MSD

I did a search on riding at night, and bicycle lighting, but came up short. Anyway, with the days growing much shorter, I decided I'm going to continue riding despite the darkness (and cold weather, when it gets there).

I'm mostly interested in how well lights work, and maybe some suggestions. I place no restrictions on price; I'd like to see where I'm going.

From what little research I did so far, I have my eye on HID systems. Are they worth the money?

Thanks!
Mike

Ohio Trekker

HID systems are great and as far as night riding it really has a lot to do with where you are going to ride. HID systems are the best on trails where I ride because there is NO light whatsoever, no street-lights, no head-lights no lights. Except for being visible to drivers on the road, (a necessity not to be under estimated!!) there are usually house lights, street lights, and perhaps car lights that dont' really necessitate having as bright a light as the HID. I will typically tilt mine down more on the road so as not to blind oncoming drivers, the thing is bright and I sure don't want a blind offended driver crossing over to meet me in the night! I've got the catalog with the new Night Rider 2004 models, which on the higher end will now include a series of L.E.D.s on the front of the unit for added visibility and will most likely upgrade to a similar and use the one I have now for a back-up.

The only thing that I found to be important when researching the purchase of a high end l ighting system is the charging system. It is very important that you get a smart charger as opposed to a timed charger. One will charge the batter for a specified amount of time regardless of the battery's state of charge. The other will assess the charge of the battery and only charge it as much as it needs. Do your research and include the information on the charger and it's operation. You will be glad you did and save yourself a ton of money on replacement batteries. So when you ask are they worth the money, keep in mind for that money you are often getting a much better charging system, as well as a more durable system.

A couple other things to keep in mind are make sure to be visibile from the rear as well, a good tail light will not go through a lot of batteries, and if I'm riding on the street, I actually ride with 2, one blinking and one on steady. Maybe over-kill but I have seen folks with more, and folks with less. To me, a blinky & a steady seem like a good compromise. Keep in mind many states and or municipalities still require reflectors to be in place even if you have powered lights, and anything that adds to your visibility is a GOOD THING!! Lastly, carry a back-up light just in case you burn out a bulb, or loose the charge on your battery. You don't want to be stranded in the middle of nowhere and risk making it home without seeing where you are going.

chainreka

If money is no object, I'd get something pretty damn bright even for the road. I've got an old BLT with SLA battery....6 or 8 Watts (I forget which). Anyway, that's more than most roadies use around here, and it's pretty bright.....yet some *%$^ in a silver BMW coupe came straight out of a side street (a T intersection) and would have run straight over the top of me, sideways, if I hadn't already moved most of the way over to the centerline....so it was just a small swerve for me to cross the rest of the way over onto the wrong side of the road (fortunately no traffic).

This all happened at 5.15am 2 days ago, in an ordinary suburban street with lighting...I was doing 27km/hr on flat road and was still approaching the side road, which has totally unimpeded side vision, when I first observed the car coming down the very short hill approaching the intersection. He had PLENTY of opportunity to see my light front on. I had a feeling 'he' wasn't going to stop....and that paranoia/intuition saved my life...the closest call I've had for several years. I got plenty angry at the time, and got his plates, but really, what can you do?

My point is, you can't have lights bright or aggravating enough to guarantee your safety. Night riding on roads will always be more dangerous than daytime. Ohh, but I lust for a set of front and rear Niteriders.....

MI_rider

I have only used the niterider blowtorch (hid) so I can't compare
it to other systems but it works great. It lights your way very
well and everyone can see you. Couple that with the niterider
rear light that has 16 leds and I have had no fear of not being
seen.

The batteries last around 4 hours with both running. It is
expensive but in my opinion worth it.

If you do a search on HID or on niterider blowtorch I know some
good reviews have been written on this site. I remember reading
one by Rainman. His commute is in the dark everyday so I would
certainly trust his opinion.

Steve

MichaelW

Dont forget reflective stuff on your clothing like scotchlite tape.
I find that night-riding is safer than dusk, you are more visible to drivers.
You have to ride even more assertiveley to be seen. Put your headlamp where drivers expect to see it.
I find that a 3w/6v dynamo headlamp is sufficient. I power it with a dynamo on one of my bikes and a lead acid battery on another. I use a smart charger. so maintainance is really easy. Wiring up your own system is pretty trivial if you buy the components. Some people think that home-made lighting systems means making your own lamp housing and soldering the circuit board of a custom charger. I just go to a shop and buy these things.

MSD

Thanks for the replies! So far, I have my eye on a few systems. From Niterider, the Blowtorch and the new Flamethrower. Also, I'm looking at Light & Motion's Arc. Both have great reviews @ mtbreview.com.

I'm still undecided as both systems are similar. Niterider gets some points though for having an available taillight, where as I'd have to pruchase a seperate unit for the Arc. On the other hand, do I really need a $60 taillight?

I also plan to reinstall my wheel reflectors, and as MichaelW mentions, some reflective material for my clothes.

Mike

Jay H

You might also want to check out the commuting forum, if you haven't already. Alot of commuters use lights, especially in the fall and winter where it gets dark at 5pm!

I use a set of Marwi Kamikaze which is a dual beam 20W flood and a 12W spot beam when it is completely dark and a simple 3.5W Planet Bike light with 4-AA batteries for times when I just want to be seen. I'd probably buy an LED headlight if I was to buy a new one now.

You can also buy little adhesive reflective material you can put on your shoes and other parts of your bike or your bike helmet.

