Originally Posted by
cyccommute
You have it exactly backwards. Yes, you want to see potholes before you hit them in the city but that isn't usually much of a problem. The real issue is "being seen". 150 lumen lights like Robert P is shilling are lost in ocean of lights that you find in any urban and most suburban areas. In other words, a cyclist with "be seen" lights isn't. They are lost in the background. You need much more light to "be seen".
On unlighted roads, you don't really need as much light to be seen because the ambient light is almost nonexistent. An observer can see even a dim light from quite a distance.
My experience as well. Most of my commute is on an unlit MUP. In the winter both directions are done in the dark. I'll run both my handlebar light and helmet-mounted light on their lowest settings (and if a clear night, with a full moon, I've been known to turn off one or both, especially as dawn begins to break). Once I hit the "mean streets" of bleary-eyed drivers who haven't yet gotten their coffee, or are busy trying to find out what emails and texts have come in overnight, then both light levels go up, and (during the daylight hours) the bar light goes into strobe mode.