I use the Cygolite TridenX Extra. A little pricey, but it is a great system. Super bright, long lasting and a super wide beam. It is somewhat large, but light. I can mount it on my mountain bike helmet. For commuting I have it mounted on the bars with the battery mounted in a waterbottle.

All of the Supernova dynamo lights have a built in capacitor "stand light" feature that sends a little power to the headlight and tail light (perhaps 20% brightness) for 5-7 minutes when the bike is at a standstill.

My E3 Pro achieves full brightness at about 3-4 MPH with the Alfine dynamo hub.

I had heard that comment in reviews for it before I purchased it, and assumed it was an exaggeration. So I bought one last month. A week ago I pulled into my apartment complex and a neighbor pulled in after me in his car (it's a long driveway), and when we reached the parking lot, he said "Jesus Christ, I thought you were the cops!".

So... I believe it.

I had a Superflash but returned it because of a couple shortcomings. I hate the "button" on the Superflash because of how difficult it was to activate and the lack of positive feedback. The other thing I did not like was that it seemed the output was very narrow. The light is bright, I won't deny that, but it seems that's only true for a narrow field.

I'm currently running a Portland Design Dangerzone which I like a lot more. The button is much easier to operate and there is a noticeable click after depressing it. The Dangerzone also seems to be more visible from the side.

Cost would be a huge deterrent. A generator hub is anywhere from $100 to $150 and rebuilding a wheel costs about $60 which comes out to $160 to $210 and that doesn't include the lights yet.

Conversely, two 18650 batteries plus charger cost me about $55 and then my front light, P-Rocket flashlight with XM-L, was about $42. My rear light was about $25. Eneloop AAA 4 pack, $10; charger $20. That comes out to $150 and change and I have lights and the power source to run them.

Nevermind that my front light operates at about 5.2W which exceeds the 3W output from most hubs. The ongoing cost to charge said batteries is in the range of 0.25 cents a week for me.

I was riding with three Cateye HL-EL010 Uno's, two on my handlebars and one on my helmet. Today I bought a Light & Motion Stella 150L (150 Lumens). So I've moved the third Uno to my fork. And three Cateye blinkies one TL-LD150-R and two TL-LD130-R. I have the TL-LD150-R mounted right up under the back of my pannier rack, the two TL-LD130-R taillights are mounted via the belt/waistband clip to my pannier bags. And a Planet Bike Superflash mounted to my helmet. Add to that a big orange safety vest. It has LEDs, but sadly the battery pack shorted out, and I think that it took out the LEDs as well. Do I need to say that I want to pick up a fourth HL-EL010 to the right side of my fork.

The sad thing is that even with all of those lights on my bike and helmet is that come the time that I get hit, the driver will still say that they didn't "see me." :(

The Uno's I run in blink mode, except for the one that used to be on my helmet. I had that one mounted to my "old" Nightpro helmet mount and that one was in steady mode. All four taillights are also in blink mode. The Stella 150L will be in steady mode, all three Uno's will now be in blink mode, as will the fourth one when I get it.

I've switched from regular alkaline batteries in my Cateye lights to Duracell rechargeables. The nice thing with the Uno's is that they use one AA battery, so I only need a total of six batteries to swap in and out (until I get the fourth Uno) and I need a total of 16 AAA batteries for all of the taillights. As each taillight uses just two AAA each. And of course the Stella 150L has it's own power pack.

Uh, what happens when you stop? Does it have a rechargeable battery or capacitor to keep the light on when you stop?

On models with a "stand light" function, a capacitor keeps the lights illuminated (at lower "be seen" levels). On my E3 it is about 5-7 minutes.

I've had several co-workers tell me "you left your lights on..."

I realized that what I thought was sufficient (250 lumen Cygolite) wasn't yesterday when I had to go to someplace I've never ridden before. It was okay at about 15mph. Around 20mph+, I had barely any reaction time for pot holes, etc. I would imagine I would need somewhere around 350+ for less tense of ride.

I have about the same threshold - my current light is rated at just under 400, and it is sufficient for most of my riding up to about 22-23 mph. However, If I was riding on rougher terrain, I'd opt for 800-1000 lumens.

That's good as it'd suck to be stopped at a red light only to get hit by a car for not seeing you, or to have a LEO pull up alongside of you and issue you a ticket for not having lights.

I am using the Light & Motion Urban 300 for the front and their VIS180 for the rear. The VIS180 is awesome for the rear tail light, very bright, has 180 degree visibility, rechargeable and the angle of the light can be adjusted. The 300 has plenty of light for me as 80% of my commute is lighted bike lanes. I am thinking of adding a second front light that I would put in flash mode.

