bakhurts

Anyone know of a reasonably cheap and durable head and tail light for casual commuting? I want something battery powered and LED if possible. I really do not know what I am looking for. A couple of these lights will be used for commuting in the evenings and a couple for kids to use around the neighbohood at ningt.
thannks

10 Wheels

How much do want to spend on each light?
Range $2.95 to $270.00

varuscelli

I'll take it from reverse and advise you to start off with Planet Bike Super Flash tail lights. They're just under $18 each via Amazon.com right now and I THINK with free shipping if you spend more than $25 (although the shipping deal changes on a daily basis, it seems, unless you are an Amazon Prime member). You won't get more bang for your buck than with the Super Flash, and the tail light junk that can be had for less than those is usually just that (junk)...don't trust your kids lives to the poor stuff. These things really work and are some of the most highly though of tail lights among forum members here (especially for the price).

Planet Bike Super Flash at Amazon.com

Me, I use flashlights as headlights which enables me to use my headlights as flashlights.

I'm sure there will be lots of dedicated bike headlight suggestions for you, but I personally don't know a whole lot about dedicated headlights so I don't consider myself very well qualified to make a reasonable suggestion for one.

As 10 Wheels suggested, if you had a rough budget in mind, people could give you "best buy" ideas in whatever your budget category is. $30 for the combo? $75? $100? Everybody seems to have a different idea of what constitutes "reasonably cheap and durable," I think.

speedlever

For headlights, are you looking to see or be seen? (choose Alias last... you'll see why)
https://planetbike.com/page/learn/lightfinder/

Here's a combo that may be worth considering:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015R9PZI although the lightfinder above may influence the choice of headlight vs the included one here.

bakhurts

not sure what i want. definitely <50 for front and rear lights. battery operated. reliable. want to be able to see the road at night.

wyeast

Gah, just posted this in Commuting, but my suggestion:

Rear - Viewpoint Flashpoint ($15 @ Performance Bikes)

Front - Coleman MAX 2AA Cree Flashlight ($25 @ Walmart) + Twofish Lockblock ($7.50 @ fenix-store.com)


Being able to adequately "see the road" for <$50 is a tall order. That Coleman is about the best you'll do for that pricepoint. Hope that helps!

varuscelli

Hmmm....

I'm not familiar with this tail light, but I haven't been very impressed with anything I've seen in Viewpoint lights. This one seems to get only average reviews, even on the Performance Bicycle site. My best guess is that it wouldn't compare favorably with the Super Flash.

In that price range, stick with the Planet Bike Super Flash for around $17. That'll leave you about $35 to figure out how the handle your headlight situation.

wyeast

We have both, and I think it's fairly competitive. The Superflash has an unusual blink pattern that is good at getting attention, but I dislike the combination of narrow view angle on the main LED + small body (result: surprisingly less visible when viewed off-angle such as when clipped to a messenger bag). The Flashpoint's body is twice as large, which is easier to see when viewed off angle (when you don't have the some of the 9 LED's pointed at you - 4 of them are pointed at an angle so you have a wider view range)

This was posted in another thread - a SF Stealth and Flashpoint from about 25' behind:



At $17 the Superflash is very competitive tho'. Usually I'm thinking in terms of my LBS's where they run $20-24, so I got two Flashpoints for the same price.

Ideally I'd pair them. Flashpoint on steady, Superflash on blink. But that's outside the realm of OP's question, unfortunately.

varuscelli

Thanks for the extra info, wyeast. I had apparently missed out on the other thread. My own experience a while back with a couple of Viewpoint lights recommended by a Performance Bicycle employee were less than satisfactory. But then again, I had taken the guy for somewhat of an authority just because he worked in the store, and that was a mistake (in retrospect). Since that time, I've looked at the Viewpoint lights (head and tail) with a bit of skepticism that might not be fully justified.

I often go with the dual tail lights, too. Super Flash plus Cateye TL-LD1000 (the one before the LD1100 came out), which together can blink up a storm...

Thanks again for the extra bit of information.

bakhurts

any opinions about this cateye opticube?

https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...estore_ID=1034

wyeast

Had one mounted to a stroller. Not terribly bright - about what you'd expect for a 3-LED light vs a 5-LED like the Beamer5. Fine for "Be seen" but that's about it.

Bob Nichols

I bought the Blackburn Quadrant and Mars 3.0 Combo Bicycle Light Set from Amazon.com and am well pleased. Both lights are LEDs and can be set to stay on or flash. Don't know how long the batteries last since I've only had them about 3 weeks. Their price is $25.89.