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Nightdiver 04-20-09 02:07 AM


Originally Posted by znomit (Post 8763283)
Reelights. Always on, always there, never worry about batteries.

+1 as an extra safety precaution, but they don't really put out a whole lot of light. They would only be good as a secondary light for me.

whenaminotme? 04-20-09 05:22 AM


Originally Posted by Geordi Laforge (Post 8762724)
I often drive a delivery truck for work through hipsterville at night. I cannot see people with weak lights (or none at all) until I am right on them which means if I wasnt paying attention (or if the rider was an idiot), I'd run them over on accident. injury, death, medical bills, lawsuit, insurance wraggling, police reports, etc etc all because dumbass cyclists decide not to throw down $40 on a quality front/rear light...or spend that money on knogs because they prefer design over power.

And a bicycle light should stand out from the streetlights and building lights and car lights. They need to be bright because they will not be noticed otherwise.

If you're concerned with your safety, a decent light should be utilized. knogs simply do not fit the bill.

Each to their own. I ain't dead yet. Mostly, I'd say, because I'm not a dumbass cyclist not because of the perceived quality of a set of lights. In addition I usually have my bag & it's decent-sized reflector strip across on my bag. Every little bit helps.

whenaminotme? 04-20-09 06:02 AM

Would you see me if I had these;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLtbeU8FJW0

or run me down?

captsven 04-20-09 08:39 AM

Nice thing about fixed gear bikes is brake hole on the fork crown is a great place to mount a lamp. I run a P7 drop in with a clear lens glued over the front. I run an external battery pack.

P7's and MC-E 's are the way to go. Cars see you and treat you like another car.

Quint 04-20-09 09:02 AM

That Blackburn flea is using antiquated technology with only a 3 hr runtime and 6 hr flash.

kylen721 04-20-09 09:11 AM


Originally Posted by whenaminotme? (Post 8763540)
Every little bit helps.

hahaha

seriously man he is just looking out for a fellow cyclist. Like you said every little bit helps and knogs are the littlest bit you can get. Something like a superflash would be quite a bit of every little bit.

FixedCommuter 04-20-09 09:22 AM

Knog toad 5 Led in the front, Blackburn 7 LED in the back zip tied to my bag because I broke the clip.

crawdaddio 04-20-09 12:15 PM


Originally Posted by Quint (Post 8764476)
That Blackburn flea is using antiquated technology with only a 3 hr runtime and 6 hr flash.

So what?
It works well, re-charges quickly, is really bright, small and lightweight. I have never had it die on me. I don't ride centuries at night though.
I have tried out all kinds of lights. From flashlight mounts to all varieties of PB and other blinkies.
Knogs suck....not bright enough.
PB superflash is good, but not great. Mine has issues with the button working properly sometimes. Especially when wet. I HATE looking back mid ride and noticing the damn thing turned off by itself.
Cheaper blinkies get dim pretty quickly, and usually require some kind of mount to be attached to each bike you want to use it on.

So for best all around be seen lighting, I go for the fleas.
Considering...
Price.
Weight.
Reliability.
Brightness.
Ease of use, and transferring between bikes.
Unlimited lifetime warranty.

I'm not trying to shill here, I have no affiliation with the company. It's just that after spending a lot of cash on all sorts of lights, I have found these to be the best for my needs.

LoRoK 04-20-09 01:24 PM

I ordered a set of fleas last night after reading this post. $40 on amazon for front and rear. I'm sure they will be better than my current knog setup.

misterE0 04-20-09 01:33 PM

NiteRider MiNewt Mini-USB up front (~$95) and a Blackburn Mars 3 in back (~$15). It's a bit of an investment, but the headlight is just that...enough to see by clearly and confidently even if there isn't much ambient light. The headlight charges via mini-usb, so you don't have to worry about keeping a charger around. A $2 cable and any computer will work. It lasts a long time as well, 3-4 hours. Easily worth the money IMO.

CliftonGK1 04-20-09 01:46 PM


Originally Posted by LupinIII (Post 8757945)
btw can you buy spare superflash mounts? it's a pita to move the mounts between bikes all the time...

Didn't see if anyone addressed this, but yeah you can. I got mine from Bikeman.com for around $4 a set and they come with 1 seatstay clamp and 1 seatpost clamp plus a couple of rubber shims.

For lights on my bikes I use:
2x PB Superflash on all my bikes.
An L&M Solo 13w halogen swapped between my fixed gear and my utility cruiser.
A Supernova E3 wired headlight and taillight on my distance bike.
A Princeton Tec Quad LED light on my helmet.