I use a MiNewt 600 Cordless and a MiNewt 200 on the front at night, with two Planet Bike Superflash lights on the rear. During the daytime I leave the superflash lights off, but I run the MiNewt 600 in flash mode on the front, and the MiNewt 200 in flash mode facing to the rear.

Talking with a friend of mine who works security at The Pier in downtown St. Pete he told me he could see me from a 1/4 of a mile off. That's as I've said three Cateye Uno's and one Motion and Light Stella 150L headlight. The Uno's are mounted on the bike two on the handlebars and one of the left side of the front fork and the Stella on my helmet.

And he knew who it was that was coming down the road based on the light pattern.

That's not good dude. White lights to the front...red to the rear.

Red to the front is bad - but white flashing to the rear in daylight is good.

Yeah, no doubt. I had looked at the specs on all the Mi-Newt series lights, though and decided on the 150 as it has the longest run time vs. cost. Brightness isn't that much of an issue where I use it. Never checked Amazon, though once I discovered the Nashbar deal. They were offering free shipping over a cost threshhold and as I needed a few other things decided to order everything at once.

Dinotte makes terrific lights. I believe the 800L as been replaced by the XML-3 (or something like that). It's a great light and Dinotte has great customer service. Another great light available these days is the Lupine Piko 3 -750 lumens, very bright and very tiny. This would be an excellent light for either helmet or bar use.

As for tail lights for commuting - they might be more important than the head light for safety. Any of the AA or AAA blinky lights are inadequate. They look great in your hand, but get even 50' away from them and they are not bright unless you are on the right axis (no spread) and they look like tiny pinpoints of light. You'll get no respect from drivers with that.

Another light that is important for safety is to have some sort of helmet mounted light. The more direct the beam the better. As you approach an intersection and if there is a car there that could cross you, aim the helmet light to light up the driver's side door to help get their attention. I've done this many times and it works very well. Even a very bright light (like the Piko or equivalent) won't blind the driver at the crossing distance, but they will definitely know you are there.

OTOH, if you step up to the Dinotte 140R as a minimum and even better to the 300R, you'll find that cars slow down when the approach you and then will go wide around you. This has been documented by many riders (do a google search). These lights will get you respect because a car is not entirely sure that you aren't something big and important like a police car or hazard.

J.

I use 2 lights front and 2 lights on the back, 1 steady and 1 blinky. I prefer AA, AAA powered lights and carry spare batteries. On the back 1 of them is the cateye LD1100. As I'm on well lit streets/roads the other lights aren't particulary high powered certainly not powerful enough to ride at speed on unlit roads. So far I 've been visible from behind, and from the front approaching junctions.

I use & like the planet bike superflash for the rear. The switch on the Superfash can be difficult at first. But after some time it has become a non issue for me. The push button switch has been vey weather proof an issue that has come up in the past on other lights

Cygolites Expelion 400 up front. During the day it stays on the bars in flash mode at night its on my helmet on the medium setting. I will be buying another one. For light out put & size, ease of mounting & removal I have found it to be one the best for money spent! A fantastic light for commuting around town & for bike paths with no light.

That sounds like my current setup. I have two Topeak Whitelite HP 3Ws and they went to where I was looking last year and the year before. But now that I'm riding faster and my cruising speed is higher, they aren't enough anymore. They are good enough for me to avoid MUPpets, but anything on the trail and they are useless until it 10-15 feet closer - which is almost to late for me to do anything other than hit it.

I'm going to get the Light and Motion Stella 600 Duel and see if those are better suited for me. http://www.bikelights.com/stella600.html

I think it is worth noting (for those who are not familiar with bike lighting), that if you are commuting only on familiar paths you do not an 800 lumen light source. I recently purchased a 3 pack of LED flashlights from Costco for 20 bucks. Supposedly 150 lumens each. Not an exaggerated claim. They have 50% and strobe capabilities as well. I have yet to mount them to my handlebars, but two of these running at 50% will be more than adequate for familiar areas while providing good battery life as well (run on AAAs). I am very pleased with the output. As for durability...time will tell. (I understand some reviews for these lights said they ate batteries even when not in use because the switch on the back glows. The ones I got do not have that feature so I'm hoping this is an improved version. At this price...well worth a shot.) I'm not saying people don't need more light than this. I'm just saying don't think you need to go buy a 1000 lumen light for your daily 3 mile ride home on a path you could ride with your eyes closed. Just advice for people who have never bought a bike light before (like myself). Just wanted to share my experience.

Decided to take the bike out to a local park that had no light sources. I'm actually amazed at how hard it actually is finding a place with no lights, even out in the middle of nowhere that I supposedly live in.

