Lights set up

Antlancs76

So I am just waiting for my florescent clothing to come through and am sat here thinking about lights set up for night time riding

I will mainly be going on fairly well lit roads but some will be unlit in parts and I am thinking of a bright main front light and one that's not quite as powerful but flashes and the same on the back, but would that be overkill?

See I also ride motorbikes and I know the aim of the game on those is to make yourself as visual as possible and i do tend to treat every other road user as a possible moron who will try and kill me, so taking this outlook into cycling i think will only help protect me, obvious difference is my road bike wont make the same noise as my motorbike but other than that the basics are the same.

May I ask, if you do night riding, what your set up is and is there anything specific i should be looking for with my lights?

Cheers

Anthony

monkimark

I think flashing and steady front and rear is the minimum I would ride with.

For my commute (currently dark most of the way in and all of the way home for 20 miles between surrey and west london), I ride with a bright front light (bright enough to see on unlit roads) and a less bright flashing light up front. On the back of the bike I have a steady and a flashing light, with another flashing light on the back of my rucksack.

I have had a couple of people nearly pull out into the side of me on roundabouts recently so I've taken to having additional lights on the forks that have better side visibility and I'm also experimenting with fibre optic wire type lights on my rucksack straps but that may be straying into overkill

cookeeemonster

bigrog76259 said:

So I am just waiting for my florescent clothing to come through and am sat here thinking about lights set up for night time riding

I will mainly be going on fairly well lit roads but some will be unlit in parts and I am thinking of a bright main front light and one that's not quite as powerful but flashes and the same on the back, but would that be overkill?

See I also ride motorbikes and I know the aim of the game on those is to make yourself as visual as possible and i do tend to treat every other road user as a possible moron who will try and kill me, so taking this outlook into cycling i think will only help protect me, obvious difference is my road bike wont make the same noise as my motorbike but other than that the basics are the same.

May I ask, if you do night riding, what your set up is and is there anything specific i should be looking for with my lights?

Cheers

Anthony

You got it about right, though fluorescent clothing doesn't work in the dark and high viz is not needed if you have good lights anyway...though doesn't hurt I suppose.

Try not to blind others with your main front light - don't go crazy with the cheap 8 billion lumen Ebay lights pointed at eye level...they are as bad as having no light for other users.

rick_chasey

Unusual one but if you're doing country roads at night, wear a cycling cap.

Can be helpful to shield your eyes from on-coming full beams from cars. They will often not dip for cyclists.
Lights seem fine. Most lights are so powerful now it's less of an issue.

Pay attention to the charging mechanisms of the lights you get too; if it's too much of a faff for you there will be times when you go out sub-optimally charged.

Antlancs76

Thanks for all the advice everyone, greatly appreciated, got my light set up now, just need to make sure they are all charged up before I go anywhere, kitchen now has that many things plugged in all over the place its a nightmare!!

slowbike

I'll second Ricks suggestion of a cap - I usually don't bother - but did when it was wet the other day - being able to just look down slightly helped enormously.

The way I go about it without cap is to close one eye when the car approaches - opening it when it's passed.

Re Charging - I have an 8way USB charger (not in the kitchen) which is quite useful.

billycool

I think you've got it about spot on.

For me, lights serve 2 purposes. To see and to be seen.

I have flashing front and rear that tell people I'm a bike. I then have a sensible main light with variable output so I can see where I'm going.

Even though you're in well lit areas, I'd still double up front and rear.

Reflective clothing also helps.

I've got one of these to tidy up the charging points (assuming most of your lights and cables are USB friendly).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00GX3BKKW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Antlancs76

rick_chasey said:

Unusual one but if you're doing country roads at night, wear a cycling cap.

Can be helpful to shield your eyes from on-coming full beams from cars. They will often not dip for cyclists.
Lights seem fine. Most lights are so powerful now it's less of an issue.

Pay attention to the charging mechanisms of the lights you get too; if it's too much of a faff for you there will be times when you go out sub-optimally charged.

I got as free Christmas Pudding hat with my Fat Lad clothing order! Hopefully that will do for now! haha does look a little bit odd though!

dannbodge

On the front I have 600Lumen on solid and Exposure Trace on pulse
Rear I have Exposure TraceR on solid/pulse (depends on conditions), a reflective strip up my mudguard and reflective backpack stripes.

slowbike

I've added some battery powered fairy lights - just for the run up to Christmas

froze

Ok, to give you an idea of brightness, a motorcycle headlight on dim is rated at 700 lumens, and they ride at much faster speeds then a bike does; so keep that in your mind as you look for lights.

Currently in today's market the best self contained light/battery in my opinion is the Ravemen PR1200, they do make a brighter PR1600 but keep in mind what I said about motorcycle lights, having a 1600 lumens is highly unnecessary! That's why the middle of the road PR1200 is the best buy, this light uses an automotive type of cutoff beam which if you live in Europe you have to have now, also if you live in Europe you cannot have a flashing front OR rear light! While the Ravemen does have flash mode you cannot legally use it in that mode in Europe.

