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The way it's going, I will NEVER buy a light!

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The way it's going, I will NEVER buy a light!

Old 10-16-13, 01:16 AM
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Originally Posted by Schwinnrider
I commute at night a lot, and I've always made sure to have a bright light. My current bikes sport a DiNotte 600 and a DiNotte 200L, respectively. Good lights, but dealing with battery charging and upkeep is a pain.

The new LED dynamo lights are as bright as high-end battery lights were a few years ago, and the German lights have well-engineered beams, making them more useful on the road than battery LEDs, or so I've been told. And the price has dropped considerably, too.

Therefore, I'm considering making the leap to a dynamo. What's your setup?
If you have a fair amount of money to burn:

https://www.nabendynamo.de/

If you have less I would look at this:

https://www.philips.co.uk/c/front%20b...bcat_asc_group

and I would read this as it is, by far, the most detailed source for tests and descriptions available on the web:

https://swhs.home.xs4all.nl/fiets/tes.../index_en.html

BF loves the MagicShine but I agree with the reviewer .... it's antisocial and dangerous and contributes to strife between cyclist and motorist.
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Old 10-16-13, 03:36 AM
  #27  
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To the OP, yeah, it seems like there is a rainbow of opinions as for what you ought to get in a bicycle light. From very cheap $40 to dynamos to something completely different. You need to decide for yourself, and just be done with it.
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Old 10-16-13, 03:39 AM
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Originally Posted by acidfast7
If you have a fair amount of money to burn:


and I would read this as it is, by far, the most detailed source for tests and descriptions available on the web:

https://swhs.home.xs4all.nl/fiets/tes.../index_en.html

I like how that website compares neutral white to the cool white. Makes you wonder why neutral white LEDs in bicycle lights are nearly non-existent; I can only think of one bicycle specific like that uses neutral white.
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Old 10-16-13, 03:53 AM
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Originally Posted by ben4345
I like how that website compares neutral white to the cool white. Makes you wonder why neutral white LEDs in bicycle lights are nearly non-existent; I can only think of one bicycle specific like that uses neutral white.
Yeah, it's very nicely done website as it describes what's really important in bicycle lights (not Lumens, nor W).

I'm not really sure ... I don't think that the StVZO regulations specify a specific K for lamp colour but I read the original German text in a while.
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Old 10-16-13, 04:01 AM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by Papa Tom
TSL commented that any light is better than no light. I have a 10 watt Nite Rider right now that does the job OK when it will take a charge, but the battery is so old that I can only get about 20 minutes out of it. Yeah, it's a light, but it's also a stress-producer, as I never know when it's going to drop dead on me. For this reason, I don't think it's a lot better than "no" light. Besides, my solution has simply been to ride after the sun comes up and before it goes down.
See? In one paragraph we've learned that:

A) An old 10 watt halogen produces an "okay" amount of light for you,
2) You need more run time than 20 minutes, and,
III) you dislike proprietary batteries because they're difficult-to-impossible to replace years later.

That eliminates every light with a proprietary battery pack from the list of possibles. (Keep in mind that anything with an internal rechargeable battery is also a proprietary battery pack.) That's a huge narrowing of the choices right there.

It means you should be looking only at lights with AA rechargables, or dynamo lighting systems.

A dyno system is within your budget, but will shoot your entire budget. It will produce an impressive amount of light (as compared to your 10-watt halogen, I used to own an NR TrailRat, so I know) for an unlimited run-time, and will probably outlast your bike.

If that's too much to spend, then your choice becomes, which AA rechargeable?

Now you have a manageable number of choices.

Except, IME, a AA rechargeable light is a good supplement to a dyno light. In city traffic and city lighting, at a stoplights I find the the dimmer "standlight" on the dyno light causes me to fade into the background and drivers then forget that I'm even there. It's a big surprise to them when I start pedaling again and the headlight comes on full power. A cheap "be seen" light on the bars solves the problem.

