can get cheaper light anywhere from $30 to $200 for 100 lumen to 1000+ lumen. For better quality stuff, expect the price tag to double.

You also need to consider the power source. There are lights using common consumer battery to special LiIon battery. There's the question of internal or external battery and the runtime desire.

wanting to keep it under 50. going to look into those Cree flashlights for sure. Any other recommendations?

Shimano has a halogen bulb one, planet bike one with a 1W LED,
both fit to a QR handle bar clip.
cord runs down to hub plug, so essentially like a Battery light,
but no batteries to replace.
for commuting they come off the bars to take in with you.

the 1W Planed bike LED is a bright spot, so cord or battery is a choice.

I think a good light to see the road with should be 2W or higher, i have a 2W one from Planet Bike.

wanting to keep it under 50. going to look into those Cree flashlights for sure. Any other recommendations?

Shiningbeam (http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/StoreFront) has lots of choices for flashlight. Some model uses AA and some are the 18650 batteries.

There been some pretty good review of this EO3 XML (http://tacticalhid.info/e03) flashlight from Tactical HID. The spec from Candlepower forum list it as 200 lumen with 1+ hr runtime time with 1 x AA Ni-mH cell or 320 lumen at 45min runtime at med mode with 14500 rechargeable LiIo cell. In the high mode with 14500 cell, it is rated at 490 lumens for 30 minute. 30 minute may not be a long runtime but that 490 lumen is a lot of lights.

Bikerayusa has some bicycle specific light that is similar to the Magicshine but IMO are better built with better battery. They have some limited used demo light at a good deal. The used demo Bikeray 1 or Bikeray2 ( http://www.bikerayusa.com/demo-light-special.html) are selling for $70. It is over your $20 budget but personally I think that is a good deal for what you will get.

check out this page:

http://planetbike.com/page/learn/lightfinder/


this fits your budget and sheds a good amount of light
http://ecom1.planetbike.com/3044.html

If you're looking for something to see by in the $20 range, I hope your eyesight is really good. About all you'll get in that range are toy lights.

Bite teh bullet, spend $90 and get the MagicShine 900 (http://www.geomangear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4_41&products_id=295). Cars think I'm a motorcycle. Better still, I can see the damned road, at a reasonable speed, even in the wet.

If you're looking for something to see by in the $20 range, I hope your eyesight is really good. About all you'll get in that range are toy lights.

I actually said under 50. Magicshine seesm overkill to me for street riding particularly when if a pothole sneeks up on me, I'm commuting on an mtb anyway.

I actually said under 50. Magicshine seesm overkill to me for street riding particularly when if a pothole sneeks up on me, I'm commuting on an mtb anyway.

Sorry. The one you said you were considering is $20. I took that figure.

I have a Bell LED Dawn Patrol and couldn't be happier. Bright enough for twenty mph, batteries
last several weeks using it every day. 3/AAA's

Walmart, $10

http://www.amazon.com/Bell-Dawn-Patrol-LED-Headlight/dp/B002Y1IO7E

You can get a decent flashlight for under $50, but the batteries are going to get expensive unless you get rechargeables and that's going to cost more with the charger and rechargeable batteries. There's a sticky in the electronics forum entitled best lights under $50 (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/435347-The-best-headlights-under-50-thread/page19) - did you see anything you liked there?

You can get a decent flashlight for under $50, but the batteries are going to get expensive unless you get rechargeables and that's going to cost more with the charger and rechargeable batteries.

With the thin barrel, you have to be careful about which mount you use, but if you use a Fenix LD20 and take it off turbo mode when you don't need that much extra light, 2 AA batteries will last a long time. Only drawback is that when bumping through low-med-high modes, you'll have to hit it an extra time to dodge that SOS blink mode. No luck yet getting Fenix to remake it without that mode.

I actually said under 50. Magicshine seesm overkill to me for street riding particularly when if a pothole sneeks up on me, I'm commuting on an mtb anyway.

Street riding is all the more reason you want a zombie scorcher so that you don't blend in with all the background lighting.

