Originally Posted by
Jed19
Experienced cyclist here, but never rode in the dark before. And I do not know beans about riding lights, though I have quite a few rear blinking lights. I am thinking I'll like to start doing two/three hour rides after dark. Could you recommend a reliable $30-$50 front light that is reliable and quite bright to cover me tooling at 25MPH and can last the duration of my rides? A good solid mount is also cool. And if the price is right, I am not opposed to getting two and mounting one on the helmet too.
Thanks.
I used to ride 15-18 mph with a 200 lumen Dinotte. It was enough light to get a one or two second warning of potholes or rocks. That's just barely enough time to react.
For 25 mph downhills, you'll need at least 500 lumens, preferably 800 or more. And those are real lumens from bike light reviews. The cheap lights often exaggerate their lumens, and might be half or less than advertised.
The really cheap lights can have battery problems, with early failures. If I was on a budget and needed bright lights, I'd probably try riding with two of the "$20" lights, or at least one of them and also a smaller self-contained rechargeable light.
You'll have problems finding any light that has a big enough battery to go full blast for 2 or 3 hours, especially when it gets below 50F. I have to manage my 1100 lumen Dinotte by switching to half or quarter power, and only running at full power when it's really needed.