Lights recommendation?

CJ Bill

As the nights draw in I'm looking for a new set of lights for my commute... last year as it got dark I started wimping out and moved onto the shortest of short routes (10 miles) that was mostly on main roads with street lighting. So the brief is bright enough to light my way and make me seen for 15+ miles on unlit country roads in rural Cheshire, easily detachable so I move them between bikes and not going to break the bank.

Anyone got good suggestions?

CyclingObsession

For unlit areas you need decent lumens and a wide been, depending on your speed the faster you go the more lumens you need to light up the road, I looked into loads of lights, I settled on a hope district 2 for my rear witch is crazy bright, I bought 2400lumen cree light off ebay waiting for it too arrive but from youtube videos it looks impressively bright for 80euro, If you find a light you are considering look it up on youtube to see if it's what you need as they will do reviews on it, invest in a decent rear as cars will be coming from behind you rather than the front so have a bright rear, if you want to be seen at the front any bright light will do, it gets tricky when you are around unlit areas, I decided for the biggest lumen I could find as it will cover being seen in dusk or in lit up streets. Get a helmet light with front and rear lights, can be found on chainreaction.

CJ Bill

Like the youtube idea!

supersonic

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CREE-XML-XM-L ... 20c5013dc9

£30, job done. (for the front).

parajba

I'm too looking for new lights.

I commute through London, so all roads are lit. I currently have 1 Exposure Flash and 1 Flare. They are good, but I would like to add another pair of (more powerful) lights. I commute the whole year round, so reliability is important. Decent battery life would also be a plus.

Now, I'm of the opinion that a pair of lights (front/rear) mounted on the helmet would provide an added level of safety. I was therefore looking at the Exposure Joystick + RedEye combo with helmet mount.

I don't know anything about LEDs, CREE etc so I was wondering if you guys could help me. Is it worth spending £180 for the Joystick/RedEye combo?

If I buy one of those CREE lights off eBay for £30 (as per link above), will it be reliable even when it rains? Is the helmet mount available - it looks like a head band to me, not suitable for helmets?

Apologies about the questions, but my priority is to be seen by other cars and I don't mind spending some cash on lights (given I spend 2 hours a day commuting, every day...).

I like the idea of having these new lights on the helmet because you can point in the direction you are going, and because the light is at a higher level so easier to be seen.

Thanks all in advance for the replies.


/////// EDIT //////

Right. Did some research and apparently it's not the best idea to mount lights on helmet (in case you land on your head). Also, looks like the CREE kit from eBay is a decent one. Has good reviews. I'm now tempted to buy it! Will it sustain very wet commutes without me getting electrocuted?

Hoopdriver

For what it's worth I've written a review of four taillights that I have tried and tested

Cateye 1100
Blackburn Mars 3.0
Blackburn Mars 4.0
Smart 1/2 Watt Rear Light

You can read it here:
http://my-bicycle-and-i.co.uk/2012/lanterns-rouge/

parajba

Thanks.
Looks like the Magicshine 808 is also good.
Is it worth the extra £40 compared to a no name CREE from e at? Perhaps the battery case is better?

twoshots

My commuting setup on unlit country lanes:

Front:
Philips SafeRide LED (the battery powered one)
Lezyne Femto Drive

Rear:
Blackburn Mars 4.0
FibreFlare

The Philips LED has a horizontal cut-off to keep light out of other road uses eyes. Not something I saw on many lights when I was buying mine. USB charging is also useful when at work. The Lezyne is really more of a flashing "I'm a bike" light and bit of a back-up (I also had dozens of CR2032 batteries lying around).

On the back I have one constant (usually the Mars), one flashing. To help both distance judgment and attract attention.

BUR70N

I am currently looking at the Trekloc 950LS which also features the 'Car' like light and does get good reviews, USB charging looks to be abit more beneficial as I did get caught out last winter with leaving the light on and had no more batteries.

But I did use a CREE cheap e*** jobbie last year but lost the mount for the torch light, seemed to give good visibility and did very well in the wet.

campbellrae1

Just got myself a pair of One23 1000 Lumen lights. £70 quid apiece so a little more expensive than some but you get full LBS/UK dealer back up and warranty which is worth it in my mind that I spent the extra cash on them. I only use one while on the road, seems fine up to about 30 or 40 mph then I really struggle to see far enough ahead. Bought the pair as I will be using them for the Strathpuffer this year and they come with a helmet mount so can use the pair then!

pdw

I just bought a Philips SafeRide. As above, it's one of the few lights that has a sensible beam pattern for on road use. Can currently be had from the Philips shop for £65 with a voucher code.

On the rear I've got a couple of Smart R1s, one flashing, one steady. Cheap and bright, but waterproofing is pretty iffy. Yet to have a problem on my commuter with full mudguards, but they've failed every time I've used them in the wet on a bike without mudguards.

I've also got a Moon Shield 60, which is a very bright USB rechargeable rear. Can be had for a little under £30.

wastegate86

I run one of these:


best way of buying is:
torch £10
ultrafire charger £15
panasonic battery £10
and a mount 99p

Paddyg7

Have a look at the Moon Shield 60 for a rear light.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/moon-shield-60- ... ear-light/

It's quite expensive at £40, but well worth it to be visible on the roads. Just got one of these and it is very bright, you are not going to be missed with this on the back :shock: . It has 3 different constant brightness settings and 2 flash modes (the strobe effect might piss off drivers though!!) It's great for commuting to work, as it recharges by plugging into the USB port on a computer. It attaches to bike with a rubber strap and the light is easily detachable from the plastic mounting plate by pushing in a release button.

simon_e

Rutland Leisure have the Lezyne Mini Drive front light £25 on ebay at the moment:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/250929139527

150 lumens max, USB recharging, seems excellent build quality. The beam spread is not as wide a spread as I'd like, though I'll be running mine alongside a Fenix LD20 on the lanes this winter.