I'm looking for a front light to see (vs be seen) for some occasional night rides with my bike shop but don't have the big bucks to shell out for a fancy bike light. Can anyone recommend a flashlight that takes AA batteries that would be bright enough?

I picked up a Coleman "Max" flashlight at walmart for around $25.00 that I've been happy with. I used an electrical conduit hanger and old innertube for mounting on my handlebars. It takes 3 AAA batteries. The light has a adjustment feature that goes from flood to spot. It's much brighter than the Blackburn bike light I was using. The Max doesn't have a flash option though. Hope that helps

looking for something with AA batteries since i already have rechargeable ones. also something with a little more lumen (maybe 500?) would be nice. thanks though

Flashlight that can produce 500 lumens from AA will be big, bulky and heavy They require multiple AA which makes them impractical to mount on your bike. If that is what you want, try looking into Fenix brand. Some of their high power flashlight still uses AA like the TK41.

Most AA flashlight will produce between 200 to 300 lumens for the smaller compact single or double AA. Look at Shininbeam for a good selection. They have the Caveman and I Mini.

https://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/t...s/9/Categories

I bought a Fenix LD20 flashight a few years ago. 180 lumens. Not too big, runs on AA rechargeables.

But, if you get a battery powered bike light, it comes with a quick release handle bar mount ,
and off the bike, can function as a bright flashlight..

I dont expect you to hold the flashlight in your teeth .. so you must consider adding the cost
of mounting your flashlight onto your bicycle, or the top of your helmet.

i figured flashlights would be cheaper than bikes-specific lights but it looks like it's not really the case. i think i'll end up getting this at some point:

https://www.amazon.com/Lumen-4-Mode-1...271337&sr=1-24

I think that's your best bet. MagicShine and clones are very nice.
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You were partly right. While that light is intended for use on a bike, it doesn't really have bike specific optics AFAIK.

I've got a NiteRider 600 Cordless that I picked up for $120. It doesn't have particularly fancy optics either, but I think they're a little better than flashlight type lights. The advantages over the light you linked to are (1) USB charging, (2) self-contained unit and (3) mainstream company quality and support. Lezyne makes a similar light at the same pricepoint with these same advantages. I mention this mainly to give you a sense of where the next price level is and what you'd get there. The value of my third point is debateable. There have been some quality issues with MagicShine lights, but I've also heard good reports on support from distributors.

Get a pair of Fenix...one on the bar, one on the helmet and you will be very pleased.

The Fenix LD20 would be highly reliable, I have its predecessor. One of a AA flashlight's shortcomings, however, is short runtime compared to something that runs on a lithium-ion battery. My Shiningbeam S-Mini puts out more light on Medium for ?6 hours or more? than my Fenix can put out for 1hr 45min on Turbo. The S-Mini is also smaller and lighter!

In a dark environment, I can ride fairly well with the S-Mini on Medium (I prefer the XP-G version over XM-L, it throws farther). But here's a tip from experience: your eyes adapt to what's brightest. If you're riding with someone who's got a big-gun headlight, your eyes will adapt to THAT. If you're at the front, you may see mostly your own shadow if you have the weakest light in the group and the powerful lights are behind you. So for group rides, if you want to see the road, get something with plenty of power.

Since we're still talking about the flashlights, I know that I recommended the MagicShine or clone, but I too have the LD20's predecessor (the L2D) and it is indeed as reliable as the sunrise. It does, however, have short runtime and lacks the output of the MagicShine or clones.

mechBgon's experience tip is spot on...being at the front of a group ride with a dim light is extremely annoying and potentially dangerous if others have brighter lights. That's why I switched to the Gemini Titan, a MagicShine clone.

I probably will end up being a broken record on this subject but it does indeed work, and it works on the (fairly) cheap.
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I use two Romisen RCN3 flashlights on my handlebars....provides enough light for me to ride down a relatively long hill in the dark when I leave my house and not us the brakes a whole lot. Prob get up around 35. I wouldn't' go that fast with these lights on a road I didn't know well. I bought my lights from a place called Shining Beam - and I think they might be a little different than the RCN3 offered elsewhere, but Shining Beam doesn't carry them any longer. THey now have their own branded light in that price range, which is probably very good too.