If you live in an area that it's legal to have flashing front light then I would suggest that you get a second much smaller light that puts out about 400 or so lumens and attach it to your helmet or front fork, and a good deal for such a light is the Lezyne Mini Drive 400XL, it has a very eye catch strobe mode that is highly visible during the daylight hours.

Rear tail lights at this time the best deal on the market is the NiteRider Omega 300, this light puts out an amazing 300 lumens of light, it too is highly noticeable in broad daylight.

I also suggest getting a second tail light for your helmet, something small but bright like the Cygolite Hotshot Pro 150, while the 150 lumens is less than the NR Omega 300 it is a spot beam instead of a flood like the NR, the NR does have far better side illumination then the Cygolite, but the Cygolite will be quite intense from directly behind.

The lights I have on the front is a Philips Saferide 80, the original cutoff beam style light and it is a very good light but no longer being made, this would be closely akin to the Ravemen except mine is a single bean and runs off of 4 rechargeable AA batteries which are really cheap to replace vs a internal battery pack. My second light is the Lezyne Mini Drive 400XL, it's very small and very compact, the run time on the older ones like mine is about 2 hours on strobe, but the new ones I've heard is now closer to 5 hours, but double check that. On the rear I use the NR Omega 300 and a NR 360, the 360 claims to put out 360 lumens but I seriously doubt it's more than 150 since it's about half the brightness of the Omega, however the 360 has extremely good side illumination.

Of course I wear reflective stuff built into my clothing, and I wear reflective ankle bands, but I do not rely on passive lighting, active lighting is way far superior to passive lighting.

rick_chasey

I feel quite strongly about not attaching things to your helmet.

Helmet is there to protect your head, not to hold bits of metal and plastic very near it.

davep1

rick_chasey said:

I feel quite strongly about not attaching things to your helmet.

Helmet is there to protect your head, not to hold bits of metal and plastic very near it.

I've just started putting a flashing light on the back of my helmet, as well as the usual flashing one on the saddle rails. On my ride home last night, I got some awful close passes, which previously has been a very rare thing at night. My ride is mostly rural unlit lanes, I think the darkness makes drivers more cautious, whether its because they can't see either side of the road as well, or some other reason. I'm wondering if the helmet one led drivers to behave less well towards me?

Always carry two lights front and rear, even if you don't have both switched on. Rechargeables can die on you with very little warning; plus if you have a mechanical you may need an extra light source to see what to fix, and fixing it will likely add 15-20 minutes to your journey.
I used to have a mix of battery and rechargeable lights; one of the rears used a single triple AAA battery, would last forever on flashing mode, and it's no hardship to carry a spare battery that size.
Brightness. I don't think it matters how bright rear lights are at night. Fronts however need to be minimum 700 lumens for unlit roads. I've been experimenting with different levels, as soon as you go downhill in the country you want brightness. You have to able to pick out the edge of the road, plus overhanging branches, and then not just potholes but those lines that appear when there is loose gravel and leaf litter about.
I find it impossible to ride on unlit roads with flashing front lights, you have to go to steady mode then. Once back in street lights, flashing is fine. A bright strobing light reflects back off signs etc so you get more awareness of your presence from that.

darkhairedlord

white one on the front and red at the back.

slowbike

rick_chasey said:

I feel quite strongly about not attaching things to your helmet.

Other than perhaps your head?!

davep1 said:

rick_chasey said:

I feel quite strongly about not attaching things to your helmet.

Helmet is there to protect your head, not to hold bits of metal and plastic very near it.

I've just started putting a flashing light on the back of my helmet, as well as the usual flashing one on the saddle rails. On my ride home last night, I got some awful close passes, which previously has been a very rare thing at night.

Hmm - strange - I can understand the confusion of drivers with a bright front light mounted on your helmet - like most of our MTB friends do - but not the rear ...

Btw - Son's lid has a built in rear light on the headband adjustment - I've seen a few lids with similar rear lighting built in. I believe there are a few with led strips built in around the front too (white obviously)

I can understand (and have used) the helmet mounted front spot for off road riding - it's also handy for navigating country lanes quickly in the dark as you can see where you're looking - When I've used it, mine has been mounted using rubber bands and no mount - I suspect it would just break off if I landed on it - most of the time anyway.

rick_chasey

Flashing also makes it harder for peds & cars to judge your speed.

slowbike

rick_chasey said:

Flashing also makes it harder for peds & cars to judge your speed.

Flashing as the only front light on MTB rides is ... er .... interesting!

N0bodyOfTheGoat

It's well worth running two rear lights on night rides even if you have a second front light ready but not turned on... You won't easily notice a single rear light fail as you would on the front.

Really need to get back to following my own advice, been just using single light each end since October.

Ordered a https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/LIJOWEZ/jobsworth-wezen-usb-rechargable-front-or-rear-light earlier as a redundancy light for family member, can switch from being a red or white light, not something I've come across before.

monkimark

I think Decathlon do a similar front/rear light.

