Eric3.0

I did some research and have found nothing bad about the Cygolite Metro 550 and the Hotshot 2 tailight combo. It says it shows up in the daylight as well as the tailight being able to be seen in daylight. Is this true? My lights now are the cheap walmart type... OK for night, but cannot be seen at all in the daylight....at all, plus the casing shakes loose and I have to keep stopping to screw it back together....they suck for serious commuting. I need something stronger and brighter so I hope I've Made a good choice.

Any other suggestions? Lights under 100 dollars though.

Thinking of running a blackburn flee on my helmet as well in the night rides in combo with the hotshot 2 on the seat post. If the hotshot is as they say...it'll be good enough.

Reason I am concerned about getting quality lights is a couple of close calls this year. I almost ran into a guy at night....neither of us had any reflection. So I made it a point to get some damn good lights this week. That incident was a wake up call.

Thanks guys/gals....great site.

fietsbob

I made Other Choices.

Lots of back and forth on light product choices Here .. Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets and in Commuting.. https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/

Elvo

This:
https://www.amazon.com/SuperBright-Re.../dp/B00OOENWTE

+

2x This:
https://www.amazon.com/Portland-Desig...att+tail+light

dr_lha

I have this. It works great. However.....

I think I have become too accustomed to rechargeable stuff and how that works. The benefit of a rechargable light is that it goes full bore and then dies. Regular old batteries have this annoying habit of seeming to have a full charge after turning on from cold, and then dying. The problem with this in a rear tail light is that you don't notice they have died. Because of this I'm thinking of replacing my PDW with a Hotshot.

FYI I have the Cygolite Metro light, it's great at illuminating things, but I wish it had a wider softer beam, rather than a bright super focused one, because most of the time I'm cycling with lights on, I care more about people being able to see me coming rather than the other way around.

Drew Eckhardt 

The Hotshot 2 is awesome. It's bright, and the current firmware will show the battery is getting low via a flash when you turn it on. I clip it to my pannier commuting, center jersey pocket on other evening rides.

I'd go with something with a bigger battery pack up front. I like MagicShine lights. ~600 real lumens, ample runtime, LED on back of the light head that changes color as it discharges so you don't run out,

This was the last one I bought for $22 with free shipping

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MN7I4FQ

if I did it over again I'd get one with a shorter cord not built to accommodate helmet mounting, although there's space to stow the excess and it works OK.

I mount it on my handle bar with the battery pack hanging off my stem.

I usually have a spare hotshot and Petzl head lamp in my pannier in case anything fails; with separate light head and battery I seem to break a cable every few years.

noglider 

@Eric3.0, those are good choices. I am often frustrated by people setting their budgets for lights too low. You have chosen some good quality lights. Cygolite makes good quality products. Yes, those are visible in daylight.

Do follow fietsbob's suggestion and check out the Electronics subforum. There is a lot of information there.

Eric3.0

Thanks.

I have the Cgolite metro 550 and Hotshot 2 6 mode coming to me.

After ordering I seen other lights with like 2,000 Lumen for 18 dollars....I was like WTF. The Cygolite was 65 on Ebay and that is 550 Lumen. Anyways I know from what people are saying, that the Cygolite is a dramatic improvement over any WalMart light. I seen on youtube this exact light I am getting is very visible in daylight and the hotshot seems to be the go to tailight.

Walmart lights suck....it's that simple, not anything to use for serious roading. Mine kept shaking loose, I would lose all light, can't see in daylight at all.

I'm also thinking of adding some amber flashers to my backpack. I'll leave the hotshot on steady, with a slight pulse, but put the ambers on slow pulse off and on. I'll have the Metro 550 up front with possibly a clear slow blinker. I also have a top of the line pure commuting backpack on the way, complete with built in reflection and neon rain cover...

I decided to put some real money and planning in my night riding situations, because this last incident was a terrible wakeup call. I was going 21 according to my computer and almost connected with that guy head on in the dark. Both of us would of been laying in the road in pain if it did happen....and it was damn close I tellya.

Thanks for your input...looks like I made some pretty good choices.... Will be nice to feel safer out there.

noglider 

Good thinking.

Is the cygolite headlight the one with the flash mode that keeps the light on steady and flashes at a higher intensity? That's one of the few flashing headlights I like. I prefer steady headlights. But this one combines the useful illumination of a steady light with the attention getting of a flasher.

Instead of lights on your backpack (or maybe in addition), consider a light in your spokes like the Spoke Lit. I use one in my rear wheel. It gets a lot of attention. It uses watch batteries, which are kind of annoying, but they last a while, and I buy them in bulk. I tried one in the front, but it was too distracting for me.

The lights rated at thousands of lumens might be brighter than the cygolite but the ratings are blatant lies. I'm glad you avoided those no-name lights. The cygolite headlight has a good mounting system.

Eric3.0

Yepp I made sure it was the latest model with the "SteadyPulse" system named by Cygolite. It'll eliminate the need for a separate, dedicated fire flasher in the front. The HotShot 2 latest model also has this feature...Steady on with pulses of flash.

Eric3.0

So I got my Cygolite and hotshot light and wow, they are impressive. I was quite shocked when I flipped it on last night....A far far cry from any walmart light for sure.
Today I put the headlight in a tree then ran like far away...and I mean far and I didn't even have to hunt for the light....I just turned around and boom, there it was flashing away brilliantly and brite in the noon sun. The hotshot is equally as impressive...I love the patterns you can get especially the slow, fading pulse mode.

Also it says engineered and made in the USA.... I mean no offense to the other countries( I buy good stuff from there as well) but it was kinda nice to see that, being from the USA.
It shows us Americans can make some great things still....this light is a tribute to that.