I have a Bell LED Dawn Patrol and couldn't be happier. Bright enough for twenty mph, batteries
last several weeks using it every day. 3/AAA's

Walmart, $10

I guffaw in your general direction... 20mph... you're serious too, aren't you. Post #12 everybody. Read it and weep, but he has it right on. At night every other kind of road user goes out the door armed with a minimum amount of light that is hundreds of times brighter than a MagicShine for 1/10th the cost of a Magicshine. They are not traveling 100x faster. Sorry brethren the MagicShine must be considered the minimum amount of light adequate at night and while it is very possible to make do with less... why? I've had salespeople try to sell me $600 headlights with a straight face. Lights that are about as bright as a MagicShine. Again, ... why? Why are cyclists so contrary? Either they want to pay $600, $800 and more for adequate amounts of light and thumb their noses at MagicShines for being "shoddy"... or they think 50 lumens a bit too bright for comfort and thumb their noses at MagicShines for being 'overkill'. I don't get it. I really don't.

H

Street riding is all the more reason you want a zombie scorcher so that you don't blend in with all the background lighting.

That Zombie Scorcher in traffic is no brighter and no more distinctive than any other automobile headlight. If you want to stand out or be identified as 'special' put a flasher on or better still put your backup 1/2 watt in flash mode. My backup light runs in flash mode full time whether or not the Magicshine is running. I save the MagicShine for the dead zones without streetlights or the runs between towns.

H

I guffaw in your general direction... 20mph... you're serious too, aren't you. Post #12 everybody. Read it and weep, but he has it right on. At night every other kind of road user goes out the door armed with a minimum amount of light that is hundreds of times brighter than a MagicShine for 1/10th the cost of a Magicshine. They are not traveling 100x faster. Sorry brethren the MagicShine must be considered the minimum amount of light adequate at night and while it is very possible to make do with less... why? I've had salespeople try to sell me $600 headlights with a straight face. Lights that are about as bright as a MagicShine. Again, ... why? Why are cyclists so contrary? Either they want to pay $600, $800 and more for adequate amounts of light and thumb their noses at MagicShines for being "shoddy"... or they think 50 lumens a bit too bright for comfort and thumb their noses at MagicShines for being 'overkill'. I don't get it. I really don't.

H

Have you tried the Bell light? If not then STFU!

Have you tried the Bell light? If not then STFU!

I can attest to the Bell lights. I have a Lumina series 8-LED light, and it is really fairly bright. With two of them, I wouldnt even worry a bit. Its all about a balance of bright vs cost. After a certain point the price-per-lumen cost skyrockets, and gets you marginal benefits. I would invest in an adequate headlamp, and an EXCELLENT rear lamp though. I'd rather have taillamps that are insanely bright than a head light.

I love(d) my Magicshine but they did have that little problem with the battery recall; I'm still waiting for my replacement battery pack. A current update on the geomangear website (as of June 6th) says that the recent Japanese disasters have pushed the replacement program back 10 more weeks. They are selling the new versions for $90. I may buy one just to have a spare. This way I'll have two chargers and an updated light.

Plus, if we can get the OP to order one, Geomangear will have a bit more money to send me the replacement battery pack! Ok, actually I did just order another light. I really do need a spare and this way I'll be able to take the significant other for an evening ride.

Go to the Electronics, Lighting & Gadgets Forum and look at the "Lights under $50" thread. You'll get some good ideas there. As for a mount for the flashlight. I recommend the Two Fish lock block from 4 Sevens.

Have you tried the Bell light? If not then STFU!

Have you tried the MagicShine? If not... ...

I guffaw in your general direction... 20mph... you're serious too, aren't you. Post #12 everybody. Read it and weep, but he has it right on. At night every other kind of road user goes out the door armed with a minimum amount of light that is hundreds of times brighter than a MagicShine for 1/10th the cost of a Magicshine. They are not traveling 100x faster. Sorry brethren the MagicShine must be considered the minimum amount of light adequate at night and while it is very possible to make do with less... why? I've had salespeople try to sell me $600 headlights with a straight face. Lights that are about as bright as a MagicShine. Again, ... why? Why are cyclists so contrary? Either they want to pay $600, $800 and more for adequate amounts of light and thumb their noses at MagicShines for being "shoddy"... or they think 50 lumens a bit too bright for comfort and thumb their noses at MagicShines for being 'overkill'. I don't get it. I really don't.

