I got my commuter bike stolen last month and had my 4 lights on it.
they were standard led lights I had bought at MEC at $7 each couple years ago and still functioning well.
but they were not very strong to be seen during day time.

what lights do you use and where did you buy them?

Which one do you recommend?

I use the Specialized Flash combo; they're about $35 at my LBS. They're small and last quite a while the low flash setting.

If you're just looking to be seen and want a small form factor, these should do the trick.

In the Electronics, Lighting, and Gadgets forum there are threads about the best headlights and best taillights. Lots of good suggestions there.

You don't mention if you are using them for daytime or night time riding. In my opinion you want crazy bright tail light for daytime use. Something people can see way before they come up on you. I had the Cygolite hotshot pro and it worked really well and had a great battery life but after 3 years or so stopped holding a charge. I just got a bontrager Flare RT and I think it's going to be a great daytime tailight.

Dinotte Lights

Garmin Varia RT510 (radar) for the rear, Cycliq Fly12 (video camera) for the front.

Bontrager Ion RT 200 up front (to be seen, not to see at night)
Garmin Varia RTL510 out back

A bit of tech overkill, but I love having the lights power on with my Garmin, the radar feature of the tail light and battery status check through the headunit, Works well as a commuter setup for me.

Here's a link to a video I made (seriously amateur level) of a set Blackburn lights. Not particularly expensive and are decent "be seen" lights. Follow the link to YouTube.


Saying that, I've since moved to the Garmin UT800/RTL 510 which is a whole other level of cost and features. Both are good solutions.

I have 2 red Serfas Thunderbolts on my seat stays, and a white one on the head tube, and a Cygolite Hotshot– High Power 2 Watt on the seat post.

I use the same light setup for daytime rides. Nice and compact and works great with the Garmin 130.
For night riding I use a Light and Motion Urban 800 in conjunction with the Ion RT 200.

Taillight is a Cygolite Hotshot 150. Two headlights I use, A Light and Motion FC 1000 and a Garmin UT 800.
Both day and night.

I am using all Lupine Head Lamps that include my Lupine Alpha 7200 Lumen Head lamp and my Lupine Betty R 5000 Lumen Head lamp and on the rear the brutal Dinotte..

Garmin Varia RTL510 in the back
Bontrager Ion 200 RT in the front

I. use a taillight I bought on Amazon. It's rechargeable and seems quite bright (100 lumens). It has a number of different modes of flashing and non flashing.

Made by Apace Vision which I had never heard of before and only $18.00.

Ion RT 200 on a K-Edge combo mount
Varia RTL510

I use only a taillight and use the Vya system which is motion activated. The darn thing stays charged a long time too. Charges via direct insertion into a USB port of a laptop.

Light & Motion and NiteRider Lumina single LED headlights. I'm on my second L&M Urban 500 and after using a NiteRider for a year or so I'm about to switch to the NiteRider dual 1800 for serious nighttime riding -- it's too hot some days in Texas for midday rides and I'm not an early bird so I rarely start before 10 am. Of the popular dual LED lights the NiteRider gets better reviews than the L&M, has a better mount and doesn't weigh much more.

I might get an Outbound road light after they get batteries back in stock. So far the reviews have been good. Small two-person operation, using lenses to mimic the more focused, shaped beams of vehicle headlights. The NiteRider dual LED 1800 supposedly does this too, although I haven't found a clear video or photo of the beam shape.

I have a couple of to-be-seen blinky/headlights too but those are no longer available so I won't list the names. There are a zillion like 'em on Amazon, ebay and many LBSs.

Cygolite Hotshots are the best buy in a taillight. Lightweight, versatile, reliable, affordable, ridiculously bright within a narrow range.

And I use small, flat, lightweight Blackburn blinkies on my helmet for night rides. The Blackburn 2'Fer is excellent for that.

Rear - Garmin RTL 515 (one of the best cycling-related purchases I have made.)
Front - ApaceVision

My lord, I hope you don't use those on pubic roadways.

My setup is pretty simple, I use two Flare R lights on the rear (the original, and the RT), and a Cygolite on the front (either a 350, 420, or 800 lumen). Sometimes I put an Ion RT on my helmet to use as a cross traffic attention getter (the Bontrager Circuit helmet has magnetic light mounts for front and rear).

It really depends on the ride type and route.

Although I just ordered an RTL515. I like to keep my lights steady (anecdotally a solid light in my peripheral vision triggers motion sensing, while a flashing one doesn't when I drive - and I project this experience of one to an entire driving population ) and in night mode (PWM modulated, not really flashing) my RTL510 runs out and disconnects after about 6-6.5 hours. I'll just bring an extra light in the saddle bag and swap.

I saw someone with a front light that is a cube and it seemed to snap into a cube shaped box that was attached to the bottom of the computer mount. Does anyone know what light that is?

I use a Cygolite 650 on the bars. I can see its flash reflected in road signs more than 100 yards away. I use a Cygolite 150 as a tail light. Anecdotally, drivers seem aware of me. It’s blinding to look at.

All riding in daylight only, not after dark.

Did it look something like this? If so it is either a Bontrager Ion 100 R or a Bontrager Ion RT 200.


There is an optional Blendr mount that works with a standard GoPro mount.

I have a Lumina 1200 + Lumina 650 in the front. A Lezyne Mini-drive 400xl mounted on the seat tube pointing down(flashing white) + Lezyne Strip Drive 300 on the seat post(flashing red).

Yeah, that's what I use. Make sure to loctite the bolt that holds the front mount portion... This is my second one.




The Ion 200 RT will also do the Garmin light network thing. (Though I personally prefer to turn it on myself.)