Good Lights for Commuting?
 

I am looking for a good, relatively inexensive handlebar mounted light for daily commuting on dark bike trails and city streets. I have used a Nightrider Trail Rat, but the batteries go out after a year or so and cost over $100 to replace. The Nightrider LED light set is over $300 and does not even make coffee. Also, how does one compare lights rated in lumens with lights rated in watts? Seems to me all should be rated in lumens. I have heard talk that some LED lights spread the beam too wide and are easy to over ride at higher speeds > 15mph. I don't want to spend a bundle on some fancy setup that I will hate on the first night ride. What do you folks like?

If you want details on lights etc. the electronics forum is probably a better place. Otherwise, for commuting in the places you describe, I'd suggest something like the L&M Vega or similar. The 200L Dinottes are also not bad, and you can get them in AA style, so you can pick up new batteries fairly cheaply. I suggest the spot beam if you get one, since the wide-beam my be easier to over-ride.

I use older Dinotte's 5W (200 Lumens) flood fixed to handlebars, 3W (120 Lumens) spot on the helmet. The 3W seems brighter to me because of the focus. Anyway, its been a while since I shopped for lights, so I'd head over to the elctronics/lighting forum and do some reading if I were you.

I use a PB Alias + Niterider Minewt X2 Dual. Gives the best of both worlds (haloge and LED).

Unfortunately that combo costs $300 and i've had them both for less than a year so far...

I've used an L&M Solo NiMH for almost 2 years w/o having to replace the battery.

$130
13W bulb
390 lumens (claimed)
2.0 - 2.5 hour burn time

Cygolite Dual Cross NiMH.

the NiMH last a long time, is impervious to cold (actually last longer w/ more intensity in cold) and it is a SUPER bright LED with 4hrs run time on strong. I RARELY use the super high beam. Use the low 2 choices when there's lots of ambient light and only the super strong in the pitch, pitch black just because I can.

It's around $150.

MinewtX2 Dual
Never need to use it on high, very bright, 2 lights so you can aim them all over the place :) Last as long as advertised (1.75 - 3.5 hours). Killer mounting system.

+1. This light has completely dispelled my doubts about the viability of LEDs. Before I started using it, I was happy with a 15W halogen - Planet Bike Alias. The DualCross is so much brighter that the Alias beam is undetectable if they're both shined in the same direction. I've had several motorists stop me and comment on how bright the DualCross is. Mine has the "second generation" LEDs, and I understand that the current version has "third gen" that are even brighter.

Fenix...nuff said. :)

+2. I actually wanted a Dinotte 200L after my Niterider Sol died on me with a week of use in Seattle's wet fall, but REI didn't have any in stock so I went home with the Cygolite Dual Cross. Great light, has lasted through 4 - 5 months now of rain, snow and ice, including a couple of wipeouts. I do use the high beam, but only when I really need to see and its pointed down pretty far. I'm conscious of the battery life but have never run out of juice.

I think mine was more like $180 but I got the IQ charger (or whatever it's called) that lets you just plug in for the night without worrying about overcharging the battery.

My only complaint is the light itself is big and bulky, not sleek like the Dinotte stuff, but whatever, it works well.

Mine are third gen. and they are unbelieveable. Over half of my commute is on MUP next to a creek well away from any roads. Only then do I use the brightest setting, but half the time I forget to do that and don't even notice! I just ride along in setting #2 or #3 and am perfectly happy. I get 4 15.5 mile rides out of 1 charge. Each one takes about an hour.

Wanted to add that I have the IQ charger, too...but mine only cost me around $150. Deals can be had!

NiMH batter is bigger the Li-Ion, but it still fits well under my handlebar and, hey, lasts longer!

Maybe the $180 price tag is for the Li-Ion. The NiMH is cheaper.

Define older. The original 5W DiNotte Ultralight put out 120 lumens. I had one of the first ones, so early that it had the old-style battery connector, which looked like it came from Radio Shack. It worked fine but the runtime was limited.

The 3W put out less than that. The newer DiNotte 200L(which is the upgraded 5W Ultralight) puts out 200 lumens, while the 140L taillight puts out 140 lumens. The 3W light isn't even in the lineup anymore. I guess it didn't make much sense, as it was exactly the same size as the 200L.

The hot setup is the 600L on the bars and a 200L on the helmet. That's what I run, along with the 140L taillight. I'm like a motorcycle out there. :-)

The 200L is a good light even by itself, and Nashbar has the AA version on sale for $159----but ordering direct from DiNotte is the way to go. Rob is excellent to deal with.

It depends upon what you want your lights to do, and what you do. I commute by bicycle every workday (and on days off, I ride whether light or dark), so I've spent as much, if not more, on lighting than on bicycles. I believe in see-and-be-seen, and have no doubt that my lighting setup has saved me from a few nasty crashes (that would have been caused by sudden encounters with obstacles and ice), and from being hit by drivers. I consider my lighting equipment an insurance policy.

Beware the "mission creep" purchase pattern, common with bicycle lighting: Long ago, I started with lousy lights, then got not bad lights, then got good lights, then got excellent lights, then got state-of-the-art lights. Shudder to think of the waste in buying in that manner.

My setup is 80 percent Dinotte and 20 percent Niterider. Since you're asking, my advice is to take a crowbar to your wallet and start out with a Dinotte 600L and Dinotte 140L rear flasher. I know that's a huge investment to the uninitiated, but I would consider it.

http://bp2.blogger.com/_vUEhS0lU3eU/...0/d+lite+1.JPG

I really like the Dinotte Lights 200L-AA. Using AA NiMH rechargeable is great because I use them in lots of things and when I need new ones it isn't tough to get more at a reasonable price. I bought a few extra battery holders so I can swap in fresh batteries in seconds if I want to extend my run time.

