christo930

I know a lot of people like rechargeable lights, but I have items that are 25 years old and still work well because they use standard batteries. I have items 5 years old that are useless because the battery is no longer manufactured and lithium ion or polymer batteries die with age, so new old stock is worthless.

AA cells now have as much as 3watts (rechargeable) and even higher per cell and I know they will be available for the foreseeable future. Also, I have a lot of rechargeable batteries and chargers already.
Price, I simply can not afford an expensive light, but I need to see the ground at night because I live in a very large city that doesn't fix it's roads. I want something for less than $10. Right now, I am using 2 $2.25 LED flashlights attached to my handlebars via hose clamps, but they are notoriously unreliable and one that is less than a month old is already finicky and needs to be tapped a few times occasionally. Most streets have at least some lighting already from the city, but trees often block their light.

Anyone have any ideas?

UnsafeAlpine

An inexpensive bike specific light doesn't exist, at least, not as powerful as you need. There are handlebar maglight mounts that might work better than what you currently have a be less expensive than the $100 or so that a typical light to see costs.

Roushe

This has three, half watt LED and uses AA cells. It is the light I use. While it can put a spot of light on the ground in front of you, it is more intended to make you visible to drivers. I believe this is the best you can get for under $20.

Russ

Myosmith

For about $25 you can get a 144 lumen Coleman LED light that uses three AAA batteries and gives you 8-12 hours of pretty decent light. I wouldn't bomb down a technical offroad trail at midnight with one, but they are plenty good for seeing potholes, cracks and debris at cruising speeds up to 100+ feet out and human size obstacles (unless they are in stealth mode) up to 100 yards. As far as being seen, this light can be easily seen at a mile on open road and is reasonably obvious even against city lights. I use rechargable NiMH batteries and get about 12 hours on a fully charged set before any loss of light intensity. I carry a spare set in my underseat bag just in case. I like the idea that, in a pinch, I can stop at any convenience store, gas station, or all night grocery and pick up some standard alkaline batteries to keep me going until I get home. With the high end bike lights, if you forget to recharge, you're screwed.

I mount it with a $9 universal mount I got off Amazon. It will accomodate any flashlight from a MiniMag up to a c-cell size grip.

I also see that Coleman just put out a 400 lumen c-cell model that I'm considering, but I have to make sure it will fit my mount. I know in this age of 1,200 to 2,000 lumen lights that doesn't sound like much, but 400 lumens is a helluvalotta light for a hand-held unit with an 8-hour battery life. If I remember right, this model also has a 120 lumen Low setting that doubles battery life.

etw

A decent option:https://www.nebotools.com/prod_details.php?id=145uses 3 AAA batteries

I-Like-To-Bike

Can't afford more than $10 for something you "need" for safety? How much can you afford? Perhaps several hours less on the Internet and instead work at even a minimum wage job should cover your need.

Bottom line is I would suggest you try and find some honest way to get or save the money for something that you have stated that you need for your own safety.

Juggler2

What's the current price of a pint of blood going for?

Myosmith

I can understand what it is like to be in a situation where it is hard to come up with $10. I went through some hard times working one full time and one part time minimum wage job, working my way through school full time, living in a basement efficiency apartment, and digging between the seat cushions for gas money to get me by until payday. My only internet access was through the school or the local library as I went for several months with only local and 911 service on a land line. I would have been better off financially to have quit my job, dropped out of school, and gone on welfare, but that was not the way I was raised.

I don't know the OP, but I do know of people who are riding old Schwinns from the bike co-op because it is their only form of transportation. I've seen people come in and volunteer an hour's work in exchange for a used innertube so they could ride to work instead of walking the next day.

I-Like-To-Bike

Sure it IS possible. The OP may also be the sole support of his widowed mother, supporting family back home, and working three jobs paying the expenses for crippled children.
But I doubt that many BF posters are in such desperate financial straights that the costs of a bicycle lighting is beyond their capability to get the money to pay for it. Maybe a cheaper phone plan, one less toy or one less case of beer per month might raise the scratch.

