What lights to buy for my bike?

omarm

Can someone advise me what bikes I should buy for my bike?

Battery operated vs USB rechargeable?
ebay/Amazon cheap ones vs from well known retailers costing 4x more?

Important facts:

- I have a Calibre Two Two. I love it. It looks soo cool 🙂
- But it's FAT! Big handle bars. So an issue putting things on.

- I'm not a serious biker to be honest. I do 30 minutes a day for exercise - accidentally I get caught when it's getting dark, otherwise, I try to keep to daytime.

Thanks.

whyamihere

What's the budget, and what do you want to use the lights for? Lights for being seen on the road or a cycle path have very different requirements for lights to see by on proper MTB trails.

omarm

OK... let me clarify...
The lights are just to be seen on the road.
(And obviously to then be road legal.)
Not planning to ride loads at night - but don't want to find myself stuck one day with the batteries out of charge having not been used in 6 months or something.

I looked on decathlon... £25 for front and back light set.
BUT... my bike has fat frame. I'm pretty sure these won't fit.

£15-£20 for rear and £40 for the front?
This is the recommended budget?

reaperactual

Thanks for clarifying your vague original post and I already assumed you're not a serious biker. No, you don't have a fat frame. Your frame is the same as most mountain bikes, same as handlebars (between 22.2-35mm max) and seatposts (no wider than 35mm) where most lights are fitted.

Bike lights fit on bikes so go buy the Decathlon ones, while your shopping buy a pack of spare batteries if they ain't rechargeable.

You decide what you want to spend, there is no recommended budget.

P.S. Bike lights are not a legal requirement in the day time so do your 30 minutes exercise 60 minutes before it starts to get dark.

fenix

Motorists are pretty crap these days. I ride with lights even in daylight in a bid to catch their eye.

Even on a sunny day if you ride in shade a light will help.

Definitely go USB charging. I don't see why bike lights wouldn't fit ? You've fat tyres but your seatpost and bars are the same dimensions as normal bikes.

ToneC

Personally I would run 2 lights on the front. A decent USB rechargeable one with a variety of strengths and a cheap battery one that can flash as a back up.

I'd consider one on your helmet too...

My commute home I have a lot of unlit roads that are 60mph. I have a solid small red light on the bike, another flashing on my back pack and another strapped on my ankle.

I have on the handlebar a large USB headlight that doubles as a trail light if needed , a battery light on the handlebar that normally flashes but can be used in a pinch as a main light. On my helmet I have a USB small light that I can point at cars and lights wherever I look at. And I have a cheap green flashing ankle strap

Overkill I know but having been knocked off by a couple of times by drivers ( a bloody milk float once ). I figure I'd rather do this than maybe get really mucked up.

Plus I know when I've been driving there's times I've almost missed seeing a cyclist and I look for us...

N0bodyOfTheGoat

I've had a Magicshine front and Nebula rear for a few years, plus a set of https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/LIJOCANO/jobsworth-canopus-usb-rechargeable-light old Moon knockoffs (but from Aldi iirc), but I picked up a set of https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/223591864963 from Lidl just before lockdown...

~£13 for a set that comply with German StVZO is a bargain, the rear light is great to have for those regular pre-sunset rides I do on the road bike, but come Autumn I'll be running the set on my fatbike commuter.

fenix

He's not commuting. Just worried about getting caught out at night occasionally.

Andygayle83

If you're off road at night then a handlebar and a helmet mounted light. If your on road/pavement then handlebar and rear light fine. Im new to mtb and was looking at lights and going on reviews and was loimg at exposure diablo and exposure six pack which someome I know has but thats £640 worth of lights. Im not that serious so I chanced my arm off an auction site for 35 and got a handlebar light and 2 helmet lights with helmet holders and a rear light and its literllay like a bat signal. I dint expect them to last more than a year to be honest but compared to the 640 lights they are alot brighter and better coverage(due to the fact 2 helmet lights as opposed to one)

reaperactual

With not being able to get out for night rides very often I couldn't justify a big expense on lights.

Took a chance on a pack of two compact Vastfire twin LCD lights with built in batteries.

I was under no illusions that they were at the stated 1200 lumens and probably weren't genuine Cree bulbs but they are around 800 lumens which I read was minimum brightness needed for night riding and the batteries did last the advertised times (1hr 40mins on full beam, etc.).

I cobbled together a helmet mount for one of them and they were better than expected and perform well.

EBay, £20 for two lights, bar mounts, usb charging cables along with £2.50 for cheap rechargeable rear light. I can recommend this set up as all a beginner would need for occasional use or when starting out doing off road rides. I also feel very safe and visible on the road heading to and back from the trails.

reaperactual

oxoman said:

Also be careful charging the batteries as load of horror stories around.

Read about the charging horror stories too, happy to report that my house ain't burned down! 🤣 Mine have only ever got warm like anything that recharges.

Always plugged them in the same room I was in, didn't leave them unattended then unplugged when indicator showed fully charged, just to be on the safe side. 👍

wisepatrick09rl3KxQh1

BLITZU mountain bike light is also a great option. This is amazing light for the price. I like to use the dim mode because it uses the least amount of battery and is still plenty bright enough. The rear light is very bright as well and has several modes, my favorite is the random flashing. I think it gets people's attention the best. Both lights are easily installed and removed.