Bike Lights

[TeeDee]

Need to carry on cycling later into the autumn.winter and planning ahead means a small addition of some Bike Lights.

Now , I did initially go to Amazon but after looking at the various reviews it seems a very very mixed bag for lower - intermediate bicycle lights.

I've no intention of dropping alot of money on lighting and am happy to wear a headtorch also as additional front facing light.

So as I know we have many active people here and some zealots that worship at the altar of the Goddess Lumen - can anyone suggest a reliable set? I guess thats the key word - reliable , I don't need to turn the night into daytime for a few weeks before they crap out on me , just need a good set of rechargeable (?) lights for front and back - Many thanks

 

[Herman30]

Can´t give you any models but in my opinion one of the best value for money brands is Fenix, not too expensive and quality is good enough. I am a devoted fenix-man myself.

 

[Bhod]

Olight or Lezyne.

 

[stonepark]

Bike Lights – Torchy the Battery Boy

Imports, tests and sells batteries, torches and bicycle lights.

I have headlight still going strong after 10 years

 

[nigelp]

I would suggest having flashing and a solid light on the front and rear. Flashing lights are hard to judge distance too, but catch a drivers attention. A solid rear light helps to give a nice red glow behind a cyclist and is far easier to gauge the distance too. A like a very bright front light so the idiots in cars dip there headlights. A headtorch is useful for off road riding but not good on a road because it’s hard to adjust the beam and use both hands on the handles bars. Also the light is so tall it confuses the drivers. Some reflective tape on the cranks arms can be useful and the side of the bike also so you don’t get side hit when you cycle through a cross roads.

My winter lights are packed away but I usually go for Lezyne, cat eye flashers and found mounting a flashlight on as a cheap front light to be a pain. I recall looking at a front light with a remote switch on a wire so you could adjust the beam easily.

 

[JB101]

As mentioned above lezyne are good .I also have the older version of these which are reliable and bright (& can be used as a powere bank as well)

https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-accessories/bike-lights/halfords-advanced-500-lumen-front-bike-light-693702.html?_gl=1*n95w17*_up*MQ..*_gs*MQ..&gclid=CjwKCAjwp_LDBhBCEiwAK7Fnkoo_wWNks--hGNY5xerJu7wCo3VGtIASMye5qifqjiIcC02i43nJshoCel4QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&gbraid=0AAAAADrJx6yHbG73GMssY1q2PvbWvE0de&plpPlacement=1

& can be found on the bay cheaper

I run a flashing front light and a constant beam one at the same time

 

[Paul_B]

I have been a cycle commuter for well over a decade and I have had quite a few. Avoid like th plague Aldii and Lidl cheapo copies of Moon branded lights. They wer good once for about a year possibly two then went downhill badly. I have the ones from 10 years ago and they work just, but later ones lasted weeks or months at most.

I used to like Raveman brand I have a PR1600 I think. Great with the bracket it came with but if you neeed to buy a different size to go on handlebars of a size not coped with by the original then it is a hand tightened bracket that simply does not hold the bracket and substantial light. They are exceptionally good and well made lights excepting the additional bracket I had to get for my Brompton. They were one of the few models that whilst not being tested to the German lighting standard they probably more than met them. They had aa fresnel lensed light at up to 800 lumens. Perfect for the darkest of urban or suburban roads even if you turned it down a few levels. Then the second light could be turned on for off road or the deep and dark country roads at 1600 lumens. The 800 lumens is fresnel leensed to dipped like car lights. The 1600 lumens was a bright and direct full beam light.

That was perfect for my old commute on urband, suburban and semi rural main roads with a last leg on an industrial estate with potholes so big theey swallowed bulk load trucks completely and they had to pick their route for the potholes in the potholes in the potholee. I am not joking neither. A metre plus deep with extra potholes inside and aa raiised lip of what was once in the hole!!

I have a lezyne laser light rear. up to 500 lumens on the rear for daylight use but TBH I used it on a lower setting to avoid dazzle and as a flasher too. something like 20 light modes too!! More when you add in the laser light modes which multplied thee options by about 4. On solid,two flashing and one off. They put two lines or dashed and flashing lines on the ground either sside of your bike about 50cm out thee side and towards the back to guide motorists into giving you space. That light on the lower setting fo say 250 lumens with flashing laser lines give me well over a week or possibly two on one charge. Admittedly only 15 minutes each way for 4 rides a commute (home to station, sstation too work and return).

Soo Raveman front and Lezyne laser light rear for me. However last winter I got annoyed with my raveman slipping on the bar so looked around. I ended up seeing a guy recomend an amazon cheapo. I got it as a backup for main lights but ended up just using them. Only about a tenner. Simple rubber strap attachement and they pushed on then turned to lock. Small cubic lights that I took out and shoved into the small Brompton triangle bag I have when not needed. They sit there all the time as an emergency back up and main town riding light. Charge is quick and lasts a decent week of 15 minutes each way ride. For urban even suburban riding they aree enough for me I reckon.

Cheapo Amazon bike lights bottom a back up but good enough for urban / suburban roads (even unlit ones)

 

[slaine_23]

They put two lines or dashed and flashing lines on the ground either sside of your bike about 50cm out thee side and towards the back to guide motorists into giving you space

Have seen ads for these, are they much cop?

