JeffS

[edit] I ended up purchasing a L&M HID light. Thanks for the help.



I've stared at too many light comparisons and just cannot come to a decision on which light I NEED (not want) to buy for my commute.

When I first started commuting I bought a cheap LED headlight that's just not cutting it. I can typically leave work early and avoid the dark, but I can't keep doing that, and don't want to.

I want something that's sufficiently bright, doesn't have to be charged every day, and can quickly be changed from bike to bike with different sized bars. Needs to be able to deal with cold temps (probably doesn't get any colder than single-digits F). That doesn't narrow things down much. My commute is in heavy traffic, half with, and half without street lights.

I'm mainly looking at LED or HID, as the light temp appeals more than halogen. Buying something I'll be happy with is a much larger priority than price. I've never regretted overspending, but often regret the results of trying to save a few bucks. I think I've made a decision, then I run across a picture of a lupine or L&M system and it completely messes my mind up. Something like a L&M Vega, which would possibly be adequate looks totally useless by comparison. Then I see things like the Dinotte 3-led prototype, and it only makes me want to put off a decision longer.

-------

So... to make price slightly less of a priority, tell me what you would buy for your bike if I were going to give you 50% of the purchase price.

Options off the top of my head:

- Dinotte standard
- Dinotte lithium
- Cateye Doubleshot (seems a little large)
- L&M Vega
- L&M HID lithium
- Lupine Wilma
- open to suggestions

I know this has been beaten to death, but information overload is part of my problem. Any opinions would be GREATLY appreciated. Help me stop being a bike ninja.

RomSpaceKnight

The only reason I have a fairly high powered lamp is from riding MTB off road. For commuting all that is needed is a legal white/green light up front. All your trying to do is let cars see you, not get pinched by the law and avoid potholes. I would get a cheap rechargeable lamp. I rode for 10 years of my 20 commuting with a c-cell powered lamp. Only off road excursions prompted me to go to a 10 or 20 watt system. I use a Nighthawk 20 watt sealed beam 6V halogen system.

Lurker1999

From that list just go for the gold and get a L&M HID Arc. Get the NiMH version and if you really love it you can just pick up the Li-Ion pack later on. The charger that you'll get with the NiMH battery is compatible with the Li-Ion and the light source itself is identical.

I'm telling you, the more I'm out at night either biking, running or driving the more I'm convinced that a little LED is totally useless in city traffic. If I have to actually look at you to notice that you're using a light it's not bright enough.

Then you can have plenty of time to think about what type of helmet mounted light you want to add to your handlebar mounted L&M.

As for Lupine.. I refuse to buy a light that costs more than my bike.

ax0n

I've had no problem with the Blackburn quadrant in full blink mode. LED lights are good for being seen, and really, being seen from in front is kind of a secondary concern of night commuting. You can usually tell when a car is about to pull out in front of you. Just make sure whatever light you get is aimed a bit to the right but mostly forward, and at an angle to shine in car windows, not down onto the pavement. A second set of LED lights mounted on the fork will work if you need some ground illumination.

I'd spend more money on rear illumination 9 times out of 10. At least on my commute, that's the biggest threat.

AndrewP

Get several LED lights, with extra mounting brackets for each bike. Mount them on the bars, the forks and the helmet. The helmet light is good for looking at street signs, side approaching motorists, and flat fixing. The batteries last for ages and there isnt a sudden drop in light output. The batteries for all lights will not run down at the same time, so can be replaced or recharged in rotation. Cost of purchase can be spread according to your budget.

greenstork

I own a Dinotte dual 3W & 5W combo (handlebar mounted) and it's fine for commuting but I'd really like something a little bit more powerful with more battery life. From your list, I'd recommend the Lupine Wilma or the L&M Arc HID Li-Ion. If I had to do it over again, I'd buy one of these more powerful, longer lasting lights. Don't get me wrong, I love my Dinotte setup, but I would do it differently if I had to do it over again.

Scorer75

Nobody on here who has purchased the L&M (myself included) has been sorry. In fact, most have been extremely happy, I haven't heard a bad thing about this light, period.

Buy once, buy right.

Just my .02

2manybikes

Right now no one has enough information to chose a light for you.

Three things........
How Long (run time)? what conditions (how bright)? How much can you spend?

First you need to know what your run time has to be at the minimum. You say "does not need to be charged every day". How long is each commute, how many hours do you need? That's a start.

If you don't want to upgrade later and want a good light, if you plan to ride in the rain or in traffic with lots of other lights around you should get a 10w hid or more to see the ground when it is wet or when a car is coming at you. You could get away with 10w halogen just for dark roads and riding slowly.
Get an automatic battery charger it's worth it.

If you need to ride every day you need to know how long it takes to charge your light and when you get home and when you leave. Some lights take 14 hours to charge. If you get home and plug it in at 6:00 pm it will not be charged until 8:00 am. Some charge in just 6 - 3 hours, or less.

The L&M is a great light but you don't address the run time needs you have. If you can afford it get it now ( if the run time is OK).

.

JeffS

Thanks guys...

Regarding some of the questions...

Budget: well, there's money to buy anything I decided I couldn't live without.

Commute: ~35 minutes each way, probably running it in one direction only. Riding 5 days per week. Ideally I'd charge it once per week, which I think is doable.

