Lights suitable for unlit country roads?

lunaeventer

Hi,

Need to do a lot more miles on my bike to get fitter. Other factors prevent me commuting to/from work so will need to ride after work during times when it is still dark (roll on the clocks changing!). Routes will be about 50% unlit country roads & 50% main roads so need lights so I can be safe & seen by others as well as to see the road (& potholes!) with.

Don't have a large budget so would like suggestions so I can compare prices & benefits before choosing.....

Can anyone help please?

explosifpete

have a look at these
http://www.hopegb.com/page_mep_force_22.html
I have the twin version and they are really good but at £160 not that cheap.

I used to have a set of these,

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SMART-HALOGEN-TWI ... dZViewItem

Good for road or light off road use but heavy and the wires get in the way.
YOu can high beam cars which is great!

johnnyc71

I use these on unlit roads - no problems. Not sure of your budget - but it's worth paying for good lights.

http://store.dinottelighting.com/shared ... =568793892

Or one of these:

http://store.dinottelighting.com/shared ... =568793892

which may be my next purchase.

redddraggon

I use a Cateye Single Shot Plus. It more than does the job, and the battery seems to last for an age.

explosifpete

I'm sure my smart lights were cheaper that that, about £15 off ebay.
I only changed to the hope one because I started to do alot of night riding with people that had really good lights

ademort

I use a Fenix T1, brilliant, most of my commute is on unlit country roads Greetings Ademort

BentMikey

I also have Fenix, the P3D, it's good enough that I'm tempted to get another one.

niblue

I use a Lumicycle halogen set-up - 12W spot with a glow ring (so it can be seen from the sides) and a 20W flood. The 12W spot by itself is fine for unlit roads, the 20W spot is useful on off-road tracks etc.

ChrisLS

...I'm with reddraggon, single shot plus...I would say it is the best light I have owned in 25 years of cycling...

Belv

I'd buy the Dinotte lights in that instance. They will not be cheap, but IMO the safety benefits would be worth it.

Kafka\'s Doll

Another shout for the Single Shot Plus. Offers enough light for a sometimes unlit canal path anyway.

mrchrispy

I've Dinotte front and rear.

on-one have them at 30% off at the mo (no 200L AA left ) but the rear 140L AA will cost you 70notes delivered and it seriously worth the money……it unbelievably bright. I feel safe as houses with mine on country lanes, drivers crawl past you as it takes them a while to figure out what it is they are over taking

If I had the money I’d buy one for everyone I know that rides a bike, they are that good!!

explosifpete

How much are you looking to spend?

RufusA

I've got a Dinotte 200L AA as my front light and am reasonably happy with it.

It's more than adequate for unlit roads, and has a nice bright central beam pattern. Very small, light and the use of AA's is good.

BUT!

a) The light is probably the minimum for cycling at any speed of unlit roads. It's sufficient for picking up potholes etc. BUT there are a few times I've been whacked by overhanging branches as there isn't sufficient "spill" to illuminate them when the light is angled.

b) The battery connector on the AA is IMHO cr@p. Almost without fail every journey a bump with cause it to momentarily lose contact. If you are lucky you just get a light flicker. If you are unlucky the lights go in to "get you home" mode, where you can't switch them off, there's no way of resetting them, and the light output is severely reduced.

c) The battery bag is just a nylon case with a velcro strap. I have my doubts that it will be waterproof when used in a downpour. Short circuiting Nimh batteries is probably not too clever!

d) Battery life isn't in my experience great, take spare rechargeables with you! Though with the battery constantly disconnecting the life is probably the least of your worries.

Personally I wish I had gone with my original plans to buy the Ay-ups rather than being swayed by the on-one discount on the Dinottes.

YMMV - Rufus.

mrchrispy

never had a disconnect but I have had a AA pop out of the holder and the light wgo out, a quick squeeze and its back in again. That was only the front, the rear is spot on.

RufusA

mrchrispy wrote:

never had a disconnect but I have had a AA pop out of the holder and the light wgo out, a quick squeeze and its back in again. That was only the front, the rear is spot on.

Strange that - my batteries seem very tight inside the holder and little chance of popping out - haven't witness one come even slightly loose in nearly 2 months use.

The connector isn't too great on mine. Once clipped on, applying a little pressure on the cable end of the connector causes the opposite side to lift (and ultimately pop off). Where the batteries are mounted (on the handlebar stem) I can't guarantee that nothing is going to nudge that side of the connector.

It may be down to luck in manufacture, or how the batteries are mounted, but on the whole (IMHO) it's a pretty shoddy design for £100 lights!

I'll email Dinotte and see what they have to say!

Rufus.

lunaeventer

Thanks for all the replies - very useful info.

Have had a browse about & like the look of the Cateye Single Shot plus - like it being rechargeable & on Cateye website the comparison chart makes beam look quite good.

