The Bell LED light at Wal Mart is what I light up my bike with. 4 AAA batteries will last me two weeks of night commuting (~40 minutes each way), and provide enough light for a ride on rough country roads.

I have an older Bell headlight I really like. I think I bought it at Wal-Mart several years ago. I am sure it is not as powerful as others here, but it does good enough for me. Sorry I don't know the name. It is kind of triangle shaped. I think they still sell it. It is not a led light. I have thought about adding a second led capable light. That said I have two other bell lights that I do not care for much. I put them on bikes that are out in overcast days, and just before sunset. They seem ok for helping others see me, but not for me seeing anything. It is also worth noting that most of my riding is on streets with dim lighting. Also I wouldn't be discouraged by the comments about your bike here. My experience with these is that as long as you give them attention when they need it, and keep them in a nice dry place, they do all right.

you may also consider a construction worker vest. costs about 10 bucks and can be used for other nighttime activities, if you want to be seen that is... The vest is only a adjunct. Good luck in school, keep working hard and $1000 on a bike will be a reasonable purchase.

Here is another excellent option for a 3Watt 120 Lumen light ... Woot! :thumb: http://www.woot.com/
(Woot.com is an online store and community that focuses on selling cool stuff cheap - a new one-day-only sale each day.)

I should have mentioned that this 3W flashlight is only available on November 9th at http://www.woot.com/

A cheap upgrade for the bikes would be smooth 1.5" wide tires from the bike shop. Follow the gear and brake adjustments on the Park Tool website, and you will be able to get plenty of fun out of the Walmart bikes. I have a Cat Eye and a Planet Bike LED lights on my bike (about $20 each 10 years ago), but I also bought LED flashlights for $2 each at the $ store, and I put them on the handlebars with elastic bands.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...62#post9968462

My $0.02 on another light-related thread. Grand total >$20 but <$30...

I bought a Bell ipulse from Target for 20 bucks last week.. I was skeptical when I got it, but it's bright enough to see where i'm going, and be seen, so i've got no complaints.

http://www.target.com/Bell-iPulse-Re...icycle%20light

Gee whiz. If you could stretch your budget out to $27. You could get the best light out there. A Romisen RC-N3 Cree Q5 from http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/t...CREE-Q5/Detail. And attach it to your handlebars like this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrfZhEzjWwg

I can now vouch for the Terralux. Good light...

Actually, the Terralux is better. I have them both. :) In fact the Terralux is on par with the Q5 Fenix but the Romisen isn't far behind.

anyone bought these light sets from ebay? opinions?
http://cgi.ebay.com/Waterproof-LED-B...#ht_4756wt_941

I actually think there is a fair amount of operational costs with commuting on a bicycle. You get way more flat tires than a car, so you're constantly spending time and money fixing them. Decent bicycle tires aren't cheap, but you get way fewer miles out of them than car tires. In terms of $$$ per mile, car tires cost much less.

What I save on operating expenditures for an automobile more than makes up the extra cost of bicycle tires. Since repositioning myself further left into the travel lane, the number of flats that I have experienced has reduced substantially, and I haven't had a flat in over two years.
Replacing the tires on my SUV cost me $400 after 40,000 miles, making a per mile cost at 1 cent, where as my bicycle tires cost $45 after 3000 miles, making a per mile cost of 1.5 cent a mile. That is not cost prohibitive enough for me to switch back to driving, especially when my insurance savings alone amounts to 2 cents per mile. I can only imagine the per mile cost savings if I added in vehicle depreciation, fuel, and maintenance.

OK you've hooked my interests. What model of Terralux are you talking about? Where do you get it? And how does it rate?

One option...

http://www.batteryjunction.com/tlf-3c2aaex.html

The Fenix is not as bulky but costs twice as much. It also doesn't have the same number of modes as the Fenix.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=127724
They are back... this time at $8.99

http://sellout.woot.com/
Sellout.woot.com

I've this light:

http://dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.14909 ($18, free ship)

If you're riding in pitch black conditions at speed (20+mph) its probably not enough. Also, it drains batteries, especially in the cold - I was riding when it was 20 degrees, and by the time I got back (after only ~40 min of runtime on 2500mah rechargeables) it was really dim. I need to wrap it in insulation or something.

btw, anyone find a solar-powered taillight an odd idea? It works for lawn lights or such that are in the sun all day, but I usually take my lights off and stuff them in a bag.

I bought the same light this week, for my wife, so she could accompany me on a night ride. I was $15 excluding batteries. I've only used it once, but I was surprised how nice it was. It puts out plenty of light for basic riding.

I have been emailed with questions so here are the specs:
http://sellout.woot.com/Default.aspx...701cab853bcb18

3 watt Luxeon LED produces 120 Lumens
30 times brighter than a standard 5mm LED flashlight
Machined aircraft-grade anodized aluminum
Shock and water resistant
Push-button switch with silent signal capacity
O-ring sealed against dirt and moisture
Water resistant and shock resistant
Operates on 2 D cell batteries (not included)
Runtime: 30 Hours
Dimensions: 10" Tall, 2" Diameter

does the magicshine have a blink mode?

i bought them, they were horrible. poor built quality and the mounts snap off so easly, even if your gential with it. it produced very little light, might be fine at night in good weather with steetlights. but in pitch black nights, poor weather, long distance or with fast moving cars on the road just save your money and buy something better. get a Q5 or a P7 light on deal extreme(~20/40dollars) and get two planet bike super flashes. that light on ebay is the bear minimum so i cop doesn't pull you over, but it has poor visablity and won't save your life. also it will break or stop working after six months.

your bike and life is worth more than 3 dollars and 38cents. imo spend at minimum 40bucks on lights, but you can be a good set where you can both see the road be seen for 120dollars and an even better setup for 150bucks.

Sound advice, unless one doesn't have $900 to spend. $100 at WalMart can teach someone how to wrench any problem that comes up until they can afford a new bike.

You must not ride much, as you can never be "absolutely positive" that a driver can see you...