H
I prefer to have something that has a failure rate of much less than 1 out of 3. I'd rather have much less light & more reliability.

Seriously it isn't rocket science. Batteries are very standard in voltage and fairly standard in capacity. LED emitters exist in only a handful of sizes/outputs. If two different manufacturers each use the same Cree emitter, put it in a 17mm reflector and power it with 3X AAA... you aren't going to get 250 lumens out of one and only 50 out of the other. I don't have to own a Bell light to know how it does. I own an Ascent 4x AAA headlight. Actually I own three of them, they are that cheap. They remain on the bikes that I ride as backups and the MagicShine gets moved to the bike that is actually being ridden. Before I got the MagicShine I would gang two of the Ascents together sometimes... ... you know... its ok not to know that it gets better than 100 lumens and you don't have to do unspeakable things with your body in sketchy parts of town to get the money... what is sad is that some want to dismiss out of hand anything more useful than what they've got going. A lockblock is a nifty piece of kit but it is not superior to an O-ring for sheer speed and economy. BTW just so you all don't think I drink Geomorange juice for breakfast, I have to observe that anyone can put a P7 emitter in an aluminum housing that is ~2?mm in diameter, power it with 2x 18650 for voltage and 2x more for runtime, contract with a Chinese factory for a low MSRP, and, voila, a (ersatz) MagicShine. I think Gemini lights are like that. MagicShine happens to be what I used specifically to get enough light to see with at night at a price point that I was comfortable with. YMMDV.

H

I prefer to have something that has a failure rate of much less than 1 out of 3. I'd rather have much less light & more reliability.

I was well aware of the battery issue so I only purchased the MagicShine lighthead and sourced batteries separately. I'd rather have much more light and deal with reliability issues with backup units, etc.

H

I was well aware of the battery issue so I only purchased the MagicShine lighthead and sourced batteries separately. I'd rather have much more light and deal with reliability issues with backup units, etc.

H
Batteries haven't been the only issue.

That Zombie Scorcher in traffic is no brighter and no more distinctive than any other automobile headlight. If you want to stand out or be identified as 'special' put a flasher on or better still put your backup 1/2 watt in flash mode. My backup light runs in flash mode full time whether or not the Magicshine is running. I save the MagicShine for the dead zones without streetlights or the runs between towns.

H

Sorry, I don't do half watt garbage. I run twin Dinotte's up front. You can buy an awful lot of $20- $50 lights or you can bite the bullet and buy just one. I chose the latter path and never looked back.

Last fall I bought a Cateye HL-EL350 (http://www.cateye.com/en/products/detail/HL-EL530/). All I can say is... meh. It's okay, but I wouldn't want to rely on it while going down a dark trail. I wanted a light without an external battery pack, and it fits that bill nicely. It uses 4 AA batteries, and of course I use rechargeables. I mounted it on the fork crown and it gives definition to potholes, so it's sufficient for my city commute. It only has one mode... steady.

My backup light is a PB Blaze 1W (http://ecom1.planetbike.com/3044.html). It sure is an attention getter on its SuperFlash mode, but there's no way I'd rely on it to see by. Combined with my Cateye I think I'm sufficiently lit up to "be seen", but I often feel that things could be brighter to "see by".

I also use one of these front-facing (http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442588127&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302889374) and one of these rear-facing (http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442588131&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302889375) button battery lights on my helmet. I buy them by the dozen because I often end up giving them away to cyclists that I encounter who lack lights. Better than nothing, and makes them legal.

Ideally I would like to replace my Cateye with a dynohub and a nice light to take its place on the fork crown, and I'd still use the handlebar-mounted PB for a backup blinkie.

205091205092

I use the Cateye EL-610. I have added a dynamo hub and light in case the EL- 610 quits. The cost was not a thought. Safety was the rule. I just saved up until I could handle it. The Cateye has low, high, and strobe. Cagers see me and give me a modicum of respect. Still have to be vigilant.

