Originally Posted by
cyccommute
Many people think that good lights are ones that run 200 lumens. 200 lumens is what a 10W halogen light puts out at nominal voltage. It's about this bright:
A single one of these is almost enough to see a pot hole just as you hit it. It might make a driver think there is something out there on a dark road but in an urban environment it's just lost in the clutter.
Interesting then that my 200L light (Dinotte 200L) gets me over 8 miles of badly potholed, washboarded gravel road per day all winter long, and that cars stop and wait for me far too long when I'm coming.
If I were riding in town a lot where there are a lot of lights around, I'd want more light. But out in the country, 200 lumens is quite a lot.