Would any of you happen to know of a good handlebar light I could get. I like to keep the cost down of-course, but something nice and bright. Thanks George

What you want is something that can definitely be seen-you can see sufficient by- and is economical. The Cat Eye LED lamps will probably fit the bill and I used to Use the EL 300-in fact I still do but it is no longer available over here. However the EL220 is one I bought for a co-worker that rides a bike to work. Or at least he was until he got hit by a car and broke his wrist. The EL220 can be seen by others and has a flashing mode if you want to really be seen. At least this one is brighter than the single candle thing he used to have.

Now if you want something for extended rides and you definitely want to be able to see- Then look around for a Halogen lamp but with a power of at least 10 watts. Or if you really want to see on the roads then the new Luxion LEDS are damn good but pricey or for the ultimate- then go to an HID lamp with an L Ion battery for around $600

Main problem I have found though is rear lamps. They are not that bright so I normally use two. One in constant mode and one Flashing.

You can't have enough lights,and of those, the rear lights are the most important!I have three on my back side, two on the bike and one on the helmet,I had a guy come up to me two weeks ago in a resturant and said i passed you a few miles back and when i came up over the hill, i thought the sherrif had someone pulled over! (thats what i want all of them to think) so everything works good!Somebody's hood ornament i don't want to be!I run my rear lights in the daytime too! Whats a few battries???to save my bacon?

Thanks guys, I'll probably get one today. I have one flasher on the back,but they are so cheap I'm going to get another. I seen a guy with 4 on the back, 1 on his helmet another on his waist and 2 on the bike. You sure could see him.

I have a 3 watt luxeon LED mini mag light that is powered by 3 AA batteries mounted on my bike. It's frickin' bright and the battery life is pretty good too. The 3 watt luxeon LED mini mags are only recently on the market - last couple of months or so. The LED lamp market is getting to be like other electronics, better and brighter for less and less $$$. You can find them at Wal-Mart, they are about $25.00. They really are worth a look IMHO. I mounted mine to the bars with a couple of small hose clamps. If I need to work on the bike in the dark or for any other purpose, it's super easy to get off and on with the hose clamp solution. I know it's pretty low tech and not bike shop sexy, but what the hey, it is a solution that works really well for me. I also have a Bell flashie on the back and it seems to be plenty bright enough too.

I just got a Cateye HL-EL350 1,500 candlepower light from Nashbar. It's the brightest battery powered light I've found so far. The beam is fairly focused, but I can replace the batteries in it while out on a ride.
https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...Front%20Lights

I also got a Planet Bike Super Flash rear blinkie. This thing is MUCH brighter than my Catey TL-LD1000.
https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...0Rear%20Lights

https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=4320

I have one of these things and since a group of us originally built some high powered offroad headlight systems that used gelcell batteries back in the 80's I'm used to having a LOT of light. Most self contained battery headlights were very weak and battery life was poor. It was more a matter of traffic seeing you and not you being able to see the road.

With the Cateye 5-LED headlight you get the best of all possible worlds. Long battery life, bright enough light to see the road at moderate speeds and cheap. I give it four stars.

BTW, blinking headlights or taillights are illegal in most states except on emergency vehicles.

It's funny, I was out one night with my rear blinkie and I pulled over some local law enforcement and asked about that. He said that off the top of his his "It beats the snot out of me".
He also said that, at least in our sleepy little town, it would have to be one bored cop to cite someone for that and that they're actually grateful for riders make an effort to be seen (and not get hit).

I'm not worrying about it. If someone sees my blinking read light and can't distinguish me from an emergency vehicle, they shouldn't be behind the wheel, anyway.
It makes me feel better to blink so if they want to cite me, cite me.

Thanks guys I picked up a Cat Eye HL-EL220 with the 5 LED and it seems to do the trick. I just tried it in the garage and it works great.

George

Lights are a problem on bikes and now you have started on them- You will soon find that you cannot have enough lights on a bike. I do ride offroad at night and I have a $600 lamp that works. I also always take the Cateye EL300 with me as an emergency lamp in case the main one runs out of battery or packs up on me. However- the most usefull lamp I have is a helmet lamp. There are cycling specific helmet lamps but in general these are very expensive. I went to an outdoor shop that caters for walkers and climbers and got a Head-fitting lamp. I took my helmet along with me to ensure it would fit but this is probably the most usefull lamp I have got. It has a 3 level LED and I can see the bar controls on the low setting or repair the bike if necessary on the high setting. It also has a halogen spot lamp that I find very usefull as it looks round corners. Or at least that is what it seems like as wherever you look- the lamp shines. Instead of just pointing wherever the bars point. The spot is not that powerful but will shine for arond 50 ft and once again this will act as an emergency lamp if required. It is also very usefull at getting cars to dip their headlamps when shone in the face of the driver.

Attached is a pic I have shown before but shows the Helmet lamp and how it is fitted.(And as you can see-I still have the EL300)

Thanks stapfam, that LED really looks bright sitting there. I have a battery charger for my camara and if I buy rechargeable batteries for the lights I could save a few bucks. This is going to work out pretty good.I'm going to give them a try tonight.

+1
I have the 2AA version and it fits my needs just fine. I use EMT conduit hangers for mounting the flashlight. I just bolt 2 back to back with a short 1/4" screw, star washer, and nut. I also replace the original screws that came with the clamps with thumbscrews so no tools are required to remove the clamps. I also used some small bits of inner tube rubber glued to the inside area of the clamps to prevent scratching the flashlight and handlebars. Here is my 2AA Mag-Lite 3-watt LED light and two EMT conduit clamps ready to attach to the handlebar of a bike.


Here it is on my road bike.

I Used one plastic handlebar clamp with one EMT conduit clamp.

Plus,the handy spare bulb in the base of the Mag light!
How about using some 1 1/2" hanger and strapping on the 12" Mag light?