Originally Posted by
DnvrFox
According to the stats of the 53 LED light:
53 LED bulbs, luminance up to 11000-13000, operation life over 110000 hours
I have two of them, so I guess everything is doubled.
Don't know how accurate that is, but they ARE bright.
"Luminance" is not the same as lumens. Using standard LED's (as opposed to new, higher-powered models), I would guess you're getting a combined output of somewhere around 50 lumens from those lights. That's enough for going easy on a dark MUP, and just enough to (hopefully) be seen on a busy road.
But for regular night road riding, you would definitely want more power and a longer burn time. Ironically, you need a lot more power when you're riding in areas that are more lit up (i.e., shopping districts), because your little bike headlights are competing with street lights, traffic signs, and car headlights.
Most experts suggest a minimum of 200 lumens, and many regular commuters run 500-1000.
As others have mentioned, the new generation of high-powered LED flashlights (those that use a single 3-5 watt LED), are a very cost-effective option. The only downside is that they can sometimes be more difficult to mount than bike-specific lighting systems.