Originally Posted by
TreyWestgate
so to tell you an easy hack that will save you a lot.
as we know already made bike lights that are actually bright enough already start at 50$ all the way to even 300$. a 100 lumen will even run 80$.
BUT and this is a big but, you can get a flashlight of 200 lumens for a little less than 20$ or sometimes less than that.
I have a jobsmart flashlight made of aluminum and it is 350 lumens and only cost me 10$. a 350 lumen bike light otherwise will cost you 200$. SAVE BIG.
600 lumen (900-1200 claimed) bike lights with aluminum housings can be purchased for $18 including mount, battery pack, charger, and free Amazon prime shipping.
Chinese CREE XML Magic Shine clone for $17.99
I used to spend 10 times that for Nite Riders, tried one on a whim, and found similar lifetime.
Then I discovered StVZO German lights with computer designed reflectors.
Battery powered ones are about as usable as the 600 Lumen CREE lights - while not as bright you can see better beyond where the CREE hot spot would be, but run 6 hours on high using 4 AA batteries which take up little space as spares and can be replaced at any 24 hour convenience or grocery store. I got my Ixon IQ Premium for $47 + $22 for flat rate shipping from bike-discount.de. Completely worth it.
Dynamo powered ones work as well but never exhaust their batteries making them even better.