Just the Cygolite Expilion 400:
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=226644

Just the Cygolite TridenX 750 (3 LED):
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=226645

Both lights side by side (400 on left, 750 on right; note how the 400 is brighter at a single point, but the 750 throws much more light further and wider. This is why I went with a combination of two types of lights):
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=226646

Both lights aimed at the same thing:
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=226643

I had complete confidence biking through a completely pitch black park with crappy roads.

Upfront I've got a Cygolite 250. I don't ride fast, and it's plenty bright for me. I also use a Planet Bike 2 watt as a flasher. The latter is inadequate as a single light source for me even at my slow speeds.

On the back I've got a Planet Bike super flash on one bike and a Portland Design works RAdbot 1000 on the other. Both work well. Also have a Planet Bike blinky on the back of my helmet.

My new toy is a Fenix LD20 light that I attached to my helmet with a couple of my daughter's pony tail elastics. Plus Eneloop rechargeables.

I have been commuting for years using a pretty simple set up of an old PB Alias 10W headlight and a Super Flash rear. It was enough for my needs -- pitch black MUP 90% of the way, easy enough to be seen and don't need much to see since I'm not competing with too much else (king of night vision, king of insight). But I do like the helmet light as an add on to spot stuff off the path (e.g. deer, perverts) and to make brief "eye" contact with motorists for attention when I'm not on the MUP.

I had been seriously pondering a MagicShine upgrade and was about to pull the trigger when they started going up in flames.

I think if I go large in the future it will be to Dinotte.

I totally agree with your conclusion (i.e. the beauty of a couple of mag lites) but have a slightly different spin on the premise. At play is not whether you are "only on familiar paths." It is a far more complex mash-up of:

1. how straight or twisty things are
2. how fast you're going (your event horizon)
3. how comfortable you are responding to dim outlines vs. requiring things painted by massive candlepower (and how quickly your eyes adjust, etc.)
4. what kind of other traffic is on your route
5. what do you need to see them (e.g. ninja joggers) and be seen by them (e.g. stand out to and be visible to cars in already light polluted area)

The ambient light level along your route is very important, too. The irony is that, except for twisty or off-road routes which require you to pump up the lumens, I find I need LESS light the darker my route is, because I'm not competing with other lights.

You mean your familiar paths... some of us have commutes that mix city, park, and unlit unpainted creekside trails (Stevens Creek trail, along the approach to the airstrip at Moffett Field, is intentionally darkened, twisty, tree-covered, and poorly marked -- did I mention the clusters of ninja pedestrians filling both sides of the path? -- and it lets out on either end to brightly-lit multi-lane expressways with bike paths).

If there was one good answer, there'd only be one kind of bike light.

(fwiw I'm pretty happy with 300w niterider helmet light and a cygolight "2w" hotshot taillight along with some random little blinkie accent lights on the frame that I think I really use just because they're lying around -- unified usb charging for all lamps is a big plus too btw)

That was why I mentioned that some people will in fact need more light. I just wanted share my experience with others. In reading about lights there are people that say that 150 is REALLY BRIGHT, and people complaining that their dual 800 lumen plus 150 lumen on their helmet is not enough. I just wanted to provide some perspective. Heck, after reading what people had to say about some high power lights I was starting to think 100 lumens was what my cell phone LCD screen produces. I just wanted to provide a balanced source of information for those searching for lights. And sure...more light is always better than less. But not all of us can afford to spend hundreds of dollars on lights. (Yeah, yeah...I know...You cant put a price on your safety........blah blah.) If that was the case we would all be driving Bentleys and Rolls Royces because they are safer than a Mazda 3. Bottom line...people new to this might be surprised just how bright 200-300 lumens really are...I know I was.

Einstein was right - all things are relative. Every time I've gotten a new light, it renders the previous one useless - My first light, a real cheapo, was replaced with a ViewPoint Gen3 from PerformanceBike - a one watt LED. It was amazing! (Remember, all things are relative -). After about a year, I got a Dinotte, one of the single 5 watt LEDs that used 4 AA batteries. I don't remember the model #, but it put the Gen3 to shame. I used that for about a year, then replaced it with a NiteRider MiNewt 200, and suddenly the Dinotte was too dim to use. Now, about a month ago, I got the MiNewt 600 Cordless and I fail to see why the 200 impressed me! So the other night, for kicks, I put the ol' Gen3 on the handlebars of the Rig and rode around in the dark for a while - I felt like I could barely see, that the light that had blown my mind was nearly useless, it was so dim. Yep - All things are relative. So, now I'm eyeballing the Dinotte XML3 - - Hahahaha