I have a lot of high-speed descents in the dark on my morning commute, so I tend to go a little overboard on the lighting. I'm getting a B&M IQ Cyo for the fixed gear, and I'll just swap my generator wheel from the distance bike when I need it.

renton20 04-20-09 03:15 PM

Blackburn Mars 3 in the back

trek ion 6 led In the front.

I use this for a steady stream of light. I also have two knogs angled slightly up on my fork that I run on flash mode. the trek so that I can see the road, knogs so that cars can see me

tFUnK 04-20-09 03:18 PM

i'm liking that people's cree. i would prefer to have a blinky mode though. i use a similar 3w LED from dealextreme. very bright, but forces me to recharge before any major group ride.

mavimao 04-20-09 05:20 PM

I have a Superflash in the back and a knog Beetle for the front. Does anyone else have the Beetle? They're pretty new, but they're a big improvement over the frog I must say. They're brighter, have more flashing options and they're not much bigger than a frog either.

Santaria 04-21-09 08:44 PM

http://www.rei.com/product/789315?cm...b-000423c27407 x dos in front (They actually mount well on the lower for just below crown and have || clearance between the spoke and fork leg.

Serfas tail light in WTFBBQ spasm mode in rear.

Geordi Laforge 04-21-09 10:02 PM


Originally Posted by whenaminotme? (Post 8763540)
Each to their own. I ain't dead yet. Mostly, I'd say, because I'm not a dumbass cyclist not because of the perceived quality of a set of lights. In addition I usually have my bag & it's decent-sized reflector strip across on my bag. Every little bit helps.

a rider's skill doesnt stack up well against some dumb broad that's texting-while-driving.
and reflectors, while important, only work if the car's headlights are pointing right at you.

so, dumb broad texting-while-driving and making a left hand turn from the other side of the street, you wont be seen. and if you're unlucky that night, you'll learn the force of a 2,000 lbs vehicle coming at you at 20 mph.

I guess I dont understand why people dont just suck it up and throw down on some decent lights, rather than wasting their money on crap lights.

To each their own
as you [incorrectly] said...

jeanHTX 04-21-09 10:41 PM

http://www.pricepoint.com/images/sty...5%20KNOFF8.jpg
today i decided i'd be safe and finally buy lights. i'm cheap though and rarely ride at night, so i made sure to get the cheapest... i got the front and rear "twinset" knogs for 20bucks.
they're brighter than you think.

crushkilldstroy 04-21-09 10:54 PM

No, they really aren't.

onmahbike 04-22-09 01:20 AM

so this thread has led me to buy a PB SuperFlash.

I realized this was a good idea after I found myself further from home than expected (happens too often)...and by the time I was halfway back, it was well dark outside.

Not to hijack this thread but does anyone else have a low cost item that would be worth picking up from Amazon to spend an additional 8.22 so I can get the free shipping?

nerdbot5000 04-22-09 03:48 AM


Originally Posted by onmahbike (Post 8777194)
Not to hijack this thread but does anyone else have a low cost item that would be worth picking up from Amazon to spend an additional 8.22 so I can get the free shipping?

Some spare tubes or bartape?

I bought a superflash about a month ago, and I'm really glad that I bought it. It's a lot brighter than the generic red blinky I was using before, and now it makes me want to replace my front light, which is a 3-LED from Giant. That thing blows, the button fell out once, and whenever I bike over rough roads, the batteries get shaken from their terminals. Also, it drains batteries surprisingly fast and gets very dim in short time. Thinking of getting a Blackburn Flea or a Fenix flashlight to replace the front.

whenaminotme? 04-22-09 03:57 AM


Originally Posted by Geordi Laforge (Post 8776566)
a rider's skill doesnt stack up well against some dumb broad that's texting-while-driving.
and reflectors, while important, only work if the car's headlights are pointing right at you.

so, dumb broad texting-while-driving and making a left hand turn from the other side of the street, you wont be seen. and if you're unlucky that night, you'll learn the force of a 2,000 lbs vehicle coming at you at 20 mph.

I guess I dont understand why people dont just suck it up and throw down on some decent lights, rather than wasting their money on crap lights.

To each their own
as you [incorrectly] said...


...and it goes on... I completely agree dumb people texting, whatever their gender, will not see anything reflective when cornering, nor will they see anything else, they're texting. That is why I wouldn't trust any lights over my vision & judgement. Paying attention will save your ass more times than all the money you can throw at any set of lights.


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