Originally Posted by
hamfoh
I don't think Knogs look good at all really. I like them for their convenience.
I can see with my $20 light just fine btw. And my rear light was $12 (b/c it's pink) and bright and comes off easy, if I'm really concerned with being seen I will wear my second light (as mentioned), and I'm still under $35 -- $50 more? You have an $85 light on your bike?
You seem really angry at Knog/Knog users.
Not angry at all, just think they, and a few other products not made by Knog, are a waste of money.
$85 dollar light? Are you kidding? I have the Cygolite MityCross 480...that means 480 lumens, and the light cost $220 on sale. Then add to that an old VistaLite Xenon amber front flasher I paid $18, a BLT 5 LED helmet light I paid $30, a Soma Road Flare bar end lights for $18, the Blackburn Mars 4 rear light for $32 and a Cateye LD600 I jerry rigged onto the rear of my helmet for $20. So yes I guess I spent more then $84...of course I spent that over the course of 20 years...the VistaLite is about 20 years old. But I ride in the dark with as much confidence as I do during the day.
And there are people on this forum that have spent a lot more money then what I spent for the headlight on their headlights. There were a few that spent $500 an up to $1,200! That to me is an overkill. My 480 lumen light is more then bright enough for any road cyclist. And the reason for the front flasher is because bicycle headlights are far smaller then motorists expect, so the flasher attracts their attention in my direction. The helmet headlight is so I can aim the light in their eyes, or down to see the computer or the road close to the wheel or the side of the road etc.
A $20 front light is useless unless your riding in well lit city streets and going slow. You can't take a $20 light ride on a pitch dark road at 20mph and feel safe...your over riding your light at 5 mph in those conditions not alone 20. There's a reason cars and motorcycles have bright lights because they travel at high speeds and the higher speed you ride the more your lighting you have becomes dangerously useless.
I do not rely on reflectors at all, there almost useless anyways. I do wear reflective leg bands and reflective clothing that was built into the jacket, but none of my jerseys have any reflective banding, but my shoes have a reflective rear tag. But that's it, no front or rear or wheel reflectors that the factory is required to have on a bike when they sell the bike new.