So as you can tell....I'm satisfied, lol.

nfmisso

I have these and a back up headlight on my commuting bikes. I have mini panniers next to the head tube, with the battery and extra battery. As noted, there is only a few minutes warning from when the indicator goes from green to red; to no light.

Taillights - at least two, Blinkey 3/5/7 or equivalent AAA powered flashers.

Plus reflectors.

A few years ago, I came within less than 1ft of hitting an idiot walking on the path after dark with all light absorbing clothing (and shoes) - dark hoodie with the hood up..... Asked an Optical Engineer at work, he told me to get a light with a CREE diode. Now I see similar idiots ten yards away. The smart ones with reflective stripes are visible from great distances - minutes.

Eric3.0

I was wondering about those lights... 1200 Lumens they advertise. My Cygolite 550 is 550 lumens and extreme bright....Your lights must be insane....doesn't make traffic mad? I've been thinking about getting a set just to try it myself....they are very cheap....Do they work pretty good?

nfmisso

In traffic I run it at it's lowest setting, and have them aimed slightly downwards, center of the beam hits the road about 20 feet in front. On high, they are brighter than hi beams on cars.......very visible

There is a diffuser available for them.

The last two I ordered, had to return one for a dead and shorted battery. They'll also run on six NimH AA batteries in series - will last about ½ an hour.

The lights are reliable, I have had two out of ten batteries fail. Amazon is very good about returns.

LGHT

I road with that combo for a while and liked it, but realized that the nite rider light better not because it was brighter, but because the beam seemed to have a wider angle. I now ride with 2 Mako 200's and it lights up the night like a small car.

Eric3.0

I don't see where the Cygolight has a narrow beam. Last night I had mine on in medium bright and it was shining up the whole width or the road and then some.

Eric3.0

You run both at once? iI don't think I need two at once.... I almost got the Cygolite 720 Expilion, but glad I didn't.... The 550 is overkill for my needs lol.. I could of just got the 360 and that would of been fine for me.

It's my first time with actual, GOOD bike lights...so now I know how to better gauge what I want next time... The 550 puts out stupid light....freakin fantastic.

Eric3.0

I want to add for anyone who gets the Hotshot 2 light.

I found out if yo uput the light in solid mode you can adjust the brightness throughout the whole range of modes. You do it with the same button that adjust flash intensity.

When you use the right hand button to adjust flash intensity, push and hold to speed it up, release then hold again to slow it down. It's kinda funky....took me a bit to 'get it'

Also the mount lets the light swivel to the right to point it out of oncoming traffic when they get close.(pertains to the front Cygolite 550.)

Personally I like the hotshot taillight's slow burn and fade' mode the best. Lets people know whats up and same time letting them better see how far away you are from them... The faster blinks are quite bright and distracting.... Good for the daytime though....but I don't use intense flashes at night.

I was going to have a dual taillight set-up, but the hotshot is so bright that I don't think I need another light. I guess a cheap blinky on the back-pack would be good....just so if the hotshot breaks when I don't notice I still have at least something shiny going on....

Eric3.0

Also....to any NEWBS as I am to these lights.... Don't look directly into them.....I gave myself a headache the first night and I wasn't even looking directly into it. I find it weird there is no warning on the box.

noglider 

Thanks for the reports. It's nice to see these worked out so well. And I agree about domestic-made stuff. I'm fine with buying foreign, but when something is impressively good and also made here, then I feel proud.

LGHT

Yes I ride with BOTH lights at once. My local loop is on some back hills with little to know street lights at all. I almost never ride it in complete darkness, but I do ride other areas with no light like bike paths. If your riding on a street with street lights 1 is fine, but with zero overhead light I found 2 is necessary.

I also had a cygolite previously, but again found that although bright it didn't provide a full range of coverage like 2 smaller wattage lights together do.

Eric3.0

Good idea...


I keep my old Bell walmart light in the pack for a spare, but with my Cygo 550 I don't see any reason for wider coverage. I think anything more will get the cops rollin up behind me lol.

Eric3.0

Yes......in a sea of stuff here that says china, mexico and Taiwan, it's nice to see. Not only made here, but designed and engineered here as well....seems to be a totally American product.....seems rare to see these days.

I am a Cygolite fan now that's for sure. To me these lights surpass what they even said about them.....they are THAT good. People around here ask me how much I paid for my cygolights and I tell them.... They shake their heads like wow....too much for bike lights. Look at me like I'm crazy.

Well..... I think an aid in helping to keep you alive is well worth a slightly under 100 bucks price.

So far I have been using them as I should.....using the dim setting on lighted streets, tipping the light away from close traffic ect ect......and I haven't gotten any bad looks, flashes or beeps at me.......

Darth Lefty 

I didn't know that, I'll have to try it.

I have a Metro/Hot Shot combo and while my engineer brain can always come up with improvements, it really works pretty well. About the only major complaints are the lack of shaped beam on the front, the spotlight pattern of the rear where it would be better if it were more diffuse, and the annoying buttons on the rear. I've got nothing bad to say about charging or batteries. They last for days.

Eric3.0

I'd really like to get some small, amber colored LED for my back pack for total darkness use in addition to the hotshot. Hard to find Amber colored bike lights so I thought about modifying a cheap, AutoZone LED set made for cars. They have perfect sized lights that are small and very bright with 4 modes... Perfect size for bikes, but for 12 volt car electrics.
I was wondering how I could get these to work with a bicycle friendly power supply.

I don't understand it.....the light are as small as the hotshot bike light, but they take 12 volt power.... hmmm.

My plan is to run them on my backpack on steady burn or the very slow hazard signal mode. Not the flicker flash. Plus have the hotshot on steady. I think that would be an attractive set-up and not too distracting.

Eric3.0

I have the latest models of both lights, so possibly all this has improved.... I don't have buttons on the rear....not sure what you mean.