-=(8)=-

This sounds like a Lifetime TV mini series . . .
I only use cheepo lights from CVS electrical taped to my bars. The same wattage would cost 50.00 at the bike shop because of the proprietary clamp.
You can get 2 multi-LED flashlights in the junk/tool section of CVS for 10.00. Lots of light that lasts a long time. No flicker or coming-loose issues. Just cheap light

1nterceptor

If you can stretch your budget a bit, these seem reliable:

https://www.costco.com/TechLite-Lumen...100002973.html

Here's a review I did of an older version, including drop test and water resistance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BfxHYkhzLM

jputnam

A good point for the kilolumen crowd to remember, cyclists rode at night for decades with 2.4W incandescent headlights. If budget matters, 1.5W of LEDs is far more light than you really need for safe commuting.

More light allows safety at higher speeds, but don't put someone off bicycle commuting simply because they can't afford $100 for a headlight.

Under $10 at Amazon -- Bell "Dawn Patrol", 3xAAA, 3 LEDs, with handlebar mount:



That's more light, and far more reliable light, than I had my first decade of bicycle commuting.

turbo1889

Flashlights like you are using are your best bet for getting enough light for a small enough price in a weather-tight package. Since you already say you have rechargeable batteries I would be suggesting you just upgrade your flashlights. $2.25 price tag LED flashlights are going to be near the bottom end of the spectrum for both power output, weather-proofing, and shock resistance (another way of saying the light continues to work when banged around).

The only one that takes AA size batteries that I can personally vouch for as fully capable of sustained survice under daily abuse conditions is the 95-100Lm output Pelican brand name model #2360 but they are way over your budget at over $30 each. If you have sufficient quantity of AAA size rechargeable batteries already in your stock pile the light I have been equipping all the bikes in the fleet I service (mine and extended family) that are not primary commuter bikes that are often used at night but need to have a decent light for when they are used after dark is the Techlite Lumen Master lights that come in the three pack from Costco and are sold for $19.99 for three of them with batteries to go with them its a steal of a deal especially considering how well they hold up. At less then $7 each its hard to beat them provided you are prepared to keep them fed with AAA size batteries. Which I fully admit for daily commuting use could most certainly become an issue even with rechargeable batteries. AAA size batteries are a rather pore choice to power a flashlight whether it is used as a bike lot or not and I fully agree that AA size is much preferred but I can't recommend a current light with that size of batteries since I skipped ahead to 123A/18650 battery powered lights a while ago and don't have enough experience with the current crop of LED AA size battery powered flashlights to recommend any one of them in particular.

That said, in your price range your probably going to be looking at a machined aluminum housing Cree LED Chinese made flashlight of some sort to get something that has a chance of holding up while still meeting your price point. Something along these lines:

https://www.amazon.com/BBQbuy-300lm-F.../dp/B006E0QAFY

That's not a recommendation but rather pointing you in the direction your probably going to have to go to get something half way decent within your price point that uses AA size batteries.

SMorrison

Blackburn was absorbed by Bell years ago, and under that name you can get this for well under $20 at any Walmart.

Looigi

A very touching story. We're you pregnant or supporting a child at the time? That's primary among the requirements to qualify for welfare, which is a program to help ensure the well-being of children.

As for your only internet access being via the library, I had none whatsoever when I was in college! Cuz it'd be another 15 years before Al Gore invented it.

Back in the day, they'd pay $14 for a pint of blood plasma, and you could go in twice a week.

North Coast Joe

FWIW, I've been using a couple of very cheap tailights which worked fine until they got jostled around on a few rides. Doing things like bending the contact strips slightly and packing some scrap foam insulating tape in the housing to keep the batteries from bouncing out of position have made them completely reliable. Perhaps you could look at the LED's you already own to see if they can be modified similarly until your finances improve.

This is a great forum for everyone! Don't let the folks with Italian bike budgets tell you that you can't have cycling fun for pennies!

Roushe

I noticed that this and that were nearly identical and suspected what you say.

Russ

turbo1889

If any of the mods are listening in. It would probably help the OP more if this thread were moved to the "Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets" section of the forum, would probably get more and better suggestions with less argument about cheap lights with one side going to the anti- and one side to the pro- and things turning into a soap box match instead of answering the OP's question. Not that there be anything wrong with a soap box match up just I don't think that was what the OP was looking for. Hopefully someone down there will have more knowledge on AA lights that could work for him then I do since I'm pretty much in the lithium battery camp now-days.

