Rechargeable lights, which system?
 

I'll soon be commuting before dawn and after dusk. Most of my commute is under street lights but one section is on a paved & lined bike-path with no lighting. I'll be on the bike path as the sun starts to ascend or descend.

I want reasonable illumination of the street & path that I use, but my primary concern is being seen by cars during my commute. I want a rechargeable system with a 2 hour battery life at full power.

What systems should I consider? I'm willing to spend up to $250.

Michael

Spanninga Halogen Light Kit $32. Unlimited run time and no batteries required.

http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.c...7_2013_6761117

http://www.velo-orange.com/sphalikit.html

The NiteRider MiNewt X2 dual (see here) has worked well for me. It's in the upper end of your price range. You might also want to consider the single version (see here). The single is a bit cheaper, and on low beams has a very long run time.

The "low" beam setting on the dual version will give you enough light to illuminate the path in total darkness and be seen by cars, and has a run time of 3:30 according to the manufacturer. The "high" beam is super-bright, and lights up road signs from about 100 meters. On flats, I'll can bike at full speed and not be over-riding my illumination in high-beam mode. The run time is only 1:45 in this mode, however.

The dual retails at around $220, the single at $180, if I recall.

I commute on unlit roads every morning before sunrise, and have had no problems with this system.

NiteRider also just came out with the MiNewt USB. It can be recharged with both AC and a USB cable to a computer. The benefit of the USB is that it's a little smaller and lighter than the AC powerpack. The rechargeable battery is relatively small and gives a 3-hour runtime. It doesn't flash, however. It's just on or off. They're $99 for the standard and $129 for the helmet mount included:http://www.rei.com/product/777359

Your best option by far is to by one of the dinotte lighting systems. I have two different dinotte lights - one that runs on a rechargeable lithium battery and another that runs on nimh rechargeable AA batteries. check them out at www.dinottelighting.com

Dinotte lights without hesitation. Fantastic products and company. Their 200 series seems to fit your needs. I have their older version of this light and love it. Niterider are also nice, but I have a TriNewt in for repair for the third time. NiteRider has to re-earn my recommend.

http://www.dinottelighting.com/Products.htm

+1 for dinotte

Dinotte. Fantastic company with excellent customer service and excellent products. I've personally bought 3 light products from them and my friends and co-workers have bought about a dozen light products from them after seeing my light and hearing what I had to say about the company. No complaints from anyone.

I had a set of minewts...I hated how quirky the controller was and how the controller was integrated into the battery pack. Take a look at the 200L and 400L.

I have this for my front

Cateye Single Shot Plus Headlight
"The new Single Shot Plus is a tough and powerful rechargeable headlight ideal for commuting. Two 1-watt LEDs in combination with the new ROL (Reverse Offset Lens) produce best in class total candlepower. Three modes - high, low and flashing help manage battery life. Run times range from 3 to 36 hours. Integrated NiMH battery recharges in 4 hours. Includes Flex Tight mounting bracket. 256 g."


You can get it for probably less then 100 buks on amazon.

for my rear i have a cateye blinkie, i think i paid 20 something, battery life is 200 hours give or take on 2xAAA, works fine.

the Cateye isnt the best, but it's bright, and will last at least 2 hours on full

+1 for the Dinotte excellent customer service from Rob and the lights are great too. Just upgraded to the 400 on my road bike it's compact and keeps cars at bay . It also lights up the road very well the dual taillight is something else I think SETI use them.

Jon

Don't forget homebrew--brighter, cheaper, more fun. Check out high power led's. Not as hard as it would seem. Under $100 for serious power; mine goes 2 hours, 600 lumens--pretty solid visibility, see and be seen. Not for everyone, I guess. You can search electronics forum, or pm if you need more info.

i really have nothing to contribute, but I too am looking for lights and want to keep track of this thread.

+1 Dinotte

For $250 you can build a hell'va DIY 12v lighting system getting way better lighting and still
have change left for other bike goodies.

