i got that itch to buy something bike-related for the spring weather a few weeks away. someone recommend me a lighting setup.

Riding: mostly urban areas, id like to ride at night just to my gym (10 miles), and maybe a few extra miles if im feeling good/weather is nice / lighting holds up... i would also occasionally hit my climbing route, an 8 mile windy road in a state forest (no lighting at all). i'd probably only do this around dusk, so there would be a little light to use.

Budget: looking to spend $60-80 for the entire setup, light, mount (no idea which to choose for my fuji newest 3.0), batteries, and charger..also, no clue whats good/bad

i think those P7 flashlights are nice, no idea how to differenciate the models, whats good or bad? i'd only be looking for a runtime on high for 60-90 minutes max

also looking to buy soon, like this weekend...and if theres any nighttime pics of what your recommending me would help tremendously!

If you stay with night riding you will end up spending more for Good Lights.

https://www.bikeforums.net/electronics-lighting-gadgets/509519-pbsf-w-dinotte-test-part-two.html

I am mostly a DIY'er myself for front lighting. Rear lighting I use commerial products. I have 3 front lights I would consider using for riding along with my DIY setup which happens to be ~900lm IIRC.

I have the following front light commerical products

- NiteHawk 1W bike dedicated light (helmet + bar mount included, 4xAA, solid bar mount)
- Maglite 2xAA 3W LED
- Noma Cree XRE 140lumen 3xAAA

I only use the Nitehawk mounted on the bar while riding in combination with my DIY bar and helmet mounted lighting. The Nitehawk is a nice tight beam with some side spill. I think it is a 5 degree spot with a 10 degree side spill with no donut rings in the light. I got that light about $69 CDN I think. It's OLD tech now but a good weatherproofed backup unit you should be able to get cheap.

My Maglite I've not used for riding yet but it is brighter then my Nitehawk I think. My most recent light the Noma 140lm ( can be found on www.canadiantire.ca , if it asks for a postal code enter (random number) M3B 3B6 , then search NOMA LED) easily dwarfs my 3W Maglite and Nitehawk. The Maglite costed I think $19 CDN while the Noma is $30 CDN. The weight of the Noma vs Maglite is about the same. The Noma is all nylon glass material and very light. You could fashion a mount for the bike or get one of those TwoFish mounts.

Given the current dollar exchange rate the Noma isn't a bad off the shelf solution in your budget. LEt I checked it was 78cents USD to $1.00 CDN. So take $30 divide 1.22 = USD. I don't know the runtime on the Noma but 140lm is what I would use for riding at night if on a budget. Brighter is better. BTW the Noma has no dim mode. Same on the Maglite. 140lm should allow you ~17-18kph speed ok at night. The NightHawk has two modes. Hi/low.

YOu should also specify how fast you ride. I tend to ride ~22-30kph speeds on the flats and reach 55kph on the downhills. Granted I have high powered lighting when I'm on the downhills or pitch black trails so I ca ride fast.

i know that bike-specific lights are more money, so what would you recommend to me if i wanna go with a small flashlight with big power? i see these dealxtreme links posted left and right here....i want one!

and i have a 3 led red tail light on my bike already...i may invest in another after seeing some night riding posts

I just bought a P7 from Deal Extreme and love it. I have a 3 mode light, low, high and blinky. I also recently upgraded my tail light to a Vetta. You will find references and links all over the place here.

I would recommend you read the P7 threads and you will be able to begin refining your needs.

As I searched for the Vetta link, I see the price is now $24.49. An unbelievable price. Here: https://www.vetta.com/product_show.asp?ptype=whole&id=60

Hi,

Torches with lots of modes can be very, very annoying and you'll soon get fed up with having to press a button 5 or 8 times to get to the mode that you want.

I'd greatly recommend going with the fewest number of modes you can get away with.

Do you want it to flash ?

I respectfully disagree. I have the Fenix P3 and I use all the modes, except for SOS mode.

Fair enough and some people on here may well agree with you - but there are plenty that won't.

Quite a few multi-mode P7 owners regret buying torches with so many modes.

The OP asked for recommendations and my recommendation will be based on how many modes he wants - is that ok with you ?

3 modes will do fine...i just want a bright flashlight, mount, batteries, and charge for 60-80 bucks...what have you had success with?

Ok...in your position I would buy this one:

18650 Aurora 2 Mode $48

These:

18650 Batteries $10

And this:

18650 Charger $12

Alternatively there is a 2 x 18650 version (much longer runtime - see my signature), and some other Aurora 2 mode 1 x 18650 torches with smaller lenses/reflectors:

@ $48

@ $44

@ $35

If you went for the slimline $35 torch you'll still be under $60 with batteries and charger.

^^ more like the post i was looking for! buying one of these setups today!

Save up some more and get a dynohub and good LED front & rear lights. You'll never have to think about batteries again. It sucks when you've only gotten two blocks from home and the light drops to low-power mode because you forgot to recharge its batteries last night.

As well as ?

(I hope)

(not sure what you mean)

I'll put it this way -- I use lights day and night, most often simply to be seen. I already have Dinotte setups front and rear (plus the amber version that's only good for daytime), and I've used them for maybe a year and a half.

I got a bike with a dynohub last Thanksgiving mainly to have something to run around the neighborhood and downtown. It's a bit heavy (the whole bike, not the hub) and more upright (a drag, literally, on windy days) than the CAAD8 that I was riding all the time, but I'll be darned if that dynohub isn't the reason that it's the bike I reach for when it's time to go.

With the Lumotec LED lighting I added to it, it's just what I want. To be honest, I'm now tempted to get a dyno built into a wheel for the CAAD8.

Buy a trike with 2 front wheels - then you can have 2 dynohubs

Yeah, but carrying a trike into my building and into my apartment would be a little difficult.

Can anyone tell me what kind of mount/s you use for flashlights?

I checked out a Coleman Cree XLamp 2CRC2, it's about 3"s long, runs for 2 hrs., 115 lumens, distance 64 meters and costs $25.00. Two of these would kick pretty good. They're machined nicely and you can get them at Wal Mart.

https://www.batteryjunction.com/twofish-lockblocks.html

Or you can get more batteries and always carry a spare. Rotate among the batteries so you always have one good battery and so the batteries will wear out at the same rate.

Lots of torch mounts here: Flashlight Accessories

I've tried most of them

You mean it's not all about ME?
But seriously, I like being able to sometimes use strobe and sometimes use turbo. Then on occasion when I want my batteries to last a bit longer, I'll run high instead of turbo.
edit: see - it is all about ME.

Some of my lights are specifically to make me more visible.

Some of them are to be able to see where I am going

Not everyone rides in the same environment or has the same requirements

I don't do any busy city centres in the dark, my solution to be easily visible is a large number of blinkies spread out over the bike.

If I relied on a single rear light it's possible that it could be obscured by posts etc when there is a bend in the road or even by a driver's A pillar.

I'm happy to have a very bright constant rear light, but not as my only light and I wouldn't want it flashing.

My front lights are predominantly to see with - being seen is something of a freebie - so consequently none of my front lights flash. However, I make sure I have plenty of lumens from more than one source, so being seen is never an issue.

That's exactly my point, actually. I've done the battery charging thing, trying to always remember to have at least one set in a charger before I go to sleep and bringing along a second set to work. I even kept a charger in my bag so that I could charge up a set if they died on the way to work.

Now, it's just grab the bike and go. If I had gone with this setup to begin with, I wouldn't have spent so much money on all the other lights, batteries, and chargers I've bought.

I'd still have at least one Dinotte set, though.