With AA rechargeables, my biggest beef was the quality of the chargers. It's within your budget, so think about a Maha charger. A Maha and an AA light together will get you change back from a C-note.
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Old 10-16-13, 04:34 AM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by tsl

A dyno system is within your budget, but will shoot your entire budget.
Not necessarily.

€200 shipped to the US could get him a new wheel with a dynamo hub and a very nice front light.

If the OP wants to stay cheap with batteries (AA) this is an excellent light with a 2h runtime:

https://reviews.mtbr.com/philips-safe...ights-shootout

for $100

https://www.amazon.com/Philips-SafeRi...lips+ride+safe
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Old 10-16-13, 05:39 AM
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You're over-thinking things. If you travel only on lit city streets, a clip-on blinky will do. If you're on lit streets with the occasional dark pathway, something about 300 lumens will do. If most of your commute is on unlit roads or paths, go brighter. I have a 300 lumen Cygolight that works fine for the second instance. It's easy keep charged, lasts about 3 hours at full brightness, and is very reliable. There are similar lights from other manufacturers available.
Modern LED lights are a huge improvement over the halogen and incandescent bulbs of the past and modern lithium batteries are a huge improvement over the finicky gel cells. Don't get a generator unless it has some way of storing a bit of charge for red lights and stop signs, otherwise you just become this dark blob.

Last edited by Rhodabike; 10-16-13 at 05:46 AM.
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Old 10-16-13, 06:35 AM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by Rhodabike
Don't get a generator unless it has some way of storing a bit of charge for red lights and stop signs, otherwise you just become this dark blob.
Most German lights hold 4 mins of front and rear charge for stop lights.
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Old 10-16-13, 07:41 AM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by vol
Does that $22 light also have recharging pains?
It requires a little bit of discipline but it's not that onerous. My round trip commute is long enough that I need to charge after every commute but all I have to do is unplug the battery and plug it into a charger. I have forgotten to charge a pack on occasion but I have several packs that I cycle through so I always have a fresh pack for each lamp (I use 3) whenever I want to ride. It's just not that big of a deal.
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Old 10-16-13, 08:16 AM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by Yo Spiff
You simply need to use what I use. Problem solved. ;-**
This.
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Old 10-16-13, 08:30 AM
  #36  
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taillight: PDW radbot 1000. takes AAA batteries. includes a reflector. very bright red LED with solid/pulse/normal flash settings. small, simple, works fantastic. i think it was $30 on amazon.

headlight: serfas thunderbolt. recharges via USB. solid + flash settings for both high and low beams. high beam flash is blinding. downside is you'll need to charge if you use highbeam for a few hours on a single ride. low beam has longer life, obvi. also light is more for being noticed, than illuminating dark road ahead.
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Old 10-16-13, 08:41 AM
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carbide

Originally Posted by the sci guy
taillight: PDW radbot 1000. takes AAA batteries. includes a reflector. very bright red LED with solid/pulse/normal flash settings. small, simple, works fantastic. i think it was $30 on amazon.

headlight: serfas thunderbolt. recharges via USB. solid + flash settings for both high and low beams. high beam flash is blinding. downside is you'll need to charge if you use highbeam for a few hours on a single ride. low beam has longer life, obvi. also light is more for being noticed, than illuminating dark road ahead.
get a carbide water drip arc lamp. i had one they are bright and so cool
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Old 10-16-13, 08:45 AM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by the sci guy
taillight: PDW radbot 1000. takes AAA batteries. includes a reflector. very bright red LED with solid/pulse/normal flash settings. small, simple, works fantastic. i think it was $30 on amazon.
A good recommendation. I've got several of the PDW Danger Zone, which has two 1/2 watt LED's instead of the Radbot's single 1 watter. All of them are very bright and highly visible. A possible side benefit is that they use the same mounting brackets as the Planet Bike Superflash, which I already had, so all my bikes and lights are interchangeable.

