It's getting dark sooner these days and we're all going to be needing lights in a while. If you're new to commuting and want to bypass that feeling of "gee, it's awful hard to see now" as it gets darker out it would be a good idea to get some lights sooner than later. Especially when you take into account the research that involves reading the endless debates about what kind of lights and batteries you need, where you're going to mount them, the shipping time (especially important if you're going to be buying from Fastech or Deal Extreme) and the possibility that you may have to wait for the supplier to replenish their stock.

dyno hub lights , no problem ..

I have My old 4 AA cell PB super spot as a flashlight , now

and a B&M Ixon IQ as my (also 4 AA) headlight for occasional Use Potentially on 2 different bikes


Touring in the summer there's sufficient daylight hours,

and My studded tire bike that doesnt see service until the street Ices Up ,
this winter it was Dry when it dipped below 0C.

I like my current set up, but plan on adding a helmet mounted light this year. It was kinda freaky in the more rural parts of my ride when I would hear rustling in the woods but couldn't see anything. Probably would only turn it on for part of my commute so as not to end up shining it in rearview or side mirrors.

NiteRider Lumina series. One for the helmet, one for the handlebars. Rechargeable with micro-USB AC adapters.

There are many rear blinkies that are super. I use the Chinese knock-offs of the Planet Bike blinkie. They've held up for 4 years now. On my helmet, strapped the rear, is a Blackburn blinkie that has an intense pattern.

What was your question?

My best advice, standardize all your lights to either AA or AAA batteries, then buy a bunch of rechargeable batteries and leave a charger at work and home. The USB charging lights seem nice, but if you ever need batteries in a pinch, you can buy cheap non-rechargeable, you can't do that with a USB light.

It wasn't a question but a recommendation to have people make sure they've got lights for the fall if they don't have them now. Or don't have enough lights now.

Based on the two night rides I've down so far, I feel like I'm set - dyno hub powered head- and tail-lights to be seen, and USB-charged helmet mounted light for spotting road hazards like broken glass, squirrels, etc.

Good. Just remember that as it gets colder and darker everything is going to work a little bit less than it did when it's warm out. Lights won't be quite as bright, run times will be less (except for the dynamo light), and it's going to be darker. Remember the episode of Seinfled where they discussed shrinkage?

Good reminder. I'm OK because I ride at night throughout the year, e.g., for late trips to the store.

Fair enough. Even so, I'm confident because i've only used the lowest setting of my helmet-mounted light, and there are 3 more to go. Run time is 1:15 to 9 hrs depending on setting, which should be plenty for my 1 hr commute time. Spare battery can be used if run time is real issue.

Batteries? Nope. We've dyno's on all of our transportation bikes, either hub or bottle, with front and rear stand lights. So nice to never have to think about batteries or charging.

All my bikes dyno lights are working fine, and need no attention.

If your LED lights get dimmer when it's cold, there's something wrong with them. They're supposed to be current regulated, and LEDs actually get a bit brighter when they're colder. The batteries do last less long. LiIon is the least affected, I see about a 25% dropoff between 70*F and 0*F. NiMH is basically useless below 0*F, at -10*F my runtime went from 2 hours to 20 minutes. Also there aren't any AA powered lights that I consider to be sufficiently powerful for full dark riding.

I've bought a Cygolite Metro 550 for summer riding (for the strobe mainly during the daytime). I'm going to try it this winter, but in general I have been VERY happy with $30 generic Chinese lights. Several days between charges, quite bright. I like buying the ones with smooth reflectors (which tend to be spotty) then adding a $5 lens to the front to make the beam wide and low so the road gets well lit without getting into driver's eyes very much.

I carry extra batteries for my blinkies and helmet light. The Niterider something or other USB charged headlight I bought four years ago is fantastic! I top it off every couple of months, or use it by working late then charging it. Compared to my old halogen setup with its need for a heavy 3-4 amp-hour 12 volt battery it is a miracle! No more rolling up to the house as the headlight is fading. I can cary my "phasor"-sized headlamp and auxiliary helmet lamps (plus replacement batteries) in my backpack and be ready to work late whenever the need be. And in the winter I just leave the helmet lights in place. (I transfer my headlight to whichever bike I'm riding).

