Best bike lights on a budget
08-29-18, 01:20 AM
#26
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I just got this for a back up light for long rides.
Relatively light, & cheap for sure.
I'll get back to you on the rest.
https://www.amazon.com/POWERFUL-Rech...300+CREE+XP-G2
Relatively light, & cheap for sure.
I'll get back to you on the rest.
https://www.amazon.com/POWERFUL-Rech...300+CREE+XP-G2
09-03-18, 12:01 PM
#27
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I would suggest a AAA powered taillight. Some of them use 2 batteries and last over 100 hours when in Flash mode.
this time of the year you can look for a sale on a major brand. I prefer NiteRider.
this time of the year you can look for a sale on a major brand. I prefer NiteRider.
09-27-18, 04:04 AM
#28
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I just picked up a Serfas Thunderbolt USB rechargeable tail light. Got lucky, on clearance for $19 since my bike shop was clearing out stock and receiving new Lezyne lights. Serfas wasn't even a brand on my radar that day. So far it works great, stores small in my frame bag and mounts quickly, and no need to buy batteries. When mounted to the chainstay, my riding buddies have said it lights me and the bike up pretty well.
I also picked up a Cygolite 650 Dash USB headlight a couple of months ago from REI on sale for $45 i think. Both lights mount quickly with a rubber strap.
If you're stuck on that $50 budget and you're an REI member, maybe this would serve you well
https://www.rei.com/rei-garage/produ...bike-light-set
eric/fresno, ca.
I also picked up a Cygolite 650 Dash USB headlight a couple of months ago from REI on sale for $45 i think. Both lights mount quickly with a rubber strap.
If you're stuck on that $50 budget and you're an REI member, maybe this would serve you well
https://www.rei.com/rei-garage/produ...bike-light-set
eric/fresno, ca.
09-27-18, 12:21 PM
#29
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My criticism of the Serfas tail light is that they don't provide a complete set of information. What is the capacity of the battery? It's one primary consideration when comparing lights. According to the information on Amazon: Produces 35 lumens of pure red light Features 30-mini LED strip There are a lot of similar USB tail lighs using the same chip-on-board LED array that cost a third of what this one does and come with a better mount that doesn't require you to remove the two o-rings when you want to take the light off the bike. I own a couple of them in red and white and they have worked flawlessly for over 2 years. Mine are Raypal 2266 lights that were sold in the US under the Blitzu name as the Blitzu Cyborg 100 (replaced by the Cyborg 120 these days). You can buy them from China for less than $5 and they are 100 lumens, have a 500 mAh internal battery, and use a 29 LED COB array. 
"Incredibly Bright Packing 35 Lumens of visible light, the Thunderbolt can be seen from a mile away This is pure hype. It is not incredibly bright compared to a lot of tail lights available today.
10-01-18, 10:10 AM
#30
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Without knowing 'where you ride, how long you ride, how fast you ride', etc.: Owleye Hilux 30 (StVZO beam) front + Blitzu Cyborg rear. Got mine off eBay (or was it Amazon?), the two purchased separately added together < $50.
Last edited by tcs; 10-01-18 at 01:36 PM.
10-14-18, 02:01 AM
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My criticism of the Serfas tail light is that they don't provide a complete set of information. What is the capacity of the battery? It's one primary consideration when comparing lights. According to the information on Amazon: Produces 35 lumens of pure red light Features 30-mini LED strip There are a lot of similar USB tail lighs using the same chip-on-board LED array that cost a third of what this one does and come with a better mount that doesn't require you to remove the two o-rings when you want to take the light off the bike. I own a couple of them in red and white and they have worked flawlessly for over 2 years. Mine are Raypal 2266 lights that were sold in the US under the Blitzu name as the Blitzu Cyborg 100 (replaced by the Cyborg 120 these days). You can buy them from China for less than $5 and they are 100 lumens, have a 500 mAh internal battery, and use a 29 LED COB array.
"Incredibly Bright Packing 35 Lumens of visible light, the Thunderbolt can be seen from a mile away This is pure hype. It is not incredibly bright compared to a lot of tail lights available today.
10-14-18, 08:41 AM
#32
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"These lights are nowhere near 100 lumens. Probably 25-30 at best, noticeably duller than Moon Comet Mk1 (rated at 35 lumens) and Cycolite Hotrod (rated at 50 lumens)."
I venture to guess that you do not own the equipment to do a valid test on the lumen output of any light. That makes it an anecdotal test which is notoriously unreliable compared to one which uses instruments to make the assessment. I don't own a measurement device either so that our comparison is based upon visual perception which can be affected by how you test them. The angle at which the light is viewed is one that easily comes to mind. I have no reason to believe that the COB used in the 100 lumen light does not deliver 100 lumens. I purchased a bunch of these chips in a variety of colors with the same dimensions and number of LEDs and they are all rated at 80 to 100 lumens depending upon the LED color. My anecdotal observation is that the lights are quite visible from a distance even in the bright sunlight of a Nevada summer.
