Bike Light Recommendations
 

Hi! Newbie here!


I wonder if I could get some advice on lights I could get for my two bikes: A 2016 Trek Domane and an OLD Schwinn one-speed.


The old one has the old-type handlebars that are thin.


I don't plan on riding a LOT in the dark, but now and then, I might, especially early in the morning in the summer, or when I need to toodle on my one-speed to the store for a beer run. :rolleyes:


What are the better front and rear lights for such purposes--road riding and "toodling"--at some of the better prices?


Thanks!

Front with a separate battery:
https://www.amazon.com/Revtronic-160...ords=revtronic

Front with an integrated battery:
https://www.amazon.com/Metro-750-USB...cygolite+metro

Rear:
https://www.amazon.com/Portland-Desi...pdw+tail+light

For your night riding, would you be riding in more urban/town settings, or out in the country (ie. roads that have streetlighting, or in pitch black areas)?

For a headlight good for easy swapping between bikes, i'd suggest one of the rubber-band mounted options, versus bracket mounted. eg. the Cygolite Dash lineup probably offers something suitable:
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_qz_b...qid=1479833338

there's another thread going down the forum.

Hard to beat cygolites and their 5v USB charging.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7.../aP3180019.jpg

Moved from General

Niterider swift 350 is $28 at rei.com right now. Its 350 lumens and a good small, easily mountable/removable front light that is usb rechargeable. Probably plenty of light for your needs.

Cheap rechargeable and comes with rear light... https://www.amazon.com/lumens-Rechar...aco+bike+light

Light & Motion Urban 300/500/800 lights have the best beam pattern I've seen in a USB rechargeable light. Not the cheapest but a good value for night rides under two hours.

Unfortunately the L&M Urban lights last only an hour and a half at maximum brightness, and cannot be charged while riding via an USB battery.

So I'm planning to add a Busch & Muller Ixon IQ Premium to my main bike for longer rides. The four AA batteries can be changed as needed. I already have a Serfas SL-255 that use a pair of AA batteries and is adequately bright but I'd rather have a wider beam pattern and a bit brighter light.

My Light & Motion Urban 800 Fast Charge regularly lasts close to two hours on max.

This in spite of the advertised 1.5 hour runtime.

-Tim-

Maybe you can read the archives , or put 'headlight' in the search block .. with your FAQ..





[B&M Ixon IQ, here, is My battery light, but the 3 'good bikes' have Hub dynamo sets]




...

This is the headlight I would have if I only had one headlight. I also like the relite-d and the toplights for the rear light, so everything runs on rechargeable eneloop AAs.

There are any number of $30-$40 lights with 300+ lumens that would probably be great for your purposes, cheaper if you go the amazon etc route, but you have to be somewhat careful about buying cheap lights off amazon and the like. Rear light you could spend anywhere from $10 to $60, button cell, AAA/AA batteries to usb rechargeable. Its kindof up to you and your budget. The $30-$40 front lights I referenced would allow you to actually see to some extent where you are going(in my experience). Some people have different opinions on how many lumens are necessary to see with. You could go much cheaper if you just want to be seen or be legal in your area if necessary.

I love my Cateye Volt's.


For the front, I have been alternating between the Volt 300, 800 & 1600 and for the rear, the Volt 50.


Clearly a Volt 300 would be all you would need and I can not say enough good things about the Volt 50 as a rear light.


For the Volt 50, I do though use the kind of mount that would ordinarily be used for the handlebars and have it on my rack.


It would also work very well as a helmet mounted rear light if you buy Cateye's helmet strap.

If you don't mind waiting for the proverbial slow boat from China, I bought these from ebay sellers and am extremely happy with them:

Front Light: Ultrafire Cree T6 Flashlight

Ultrafire 6000LM Zoomable CREE XM-L T6 LED Flashlight Torch Super Bright Light | eBay

http://hk3.image4.pushauction.com/35...37c69b94c7.jpg

They are the real deal for <$5, all aluminum body, waterproof with o-ring gaskets, genuine cree bulb, takes 3xAAA alkaline batteries, or 1x18650 lithium battery. High/Low/Flashing setting, and zoomable beam from pencil point to wide flood. Advert says they are 6000 lumens, I don't know if that's accurate or not, but they are bright as hell, I have no need for more light on a bike in the city. And to boot, when you're not using it on the bike, it's an awesome, indestructible general handyman flashlight!