As far as nomotor posting a reminder...that's cool, and yes, plan ahead so you don't get left in the dark.

All my bikes are transportation bikes. It's nice just taking whichever bike I want to ride to work off the wall and heading out without being stuck to one particular bike.

No batteries, dyno hubs for me, soon I'll need to put the fenders back on and mount the studded tyres on the spare wheelset.

I've got a couple of craptastic Ultrafire 501b lights that aren't regulated and they fade with time when it's warm and moreso when it's cold. They're backup lights now so it doesn't matter much to me, but I remember that feeling I got after the first couple of rides after daylight savings time ended and it was colder out when everything seemed to be harder. The colder temperatures made it harder for me to pedal through the darkness while the NiMh batteries ran down sooner - I felt like a kid thinking "it's not fair" when I remember how much easier things had been when it was warmer and brighter out the month(s) before. But then I HTFU, bought more/better lights and now I've got one less thing to complain about. At least for the time being.

I bought a Cygolite Expilirion or whatever it is 850Lm It made it almost a whole week without being charged. I charged it last night. I also bought a replacement battery for the china light. I am wondering if I will need both this year or if the Cygolite will be enough!

Back in the NiCd era this hassle started mid-September and lasted until DST ended. Do I carry the lights and batteries today? What if I get sucked into a late meeting and don't get out on time? I've had these batteries on the bike for two weeks, will they make it home with the lights running tonight?

When the daylight time switch changed, it got more complicated: How much runtime is on these batteries already, how much is left?

Now in the dyno light era, things are so much easier: Look, I can see the headlight. It's working.

We've transportation bikes (mostly Dutch and most of these Workcycles), road racing/fitness bikes, and off-road bikes. All the transportation bikes have dyno light systems so easy to get on and go without ever having to worry about lights or if we might come home after dark. Road and off-road bikes are only used during mid-day.

[MENTION=44184]no motor?[/MENTION] Thanks for a good thread



Winter is Coming by AndrewKwan on DeviantArt

For me it's pretty simple. Put bike in rack in rear of office. Remove water bottle and battery. Plug battery in at my desk. Use and refill water bottle as necessary throughout the day. Put both back on the bike before I leave.

A dyno-hub might be in the future for my winter bike but battery powered lights are getting better and cheaper all the time and are easy to move from one bike to another.

You're welcome. It's a chance to share some of those lessons learned the hard way.

Getting bummed lately seeing Fall Variety Packs of beer in the grocery store and now you tell me Winter is just around the corner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My road bikes get ridden mostly during mid-day but I've been known to go for long rides in the middle of the night. My mountain bikes get used a lot during the winter time for commuting. I can take any bike I like off the wall, put on the lights and batteries and go for a ride without worrying about lights either. I also don't have to worry about the hassle and expense of having 8 different dyno wheels and 8 different lights and the cost that would entail.

I have 4 lights, probably 8 batteries (I may have a few more), 4 chargers and less than $200 invested in the whole kit and kaboodle. Getting a single generator system for a single bike is going to cost from $200 and up which, for me, means an expenditure of at least $1600. And a $1600 outlay doesn't allow for any kind of redundancy nor for a helmet light which I find highly useful. I just don't see the logic behind that kind of outlay for something that is so limited.

And my light system can be shared. My wife doesn't ride much at night...maybe once in the last 5 years...so spending the money for a generator system for her wouldn't be cost effective. However if she does what to do a night ride, which we did this summer, I would have to shell out the money for yet another generator system since her wheels aren't the same size as any bike I have. With a battery system, all I had to do was install a clamp for my battery lights and put the batteries on her bike. We were ready to go in 5 minutes.