Hoop

Assuming that I am riding at dusk and there is enough light for me to see where I am riding, but I am worried about being seen by others (primarily cars), is a beam type front headlight necessary? Would a white colored LED type light suffice? I haven't looked too much but I would think that an LED type would be much smaller and less expensive.

KingTermite 

They have some good LED style beams out there and they also have a "blink" mode (which is better for being seen) or a solid mode (for seeing in front of you).

You can probably pick them up relatively cheap. I think mine was about $50, but they had cheaper ones.

RonH

I hope you have a taillight or blinkine so cars coming up behind you will see you.

I also use my blinkies during the day when it is dark and overcast or raining.

Hoop

I have a rear LED blinker, all my reflectors, etc.

I just wondered if a front blinker was OK or if a beam was necessary for visibility.

Puppypaws

Wallmart has front (white), back (red) light set that can be set to blink or beam solidly with a touch of a button. Bell is the manufacturer. It is only about $15 for the set. It is easy to put on without any tools. :-)

baj32161

I find that my front LED isn't really powerful enough to see a great distance in front of me. I usually don't need to see that far away, however. I am much more concerned about being seen my motorists and pedestrians. I also find (and I have been told this by a friend following me in her car) that the blinkies are easier to see because they catch the driver's eye. I have both head and tail blinkies that can also be used as steady beams...I love them.

I hope this helps.

Brian

Cyclepath

Wal-Mart is evil.

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/

Our "anti-Communist" businessmen & politicians are in bed with Beijing, & altho its awfully hard to find anything not made in the Chinese police state now, i still try.

TMX

I just installed front and rear lights on my road bike today. I ride primarly late at night, and although most of my loop is lit well enough for me to see, my overriding concern was that others could see me.

My headlight is an inexpensive Cateye EL200, $20 from Nashbar. It's fairly useless as a standard headlight, but it's got a great flash that can be seen clearly from quite a distance. The tail light is a 5-LED Cateye TL-LD600, which I'm convinced can be seen clear across town. The flash modes are blink, side-to-side, and random. The taillight was 15 bucks from Nashbar. I think both these lights would work well at dusk.

Tonight was my first ride with the new lights, and it was immediately obvious how much more visible I was to traffic. Oncoming cars were dimming their high-beams, overtaking cars were moving out of my lane much sooner than usual, etc...it was nice.

-Bob

Michel Gagnon

I would say that LED front is ok, but not just any LED blinker. Get something like the Cateye EL-400 or EL-500, or the Planet Bike 1 W LED Superspot, or the BLT Super Doppler, all these headlights could be enought to light your way in an emergency, but most importantly, they will make you really visible, rather than just a mere dot.