I don't disagree, however, most night riders are riding in urban environments. Most night riders also think that they need more light if it's darker where they ride like your situation. That's exactly the opposite of what I've observed. On a dark road...no other ambient light...you can see, and be seen, quite well with a relatively dim light, as you've experienced.

But in an urban situation, your light has to compete with a thousand other light sources, many of which are much brighter than the commonly available 200 lumen commercial system. A typical car lamp (just one) runs around 1500 lumens. Set a 200 lumen light next to a 1500 lumen source and the 200 lumen lamp will disappear. And there are probably dozens of those intense lights within sight of your lamp at any give time. Factor in street lamps, signs, traffic signals, office lighting, etc. and that 200 lumens gets swallowed up quickly.

And many people don't even run as much as 200 lumens. I see lots and lots and lots of people riding with the Knog Frog lights or something similar. If people ask me if they are adequate...newbies...I tell they that yes they are. They at least gives the cops somewhere to start looking for your body under the car