There are a couple of those at Wally, one throws 144 lumens, the other 115. Same price.

I have the 144, and it ROCKS! Best light I've ever had! I also have a lesser one that does blink, so I'll run them as a pair for the extra 'be seen' factor. (Zefal head/tail combo for about $17, the taillight is pretty good)

An Ultrafire LED flashlight from DealExtreme.com has worked really well for me. (500 lumen) They use 18650 batteries instead of AA, but the charger was really cheap and held up fine. I think the whole setup cost me around $30 total including batteries.

Another vote for the Fenix LD20. The newest model is the LD22, but for your purpose there is no advantage. Another similar light is the Streamlight PT2AA. I carry one almost everywhere. Not only does it illuminate the dark, but it is just the right size to use as a 'tool of persuasion' in those environments that require me to pass through a metal detector before entering.

I have several of these: https://www.dealextreme.com/p/romisen...123a-2xaa-9070 mounted with a Two Fishes style mounts (search V2 flashlight mount on eBay - should be around $3 w/ shipping) for use on our MTBs when needed. They are bright enough for what we use them for, run on 2 AA rechargeables and have a flash mode.

I have two of these: https://www.dealextreme.com/p/t6-wate...pack-set-82510 on my commuter (run one flash and one steady)

I use a pair of Icon Rogue2 flashlights. claims 100lumen each, but are definetly brighter than the coleman max's that I used to use(115?).
uses 2AA each, and are voltage regulated* so they stay at full brightness as opposed to getting progressively dimmer over time. approx 3hours runtime, so I swap batteries with the set in my charger twice a week. about 35$ each at Fry's Electronics

*best feature ever, when shopping make sure your light does this.

[/QUOTE]*best feature ever, when shopping make sure your light does this.[/QUOTE]
+1 Its support!

KD C8 on the bars and Shiningbeam S-mini on the helmet.

Just bought an S-mini on Mech's recommendation. Been on these forums a while and nobody knows more about lighting from my experience.

^^^^^^^This right here.

Anyone care to comment on the new Fenix ld22 as a bar light?, especially if you have used previous versions and can compare. I've never had either. Wish they still made that ld2. From noisebeam's description it sounded about right. Much appreciated.

Got my S-mini within 3 days of ordering and it is a fantastic little light.

If you're willing to drop the AA requirement, here's what I just posted elsewhere on this site:

Here's my favorite low-budget lighting system. EDIT: In high mode (50 minutes or so runtime) this is a little brighter than my MagicShine, so figure it's around 450 lumens. The MagicShine is rated 900 lumens but people here have tested it at more like 425 lumens. I actually use it in medium mode most of the time, which is 50% or about 225 or so lumens.

Flashlight ($16.70):
https://www.dealextreme.com/p/ultrafi...-1-18650-55241
18650 cells ($7.99 for two, gives you a spare)
https://www.dealextreme.com/p/trustfi...pack-blue-5790
Charger ($6.90)
https://www.dealextreme.com/p/digital...y-charger-6105
Handlebar mount ($2.20)
https://www.dealextreme.com/p/cycling...-holder-105213

$33.79 including shipping. It will take 3 weeks to arrive. I have a MagicShine 900, but honestly, this works just as well and if I were starting over, I'd get this plus a PDW Danger Zone and call it done. I've gotten other flashlights including more expensive ones that were not reliable, but this one has been solid for me. I don't have to run it on high regardless of whether I'm in town or out in the pitch black country going down potholed gravel roads, so I get more than the 50 minutes or so you'd expect to get on high with one cell. More like 90 minutes.

I might get a 2nd flashlight and keep the 2nd battery in it, just to have a full backup of everything when riding. for an extra $17 it seems worth it. I might even buy a 2nd mount and just keep the 2nd flashlight right on the bars so it would just be one button push if the first light went out.

This will blow away anything you can get from normal bike light suppliers for anything close to this price, and as a bonus it's a darn nice handheld flashlight, and it's totally waterproof.

Don't let the weird battery scare you off. They're cheap and the charger is cheap.