Bekologist

Here's my take on bike lights for night.

I toiled for a half decade as a parts monkey at a large, independent bike shop, and spent a fair bit of my evening commutes testing out different powered lights for night riding.

My take on seeing the road, and YMMV, is that a rider needs about a 1W LED headlight to give sufficient light to ride at close to a usual commuting pace on level ground. If a rider wants to put on some hustle, a 3 watt LED light is just at the bare minimum.

Luckily, these lights have come down in price significantly. Like joshua mentions above, todays' lights are much better than a lot of lights people used to run back in the 80's and before.

Lights nowadays, even the basic, 20-25 dollar LED front lights, are so impressive compared to the first Cayeye headlights that hit the market back in the 80s.

My recommendation to the OP is to save a little bit and look for a Planet Bike Blaze on sale or used.

dougmc

I'm not sure about the relevance of this question, but the last time I gave a pint of blood I got a cookie and a cup of orange juice for it.

Planet Bike's 1 or 2 watt Blaze is the traditional 2xAA light. Well constructed, rugged, reliable and quite bright with good mounting options. More than $10, however.

$10 will get you some 3xAAA lights from dx.com, but I'm not sure about any AA lights. AA is indeed preferred, as they hold almost 3x the energy as a AAA for about the same price, but finding decent lights at that price point might be difficult.

turbo1889

Although DX doesn't have quite the selection available in AA size lights as they do in Lithium battery lights they certainly do have a selection to choose from:

https://dx.com/c/flashlights-lasers-9...e&sortType=asc

And then their is FocalPrice as well (another china direct drop shipping outlet just like DX):

https://www.focalprice.com/categoryli...by=lowestprice

Juggler2

Oh, well let me enlighten you. At one time in the not too distant past, you could sell your blood. And as Looigi stated above, you could get approximately $14.00 for it. I personally never had the opportunity to give the gift of life, as I have been diabetic since I was a young lad, unable to give blood. I believe an artificial plasma has been developed since my youth, but that's beyond my pay grade.

On another level, I've known true hard times. And have (as most people) addressed those problems head on.
I've never been in the situation where I couldn't get a job mowing lawns, or washing dishes, or flipping hamburgers in order to purchase a headlight for a bicycle. I've never been able to sell my blood, or donate blood, so therefore I didn't know if that option were still available. Apparently the OP has reasons for not being able to work for a few bucks, so I thought maybe he could lay on a table and drain a pint for a few bucks.

Did you enjoy your cookie and orange juice?

Sixty Fiver

Planet Bike Blaze 2 watt... 146 lumens and throws a decent enough light to see by and gets great life on re-chargeable batteries.

christo930

What in the world makes you think I am getting money dishonestly? If I was dishonest, I could just steal a light, hell I could steal a new bicycle with a light on it. The recession has hit me hard and disposable income is scarce.

Chris

Edit: I'd like to thank the people who tried to give good advice. I must say, I am very shocked at how many people implied or speculated that I'm on the dole or even dishonestly getting money. I got laid off and am living off savings, which is why I am back on my bicycle (Most of my biking history was for fun and exercise, now I am trying to use it in conjunction with PT to be my primary transportation). Even if I wasn't unemployed, I still wouldn't pay $100 for a light. I have already had to replace my cassette and chain and the seat and all together including the tools to do it again if needed, was close to $100. I simply don't have another $100 handy to buy lights. The reason I said $10 is that I know for a fact that I can buy a flashlight that would give sufficient light for the speeds I ride at, but the flashlight would be too big and complicated to attach to the bicycle. What I was looking for was a clever way to use the abundant cheap lights out there successfully on a bicycle. I also don't want to rely on a rechargeable proprietary battery that will make the light obsolete if the battery is discontinued.

I-Like-To-Bike

I was going to suggest you beg, borrow or steal the few dollars to buy what you need but instead suggested you get some additional dollars the time honored way. Sorry you take a suggestion of working for a few additional honest dollars as a negative inference.