surprised myself with an impromptu ride last night & got to use my rarely used Magicshine. it's an old light & lots of newer lights are better. adding a helmet light would be helpful in some situations for sure. but for the empty rail trail it was fine. it does offer some oblique side visibility too. cars at road crossings were stopping for me before I was anywhere near them. don't forget rear lights. I use two

The B&M IXON IQ Premium looks very tempting. But I a bit concerned about the batteries and US charging system. Any issues with that??

I don't know, I have a light with a nice beam shape that's low power, and on dark streets it is not enough. The high powered light let's me see way better, and makes me much more visible, however I try to keep it on the low side and only use it on high when on streets with no lights at all or when I will be going downhill fast.

I do wonder why my high powered light doesn't have the same beam pattern as the older light... They're both Cateye...

The light used 4 AA rechargeable batteries and a universal charger. The running time is very impressive on a single charge also, 5 hours on high and 20 hours on low.

This site has some useful info and beam patterns at different Lux outputs.

https://www.bumm.de/en/products/akku...1922qmla.html?

I am a long-time night-rider, so I can actually add something to this thread. Mostly I will add endorsements.

These are great lights. I Really like the variable power setting. I really don’t like that I have tio physically break the light open to put in a new battery when the original wears out ... though I hear you can send them back to be refurbished. Never had to yet, so I don’t know. Really great lights. Run on low, they last for ... maybe eight hours? It is ridiculous.. and they charge in one or two hours.
I agree, if you are going fast, two lights are necessary. I don’t wear a helmet, so I have them on my bars. One is aimed out, the other close. You can see something far away and be ready, and when it’s close, know exactly what it is and know what’s appropriate.

One light is fine, but there will always be a hole, either far out (no good, because you need the reaction time) or close in (not good because you want to know if it is a stain on the pavement or a seven-inch-deep pothole or an armadillo or raccoon or something.)

I just bought two 1000-lumen CREE lights for six dollars, and another couple bucks for mounts. For situations where I am only running one light, or really want to be safe (certain downhills I avoid at night because I am afraid I will get stupid and hurt myself) I think these will be excellent ... plus I can carry spare, fully charged batteries. The lights can be focused wide or long and tight, another plus. I wish they had a dimmer function, but for six bucks a pair, ....I can manage.

I do a ton of night miles—with my job, getting off for those sweet daytime hours when the weather is good is almost impossible. After work it is either too hot, too cold, or too late ... so lights are really important.

When I commuted six days a week, I did at least an hour sometimes two every night five or six days a week.

But I am cheap, I spent a couple hundred on a pair of Urbans, and a couple Cygolite hotshots ... and I don’t regret it. But I can also get some red plastic and glue it over the 1000-watt $3 flashlight (which has a flashing mode) and outshine my Cygolite, and a pair up front are if anything, Too bright for most applications.

I understand the appeal of the really finely crafted stuff, but money on the lights is money not in the frame or running gear (or, worst crime of all, not spent on the wife.) So I will keep my 6800 and 5800 groups, my reasonably happy marriage, and a handful of 1000-watt budget flashlights with removable rechargeable replaceable batteries.

I have this Light and Motion Taz 1500 and it is superb:


https://www.excelsports.com/main.asp...SABEgLvEvD_BwE


Super bright and great coverage. I had a Cateye Volt 1200 too before and that was very nice as well...

Another fan of Light & Motion products here. For the record, I ride extensively at night.

I own an Urban 800 fast charge headlight and a Vis 360+ helmet lamp. Beam pattern on Light & Motion products is second to none and makes the light seem much brighter than it is.


L&M Urban 800 Fast Charge - $78 - https://www.excelsports.com/main.asp...ajor=3&minor=6

L&M Urban 650 - $48 - https://www.excelsports.com/main.asp...ajor=3&minor=6


-Tim-

I've been running a mix of lights from Cygolite and Knog on my night rides.

On the front
Cygolite Dice HL 150 in flash mode from handlebars
Cygolite Dash 320 pointed far down road on solid mode from handlebars
Cygolite Hotrod 110 on solid mode on the front fork
Cygolite Metro 420 with a modded wide angle lens pointed into my general view area on solid mode on my helmet

On the rear
Cygolite Dice TL 50 on flash mode on seat tube below seat stay junction
Cygolite Hotrod 50 on solid mode on left seat stay
Knog Blinder Road on flash mode on the seat post above the collar

I'll also sometimes clip an old blackburn mars 3.0 light to a jersey pocket if i've gone out without my Rapha Brevet vest on, but the vest does a good job of providing reflective accents to my body while riding

I find the combo of flashing, and solid on the rear works well, and the multiple lights up front gives me a wide view

looks good, but do you have 2? 1.5 hrs on high is not quite enough for me, I think

One has to go really big to get more than 2 or 3 hours on high without a dynamo or external battery pack.

