Hello,

I have to bike home after football games at night, and in the area where I live, there are no streetlights and many winding roads.
I currently have one of these, https://www.cateye.com/en/product_detail/343, although it is an older model. While it does warn other cars on my presence, it does not let me see enough of the road ahead, and I do not have time to react to whatever obstacles are on the road in front of me.
I have tried playing with how the light is mounted.
I have also seen other cyclists with extremely bright lights - I thought they were cars with one broken headlight
Do you guys have recommendations for a brighter light?

Thanks.

I've heard good things about MagicShine.

I just got one of these, they cant be beat.

MagicShine is really good, wow! bang-for-buck awesome. Really, if you can afford it, get two of them.

I actually ride double Dinotte 800s. Half power (400 x 2) is fine. I like a little light spread. If I were getting MagicShines, which I would, if I didn't already have Dinottes, I'd get two.

I built an LED light which causes runners on the MUP to dive for the side because it literally looks like a Semi-Truck is barreling down on them. Problem is it's bulky so I ordered some flashlights with bar and helmet mounts to experiment with. They look incredibly bright, convenient and rechargeable batteries sound like a good option. Don't know if they're going to match up but it's worth a shot. I'll probably go with one on the bike and one on my helmet. Here's what I got.

Lights: https://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/sho...5&postcount=17
I got both from shiningbeam.com but others sell it. You can go to dealextreme.com and get deals on all this stuff if you don't mind waiting for a ship from China to make it over. The Thrower is kinda big but is worth me checking it out.

Mount: https://www.amazon.com/TwoFish-FH1-Fl..._bxgy_sg_img_a
Not sure about these but there's several others to try.

Battery: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ef=oss_product
You can get the CR123A batteries but they're not rechargeable, these are.

Charger: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ef=oss_product
I like this charger because it will charge the rechargeable version of the CR123A

There's always the magicshine and many other options. Dealextreme is a good place to see what's available then try to get it in the states to save some time. GL

Magichsine for the pure value. Seriously bright for $80, and seirously as in somewhere between 4-600 lumens. Buy 2, stick one on your helmet. That's the only way drivers really see you in pitch dark, rainy crappy weather.

There's nothing wrong with a helmet light, at all. On windy trails, you can point your head to illuminate where you want to go. On roads, you can give cross-road drivers a heads-up by aiming at their eyes. In my experience, personally, I think bar-mounted steady-beam light or lights, combined with strobing helmet light is best combo, the bar light to see the road, the strobing helmet light to get drivers' attention.

Also lots of Reflexite tape. On the ankles, it creates nice biker visibility.

On my MTB, I also run Monkeylectric spokes wheel lights at night. They're a crowd pleaser. Of course people love light shows. Doh.

I have a Dinotte 600 and tailight. It is enough light for me. Most people think that I am riding a motorcycle when I pass them. However, Dinotte is a little expensive. If I were in the market today, I would probably look for a lower cost option.

I got a Dinotte 600, but when it arrived, they had come out with the 800. I said, "WTF". Rob said I could return the 600 and get an 800. Now they have a 1200.

They really need a mirror-hood to direct more light onto the road.

Don't forget the taillight, lest you get hit from behind. Too bright is just right. For this get a Dinotte.

I run the Dinotte 400L on my bars (2 when MTB riding) and a Jet Lite Blast 1000 HID on the helmet. I have an 'OK' tail light, but want the Dinotte rear 400R ultimately. Probably a Winter time purchase since I have started commuting to work on my beater Crack 'N' Fail...

Had most of the P7 based lights and did not find them very efficient or good at directing light properly on the road, particularly on rainy nights.

Found these lights at

www.trailled.com. Have one Darkstar (1200 lumens) on the bars and a 500 L (550 lumens) on the helmet. These are beautifully made, CNC machined handmade lights, customizable for optics and color. Longer battery life, more efficient, than the magic shine.
Have not had to use their customer service but reviews seem to be excellent. More expensive thant the MS yes, but about the same price as the Dinotte.

BTW my taillight is a Dinotte 400R.

I just received the below Light & Motion:



Will try it probably tonight.

Buy some frome here

https://www.lumicycle.com/pages/default.aspx

any set will do - they all kick off massively.

Cars literally slow to a crawl when they pass me on country lanes using these.

Most of the lights you're seeing recommended here are in a totally different class from the Cateye you're using. It's an amazing difference.

I have been using Dinotte's in a variety of sizes and combinations the last 3 years; they're fantastic. Expensive, but great customer service.

I just switched to a dyno hub on my commuter w/a Lumotec Cyo R LED headlight this week. So far, so good. Not quite as much light as the Dinotte but the beam is shaped better so you get more light where you need it.

BTW, there is a ton of lighting information in the Commuting forum and in the Electronics forum here.

Yup ..... Thinking of buying a 2nd one for my other bike. You can buy 3 MagicShines for what some people pay for 1 expensive light.

does magicshine run hot like lupine?

I use these Cygolite MityCross 350's. There are certainly cheaper options available now from MagicShine, but you can get these for a decent price at Performance Bike when they are on sale and you combine a coupon with your team membership discount. I like the way they mount low in front of the bar, and the batteries are easy to mount on the stem.

Do you mean hot to the touch ? Not that I've noticed.

When I commuted I used a Fenix flashlight with a TwoFish mount. (posted above)

https://www.fenix-store.com/product_...roducts_id=498

It was very bright and lasted quite awhile.

Speaking of rear lights, I've got the DiNnotte, but tend to run a simple planet bike superflash just for the convenience.

Get the Magicshine front 900 watt headlight and the magicshine tail-light. Both run off a single battery, and you can get the whole setup for about $100ish from geomangear.com who ships it FAST and has good quality control & customer service.

The MS is friggin' amazing. I guarantee it will blow away lights costing 2, if not 3x as much. There is nothing at this price range even close to it.

The tail-light is amazing as well. Incredibly bright - makes the PBSF look dim (!!) and with good strobe patterns. Mounting the tail-light is a bit trickier since it uses a simple o-ring mount to seatpost, so it's hard to position optimally, but the blinkie is amazing.

3hrs battery life on max front setting as well, so you're really covered. And a weatherproof battery pack. Dang.

Really amazing

I run 2x 600l Dimottes and a 140l rear. More than plenty of light for anything. Can easily do 45 mph descends with them and not feel like I can't see far ahead enough. The fronts last 3.5 on high each and the rear will blink for well over 9 hr. I know because I have timed them several times. Expensive, but well worth the molar in my opinion if you ride more 2 hr in the dark and if you use them frequently.

Not cost effective foe the occasional night rider or someone needing light for an hr or so. More cost effective alternatives are available. I use my set up 3-4/week for 2.5 hr, I've had them for over 3 years, great customer service, and work like on day one. Personally, would not do it any other way.

Can you give some pointers on how to get this set up for $100ish...

Also, how long will the battery last in one charge? When I commute it is usually 3 hrs total time, and I will likely need at least an hour of full power given that days are shorter now.

I guess $120 plus shipping is $100ish... Get this headlight for $90 and this tail light for $30 from GeoManGear. The tail light includes a Y-cable to allow you to use one battery for both. I have this setup on my beater commuter bike and am very happy with it.