One really nice thing is they are fairly low profile. I leave one on my bike 24/7 and people rarely notice it during the day and leave it alone.

The only thing I'd like to see change with the Dinotte is I would like a focused optic that puts the light down and ahead. This would make me more popular with drivers and give me more light where I need it - on the road.

http://bp3.blogger.com/_vUEhS0lU3eU/...0/d+lite+2.JPG

If money was no option I get a Lupine Betty 12 - 1400 lumens of retina searing goodness.

http://reviews.mtbr.com/files/2008/01/img_1964.jpg

Hey, that's where I'm heading, too. Started with a cheap Cateye, AA powered thing. Made me feel a little better about being seen, but one day I headed onto the MUP with it after dark... just about ran over a guy walking his dog. I could barely see to stay on the path. In fact, I found myself accidentally taking the wrong turn and ending up off the MUP, which was just as well given that I was riding pretty much blind.

REI had the Cygo-Lite Night Rover on sale for $60 or $80. Decent light, great price, but I didn't know how good until I went on the MUP again this past weekend. Tree cover and no street lights reaching me, but the Night Rover kept me on my route. Still, battery issues are a pain, and I'm guessing replacing the battery when the time comes will cost as much as the whole thing cost me the first time around.

My current plan is to get a dynamo hub with a light set up. Then I'd like to mount the Night Rover on my helmet. But I have to agree with robertlinthicum, spend what you can, especially if you're using the lights to see by and not just be seen.

Still nobody mentioning a Fenix? They blow away any 15W Planet Bike or Cygolite Nimh Xtra. Plus they are cheaper and less bulky. It's the best thing I own for the bike based on cost and performance. $57 for the L2D. I've got two. One for the helmet. They are awesome!

I have stated my opinions in other threads on Fenix vs. DiNotte. I have both, use both regularly, and like both. If I had to do it over again, I'd keep what I have: DiNotte on the bars, Fenix on the helmet.

This morning I did a 3.5 mile jog. I wear a NiteRider Digital Evolution at 15 watts on the head, with a Fenix in my hand to flash drivers, when not using it for that, I keep it on the road ahead. As many others have experienced, my NiteRider inexplicably turned off (this actually happened three times during this morning's run). This was not due to low battery, either, as it was fully charged when I left; when I got back I still had 3 of the 4 little green LED power level indicators still lit, indicating approx. 3/4 charge). I did not notice it at first because the Fenix overpowers the 15 watt halogen. I wouldn't even consider anything but a Fenix and/or DiNotte. Most Fenix and DiNotte owners will agree with me.

If you're on a tight budget, get one Fenix. If you can afford it get a DiNotte taillight. If you still have money left, get a DiNotte 200L headlight. I got my DiNottes (front and rear) on sale; total cost for both, plus the Fenix was approx. $260. They're worth every penny!

Absolutely. Beats those dang bottle batteries for sure. A couple extra AA's stashed in the jersey pocket if you need them isn't even noticeable.

If you don't mind spending an hour or two with a soldering iron, you can almost certainly replace the battery on your existing light for a fraction of the cost by going and getting the cells at batteryspace.com

My confession: I use four 3-watt LED flashlights, 80 lumens each. They work very well and cast a good, focused beam together. $25 each.

The batteries are AA rechargeables, NiMH. They were $22 for eight batteries. I have two charging units, at $10 each. That's about $150.

(The good part is that I started with one, and added one, then another--one at a time as money allowed.)

Another plus is that it's a very lightweight setup. My old halogen 35W homebuilt used a very heavy lead-acid battery, but it worked great and was die-hard.

Hey, I'm a do-it-yourself-er. ;)

Before you ditch your trailrat, you might want to consider the possibility of building a replacement battery pack yourself for it. Myra-simon.com has a short, albeit dated, tutorial on building a water-bottle pack at http://www.myra-simon.com/myra/bike/bott-batt.html
.
If you use 5 rechargeable D-cells, you would get around 6.5 hr runtimes if you get the quite expensive ($39.95/2 pack) MAHA D cells. I was thinking about how it might be possible and advisible to use a battery holder to hold the cells rather than soldering them together if the holder can fit within a water bottle.

Alternatively, http://www.batteryspace.com/index.as...S&Category=882
sells ready battery packs and chargers for less than $100. You might still need to do some electronics work in terms of swapping out the plug for the one that would fit the Niterider.

I have come to the conclusion that dollar per lumen, you are a lot better off buying a powerful flashlight and figuring a way to mount it to your bike. For about $30 you can get a super LED flashight and mounting hardware or maybe even two flashlights (on sale) that rival a $300 light set sold as a bicycle light.

I just bought a $10 super LED flashlight at the hardware store that rivals even the best and most expensive bicycle lights on the market at 30 times the price.

Batteries on a lot of todays good LED flashlights have such good run-time, there is no need to use clunky and expensive bike specific rechargable cells. If you really want to do the recharge gig, use standard rechargeable AAA, AA, or C batteries with a hardware store recharger.

I am all for buying bicycle specific stuff and supporting the bicycle industry, but the disparity in cost per lumen of bicycle lights vs. harware store flashlights is simply too great to ignore.

Nah, I've got the NiMH battery too. I think you just got the better deal! I bought the Niterider Sol on sale at REI, and I really needed a good light so when the Sol died it was a choice of either just getting something that REI had or running all over Seattle looking for a better deal.

Right on, Pete.

For about $20, you can get a new battery for a trail rat. Go to a Batteries Plus or similar store and for the price of the battery, they will take the wire lead off the old battery and put it on the new battery. You can even upgrade the battery from SLA to NiCAD or NiMh and get a lot more run time or smaller battery.

If you are satisfied with the trail rat, keep it or send it to me!

Good luck.