What Lights!

Kirwan

I’ll show my age here - the last time I bought bike lights it was mainly limited to what colour Ever ready ones I wanted. They’d started making them in other colours except white!

Just googling around there’s a huge marketplace these days.

I’m guessing that USB rechargeable, LED is the standard these days?

I got caught out last night - a canal towpath is no place to be in the dark without lights!

So next on my shopping list after buying my new bike are lights. Is there a budget set that people tend to gravitate to?

I’d rather keep the outlay low ~ £20 maybe. I seldom ride on the road so just need something to illuminate the tow paths and off-road routes I’ll be riding.

Thanks in advance.

JGTR

I used the cheap eBay Chinese LED lights for 2 years with no issues, they work very well and still have a lot of friends that use them. Cost about £10-£20 and you get a rear light aswell. You’ll want one for the bars and if you are doing trail riding you’ll need another for your helmet. Eg

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/12000-Lumen-8- ... 2163778313

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Super-Bright-C ... Sw7vxbepE1

I had mine a couple of years ago so things may have moved on with USB rechargeable lights now as both these have separate battery packs.

I now use Exposure lights which are the dogs danglies, but I did have to sell one of my children to afford them :shock:

02gf74

Read through here

viewtopic.php?f=20005&t=12660193
Before asking the same question again.

I've cheap chinese 1,3 and 4 led emitter, 8.4v battery pack and they work very well...

For example ebay item 263788309064

I have usb charger for then plugged into the pc at work (free leccy)

The USB charge lights I'm guessing have built in charger and battery. Although convenient to have it all in one package, the battery capacity is lower, no option to swap battery in the field plus unnecessary weight on the handle bars.
.
I modified my battery pack to have two cables allowing me to use 2 lights simultaneously.

JGTR

There’s some great info above but very complicated to understand, and personally I would avoid ordering from DX having had issues with them before, and why order from abroad when you can get items next day from UK eBay?

Most people I know use the £10-£20 ebay lights.

cougie

I've the first kit mentioned by JG Very bright and very reliable.
Can't see any reason to spend more.

A cheap headtorch is a good idea though. If you have a mechanical it's hard to see what you're doing with just the front light on.

billycool

I've avoided cheaper lights just because of potential issues with cheaper chargers and batteries. That is just my own personal paranoia.

I've had some cheaper Chinese Cree LED torches in the past and they have been very average.

I've now got a Hope R4+ and it's very good. Not cheap but gives great light and suits the riding I do. I did buy it as my forever light and so far so good.

There do seem to be newer/better Chinese stuff now so certainly worth a punt for £20.

Kirwan

Thanks appreciate all the links and advice to use he search function - but to be fair to me with evolving technology, going back to posts from several years ago won’t probably give me ideas about the current market.

A regular turnover of content makes a forum even if some of it is repeated. I’ll post here when I buy incase it helps someone else.

einriba

Following this with interest.

I'm looking for a helmet mounted torch as well. Looked at the links posted earlier, but they're date 2009-2011, so probably a little out of date now?

I did look at these on the bay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2000LM-CREE- ... 1438.l2649

I've got a good handlebar mounted light - but the bars aren't always pointing in the direction I want to travel.

Anyone have any experience?

fenix

I used to use a torch a bit like that - use some old inner tube to go between it and the helmet and an o ring or Livestrong band or whatever to secure it to the helmet through the holes in the helmet. Works well.

billycool

einriba wrote:

Following this with interest.

I'm looking for a helmet mounted torch as well. Looked at the links posted earlier, but they're date 2009-2011, so probably a little out of date now?

I did look at these on the bay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2000LM-CREE- ... 1438.l2649

I've got a good handlebar mounted light - but the bars aren't always pointing in the direction I want to travel.

Anyone have any experience?

I've had similar torches in the past and they NEVER get even close to the claimed lumens.

Not saying they aren't a viable cheap option, but I wouldn't want to rely on one.

Exposure Joysticks are awesome helmet torches but are c.£140.

https://road.cc/content/review/233439-e ... stick-mk12

I'm just not a fan of the Chinese stuff as it's so hit and miss.

t0ffeeman

I don't commute to work and very rarely ride at night, if at all. I've done a couple just to satisfy the 'I wonder what it's like riding at night' curiosity.
I've got 2 sets of the cheap lights off Ebay, one for the handlebars and one for atop my helmet, i take them with me during the winter days as we all know how fast the daylight soon disappears and when i have used them they've done the job perfectly.
If i were a commuter or rode at night more often then i would consider the outlay of the more expensive lights but for now the cheapo's off Ebay do the job i need them to, when i need them to.

I suppose it comes down to how much use you are going to get from them :-
regular use = don't be a cheap skate, splash the cash.
occasional use = cheap n cheerful will do.

Phil

slowbike

I've strapped a torch to the helmet using a band for night time - it's not perfect as you can't tilt it to the right spot every time - but I guess it's better than nothing.
For front light I've always used branded lights because I've needed them to be reliable. But things have moved on - and you can now get a 1600 lumens from Halfords for £50 - so I've got one of those to try.

Only thing I would say - when you're on the road - turn off the head torch please - as it confuses the hell out of anyone coming the other way. Must be something about the movement of the light - because the handlebar ones are fine... (even if they are a bit bright sometimes! )