Jay

Pat

Well if you are getting the arc light, you are going top end.

I have found with headlights, there are 2 issues. 1) Illumination - can I see things like the road? potholes? possums, dillos, and joggers? downed branches? and so on.

The other is 2) Visibility - can motorists see me? I have found in most situations even a 5 watt halogen light is visible from a pretty long distance. I avoid certain roads for visibility reasons - any road with lots of neon, I figure a cyclist or even a ferris wheel could get lost in the dazzle. On unlit country roads, even modest lights show up like well lights. The worst time of the day is twilight - it gets too bright for lights to show up but not bright enough to see the cyclist well.

As for illumination, I can "outrun" a 15 watt headlight at about 17 mph. Of course, the current lights have a wide angle of dispersion and that means that they have a limited range.

For the rear, it is all about visibility and I go with 2 flashing lights. If I am travelling under more suspect conditions, I go with 3. They don't cost or weigh much.

TXCiclista

Go here: https://www.performancebike.com/shop/....cfm?SKU=14870

Performance Bike has the NightHawk Viper for $20. It has a rechargeable bottle cage battery and a 5 watt bulb that gives 4hrs of light. For $10 more, you can buy a 10 watt bulb to swap out. Since you're riding in the winter, your speeds won't be super fast when it's dark and 10 watts (in my experience( is plenty for about 15mph or so. The assembly can be taken pretty fast for day rides but putting it back on takes an extra minute (I quickly replaced the zip ties w/ velcro straps). I LOVE this setup! Especially for $30.

Go to Wal-Mart and buy the little rear flashers for kids' bikes at their Ray-o-Vac battery stand. They're orange w/ a blue mount, but only set you back $4 instead of $10+ and they run on 2 AAA.

I'm quite visible at night (and morning) for only $35! Yay me!

TXCiclista

Sorry, the 10-watt bulb is $13, but they also carry a 20-watt for the same price. I'd guess that'd give you only an hour on the battery. The 10-watt should give 2.

TXCiclista

I should also add that I don't ride extensively when it's dark. Never more than about 45 minutes (get a little too nervous). I really just commute. I save the long rides for the weekend when it's light.

MSD

Thought I'd update this thread since I purchased my lights and have been riding in the dark. I bought the NiteRider Digital Evolution and the NiteRider Taillight. After talking w/ my LBS owner, I discovered HID would probably be overkill for road riding.

The Digital Evolution is a single light with 3 brightness settings: 6, 10 & 15 watts. 15 is plenty bright, 10 does the job and 6 I used at dusk to just be seen. It also has various flashing modes. The taillight is really bright as well. My first ride I had it (tailight) in flashing mode, but figured it most be really distracting to drivers, so I used it with the steady light on subsequent rides. I mounted the headlight to my handlebars; it also came with a helmet attachement. The battery fits perfectly in my saddle bag w/ enough room for my spare tube, compressed air & cell phone. The charger has been updated this year; it's capable of fully charing the battery in 3.5 hours.

Every single motorist that's past me has given me more room at night then they do in bright sun light. Except for one instance, all oncoming traffic turn their brights off. One car that did not, I switched from 10 to 15, then back to 10 and the driver turned off their brights. It seems that vehicles have respect for me on my bike since I'm using fairly bright lights.

Overall, I'm pretty happy and recieved these lights just in time for the beautiful weather we've been having.

Mike

Lone Ranger

I would keep your tail light in flashing mode. Distracting to drivers is exactly what you want, particularly from behind where you can't see. Besides, flashing mode uses much less of the batteries.

scott L R

I recently bought a cygolite on ebay for $20.00. I have done a 2 hour ride at nite, 1.5 hour on 5 watt, .5 hour on 15 watt, and still had bright light left. I just use a cheapo wally world light in back. I have noticed from the side a bike is nearly invisible, so I recomend some sort of reflective tape.

chainreka

MSD, good choice! I envy you (NB I have no connection to Niterider). I believe there is a direct correlation between how bright your lights are and the amount of RESPECT you get from cars. Plus, brighter lights inevitably have more side glare and throw a bigger pool of light on the ground which also helps you be seen from the side. I also favour the rear in flashing mode, but hey, with 16 LEDs, you're gonna get their attention either way. I'll have to get me one of those rear lights! :-)

MSD

I installed the wheel reflectors, plus my bike shoes have some reflective material on them as well. Also, I believe a decent amount of light can be seen from the sides, considering my hands are lit up.

Last night was one cold ride... low 30's. However cold and dark, it beats the hell out of indoor stationary "riding"

Jay H

Your stock reflective spoke reflectors are very visible at night, if you don't like those, you can even get lighted spoke reflectors (lithium watch battery powered). Use them and you can even get reflective stickers/tape to put on.

I commute and now that it's dark I use both a blinking red LED light on my seatpost and a steady red LED on the back of my pannier (single) as well as the plain red reflector on the underside of my rack and also reflective tape on my shoes, my helmet and the spoke reflectors. Haven't been hit yet! You are more visible at night than you are at dusk/dawn so remember that. You can even get lighted bracelets so you can be seen when you signal turns, like left ones.

Jay

AndrewP

When driving I have found that reflectors on pedals are very noticable. I havent seen any clipless pedals with reflectors, so I put white reflective tape on the front and back of my cranks to achieve a similar effect. I also put small strips of reflective tape on my rims to provide visibility from the side.