If you check out the specs for the Moon Comet (https://road.cc/content/review/20561...pro-rear-light) it has an 80 lumen setting (not 35 lumens) for flash mode which is consistent with the output for the Raypal 2266 but slightly lower. The Raypal only has two settings and four modes, 2 flash and 2 steady. If you run them at lower settings obviously the run time is longer. For just $5 the Raypal is a damn good light.
I venture to guess that you do not own the equipment to do a valid test on the lumen output of any light. That makes it an anecdotal test which is notoriously unreliable compared to one which uses instruments to make the assessment. I don't own a measurement device either so that our comparison is based upon visual perception which can be affected by how you test them. The angle at which the light is viewed is one that easily comes to mind. I have no reason to believe that the COB used in the 100 lumen light does not deliver 100 lumens. I purchased a bunch of these chips in a variety of colors with the same dimensions and number of LEDs and they are all rated at 80 to 100 lumens depending upon the LED color. My anecdotal observation is that the lights are quite visible from a distance even in the bright sunlight of a Nevada summer.
If you check out the specs for the Moon Comet (https://road.cc/content/review/20561...pro-rear-light) it has an 80 lumen setting (not 35 lumens) for flash mode which is consistent with the output for the Raypal 2266 but slightly lower. The Raypal only has two settings and four modes, 2 flash and 2 steady. If you run them at lower settings obviously the run time is longer. For just $5 the Raypal is a damn good light.
10-20-18, 12:42 AM
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"These lights are nowhere near 100 lumens. Probably 25-30 at best, noticeably duller than Moon Comet Mk1 (rated at 35 lumens) and Cycolite Hotrod (rated at 50 lumens)."
I venture to guess that you do not own the equipment to do a valid test on the lumen output of any light. That makes it an anecdotal test which is notoriously unreliable compared to one which uses instruments to make the assessment. I don't own a measurement device either so that our comparison is based upon visual perception which can be affected by how you test them. The angle at which the light is viewed is one that easily comes to mind. I have no reason to believe that the COB used in the 100 lumen light does not deliver 100 lumens. I purchased a bunch of these chips in a variety of colors with the same dimensions and number of LEDs and they are all rated at 80 to 100 lumens depending upon the LED color. My anecdotal observation is that the lights are quite visible from a distance even in the bright sunlight of a Nevada summer.
If you check out the specs for the Moon Comet (https://road.cc/content/review/20561...pro-rear-light) it has an 80 lumen setting (not 35 lumens) for flash mode which is consistent with the output for the Raypal 2266 but slightly lower. The Raypal only has two settings and four modes, 2 flash and 2 steady. If you run them at lower settings obviously the run time is longer. For just $5 the Raypal is a damn good light.
I venture to guess that you do not own the equipment to do a valid test on the lumen output of any light. That makes it an anecdotal test which is notoriously unreliable compared to one which uses instruments to make the assessment. I don't own a measurement device either so that our comparison is based upon visual perception which can be affected by how you test them. The angle at which the light is viewed is one that easily comes to mind. I have no reason to believe that the COB used in the 100 lumen light does not deliver 100 lumens. I purchased a bunch of these chips in a variety of colors with the same dimensions and number of LEDs and they are all rated at 80 to 100 lumens depending upon the LED color. My anecdotal observation is that the lights are quite visible from a distance even in the bright sunlight of a Nevada summer.
If you check out the specs for the Moon Comet (https://road.cc/content/review/20561...pro-rear-light) it has an 80 lumen setting (not 35 lumens) for flash mode which is consistent with the output for the Raypal 2266 but slightly lower. The Raypal only has two settings and four modes, 2 flash and 2 steady. If you run them at lower settings obviously the run time is longer. For just $5 the Raypal is a damn good light.
Review: Moon Comet rear light | The Sticky Bidon
The Comet comes in both front and rear versions, with the front putting out a much brighter 100 lumens, while the rear puts out a paltry sounding 35. In reality, that’s plenty bright, and the way it pumps these lumens out makes it seem even brighter.
My anecdotal observation is that 35lm Moon Comet is more visable that the Raypal and that the 50lm Cygolite Hotrod is more vsiable (brighter again) in the sunlight. Maybe Nevada sunlight is different to Australian sunlight...
My "Raypal" lights aren't actually branded Raypal, I am only going off your assumption from previous conversations that I've had with you that this is what they are. Maybe they aren't Raypal and maybe "genuine" Raypal are in fact 100 lumen? Mine are actually rated at 120lm, according to Fasttech! It is widely known in the cycling community that a lot of cheap Asian light manufacturers exaggerate the output of their lights. These are the exact ones I have - https://www.fasttech.com/products/8305301. I also have a https://www.fasttech.com/products/9618514 which appears (anecdotally...) to be slightly brighter than the previous Fasttech/Raypal lights mentioned above but is only rated at 100lm.
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