I had a Cateye HL-EL350 for a while, back when it was new and improved with 1,500 candlepower several years ago. It did provide a small bright beam that made it hard to see in the areas outside the small bright beam, and served as a carrying case for batteries for the L2D that replaced it. I'd hate to go back to using the Cateye as my only light, especially since I gave it to a friend! You could get 2 or 3 AA led flashlights and some batteries for the cost of the Cateye, and be able to see better too.

Here is what the worthless Bell LED looks like!

The fence is about sixty feet.

And I have no clue how long the batteries have been in it,
several months?

http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/1277/lightg.jpg

The first time headlight buyer is faced with two choices. 1.) purchase an expensive but perfect lighting system. or 2.) purchase multiple cheap lighting systems (replacing them as they crap out) and getting frustrated till you break down and purchase the expensive but perfect lighting system you should have got to start with. Guess which choice ends up being more economical?

Agreed, check the thread on lights under $50 in the Electronics forum. There are some excellent LED flashlights that run on AA rechargeable batteries that you can buy for very reasonable costs. I've got a Fenix LD20 that costs a little more than that, but is very bright and has been totally reliable during 4 years of use.

You can spend anywhere from $20 to $500+ on front lights. The more expensive lights will provide more brightness and better run times, but you can get very effective lighting for minimal bucks.

You can spend anywhere from $20 to $500+ on front lights. The more expensive lights will provide more brightness and better run times, but you can get very effective lighting for minimal bucks.
More brightness (a wider light pattern that shines well in front of even the fastest rider), better run times, connectors you can count on (no sudden outages just as you are descending), better mounts (that won't break when you crash or drop the bike), better battery setups (pulling batteries out every time you need a charge will wear out the battery holder in no time), more reliable in wet conditions, just about every aspect of the system will function better and last longer.

The first time headlight buyer is faced with two choices. 1.) purchase an expensive but perfect lighting system. or 2.) purchase multiple cheap lighting systems (replacing them as they crap out) and getting frustrated till you break down and purchase the expensive but perfect lighting system you should have got to start with. Guess which choice ends up being more economical?

A listing of all the poor quality lights we've purchased after making choice 2 might make a good thread topic, wouldn't it?

See my post on this thread, post # 6
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/731182-Best-Buy-for-50-.

< $50 for both head and taillight. Downside: 3 weeks delivery.

My minewt minis work really well, about $90 each. Wouldn't ride with anything less.

The first time headlight buyer is faced with two choices. 1.) purchase an expensive but perfect lighting system. or 2.) purchase multiple cheap lighting systems (replacing them as they crap out) and getting frustrated till you break down and purchase the expensive but perfect lighting system you should have got to start with. Guess which choice ends up being more economical?

lol, totally... :-)

My other two favorites:

1. They seem to have taken a look at bike light prices, and decided that to "get a good deal" they're not willing to pay more than 20% less than the least expensive light they saw.

2. When people recommend cheap lights that require constantly replacing their parts and technical know-how to the new and inexperienced commuter. Posts are usually filled with lots of adjectives - "This light only cost me $50 - shipped! And all I have to do is order replacement cables every 6 months, but they're only $5 from this special link, and replace them using a screwdriver and a soldering gun, and sure they go out every time I hit a bump but it's not a big deal, I just stop 5 or 6 times on my commute to open up the light and re-seat the batteries, and getting the magic unicorn dust every 2 months to recharge the batteries isn't a big deal you just have to fight a dragon but that's easy, besides everyone has a welding shop in their basement like I do right?".

You can spend anywhere from $20 to $500+ on front lights. The more expensive lights will provide more brightness and better run times, but you can get very effective lighting for minimal bucks.


More brightness (a wider light pattern that shines well in front of even the fastest rider), better run times, connectors you can count on (no sudden outages just as you are descending), better mounts (that won't break when you crash or drop the bike), better battery setups (pulling batteries out every time you need a charge will wear out the battery holder in no time), more reliable in wet conditions, just about every aspect of the system will function better and last longer.

