Lights?

xhacker

Road bike being delivered next week. At Last!

I'm going to commute and need a GOOD set of lights.

What type should I be looking at without paying an absolute fortune? I guess a rear light that flashes would be a good idea!

Any ideas chaps?

Alex_Simmons/RST

Do a forum search perhaps?

blackhands

Get a Smart 1/2 watt rear light (about £14) - the best there is. As for fronts - remember that if you are commuting in town you still need a light which is good enough for you to be seen amongst all the other lights which will be dazzling other road users.

giant_man

yes yes yes! Blackhands is right on the money there. Got a Smart 1/2 watt rear last year, fantastic light!

Bronzie

If your commute is on lit roads only, a decent LED front light will do the job - something around the £20 mark.

If you are on unlit roads at any point, you'll actually want to illuminate the road surface and you'll probably need to look at something like this - Electron halogen set with a separate battery pack c.£45.

Aidocp

I dont use my road bike for commuting but I use the smart 1/2 watt (in flashing mode) on my commuter bke as well as my road bike and for size/weight/cost/performance its a great light. For commuting in winter I back it up however with a Cateye TL-600 (on steady). For the front on the road bike I use a Cateye EL410 but for commuting I run a Smart Polaris II (flashing) and a Cateyeye EL 510 (steady).

willbevan

I recently bought this, well last weekend, and took it out on a club run last night as my last two lights, well one fell off, the other stoped working, and they where cheap makes.

Half way round i hear from a couple of riders behind me

"Will..... thank god we ware not epeleptic, that thing is SO bright, is there a setting where you can turn it down please!"

Now i was hesitent to spend over 20 on a back light, as i have a smart 10W on the front (30 quid) but i am glad i did, i have no concern I won't be seen from behind! Oh and when cycling along, I can see the side LEDs lighting up the hedges!

I wouldn't skimp on lights to be seen!

xhacker

Thank you to everyone for your valued advice.

I think you're right. I need good lights!

Oh and I do apologise for daring to post about a subject that's already been covered!

I hope one day, I have a life too

feel

In the dark a flashing front light can be confusing to other road users (as well as being illegal as the only light) If your commute is on any unlit roads you will need something that produces a worthwhile beam to see the road surface. Don't forget reflective clothing etc when driving my car i often think that is even more important the lights.

JWSurrey

willbevan wrote:

I recently bought this,....

Yeah - I've got one of those LD1100s; initially there were some problems with them switching off due to loose batteries, however that appears to have been solved by the inclusion of sleeves for the batteries. Never had a problem with mine.

They're fantastically multi-directional.
I actually got foglamped by a bloke who'd been sucking my rear wheel, whilst riding with one of these! Better to be seen.
I don't want to have to suck my dinner through a straw.

beseenonabike.com do some nice reflective red tape for mudguards etc. and Respro "pressure tape" I've found to be good for clothing.

You can't beat those orange pedal reflectors - It immediately identifies to other road users that you're a cyclist, along with a flashing rear light - as opposed to a distant car - All mentioned on the CTC site.

mackdaddy

xhacker

Go for the cateye EL530 and LD1100 set. You can get a good price if you hunt around the web. The LD1100 is great as has already been said but the front light is pretty awesome as well. I've ridden unlit roads with this.

daniel_b

blackhands wrote:

Get a Smart 1/2 watt rear light (about £14) - the best there is. As for fronts - remember that if you are commuting in town you still need a light which is good enough for you to be seen amongst all the other lights which will be dazzling other road users.

Only £11.99 here: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=16534

Thinking of getting one to go with my soon to be ordered Ayup's.

Dan

N0bodyOfTheGoat

I bought the Electron 5W+10W double halogen front set (linked above) with the Smart 0.5W rear (also linked above) a few weeks back. For most of my ride home from work, I use the low power mode, but using both fronts together for the busy sections makes me feel pretty same when combined with my Endura Convert jacket.

DavidTQ

feel wrote:

In the dark a flashing front light can be confusing to other road users (as well as being illegal as the only light) If your commute is on any unlit roads you will need something that produces a worthwhile beam to see the road surface. Don't forget reflective clothing etc when driving my car i often think that is even more important the lights.

I thought the flashing front led illegal as a main light law was changed some time ago now?

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2005/20052559.htm

http://www.whycycle.co.uk/safety-lights.htm

http://www.aukweb.net/lights/legal.htm

As far as I can see Flashing LED lights are completely legal as sole lights and dont have to be BS approved if they flash, If they dont flash they have to be BS approved??

alfablue

DavidTQ wrote:

As far as I can see Flashing LED lights are completely legal as sole lights and dont have to be BS approved if they flash, If they dont flash they have to be BS approved??

Yes, I think you are right, but is there actually a flashing light the does not have a steady mode? (If a flashing light has a steady mode, this must be BS approved).

DavidTQ

alfablue wrote:

DavidTQ wrote:

As far as I can see Flashing LED lights are completely legal as sole lights and dont have to be BS approved if they flash, If they dont flash they have to be BS approved??

Yes, I think you are right, but is there actually a flashing light the does not have a steady mode? (If a flashing light has a steady mode, this must be BS approved).

Guess It depends on the light my front light it would be possible to remove the option to have a steady mode as the switch remembers its setting when power is removed, so set it to flash mode prize out the plastic "button" and unclip the front and remove batteries for off (Ive tested this) dont know Whether or not a "permanently disabled" steady mode would make it legal or not

My rear lights all have these rubber buttons and they dont remember their setting when the batteries are removed and then replaced they return to the steady on setting. (not that it matters at all for rears as they can be used flashing regardless)

alfablue

Yes that may work with your front light, though I think the issue is rather an academic one, the non BS lights we can get are generally far better than the BS ones, and some learned people suggest that a court would not be persuaded to get too picky over these "transgressions" in terms of contributory negligence.

However, being a fairly anally retentive person, I will be trying to follow the letter of the law re: lights some time soon, but even then, I can see no way I am going to comply with the pedal reflector requirements as to do so will make my 2 sided SPD's into one-sided, which I don't want.

FatBlokeFromFelixstowe

alfablue wrote:

Yes that may work with your front light, though I think the issue is rather an academic one, the non BS lights we can get are generally far better than the BS ones, and some learned people suggest that a court would not be persuaded to get too picky over these "transgressions" in terms of contributory negligence.

However, being a fairly anally retentive person, I will be trying to follow the letter of the law re: lights some time soon, but even then, I can see no way I am going to comply with the pedal reflector requirements as to do so will make my 2 sided SPD's into one-sided, which I don't want.

Of course you could get around both of these points by owning a bike built pre 1985 (old school rocks)