Conditions: heavy traffic. Half mildly lit with street lights and half dark (other than car headlights).

I'd have 12 hours to charge if I had to mid-week. I'm not considering anything with a super-long charge time.

I think it's probably down to a L&M HID or Lupine product at this point. The modularity of the Lupine, with a broader battery and light head range, is appealing. It's probably not appealing enough to pay the premium their products demand.

As an aside... I originally got back into cycling because I wanted do MTB endurance events. It's still in the back of my mind, but so is being car-free, so that's not a major consideration at the moment.,

2manybikes

35min x 10 commutes = 350 min. or 5.83 hours in one week.

NiNh and Nicad batteries lose storage during the week just sitting around. Li-ion, not much. Also in the cold you lose some run time and I always ride with an extra hour of light for a flat or a repair in the dark.

Of the lights you suggested in your list, none of them put out as much light as the L&M HID. You will be happier with more light off road and on the road.

Here is the run time for the Li-ion.

Light Output (lumens)/ Burn time (hrs.)
13.5 Watts- 675/ 3.5 hrs
10.0 Watts- 550/ 4.0 hrs

Even on high that's 7 hours with one charge during the week. If you don't mind one charge during the week you have enough. The ARC Li-ion comes with a 4.25 hour charger.
You have a little extra run time for a flat and even more on low. There are more L&M owners and recommendations for them than any other light on the forums. slvoid has crashed his a couple of times and washes it off in the sink. What else is there to know?

If you want more run time or more power, the Lupine Edison 10 is now 6 hours on high and 10 on low.
I have one a few years old, at that time it was 5 hours on high and 8 hours on low. That would let you go a whole week on one charge.

Both L&M and Lupine have been ridden to victory in 24 hour mtb races, by the same guy. I emailed with him before I bought my Lupine. He answered me right away.

They both take a beating.

HardyWeinberg

I think it was $10 for an additional handlebar mount for my cygolite nitro, so it certainly changes from bike to bike quickly. Its max charge is probably ~2 hrs right now, maybe a hair under (NiMH after ~ 15 months of steady use), so I do charge it every day at work (it's the hair under 2 hrs that makes it not quite fit 2 days' commute).

joejack951

The L&M Li-Ion Ultra gets you 5 hours on high and 6+ on low. My biggest problem is remembering how many hours I've used it for. I need to keep a log.

tibikefor2

I have a L&M ARC HID NiMH battery for the front
Dinotte tail light for the rear.

Remember to get a really bright tail light, so many people over look this.

ColorChange

I have L&M ARC HID LiIon on the bars, Dinotte 3W spot on the helmet upfront. Dinotte tail, SuperFlash, and LD1000 on the rear. This really is an awesome light combination. I recommend the ARC highly up front and the Dinotte for the rear. Add more as you like but those two are simply awesome.

Sluggo

It may not suit your purposes, but have you considered a generator-powered light? The light is always there, even if you get stuck at work in June and had not even considered bringing a light along. And no batteries to screw with!!! Ever!!!

I love my SON dynohub with LED tail and headlights. They provide plenty of light for being seen and even for decent navigation on a dark road. A good alternative is a bolt-on bottle generator. It would not be easy to switch the system between bikes, but in my opinion, a bike used for anything other than competition should have a reliable light.

Check out the generator systems at https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/lightingsystems.htm

ken cummings

You mentioned your lower temperature limit. If a lithium based battery can tolerate lower temps then Nickle/metal hydride get the lithium. Little Alkline battery start to fade below 50 degrees. Big heavy lead cells can have enough residual heat energy to keep perking at -5 F for an hour. Some lithium chemistries should still be able to produce useful energy below your temp limit. ANY chemical battery has less output as the temperature drops. If you can borrow before you buy then, No Kidding, run it in your ice-box freezer compartment until it fades so you can be sure of its performance at low temps.

Jim-in-Kirkland

+1 for L&M HID Arc NiMH version - order a 2nd handlebar mount for your other bike & get a couple velcro wraps for the cord from the light to battery.... It is a little bit of chore to remove the light from the mount.

kf5nd

I just have the 1000 candlepower Cateye, it's fine

JeffS

I did, but I'm still experimenting with different types/styles of bikes and need it to be transportable for right now. I expect that I'll eventually lock down my preferred size/style bike and only use that one.

Cyclist0383

I have both the Double Shot and the Triple Shot. They work wonderfully together. The Double Shot is actually very small, I don't know why you think it might be too big. I bought it for around $170 shipped from theracksource on ebay. It was shipped imeditely and arrived at it's destination in three days from placing the order. I'd highly recommend both the lights and the seller.

Are you looking for a helmet or bar mounted light?

Lastly, don't look at what new things will be coming out. There will always be a "better" light just around the corner. It's the nature of a free market. Settle on one, buy it, and don't look back.

2manybikes

This is good advice. In addition to all the new ones coming out, there a lot of lights that will work well for you now on the market. You need to work on narrowing down your choices. The research can literally go forever.

HardyWeinberg

My light died running errands today, so I am thinking battery life is less than 80 min now, maybe less than 70. Getting close to the edge of tolerability...

Artkansas 

Not necessarily true. While it's true in very urban areas, when I lived near Palm Springs, things got seriously dark if you didn't have a headlight. There were far more dangers than potholes.