The Smart light my SO brought over from England and the NiteRider Classic I bought from Performance Bike are "better" lights. For less, lots less than half the cost my MagicShine spanks them both. Soundly. There is no guarantee that spending more money will get you a better light. It might, but it is not an automatic truism. The LED version of the NiteRider costs $562 and is not quite as bright as a MS. You guys are nutz if you think I can spend more money for a headlight than the bike it is throwing photons for! Spending $20 is one thing, spending $100 is quite another. How many lumens do you get out of a car headlight? Need I say more?

H

I have a 'P7' light from DealExtreme.com and a Planet bike 3W 'blinkie' headlight. I think most people would be happy with the P7 light, although on high the runtime is a bit low. I use it on medium because that's all I need. The blinkie is my 'be seen' headlight and I use it in strobe mode.

So, where would a Lumotec IQ Cyo T (http://www.bumm.de/produkte/dynamo-scheinwerfer/lumotec-iq-cyo-t.html)fit into all of this? It is only rated at 40 lumens on the pavement -- this is now sounding like a "bad" deal, since it doesn't throw a few hundred lumens onto the pavement. Can someone enlighten me? I was under the impression I was getting a decent commuter light with this hub dynamo powered light. Ruh roh!

So, where would a Lumotec IQ Cyo T (http://www.bumm.de/produkte/dynamo-scheinwerfer/lumotec-iq-cyo-t.html)fit into all of this? It is only rated at 40 lumens on the pavement -- this is now sounding like a "bad" deal, since it doesn't throw a few hundred lumens onto the pavement. Can someone enlighten me? I was under the impression I was getting a decent commuter light with this hub dynamo powered light. Ruh roh!

It's rated at 40-60 lux, depending on your model. Lux is an entirely different measurement of light than lumens. I believe it's 200-300 lumens.

The Smart light my SO brought over from England and the NiteRider Classic I bought from Performance Bike are "better" lights. For less, lots less than half the cost my MagicShine spanks them both. Soundly. There is no guarantee that spending more money will get you a better light. It might, but it is not an automatic truism. The LED version of the NiteRider costs $562 and is not quite as bright as a MS. You guys are nutz if you think I can spend more money for a headlight than the bike it is throwing photons for! Spending $20 is one thing, spending $100 is quite another.

I see. So...in your opinion, the ability to see where you're going - not worth more than $20. Yes?

I mean personally, being able to see in front of my is worth more. But you know, I don't like breaking arms and collarbones, and don't like crashing into things. Some people are into that sort of stuff.


How many lumens do you get out of a car headlight? Need I say more?

Yes, you probably should say more, as that makes no sense at all.

P.S. Well, the truth is that if you're only biking on well lits streets you don't really need a light, so a $20 light that lets others see you is fine. It's when the streets aren't very well lit, where you're trying to fill in the gaps between lights while your eyes have adjusted to oncoming car headlights or even just streetlights that it's a problem. Lighting is very strange - intermittent lighting is what's the worst. Complete lighting or no lighting at all requires a less powerful light.

I use these work great and use 4AA in the EL530 and the tail uses 2 AA
http://www.lickbike.com/productpage.php?PART_NUM_SUB=%273334-00%27

Lighting is very strange - intermittent lighting is what's the worst. Complete lighting or no lighting at all requires a less powerful light.

This is why I don't like street lighting in general; it tends to be a half-measure with high glare and big dark patches. When I'm riding the backroads, the Bell Radian is plenty, but in town I often have to click on the extra headlight and sometimes the helmet light to deal with the shadowed areas.

How many lumens do you get out of a car headlight? Need I say more?


1550 Lumens for the average car headlight x 2 on low beam. . You don't need to say more, we know you're uninformed :-).

1550 Lumens for the average car headlight x 2 on low beam. . You don't need to say more, we know you're uninformed :-).

If you weren't so occupied trying to be a smartarse you would realize we are on the same side of the argument. A MagicShine does not cost $20. So by owning one, as well as the NiteRider Classic ($200). I think I have proven beyond any doubt that I put a priority on seeing at night. And asking about car headlight output was an attempt to get cyclists to get out of the "less is more" mindset and instead dream bigger than 1/2 watt Planet Bikes etc.

H