 

[Chainsaw]

I've had a bunch of Moon lights, 1 big front eye melter and 1 front LED and 2 rear LED for 6-8 years and all have been great. My big front eye melter only gets charged in the autumn and I was worried about battery life but at 8 years it's doing ok! USB rechargeables are ace!

try and go for one brand as figuring out how to change settings/turn on and off modes etc for different lights drives me nuts!

 

[Falstaff]

Good advice there from lots of folk. One factor to include though is the size or diameter of the light. Big is better, a) Car drivers stand a better chance of seeing them, no mastter how bright they are a small light is often not recognised for what it is (a cyclist or pedestrian),
b) As someone else mentioned, it helps with drivers depth/distance perception. A small light might be though to be a larger one further away in the distance.
As a cyclist I use quite a large rear red or red flashing light and a substantial headtorch (despite the issues nigelp refers to). On my motorbike(s) experience has shown that the same thing applies. There is a fashion craze for tiny indicators and lights on motorbikes, but drivers simply do not see/recognise them.

 

[Herman30]

About flashing bike lights; here in Finland many people hate them. Don´t remember reading any article about bikelights where anybody have liket them.

 

[imnotamused]

Bike Lights – Torchy the Battery Boy

Imports, tests and sells batteries, torches and bicycle lights.

I have headlight still going strong after 10 years

I too have a 10+ year old Torchy light and it's still brilliant. However, I bought a light off him recently and it's got issues, I'm still waiting for a resolution and haven't had a response in 5 weeks. I still have faith that he's a good guy and it will get resolved but just be mindful Torchy is a one man band and the cheap prices reflect this.

 

[Paul_B]

Have seen ads for these, are they much cop?

Oh they are very bright on full and have so many settings I cannot remember them all The flashing settings last so long before charges but the charging is very slow. The flashing lights are everything from simple on off flashers to some random flickering form of flashing with short and long flashes and the flashing runs up and down the LEDs.

Then there are the lines too. I think it is 250 lumens which is strong for rear lights. :Lezyne make good lights and pumps too I think. Mine has really lasted a long time. I think I got it when I was commuting 7 miles each way all through the year from home to my then place of work. So it could be up to avbout 8 years maybe more.

I tend not to use it now as I keep my £10 amazon light set and for my train and bike commute these are good enough. I am also not bothered about leaving them on the bike. Although I tend to put them in a small triangle bag on my Brompton when not being used. They charge quicker and last a fair number of days for me, usually a week with about 10 minutes each way to and from work. Maybe almost two weeks. Good enough for me.

 

[TeeDee]

Different question - best websites for bike accessories? things like panniers and intra frame pouches?

Sorry - bit of a newbie question but would appreciate a pointer to reliable quality websites. Cheers.

 

[Chainsaw]

Alpkit do loads of bikepacking stuff. I try and support my local bike shop which is the edinburgh bike coop so I'd recommend trying to do that. Otherwise there are big shops like wiggle, leisure lakes, evans, chain reaction etc etc.

HTH

 

[Aristotle]

Do not use a flashing front light.

Do not point your front light at oncoming drivers' faces. Have it dipped, like a car headlight.

Cateye make good lights.

Fit an aluminium rear rack.

Narrow Tail packs that sit on the rack and frame bags minimise wind resistance.

If you need larger panniers, Ortleib panniers are very good.

 

[nigelp]

Different question - best websites for bike accessories? things like panniers and intra frame pouches?

https://bikepackbaggregator.com/

 

[nigelp]

Do not point your front light at oncoming drivers' faces. Have it dipped, like a car headlight.

Until they don’t dip theirs!

 

[nigelp]

Different question - best websites for bike accessories? things like panniers and intra frame pouches?

Sorry - bit of a newbie question but would appreciate a pointer to reliable quality websites. Cheers.

I use Aeroe spider rack and handle bar cradle and Tailfin fork mounts and cages with Restrap bags for bike packing. Converts my hardtail into a capable off road ‘tourer’.


All easily swaps over to my rigid bike of if I want to use that. Or sits in a box ready to go.

 

[Paul_B]

Do not use a flashing front light.

Do not point your front light at oncoming drivers' faces. Have it dipped, like a car headlight.

Cateye make good lights.

Fit an aluminium rear rack.

Narrow Tail packs that sit on the rack and frame bags minimise wind resistance.

If you need larger panniers, Ortleib panniers are very good.

You can but always better to have a solid front light with a flashing one. Just have the flashing on lower setting perhaps.

Cateye are pretty poor really unless you get the German spec versions that have a fresnel lens to direct moree of the light to the ground like a dipped car beam. That is the law in Germany and is always a good thing.

Lezyne make really well made lights. I bought a Raveman light. They are HongKong made IIRC but are really well specced lights. They do double LED lights where you use one on its own as a dippped beam in more urbam or well lit areas and then other settings use that light and the second LED which is a fulll beam option. My Raveman is 1600 lumens with everything set to hgihest setting but half setting at about 800 lumens with the dipped light is actually what I always tended to use as it iss enough in most situations and the dipped is better for others.