It is impossible to do it under 50 $, but quite possible to do it under 150 $... which is quite cheaper than many battery systems.

1. Get a Shimano dynohub. Given the difference between the lower end and the other ones, I would recommend the DH-3N7x or DH-3N8x (or the disk version if needed). That's about 100 $, and you need to rebuild your front wheel.
Or you get a good bottle generator such as the Dymotec 6 (50 $). It's a great alternative, but there is a slight buzz when riding at night and the generator is prone to some slippage if you ride in foul weather (tires with a generator strip help)

2. Get a Lumotec headlight. The Lumotec Fly costs between 35 and 50 $ depending on whether or not you want a standlight. It provides very good lighting to be seen, is very effective in the city (i.e. left-turners stop and don't try to ride through me), but I would not recommend it for long rides in total darkness. Still, it is brighter than the Planet Bike 1 W Blaze, and because the beam is well patterned, it is much more effective than that.
The Lumotec IQ Fly is about 3 times as bright as the Lumotec Fly (no IQ). Great on dry pavement, not as bright as I would want on semi-urban areas, with dark sections and stray light, when the pavement is wet. Still at 100 $, I think it is a great investment for most.
The Lumotec IQ Cyo and the Schmidt Edelux take care of that last bit, but they make a bigger dent in your wallet.

already have a SHimano Alfine dynohub. hevr been looking at the lights you mentioned, and like the Edelux alot, but its near $200!
Just wondering what else is out there...

Have anybody here ever tried to use any of these stuff? These are dirt cheap chinese stuff and that is why I ordered some lights and a speedometer for the bike... I am not sure what to expect...

http://www.dealextreme.com/search.dx...h.bike%20light

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2682

I've bought several of the lights from DealExtreme. For the most part, they're OK -- low cost but low quality. This one in particular is probably the best one I've seen of the dedicated bike lights. It puts out a reasonable amount of light and is reasonably well constructed. I'm not fond of AAA (I prefer AAs) batteries, but they're not that bad -- and needing 4 rather than 3 is nice, because more chargers can do 4 batteries at once than just 3 at once. In general, the older lights they have are inferior to the newer ones.

(Of course, the 900 lumen (really 400) flashlights are the real bike light winner from DE ...)

As for the speedometer, no idea. I've got several of the ~ $10 17 function Schwinn cycle computers from Amazon and they're quite nice.

Where did you get the Lock Blocks for $18 shipped?

from 4sevens you can get 3 for $15 :) I got them with free shipping and I'm in the UK!

I ended up buying the Fenix L2D for $38 shipped from 4sevens. Can anyone recommend a charger and battery now, or point me to a place with reviews?

I think you'll find most recommending the Maha charger with the La Crosse 2nd. I have the La Crosse and it works well. They usually come with some rechargeable batteries.

The vanson works well and you can charge 1 battery or different types at the same time. Sanyo's from Battery Junction, the 2700 seem to work fine, but I have several kinds and truthfully they all seem to do the job if properly charged.

http://www.batteryjunction.com/vabcunsmch.html.

Trust me choosing the flashlight was the easy part. All seem to do the job except those cheap quick charge types from Duracell or Energizer.

I second the LaCrosse recommendation. It even includes adapters so that you can have rechargable "C-size" and "D-size" batteries.

I got the lights (Romisen RC-N3 Q5) from shining beam (Brian is really cool) and I got the lock blocks at jenson USA. I think the 3 pack was $18.00 with shipping. that was back in march.

The shipping was really fast on these items.

If you want lock blocks, I got a 3 pack for $15 delivered and it arrived very quickly from the US (I'm in the UK) from 4sevens.

I got a NEXcell-60FC from Battery Junction. It's a great little Smart Charger. It charges AA, AAA and 9V in any combination. It can also completely discharge and rejuvenize old li-ion batteries. No complaints.

I use a Romisen RC-N3 CREE Q5 LED Flashlight from Shining Beam with a Tenergy Lithium CR123A 1300mah battery mounted to my handlebar with a Two Fish holder. This set-up is awesome!

Rc-n3 cree q5
 

My RC-N3 Q5 has the extention so I can use 2 AA's. I have 2 mounted on my handlebars and it's pretty darn brite. I have a bunch of alkalines I'm trying to use up. I got about 5 hrs out of one set and another set is still going strong. I haven't tried my nimh's yet. Supposed to get longer battery life with them. I'll post what they do.



2008 Raleigh Mohave 8.0

I have the same light but run AA's. What kind of run time do you get with the Tenergy's?

These are the lights I use, lifetime warranty too :thumb:

Blaze ½-watt LED headlight --> http://ecom1.planetbike.com/3036.html & http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Bike-2-...4165526&sr=1-2

Beamer 3 --> http://ecom1.planetbike.com/3029.html & http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Bike-Be...4165203&sr=1-1

Blinky 3 --> http://ecom1.planetbike.com/3009.html & http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Bike-Bl...ef=pd_sim_sg_1

/
Do you how these hold up in the rain? Any water-resistancy?
Thanks.

I've had my Romisen since October 08', and it's held up real well thru the frigid cold and snow and countless rain days.

Lights for tunnels... ??

I tried my little PlanetBike LED headlight in a tunnel on the Bizz Johnson Trail (came with a nice rear flasher I wanted). A dim patch of the roadbed just ahead was visible. Vertigo started to set in. I concentrated on the dim Light at the End of the Tunnel ahead and went slow.

Obviously time to retool as I have more rail to trail tunnels on the summer schedule and one is a mile long - not like that shortie on the Bizz. The black pit of that tunnel should be extensive. Flashlight on a bike mount seems smart. They have really improved the LEDs
.
Who makes a mount for a helmet? I was wondering how to apply one of my many LED headlights to the helmet.

Opinion seems divided between Rominsen and P7.

Your thoughts?

You should try the 1.7 mile Taft tunnel that crosses the Montana/Idaho border.

I've got a nice high tech method of attaching my Fenix to my helmet, rubber bands. ;)

I used a large O-ring through the vents and a wine cork cut in to a wedge to get the proper angle. It works amazingly and has been solid for several years of every day commuting.

Others use either the Lockblocks or Bikeblocks from Two Fish, depending on the layout of their vents.

just throwing this out there:

MG PLI v Romisen RC-N3

I understand the PLI is double the price of the RC-N3, but is that price justifiable? Does someone have both and can give their input?

Thanks in advance,
Looking for a HL

They are two very different lights. The PLI is much brighter, but has a shorter runtime and uses a different battery and charger (18650 Li-Ion).