Yup. And you are running kinda low power ones for under $100. I get 1550 lumens for that much;) For $250 to $300, I can put out over 4600 lumens:D

I'm just looking into adding lights so I can extend my riding time, but holy c**p these are $$$$ given a limited budget, meaning how much I can sneak into the house ;).
The NiteRider'sMiNewt Mini-USB at around $99 look reasonable but the Dinotte 400 at almost $230 each (for front and back), yikes, I'd have my head handed to me!

The justification on a good set of lights is: Would you rather have your head handed to you (figuratively) at home, or scraped off the pavement (literally) because someone didn't see you?

I do a lot of night riding, and even on a tight budget I was able to justify replacing my mid-power, low-runtime light with a dynohub and high-power LED.

The DiNotte 400L is a helluva nice light, but you don't need one for the rear. A couple of PB Superflashes on the back works just fine and only costs $40. You just need to get noticed by drivers, not pilots. :)

I find the minewt x2 more than adequate. I've shelved my cygo 15-20W halo.

I still covet a hub dynamo system though. I would like to puzzle out some way to hang the minewt off the fork crown bolt, hub-light style.

was looking at both the Dinotte and the Trinewt for my commuter, and was leaning toward the Niterider just because I have been happy with my Minewt and the form factor of the battery (the Dinotte looks a little cheap and DIY-like).

But am curious what happened to your trinewt.

I want a reliable setup AND screaming bright.

To the OP, I would think a Minewt X2, as another poster mentioned, would be great for your setup. 150 lummens and a tiny form factor.

+1 again.

My primary lighting comes from two dinotte headlights, one on my helmet, one on my handlebars, and a dinotte taillight.

I also have a generator hub (Shimano) which powers a headlight and a taillight (both B&M) which are good backup.

+1. I have several 3W LEDs (either on a bike or a helmet). I bought mine online, and they came with reflector and regulator. These are at least as bright as a 20W halogen. With two on my bike I can light up the road plenty well enough for max speed descents. And I have a small lithium battery that will run one LED for 16 hours or two LEDs for 8 hours. Total cost was about $100, but most of that was for the battery and charger combo.

The first repair was for a faulty switch. The light drained the battery in 45 minutes during a 24 hour race. I took it to on-site support where the NiteRider tech updated the electronics. Failed again after this in 30 minutes. Not cool when your 8 years old 6W NiteSun becomes you only reliable light.

They have the light now and hopefully can solve the isssues.

X2 on the X2.......I've had it, (I've got the dual light setup) and it works very well. I got it on sale last year for about $190 or so......so watch for sales. Brands has it for $199....

Again, DIY. My system is heavier than the ubersmall LED but the performance difference is huge. I don't need a light that last 6 hours (I have upgraded my system with the addition of a 10W 14.4V MR16 running off a 3.3 Ah battery for 4.5 hours if I want;)) but my lamps last for around 2.5 hours which is more than enough for the commute I do. The output that I get out of a single one of my lights is nearly 4 times that of the Dinotte. I can easily build one lamp for $100 and I have 3 (with the new one I have 4 now). That means I'm throwing out 11 times as much light for nearly the same price. It's over the top:D but illustrative of how much light you can get for very little money.

Curious about the $100 limit. I used 3 Q5 drop-ins ($40), 8AA energizer nimh+quick charger ($30), and misc. wires/housing/lexan/solderiing gun, etc. ($25). So, I was going from zero to light in under $100. I was a real newbie at the mad scientist thing (which just proves that any clod can do this; don't be intimidated, people!).

Anyway, on that zero to light basis, what would have made it brighter? I have no doubt it could be, because I chose these components for ease of use. But I am still curious about better emitters, baterries, etc. I have seen the P7 emitter http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12721
but how can you power it for any time with only 3 volts? Wouldn't you need like a dozen parallel battery packs? Maybe you have something better. If it's not a trade secret, please share. thanks.