Now to find good prices........!

marmitecp

The cateyes seem a bit overpriced for the little light they give out.

I'd second the fenix option. I've got the L2D's (run on AA batts). One on the bars one on the helmet. 350 lumens for about £70. Good enough for unlit trails and certainly the odd tow path.

Wooliferkins

Front , Busch & Muller Ixon IQ. Have commuted on mine all winter, brightest light i've ever used without losting a bottle cage to half a hundredweight of cadmium. Worth every penny. Rear, Smart 1/2 Watt uber bright little bezzler from Smart great battery life. Rolls Royce solution B&M Big Bang, remove the road filter and it's illegal, bright as a car headlight.

mrchrispy

Iv'e a couple of the 1/2 watt smarts, a very good rear but you cant see them next to the dinotte. however, smarts = 10 quid and dinotte=70 so it depends on what you want to spend

alfablue

The answer is to buy one or two Fenix L2D CE Q5 lights (see this thread for discussion and beamshots).

On high these will run for 4.5 hours on 2 NiMH AA's, weigh around 100g with batteries, and as a pair will knock any dedicated bike light under £150 to £200 into a cocked hat!

Output is amazing. I ride on an unlit railway path for a regular 13 mile ride using just one. My Dinotte now stays at home (less output, shorter run time, twice the batteries).

Cost, £37.50 per light delivered, mount (Twofish Lockblock) £5, 4 decent 2900mah batteries £5.50, smart charger £14 ish delivered

Alternatively, buy Ultrafire cheap copies from Dealextreme, about £11 per light delivered. Not quite so bright/as long run times, but a good choice if on a tight budget. (I have one of each).

Look no further!

SamWise72

I'm trying this thing:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.9060

Not sure how the rechargeable thing will go, but it's cheap, and I'm trying it.

johnnyc71

I'd just like to say that my experience of using the 200L Dinottes has been fine.

The battery connector is seriously solid and waterproof. The battery is secured straight to the seat post (with velcro). I think the battery has changed - definately not in a bag. It's totally weatherproof - just don't completelly submerge it in water.

This is for the lithium ion batteries - not experienced the AA packs.

The run times on the lithium batteries is excellent - exactly as stated on the web site.

Just to add - loads of people like the fenix lights - much cheaper alternative!

alfablue

SamWise72 wrote:

I'm trying this thing:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.9060

Not sure how the rechargeable thing will go, but it's cheap, and I'm trying it.

Should be a good light, unfortunately rechargeable CR123's give less run time than primaries, strangely rechargeable NiMH AA's give much more run time than Alkalines.

rpk98c

For those of you that have used the CatEye Single Shot Plus, have you tried the CatEye Single Shot? I can't decide if I need the Plus or not for unlight country roads on my commute?

Not only is it cheaper, but being smaller and lighter appeals.

Thanks

ChrisLS

...will need the Single Shot Plus for unlit country lanes...plus compared with some other lights it isn't that heavy...

jedster

Just to confuse you (!) I'm going to have to throw in another thought

I switched from battery lights to a hub dynamo system and I love it.

I bought a new front wheel built around a 3w shimano hub dyno - £40 on ebay from a german shop.

I got front and rear B+M (Bausch and muller I think) LED lights with stand lights (provides light for a while when you are stationary by storing energy) about £80 for the pair I think. The system provides enough light on unlit roads and I love never having to recharge batteries, carry spares or remove lights when I lock the bike/ refit them when I unlock it. Fan-bloody-tastic. Hub dynos create minimal drag

J

mrchrispy

burn the witch!!

alfablue

Sorry to go on guys, but the Single Shot Plus offers truly meagre output and 2/3rds run time c/w Fenix, and costs nearly double.

ademort

YES, i would go for the Fenix,but buy the Fenix T1, superb light, i have one and it is amazing, you will not regret it, and thats a promise 225 Lumens. It will light up any country lane. Greetings Ademort

always_tyred

I think you have a couple of good options

- a 2nd hand HID
- a light set to which you can add additional lamps later

I've got a Hope HID light. Riddled with design flaws, but seriously bright and reliable. This type of light is much better than halogen, and I think still brighter than all but the brightest LED's, at the cost of some burn time (but how keen are you really to be cycling for more than a couple of hours at night after work?). They also have no setting other than on and off, so at low battery, they just go out - no limping home with a glorified blinkie like you can with LED's. Because if all this, HID's are going out of fashion and so might just be the best brightness for your money.

Btw, the bulbs are identical on a lot of these lights, so its not such a big deal which brand you go for.

I've also got a DiNotte rear light. As far as I know its a one of a kind on the market. Not getting nailed by Manta Man at night in the country is almost as important as being able to see where you are going. Its really worth a look.

The DiNotte fronts and I think another brand (anyone?) enables you to invest in a light + battery packs, and later buy another lamp and spitter cable. That might get you across the line this year, so that you can have a flame-thrower by October.