I own an Exposure Strada 1200. It will burn 3 hours at 1200 lumens but will burn 10 hours on medium. The medium setting on this light is more than many other lights on high and burn time is never an issue. The tradeoff is size, weight and cost. It is heavy, big and cost a small fortune.

Burn time on smaller lights can be extended by turning them down to the medium or low setting when on quiet roads, cruising on trails or climbing slowly.


-Tim-

I sue my urbans on low whenever possible .... normally they are bright enough for safe riding. But ... i have to have two. No battery swap possible.


When I get my CREE set-uop working I might be able to bring one light and a spare battery.

I am pretty sure the Urbans use the same rechargeable battery (my old Lezyne did) and if the Urbans ever die, I will find a way to replace the batteries ...If the factory can do it, so can I. Then I will bring spare batteries .... but the two-light setup is awfully nice for high speeds/bad roads.

Plenty bright on the medium setting and lasts enough... On high, you light up the entire street!

I've been night riding for decades, so I can offer this advice: do not skimp on the headlight! There's no such thing as too much light since advanced warming of road imperfections and debris is very necessary. Get a good light. They're expensive, for sure, but worth every penny. Second, put on some "tough" tires. The last thing you want to do is change tires in the cold and dark. I switch to Conti GP 4 Season tires every fall and run them until spring. They're excellent. I've never flatted one, and they really do ride nicely. Not as fast or supple as the 4000s II, but not bad at all. After that, well, dress warm and enjoy the ride! There's no need to stay indoors just because it's dark or cold.

recently got in two nite rides & thinking how I can keep them regular

I ride until there's ice on the roads. As long as the roads are dry, I'm good down to the low 30s. Beyond that, well, it's no fun.

Look at the new Ravemen PR 1200. Maybe Planet Cyclery has them the cheapest but it has a road-focused beam as well...maybe in the 600 setting. It's cheap too ($100 or under) and one of the rare ones with a road-focused beam option. I have several German Lupines that cost me alarm and a leg but they are mainly for mountain biking and too bright for the road (too bright for oncoming traffic and cyclist) so I use an Exposure Diablo and am careful with how it points, even though it is only 1000ish lumens. I'm tempted to get the PR1200 for the winter, though most of my night rides are mountain biking so it may not be very useful in my case unless I do more road biking. Even then, I have 30-40 miles of multi-use bike paths around me and hardly anyone is on them after dark.

I love riding and hiking during the day, but I love them just as much - sometimes more - at night!

I have been seriously looking at the Ravemen 1200, and about to pull the trigger on it. Still considering the NiteRider 1100 though.

The main thing I like about the PR1200 is that low beam that reduces glare. The aluminum waterproof body is nice as well...I am not sure the NR is waterproof or water resistant. I like the Ravemen for the road/paths. There may be another one that is road-centric but I forget if it was Exposure or which brand. Regardless, it was way more expensive. I'm off to charge up my lights. This thread has me looking forward to evening/night rides. We actually have a long-standing MTB group that does that on Thursday nights.

How does this light rank for roads that have no street lights, like back roads in the country? Does it light well enough for fairly fast decents?
Cheers

It should be decent, with 1,200 lumens. The high beam seems to throw out well. Here is a review:

Ravemen PR1200 blasts out the lumens - intelligently - BikeRadar USA

You can Google images too...there is 4-5 that I saw. I do not own this light but have been following its development for the past 6 months or so. For mountain biking, I have always used a Lupine Betty (two versions) and they are bright and wide but I'd blind people on the road...one around 2100 and the other around 3000 lumens. I also use a Lupine on the helmet but it is only 800ish lumens.

I'd get the Ravemen for the road but 1200 lumens may not suit me on singletrack here because our trails are steep and twisty so I need wide bright lights plus on on my helmet.

great light for the dollar if doing sub 3 hour night rides. Bright enough for MTB duties if running a small one on teh helmet for corners/switchbacks. $100....is CHEAP

https://www.niterider.com/product/lumina-1100-boost/

Funny, it wasn't that long ago that a light & motion HID 400 lumen headlight was a big deal. Now I use a L&M Seca 2200 light on the same commute. I can see a lot more especially on the two 40+ MPH descents.

I bought the same light, and can run it on low most of the time, but shift to high during descents or on rougher roads. It's a nice unit. Funny, 25 year ago I was alone on the roads at night, now, well, not so much. The lights are better, the gear and clothing is better, so there's no reason to fear the dark.

Not to mention those nice rechargeable tail lights.