Howdy,
Here in Salt Lake City DLST makes it allmost impossible to commute, for me anyway, I would have an hour each way in total darkness, that along with snow and sometime sub freezing temp's.
I'm kinda in withdrawals now going from 15 miles every morning and night to 20 miles at lunch time.



M.R.

I don't know what public transit is like in Utah, but alot of places have subways or light rail that allow bikes, and most mid-large cities have busses with bike racks. I ride to work in the morning and take the metro/bus back at night.

A couple of lights, some decent clothes, you're in business!

Amen.

Howdy,
Oh, I can see OK with my LED and my blinky seems to keep people from climbing up my back, I just don't feel comfortable not being able to see whats in/on the road.

M.R.

I do get the point. I had a serious accident while commuting in August (Still can't ride or work) that I believe was caused because I didn't see a bolt and possibly other debris in the street. This happened about midnight and I had no headlight. Do you think that a headlight is strong enough to prevent this kind of accident?

Buy a HID... it's definitely strong enough. I ride with a Cygolite Z-Force that I paid $290 for shipped and couldn't be happier. It allows me to see almost any amount of road debris in front of me and makes me more visible to cars. It was worth the investment for sure

Thanks. What does HID mean?

HID = High Intensity Discharge

HID= Wicked Expensive Headlight (around $300+) yikes!

Good thing there are street lights in boston.

Howdy,
Yea I've heard of those super bright lights, but I have never been brave enough to reach for a 250 dollar bill.
My path to work takes me through some industrial areas where street lights just don't exisit. All in all I think I'll start comuting again in about a month.

M.R.

Thanks for the info. I learned the hard way not to trust street lights--at least not if you have aging eyeballs. When I wiped out it was on a pretty well lit street in a downtown area.

High end HID lights are $900 mid range $400 to $600. Everything is relative.

Howdy,
A $900.00 light on a $1,100.00 bike? Seems a bit excessive to me.

M.R.

.It depends on what you want to do. It is practical for some things, not for others.

I was not trying to imply that you need one. I just mean that $300 for an HID light is a good price for what you get

Sounds like time to upgrade the bike so you can justify the light.
Personnally, I'm going for the Schmidt dyno hub and lumotec light. Checked one out, and it's amazingly bright. Probably as good as my 15w nightrider. I don't have to worry about batteries either.

Howdy,
So many cool things, so little $$$. Since I bought 2 new bikes in the last 12 months I have to go slow with the other stuff, you know, wifes, kids, food... those kinds of things. But like you said upgrade the bike to make the light look cheaper, I like that approach.

M.R.

I bought a regular little halogen light to use in addition to an LED. I angle it and point it far enough ahead so that I can see things in the road well before I come to them. It's not perfect, but I generally ride in pretty well lit areas, and it comes in handy for the times I don't.

A good 10W halogen will be enough for a pitchblack commute. The challenge is finding one with batteries that last long enough, but even a cheapie like the Smart will last an hour and you can charge it up again at work.