Best lights?

[roguedog]

Hey all you commuters,

How do YOU light up the world?

What do you do to make sure you're seen? It'd be helpful to also list what brands of lights or whatever it is so I can go buy it..

Tks!

[KnottedYet]

I'm very fond of my Nite Ize glow stick. Runs off a watch battery, is lime green reflective/red light. Can be set to slow blink or steady glow.

Gonna get some Knogs, too. www.knogusa.com $18 for two.

Road ID sells some good blinkies: www.roadid.com $12

If I buy a set (headlight/taillight) I'll get a Cateye set from my LBS. $28.

[HipGnosis6]

I bought a NiteRider 15W bar-mount headlight, NiMH battery and two chargers (one at home one at work to be sure the battery's strong for the night ride home) for $90. It's awesome. Ugly and heavy, but awesome.

[xeney]

I just use be-seen lights, not the giant expensive ones that actually work as headlights to illuminate the road. I mostly stick with CatEye in spite of some problems I've had (namely housings cracking, and people stealing them when I forget and leave them on the bike), because they mostly use the same attachment mechanism so I can use the same headlights on different bikes. (Of course, I have extra attachment mechanisms because I have gone through so many CatEyes, so I don't really recommend my approach.)

I think the CatEye TL-LD1000 is the best taillight on the market right now, except that it will not attach to a rack without major MacGyvering. It is super bright and has decent side visibility. I used to like the TL-LD500, but it is tricky to mount so that it doesn't bump your leg, and if you mount it vertically like most people do on road bikes, it is not very visible at all. And side visibility kind of sucks.

In terms of headlights, I like the HL-EL200 or HL-EL210, although I think both have been discontinued. The former has only three LEDs but it has better side visibility; the latter has five LEDs so it's a bit brighter. They both have a flashing mode, which saves batteries, and some people think that you are more likely to be seen with a flashing light than with a steady one. I think they have been replaced by the HL-EL220, which is the same as the 210 but it doesn't have a mounting bracket that stays on the bike; you can mount it without tools like some of the older smaller models.

The HL-EL300 is currently very popular -- it is huge and bright enough to actually light up the road a bit, but it doesn't blink so you will eat batteries faster. And did I mention huge? I worry about its stability on the bike. You definitely don't want to leave any of the larger ones attached unless you need them, because bumps in the road are really hard on the assemblies.

The only other headlight I've tried recently is the Planet Bike Dual Spot, which I don't think is anywhere near as good as the CatEyes listed above. It's probably better than the really tiny CatEyes. I mostly use mine as a hand-held flashlight, because I don't think it's bright enough for a bike light.

[bikerHen]

I just got the NiteRider Trail Rat 2.0. It lights the ground, and hopefully makes me more visible. And it worked fine on my commute last night in the pouring rain. For a tail light I have an assortment of brands, mostly CatEye that blink and can be attached to the bike and/or clipped to my backpack. bikerHen

[Haudlady]

http://www.topeak.com/2006/products/lights/redlite.php

I, too, have the lights that make me more visible, but don't illuminate the road for me. I have the Topeak red light for my seat tube, and their white light on my bars. They are LED, and have blink, steady, and off modes. The set cost about $28.

[E2theD]

Here is a link to a pic. You can usually find them at your LBS or have them order them for you. I use the bar lights, a regular red blinking tail light and a front white light for my commute.

http://mikesbikes.com/itemdetails.cfm?catalogId=131&id=1014

[KnottedYet]

Here is a link to a pic. You can usually find them at your LBS or have them order them for you. I use the bar lights, a regular red blinking tail light and a front white light for my commute.

http://mikesbikes.com/itemdetails.cfm?catalogId=131&id=1014

Those are nice bar-end lights. I've seen the ones for flat bars, but not drop bars. What color is the light?

[E2theD]

Red. You can set them for on or blinking mode. The cool thing is they can be seen up to a mile away. Plus they just look super cool.

:cool: Erin

[7rider]

Those are nice bar-end lights. I've seen the ones for flat bars, but not drop bars. What color is the light?

Where have you seen bar end lights for flat bar bikes? I'd love to check them out. I've only ever seen the drop bar style.

For my commutes, I also focus on the "Be seen lights" over the "See the road". I use the NiteRider UltraFazer 3.0 in front:
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=20724&subcategory_ID=4320
and the Cateye TL-LD1000 for a tail light
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=19999&subcategory_ID=4322
I also go for reflective gear where ever possible. Soon, I'll swap out my 700x25 tires for a pair of 700x28's with reflective sidewalls.

