Super bright, super light lights...

Miss Pootle

At the momen I work long hours at a desk and cannot commute by bike (it would involve 80 miles a day or, to go part of the way, a folding bike). This means unless it's high summer I ride at the weekend only and use an exercise bike the rest of the time to keep my legs ticking over. However, although that's better than nothing it's not as much fun. What I want is a good set of lights to throw a good beam on the road so I can go out in the evenings and feel confident as darkness falls, especially when the nights draw in... Any recommendations? I am prepared to throw money at the problem. My current lights are nice and small but they are just there to be visible and legal.

dw300

Are there no street lights round your way?

mrdsgs

lumicycle led spot beam

justrideallday

I have a set of Ay Up (http://www.ayup-lights.com/) lights, which I find absolutely brilliant.

They cost from around £150 for the road set, or £250 for the MTB set. With the MTB set I can ride full speed off road without any problems.

Miss Pootle

No, there aren't street lights along all of the roads I use. I don't think it's that unusual, is it?

Maybe I am not prepared to throw £1000 at this either! I just googled them, that's ridiculous, unless that was the price for a job lot...

Miss Pootle

The ayup lights look more reasonably priced, but I notice you have to charge them. How long does the charge last?

2flattyres

I commute all year round, mainly on unlit lanes, and use an Exposure MaXx-D during the darker times. It's bright and gives a good light spread on the road. The other advantages are that it's rechargable (no cables or batteries to attach) and clips on and off the bars really easily. On full power I get a couple of hours.

redvision

2flattyres wrote:

I commute all year round, mainly on unlit lanes, and use an Exposure MaXx-D during the darker times. It's bright and gives a good light spread on the road. The other advantages are that it's rechargable (no cables or batteries to attach) and clips on and off the bars really easily. On full power I get a couple of hours.

another vote here for exposure lights.
I have the toro and used it to commute last winter (44 mile round trip). nothing but praise for it.

on full power you get 3 hours, but tbh i never use that setting when on the road as you tend to p!ss off drivers as it blinds them.
medium power gives 10hours on a charge and the beam is excellent.
low beam gives you 24hours.

they are expensive but well worth the investment.

found this very helpful when choosing mine:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/sc/lighting

Miss Pootle

Thanks so much for the Wiggle link, that looks helpful for me.

dw300

Do any of these light not dazzle drivers? I assume they're not a dipped beam judging by any I've seen.

The reason I asked about street lighting is that, while the nice scenic country roads are nice during the day because of their lovely views of the countryside .. to me once you take that away, they're just narrow potholed roads where you have to use a light which will blind drivers coming towards you, putting you in a potentially dangerous situation.

I'd rather just stick to better, wider, well lit roads where drivers can see you and the lane they're meant to be in, and invest in hi-vis accessories instead which should make you far more visible and safe. But I don't know your circumstances, I live in the suburbs of a city so that's easier for me to organise.

oldwelshman

magic shine lights are very good and relatively cheap for the light they produce.
I use two for night ridea and carru spare battery, this is good enough for up to 60 mile rides in country lanes in the dark.

Scrumple

I rob a granny before a night time spin, and then get the help of the local police chopper to light my route as I pedal like a bast@ard.

Working wonders for my sprint speed. Never crashed yet. I may even end up on telly one night so people can watch while Jamie Theakston admires my cadence in his add on commentary?