I do find the PDW burns through batteries faster than the Planet Bike lights, so I've taken to using rechargeables and swapping them out for fresh ones every couple of rides.
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Old 10-16-13, 09:13 AM
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You're making it too complicated. There is no perfect light but many great choices. Pick one and chances are that you will be satisfied with it. We are living in a great time for bicycle lights with all of the advancements in LEDs. For about $100, you can buy a headlight that surpasses what you could buy for $500 or more just a few years ago. I've owned several bike lights over the past 5-10 years, but the $100 Light & Motion Urban 500 (now 550) surpasses any of the previous lights that I owned -- some costing more money and some less. It puts out all of the light I need (not even running on high beam), is simple to recharge, has good run times, is very light weight, and extremely easy to put on and take off. Lezyne, Nightrider, Cygolite and other manufacturers sell comparable lights at similar price points.

Same thing goes with taillights. Since they are generally less expensive, I use several taillights -- Planet Bike Superflash, Radbot Danger Zone and Dinotte 140. The Dinotte puts everything else to shame but requires a separate battery back that needs charging more often and can be hard to mount. The Radbot is brighter than the Superflash but uses up batteries much quicker. The Superflash lasts forever on batteries and puts out a decent amount of light. As cheap as it is, I have two of them.

Regarding panniers, I struggled with the same issue. However, after reading many reviews, it seemed like Ortliebs consistently had the highest ratings from users. They were priced competitively when buying on-line, available in many colors, highly waterproof and simple to install and remove. I ended up buying front and rear Classic Rollers and have not regretted the choice.
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Old 10-16-13, 09:14 AM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by tsl
That eliminates every light with a proprietary battery pack from the list of possibles. (Keep in mind that anything with an internal rechargeable battery is also a proprietary battery pack.) That's a huge narrowing of the choices right there.
Lezyne's lights use 18650 cells that are easily removed so they can be replaced with fresh ones if you won't be able to recharge them for a while or will be doing some endurance type ride. You can also plug a USB charger right into the light to charge the batteries without removing them if you choose. Best of both worlds.

Last edited by hubcap; 10-16-13 at 09:18 AM.
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Old 10-16-13, 09:24 AM
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Originally Posted by Yo Spiff
I do find the PDW burns through batteries faster than the Planet Bike lights, so I've taken to using rechargeables and swapping them out for fresh ones every couple of rides.
Are you referring to the Danger Zone here? I have several 1W Radbots and get at least a couple weeks use between replacing the batteries. The ones that get the most use during that time include about 1.5 hours of zzzzPOP use per day this time of year, every work day.
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Old 10-16-13, 09:27 AM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by hubcap
Are you referring to the Danger Zone here? I have several 1W Radbots and get at least a couple weeks use between replacing the batteries. The ones that get the most use during that time include about 1.5 hours of zzzzPOP use per day this time of year, every work day.
Yes, the Danger Zone. I probably don't need to top them off as often as I do, but the brightness fades gradually, so if I wait for that I don't always notice.
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Old 10-16-13, 09:28 AM
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Originally Posted by hubcap
Lezyne's lights use 18650 cells that are easily removed so they can be replaced with fresh ones if you won't be able to recharge them for a while or will be doing some endurance type ride. You can also plug a USB charger right into the light to charge the batteries without removing them if you choose. Best of both worlds.
This is a very nice feature with the Lezynes, and would probably tilt me in that direction if buying a self-contained headlight right now. Their actual run times are no better than Light & Motion or Niterider lights, but the ability to carry spare batteries is a real plus if you need to extend usage time.
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Old 10-16-13, 10:13 AM
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Originally Posted by Artkansas
Get a leg light. That will motivate you to get something better.

What is this thing? I'm finding google/bing to be surprisingly useless here.
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Old 10-16-13, 10:13 AM
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Originally Posted by Papa Tom
.....this is probably the first time I've EVER seen two people recommend the same exact light (the $22 cree)! Maybe we're getting somewhere!
Seriously - that $22 CREE is a very good light and it's bright. I also bought the wide lens (~$4) that spreads it out more as it's naturally a pretty strong spot kind of light. I run it day and dusk (I'm rarely riding at night) at the brightest setting and charge it maybe every week. One minor complaint - there's no "low battery" indicator - it just dies when the battery is drained. What I do is carry the charger and if I'm thinking it's close to dying I'll charge it at work before my commute home.

