Lights for beginner

Mark909

Hello. I just started road cycling for commuting this summer and now the nights are drawing in I need to invest in some lights for the dark rides to and from work in the depths of winter!

I was wondering what light set up people would recommend?

Just looking at wiggle I've come across Knog blinder road 3 for the front:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/knog-blinder-road-3-front-2-led-light/

And Knog blinder 4v for the rear:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/knog-blinder-4v-rear-light/

derosa

Personally I wouldn't buy Knog. Too many bad experiences. Mounting straps failing, batteries not holding charge etc.
Have used Moon lights front and rear for the past two winters and they've never let me down.

ai_1

This depends heavily on the sort of roads, traffic and distances you'll be dealing with.
Good flashers are probably fine in urban areas but if you're going to be on any unlit roads you need a proper front light.
I still think the Philips Saferide 80lux is about the best beam going. Essentially it gives you a beam similar to a dipped car headlamp. A large evenly lit patch of road with enough width not to give you tunnel vision and a great range of about 70m. This is not an ultra high output light but it puts all the light it produces in the places you want it and you don't need any more. I can happily ride at 40km/h without worrying that I won't see an obstacle up ahead. It's also got a proper cut-off so you won't blind other road users but you'll certainly be seen and I notice oncoming cars always dim their lights, probably because I appear to be a car or motorbike.
It's not a perfect light though. First it doesn't look sexy, just functional. Second it doesn't have great run time. You only get about 1.5hrs at high power before it switches to low which will then last you ages. Probably enough for commuting but you might have to charge it in work.
I'll be using mine for training at night this winter so I'm planning to convert it for use with an external power supply.

Avoid high power conical beam lights (like a torch) such as Magicshine etc, these are intended for mountain biking and are really not suitable for the road although lots of people use them anyway and drive other road users nuts.

slowbike

Depends where your commute takes you. Mine takes me on unlit country and A roads - so a minimum of 2 back lights and 2 front lights that light the road ahead is my requirement.

Ask over on the commuting section and you'll get as many opinions as you do respondents - there is no one right answer.

mfin

So, OP...

1) 300 lumen is something you have decided on being suitable for the roads/traffic on your particular commute yes?
2) Budget is about £50 for the front one?
3) What's the length of the commute each-way?

...answer the above with a few thoughts and some good suggestions might come in.

ai_1

mfin wrote:

So, OP...

1) 300 lumen is something you have decided on being suitable for the roads/traffic on your particular commute yes?
2) Budget is about £50 for the front one?
3) What's the length of the commute each-way?

...answer the above with a few thoughts and some good suggestions might come in.

With all due respect: Question 1 is pretty meaningless!

mpatts

I just bought a set of cree lights from fleabay for £26. They look great.

borse2008

I bought some Lezyne Micro ones just for visibility go with some Bontrager Ion i think its called.

kajjal

Slowbike wrote:

Depends where your commute takes you. Mine takes me on unlit country and A roads - so a minimum of 2 back lights and 2 front lights that light the road ahead is my requirement.

Ask over on the commuting section and you'll get as many opinions as you do respondents - there is no one right answer.

This is good advice as a failed light will mean you can't see or be seen if you ride on dark roads without a backup.

Just be aware some manufacturers exaggerate how powerful their lights are and the cheap Chinese lights vary wildly in quality.

birdie23

As others have said, depends on what roads your riding.

I use a set of Cateye lights for my short urban commute. They were around 50 quid.

southdownswolf

Nearly every light you see for sale are designed to be as bright as possible for off road, especially the "cheap" Cree type lights. Unfortunately there are not many lights that are truely designed for the road. Off road lights throw the power around at wide angles, but for the road you need it concentrated more in a direction. The Philips Saferide is a decent light, but as mentioned in a post above, it does not have a long run time.
I am now using a Busch and Muller IQ Premium which is fantastic for the road, provides a nice straight beam rather than spreading the light over 180 degrees. You can get up to 5 hours on a set of batteries at full power and as it takes rechargeable AA's, you can always carry a spare set charged up.

http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/ixon ... ountry=190