San Pedro

So, after a few close calls on my way home this week, I think I need a new light, or just to add another. The close calls have all been from people pulling out in front of me. One close call probably would have killed me, another I had to pass a postman on his motorcycle on the outside of the lane (a nice rolling stop with hardly a glance at the road). This leads me to believe I'm not visible enough, and should really announce my presence with a brighter light, or it's just too hard for motorists to gauge the speed of someone on a road bike at night (usually expecting people going 10mph on typical Japanese bike).

Right now I have a Cateye HL-EL340, which served me well for three years on better lit roads (my current route has me one some roads with minimal lighting), and I like that it uses AA batteries that I have rechargeables for. I use it on flashing setting, but may try the bright constant beam tonight.

Do you have some inexpensive lights to suggest to me that would help me better noticed? Should I just add another light on the front of the bike? Maybe a head lamp? Thanks for any help/advice you can give me.

Velocivixen

I just went through the same thing, so I spent time reviewing. I went with Light and Motion Urban 500, which was on sale. The light is rechargeable has 3 brightness levels, a pulse mode (not flash), as well as Amber side lights. I also bought their VIS 360 for my helmet and got it half price at Backcountry.com.

Heres the link for the first light.

Urban Bike Lights - Light & Motion

DocLiv

This is what I use. It's very bright! It has 6 modes, and one of the flash modes is 600+ lumens. Even on the brightest sunny day you will be seen with this. I use it at night a lot and it's nearly as bright as a car headlight.

Cygolite Metro 550

calimtb

Get a magicshine clone on amazon or ebay. The whole kit is usually only about $20. I have several, and they are ridiculously bright.

I also bought a cree flashlight for the helmet at night. It's more of a spot light and I can point it anywhere and I can assure you drivers (and everyone else) notices.

So, a handlebar mounted magicshine clone + flashlight on the helmet. The helmet light is a bit too heavy, so I'm open to a different solution.

mapeiboy

I have light & motion TAZ 1200 . 1200 lumen

Daniel4

I'm using an old headlamp and strapping it onto headtube. I got another headlamp that can switch to red and I'm strapping that onto the back rack. Doing this already saved me from $50 to $200 of new purchases. I wear a new Petzl 215 lumen headlamp on my helmet. That's the main one I see with.

Ridefreemc

One of the best features of this is the strobe function that is primarily steady, with a slight hit to strobe. Full strobe can be seen and is noticeable, but you cannot pinpoint where the light is (for example, Coast Guard rescuers can see a strobe a long way off, but then cannot pinpoint you very easily and ask that you have a steady light). Try it yourself when approaching another cyclist that is on full strobe. I bet you cannot tell how far they are away from you (depth perception).

nfmisso

Add a light. Look for a unit with a CREE LED and rechargeable battery, get a 2nd battery. Keep your current one on flash, and add the CREE not flash.

PatrickGSR94

Yes this, exactly. I also run a Cygolite Expilion front light, and the Steady Pulse mode or whatever is called, is indispensable for being able to see in front of you in dark conditions, but also draw the eyes of motorists with its slight flash/pulses every few seconds (not a steady flash, but it's just on and then pulses 3 times every few seconds).

IMHO that's what makes an expensive light better than a cheaper light - the mode choices.

For daytime I use the Expilion's Day Flash mode which stays off but flashes 3 times at max brightness every couple of seconds. Another great thing about that mode is that even though the flashes are max brightness, the battery lasts a VERY long time. I can usually get 1-2 weeks' worth of commutes out of a single charge in summer months when I don't have to use any of the steady light modes (decent daylight both in the morning and afternoon commutes).

Ridefreemc

Thanks Patrick, I forgot about the seeing down the road part. Yes, it is hard with a normal strobe to see where the heck you are going

Andy_K 

I've got a NiteRider Lumina 700 that I'm pretty happy with. It has a retina sear setting (high = 700 lumens), but I usually just use it on medium (350 lumens) because that's bright enough without actually making drivers look away from me (which the high setting does).

I do think it's a good idea to also have a helmet mounted light, because you can easily aim it wherever you want. I have a Blackburn Flea for this purpose. It's very lightweight and reasonably bright for its purpose (~100 lumens) but the recharging mechanism is awful (exposed contacts which corrode easily and therefore need frequent cleaning).

fuzz2050

The magicshine clones that you can get online for $20 are phenomenal lights for the money. I mean construction quality isn't great, but they are massively bright and work pretty damn well. It really can't hurt to add one to your set-up.

alan s 

I use a Niterider Lumina 700 on the bars and another on the helmet. Great for dark twisty trails where there are lots of peds without any lights or reflective clothing. They actually are just bright enough to overcome oncoming car headlights in one area toward the end of my commute, with lots of stones and small branches on the bike path. The light on the bars is aimed somewhat down for close in light, and the helmet is aimed higher for distance. I just turn my head to avoid blinding oncoming bike riders. Never had anyone complain about brightness.

fietsbob

Other than the 3 with dyno hub lights I have an Ixon IQ2 4xAA powered B&M LED see the road light.

I can install & remove from various Other bikes.

Sy Reene

Someone recently in the Road Cycling forum was hot on this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Fenix-percenta.../dp/B00ZYEA3BI

PatrickGSR94

Seems like there are no flash modes on that one. I prefer a flashing light for daytime hours.

megalowmatt

I have two of these below, one of which I've had for probably close to 3 years. I have had to buy an additional battery pack because the original crapped out and a charger broke. I can't speak for consistent long time use because they're used for winter commuting and night mountain biking. They are really bright though.

It's hard to go wrong for the price. Between the two lights, new battery pack and charger I probably have only $75-$80 invested.

https://www.amazon.com/SUPERNIGHT-TM-...led+bike+light

calimtb

Yeah, that's the magicshine clone I was talking about. $20 and superbright.

It has a flash mode. Just hold the button.

AstroEng

^This. I've had mine for over a year and it works great. I did end up buying the 6-cell battery and get 3 days of strobe on it (~240 minutes). I also bought the spreading lens.

calimtb

The battery pack is the weak link. The four batteries are linked via thin metal plates and route to the light via two very fragile solder points. 2 of 3 are working perfectly, but the third needs to be resoldered. The soldering kit costs as much as a new battery pack, so I'm not sure if I should just buy a new battery pack or a soldering kit.

San Pedro

Thanks for the suggestions. For this week, I'm going try having the light I picked up when I bought my bike, and that I've been using for my train station bike as a helmet mounted light. I'll leave it to stay on and keep my cateye flashing. I'll get another if I still feel like I'm getting cut off to much.

I'll also switch my route a little on the way home.

JohnJ80

I'm not sure I understand the connection. If I had been in such a dangerous situation, I would want adequate light as a first constraint instead of "inexpensive." I think you need to have at least 1500 lumens so that you are putting out equivalent light to at least one beam of a car headlight.

J.

bikemig 

+ 1 on light and motion products. Also think about getting a headlamp.

alan s 

Just remember, with great power comes great responsibility. Make sure your headlights are aimed properly.

Boro128

I agree, daytime flashing is useful. The model referred, Fenix BC30 and the upgrade BC30R do indeed have flashing function.