Before buying that I had never used a light with an external battery but I placed the battery under the stem.
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Old 10-16-13, 10:47 AM
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I would suggest the Niteflux Redzone and Whitezone lights. These are powerful "be seen" lights that can be seen from around 300 degrees.

I think one of the main benefits is that the light intensity does not change as the battery drains. Instead when the battery is low it switches to a slow blink to indicate low battery and that recharge is necessary.
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Old 10-16-13, 10:49 AM
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Originally Posted by J.C. Koto
What is this thing? I'm finding google/bing to be surprisingly useless here.
I have one sitting on my shelf in the original box. It straps to an arm or a leg and has a white front and red rear light. Uses two C cells. My box has a date of 1973 on it.
Attached Images
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Old 10-16-13, 11:46 AM
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Originally Posted by J.C. Koto
What is this thing? I'm finding google/bing to be surprisingly useless here.
We called those "Leg Lights" when I was in college 40 years ago. Not sure if that was a brand name or just a description. I got through college using one of those for riding at night, but they don't hold a candle compared to any modern light (pun intended). The main advantage to them is that the light moves up and down while you pedal, making them more visible even though the actual light is quite dim.
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Old 10-16-13, 12:16 PM
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Originally Posted by UserM4
I don't think that $100 or $150 is unreasonable for a dependable light. Some people spend more than that on a flashlight for their home. My commuting light is an older Niterider Minewt 600. The new replacement is the Lumina 700. They're about $100. Great dependable light. Often times I'll use mine on low but when the road gets sketchy, I'll crank it up. I love having the extra power as an added measure of safety. The lights are convenient because they charge with a regular mini USB cord and the battery is self contained in the light. If I had to do it again, I may look into the L&M Urban 550 or 700. Personally, I really like L&M beam patterns. I've owned their HID ARC systems in the past and have a SECA 1500 currently. Those I only use when mtn biking. I find them too bright for regular commutes. The 1500 is just way overkill but on medium, it shoots a very nice 800 lumen beam. But when I got my Minewt 600, the Urban 550 and 700 weren't available at the time. But those I'd like to take a look at closely. L&M seems to put out more light than they rate them as.
I tend to agree that a quality, and dependable commuting light is a good thing. I have a Niterider Lumina 700. It is bright, as a great mount, easy quick release to pull off to charge (charge via micro USB), and battery life is pretty good, especially if not using high. I like that I can charge at my desk or at home off my computer very easily. Its not perfect though, sometimes I wish the beam was just a bit wider, and I wish it had a low flash mode as the flash is VERY bright so I often don't want to use it due to disturbing others.

I am VERY interested in the Light and Motion Urban lights. Most of my LBSs here seem to recommend them and sign their praises of more accurate lumens rating then competitors, better beam for better visibility, the yellow side lights for 180 degree visibility, etc. They are also very small and light, and of course USB chargeable as well. There might be some local praise since its a local(ish) company to me as well.

I am getting a Urban 200 set (with micro 180 tail light) for my wife (who rides more at dusk then dark) so will get to see how that does, but am considering getting a Urban 700 for myself and have a light on each bike I use vs swapping when I swap bikes.
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Old 10-16-13, 12:16 PM
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Papa Tom, you've reached the point of analysis paralysis.

Flip a coin. Heads you go get a very nice dyno system. Schmidt SON hub, Edelux light, you're right at your budget, you won't have to worry about it again. (Until you want a new Luxos IQ2 U, but you can't get one of those anyhow.)

Tails, take $200 down to the nearest good bike shop or REI. Pick the nicest light that you can find for under $150. You want the $175 system? That's why you brought $200. Ride it all winter, enjoy. You can repeat next year, if there's anything better that you want to spend your money on.
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