For mounts I bought these for about $1:

360° Cycling Bicycle Bike Mount Holder Clip Clamp For LED Flashlight Torch Lamp | eBay

http://erpimgs.idealhere.com/ImageFo...34f4aba2bc.JPG

For rear lights, these, also for about $1:

2016 Bicycle Bike Cycling 5 Led Tail Rear Safety Flash Light Lamp Red With Mount | eBay

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NzYxWDc2MQ...XfKob/$_12.JPG

Waterproof with a gasket between the casing and the lens, use 2xAA batteries. Advert says they should last for 200 hours. I'm not sure if I put that on them or not, but the batteries I put in them early in the season are still working fine. I think if you use one of the flashing modes it significantly extends the battery life versus always on. Again, bright as hell, and 7 or 8 different patterns from solid always on, to flashing to disco.

All-in, about $7 for front and rear lights that work extremely well!

Cheers
TRJB

I've been getting right about 1.5 hours on max brightness since the temps have gotten chillier. It might run longer in warmer but not hot weather.

I'm thinking about seeing if REI will exchange the Urban 500 for the 800. I can run the 800 on medium and get plenty of light and longer runtime. The L&M is an excellent light (other than my quibble about the mount). And the runtime per charge is comparable to any good USB light. I just ride longer at night than many folks, usually 3 hours or longer and occasionally much longer. I get only a few opportunities a week to ride and it's often at night, so my riding is a bit unusual compared with some folks.

I tried ye olde "Lemme Google that for ye" stuff last year when I was looking for a headlight. Problem is that light manufacturers change their lineups every year. As tech changes -- brighter LEDs, longer lasting batteries -- forum recommendations from a year or so ago are obsolete unless the poster is interested in an older light that's heavily discounted.

Ditto. My lengthy nighttime rides make the B&M and comparable lights using AA batteries more sensible for me. But I kept trying to work around it, buying the less expensive, less powerful Serfas SL-255, then the very good L&M Urban 500 that doesn't have quite the runtime I needed. I might as well buy the B&M now while the exchange rate is so favorable -- it's almost half the price it was last year.

I might try one based on your feedback. I've been on local nighttime group rides with a few folks who used flashlights with various mounts. I've lost track of the number of times I've stopped to pick up their lights after they bounced off crossing railroad tracks, potholes, etc., or simply stopped working. I'm sure there are some good inexpensive flashlights and solid mounts, but it's tricky to rely on stuff like Amazon buyer ratings because too many people post five-star ratings without ever having actually used the item, or one-star ratings because it wasn't the shade of red they expected. So it does help to hear from experienced cyclists like you.

Convenience, reliability, "very bright".

Any number of the American engineered and assembled lights will work. This way the warranty and service make it easier, perhaps better.

These are the kinds of devices that could be purchased online rather than at where you purchased that Trek Domane.

Which American companies make bike lights as well as the Germans?

NiteRider out of San Diego, CA

Cygolite out of Irvine, CA

Light & Motion, Monterey, CA

I'm guessing you don't have any German lights? I have lights from both of those companies and the German lights are better.

OK, better or not, these are American. The best sushi? The best anything?

I say get the lights and don't spend the time to go from good to better to best.

By the way, I still use pencils and I like the German Mars Lumograph by Staedtler.

It's just as easy to order a light from a German retailer as an American one. They also handle warranty claims with no hassle. Americans make the best of a lot of things. Bike lights are unfortunately not among them.

Warehousing a branded import can qualify as 'Out Of'.. there would be the proximity of Long Beach POE, and Irvine ..

any one visited these Places and seen them Being Made there ..

The brightest lights I have used and seen so far are the Dinotte lights and I highly recommend them.

My Two B N M lights no longer work.

To me, bike lights don't have to be "best" for me to purchase. But I do use the German Continental tires and Schwalbe tires too.

Let's see, what else do I use? SwissStop Yellow King brake pads for my carbon rims.

http://www.swissstop.com/tech/production/