Headlight suggestions
 

So I have night classes at school and its been scary riding home with no light. Just did research and went with the PDW Danger Zone tail light.

Now I just am lost with headlights. I'm looking for something that isn't too bulky but is still kinda bright. Anybody have a suggestion for a slim headlight?

For a slim to-be-seen light I like the Knog Blinder 4. It is slim, USB rechargeable, has a waterproof design, and is rather solid in the quality department. If you look into reviews you may that some older reviews give it a thumbs down but from my experience I think Knog has improved on some of the flaws seen in the early years for the production of this light. I ride daily and most of the time at night so my Knog Blinder 4 has seen some stuff and some things and it has remained solid for well over a year, all I know is I will be purchasing another one if my current dies/gets stolen/etc(Though I'am tempted by the Knog Arc and Road lights).

If you don't mind looking like a total dork a head lamp is the best way to see. It points where ever you look. How handy. Any of the cheap Chinese ones work just fine. I've used a few and not had issues.
cree head lamp | eBay

If you want something on the bike, the flashlights with mounts work best. Again anything Chinese is just fine. 18650 battery is the nicest size imo. Rechargeable is a must.
cree bike flashlight | eBay

Those look good. Does the blinder 4 have an adequate amount of light or should I go for the road 2?

+1 for the ebay Cree lights. I've been very impressed with mine after years of using halogens (Lumicycles). I also got a beam diffuser to flatten and broaden the beam

I find it to be fine for me, however I generally travel on well known roads with streetlights every 100 ft. and at a speed of about 15 mph. However I would say the Blinder 4 is more of a to-be-seen light than a to-see light, for a light that is more geared towards actually lighting up the road I would at minimum look into something close to a 200 lumen rating. However with that being said, lighting visibility always is a personal preference battle, what works for one may not work for others.

Niterider makes good headlights

As someone who has used such a light for much car work, one word of warning. When talking to people while wearing a headlight, be aware of where you're looking. I'm not talking about that cute girls figure, but nobody likes a bright LED in the eyes at close range!

Peter White is doing a closeout on the B&M Ixon IQ

Busch&Muller battery powered bicycle lights

Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets, just sayin' ;).

I figured they would suggest some crazy stuff. Fixed gear riders are minimalists so I wanted input from here

In that case I would probably be wasting my time by posting http://www.bikeforums.net/electronic...50-thread.html then...

If you're looking for something to 'be seen' during the day and 'see by' at night, it really is hard to beat a flashlight powered by a 18650 cell. You could use an AA powered light, but the cheap ones aren't as bright or last as long as the 18650 lights and the AA ones that can hold their own against the 18650 ain't cheap.

As to the minimalism- what is more minimalist to you, op: the visual sleekness of no wires on the bike and just a couple of little strap on lights that have to be turned off, removed (people are dirty thiefs) and either charged (more than once a week) or you keep spare batteries on you; lifestyle minimalism of having a dynamo with wires linking to your lights so that you can just hop on and go and never worry about charging or changing batteries or dirty fingers from handling grimey lights.

For seeing, I like the planet bike Blaze. For being seen, serfas makes some nice 3x1" blinkies.

I love my cygolite. usb rechargeble too and the charge actually lasts for multiple night commutes back home on high power before needing to be plugged back in!

I personally use a expilion 800

http://cygolite.com/images/expilion3/1.jpg
The sizes of their lights are quite deceiving.

I used a blaze 2 watt before and this outright blew it sky high out of the water and into oblivion. Definitely take care when adjusting the angle of it as it will blind if pointed directly toward oncoming.

I've seen that thread but it was all over the place.

Was thinking of the cygolite but went with the knog blinder road 2. I just liked how it didn't stick up high and I could take it off super easy to bring in class.

+1000.

I recently purchased this light after much research. The flashy modes work very well and really get attention from drivers.

The mount is a bit lacking, but otherwise i am very pleased with this light.

And expensive!
$15 for an extra one

I have Knog Blinders and love them. They are super bright - very well seen with these.
They don't project much light to see the road by

I have one that's 2 years old, the strap broke. Knog Australia sent me a new one within a couple days for free.
Gotta love a company like that.

++2 on the Cygolite.
I use this combo on my commuter bike (I work the graveyard shift so light is very important).

Amazon.com : Cygolite Metro 360/Hotshot 2W Combo Light Set : Bike Headlight Taillight Combinations : Sports & Outdoors

I actually have pair of this combo for a backup and I have never needed it but sometimes it is nice to have 2 front and 2 rear lights.

I find them to be very durable as I commute/ride in the summer heat/humidity 100 degrees + down to 40 below zero with windchill, rain, snow etc.

I suggest a backup because there is nothing worse than riding in the dead of night with no lights.

niterider lumina 700...i commute with it nightly. super rad. super bight. pretty small. very durable.

600 lume Cygolite here.

In the 55 buck range, the new Cygolite Dash 320 looks pretty good. Has a "daytime running light" mode and a 320 lumen max output

Just bought the Dash 320 for my road bike. Haven't used it a whole lot yet, but I like its compactness and ease of putting it on / taking it off the bar. I plan on putting it to the test this weekend.

I commute with one, and I love it. The flash mode on there is very bright which I want for the day, and the 320 lumens is enough for me to see at night on the way home.

Thanks for the info! I've used the flash mode during the day but never used it at night. That's going to happen this weekend. :)