Charlie_Croker

froze said:

...this light uses an automotive type of cutoff beam which if you live in Europe you have to have now, also if you live in Europe you cannot have a flashing front OR rear light! While the Ravemen does have flash mode you cannot legally use it in that mode in Europe.

froze, I wonder if you could point links to the relevant legislation on these two points of European law please – I was not aware of such Europe wide laws, thanks

darkhairedlord

monkimark said:

I think Decathlon do a similar front/rear light.

I have one. The strap is poor but the clip let's you attach to clothing, rucksack etc. Mine is attached to the sternum strap and I use it foul weather and when walking from the shed to the house. Battery lasts ages.

roger_merriman

slowbike said:

rick_chasey said:

Flashing also makes it harder for peds & cars to judge your speed.

Flashing as the only front light on MTB rides is ... er .... interesting!

Or even in dark parks and what not, I’ve high beamed folks before now, (bike) who have high powered lights on flash, in the pitch dark.

Low powered blinkies fine but if you have a light with some oomph...

darrell1967

I commute daily from north west London into central London using the A41 and the Finchley Road. If you know these roads you’ll know you need to be seen!!

I’m using a flashing and a solid on the front and rear, 2 small flashings on the top and rear of my helmet, little flashers in the heels of my overshoes and my kit and backpack consists of plenty of fluorescent.

I also got one of those dangly gonad (😱) flashing light things for Christmas so I’ll hang that from the underside of the saddle.

I probably look like a muppet on my bike but at least I’m a live muppet!!

rick_chasey

Would seriously not recommend attaching things to your helmet if you are interested in your helmet working as intended.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Very nearly got caught out yesterday afternoon, left knowing I'd be coming home just after official sunset and it was an overcast day, just had what I thought was a fully charged Moon Nebula rear and Magicshine MJ900 front...

Turned both on to flash mode at 1530ish, only for front to turn off ~10mins later and I was ~12 miles from home!

Got back in one piece (it probably helped I had reflective strips on upper and lower clothes plus fluro arms/helmet), but chanced not trying front light again until ~3 miles later, with flash mode lasting decreasing amounts of time... When I then recalled that lowest static mode uses 25% power compared to flash using 50%.

Maybe I incorrectly thought the front was fully charged as I don't use it on commuter, or maybe the battery is not holding charge, all I know is that was the most stressful cycle home I've had in ages due to not having redundancy lights fitted.

darrell1967

rick_chasey said:

Would seriously not recommend attaching things to your helmet if you are interested in your helmet working as intended.

I know where you are coming from there but tbh the 2 little lights I’ve got are held on by thin rubber loops that would certainly give in the event of an accident.

rick_chasey

darrell1967 said:

rick_chasey said:

Would seriously not recommend attaching things to your helmet if you are interested in your helmet working as intended.

I know where you are coming from there but tbh the 2 little lights I’ve got are held on by thin rubber loops that would certainly give in the event of an accident.

Entirely depends on the angle of impact.

asprilla

rick_chasey said:

darrell1967 said:

rick_chasey said:

Would seriously not recommend attaching things to your helmet if you are interested in your helmet working as intended.

I know where you are coming from there but tbh the 2 little lights I’ve got are held on by thin rubber loops that would certainly give in the event of an accident.

Entirely depends on the angle of impact.

Yeah, I removed my helmet light after what happened to Micheal Schumacher. I think his was as a result of a Go Pro, but the effect is the same.

I didn't find it much use anyway. I thought it would help people see me over traffic but one of the last times I wore it I ended up bum over breast breaking heavily to avoid a jogger who stepped into the road.

I've got an Exposure Strada on the front, generally set to flash / pulse (one constant light and one flashing). When I get into Richmond Park I put it onto Low setting as anything more robs me of my own longer distance night vision. The beam pattern is reasonably dipped and I point it down towards the road, because I'm one of those weirdos who doesn't like blinding people.

On the back I've got a couple of Exposure TraceRs. Very bright so I only have one on at a time, unless it's foggy. I must have had my oldest one for four years or so and it's still going strong.

rick_chasey

asprilla said:

On the back I've got a couple of Exposure TraceRs. .

Yes they are good aren't they? Battery isn't too bad either.

asprilla

rick_chasey said:

asprilla said:

On the back I've got a couple of Exposure TraceRs. .

Yes they are good aren't they? Battery isn't too bad either.

Small, bright, tough and a 3hr battery life. Charged at my desk via USB. I don't have the brake light ones as they were £15 more expensive.

The only downside to them is they only mount on the seat post which means I can't use a Carradice seat bag any more.

billycool

rick_chasey said:

asprilla said:

On the back I've got a couple of Exposure TraceRs. .

Yes they are good aren't they? Battery isn't too bad either.

I've got one as well and the DayBright mode is brilliant for daytime riding. Really visible at longer distances, bright sunshine/shade etc.