[Quillfred]

My winter commuting lights are the Cygolite Night Rovers which are a 12W dual light with a NiMH rechargable battery. It allows me to ride at my comfort level on a pitch black trail.

The trail at night is in total darkness and small animals can dart out suddenly, so I would only be tempted to go faster with a stronger light. Often it is raining, too, and it takes a bit longer to stop.

They are bright enough that I need to turn the lights away from bikes or walkers approaching.

[KnottedYet]

Regina - Knog makes them, so does Alux (?)

The Knog tadpoles have white light facing forward and red light facing backward for flat bar bikes.

www.knogusa.com I think this is their website.

Edit: yes, that is their website, but I can't get a link to the lights. Just go to their site and click bike lights, the bar ends are the 2nd or 3rd item down.

Another Edit: are you getting the Vittorina Randonneurs with reflective sidewalls? Those are what I plan to get, eventually. Keep us posted on how you like them.

[7rider]

Regina - Knog makes them, so does Alux (?)

The Knog tadpoles have white light facing forward and red light facing backward for flat bar bikes.

www.knogusa.com I think this is their website.

Edit: yes, that is their website, but I can't get a link to the lights. Just go to their site and click bike lights, the bar ends are the 2nd or 3rd item down.

Another Edit: are you getting the Vittorina Randonneurs with reflective sidewalls? Those are what I plan to get, eventually. Keep us posted on how you like them.

Thanks! I'll check them out.
DH has the reflective Randonneurs on his flat bar bike (700 x 28).
I have reflective Michelin TransWorld City's on mine.
I like them fine. They roll a little noisier than the stock tires I had (Felt brand...don't know who's they "really" were), and they take less air pressure than what I currently ride, so the ride is a bit cushier. DH saw me round a corner coming home last fall after dark and he was amazed at how much they lit up. They seem to still shine even when goobered up with road crud.

[Geonz]

I got soem of the knog lights. They're really cute but I did have to add more ductape to keep 'em from flying out of my bar ends. It's a little hard to get their switches to cooperate and be on or off when I want them to be... so I have run the batteries down. I'm hoping the hardware store has that kind. I'm trying to egg a buddy on to designing some turn signals for my Xtracycle. (I picked some up - turn signals and brake lights, even! - but the installation was too daunting for me and now it's in my bin of other light stuff and I have no idea which the right parts are to try again.)
The gloves I got from knog, however, were disappointing... basically wore out in two months. While I do have the roughest palms known to woman (inherited from Dad's X chromosome), they shouldn't have gotten quite that holey that quickly. Hmmm.... gloves for my hands could be made from recycled tires, perhaps...

[Denise223]

Hi Everyone!

We recently purchased lights for our bikes.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?sku=12860

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?sku=12377


I will agree, the tail light is excellent.

The headlight really isn't bright enough to ride when it's pitch dark out. When you're in an area with no street lights...... Definitely not bright enough.

My husband and I decided it would be a good idea to go out after 7:30pm last night to "try out our lights". We went out in Concord, MA (where it was pitch dark/no street lights), and after a few short miles I said, "let's get out of here". (inasmuch as I'd love to try & camp out, I'm not sure that I'd really be any fun! :o )

I suggest that you all wear lots of reflective stuff - vests, stickies, etc..... I had a reflective vest on.

We could see in front of us - but, I would definitely want a much, much brighter headlight if we were to stay out any longer.

Hope this helps!

Have a peaceful day!

Denise

[annie]

I absolutely LOVEmy Cateye HL EL 500 headlight. It's a single LED, 1000 candlepower (whatever that mean! To me it means that's it's really bright!) Takes 4 AA batteries. 30 hour run time. Very easy to mount on the handlebars. NO tools needed. It doesn't look like it'd be all that bright if you try it in the daylight. But go out in the dark, and it lights up the road surprisingly well. Not quite as bright as the big, heavy rechargeables, but every so much more convenient and lightweight. I've spent some good money on a couple different battery-pack rechargeable lights and have been very disappointed with their run-time, and the life of the battery. I refuse to spend that much money on something that I can't trust. So I've decided to stick with the LED lights and put two on the handelbars. Plenty of light for road-riding. Prob'ly not enough for knarly trails, but I don't do that at night. :eek: I think cateye is coming out another, even better LED, but I don't know if it's available yet. Pricey, too, even more than the EL 500. Still, being able to see and be seen on the road at night is so important! Like bikerHen, I have an assortment of blinkies, on my bike, on my rear bag, on my helmet, on my BOB. After once being hit by a car at night, I don't think it's possible to overdo the lights! The more, the safer. Let's all stay safe!

annie

[Sheesh]

We were just at our LBS looking for a new headlight and our favorite LBS guy showed us this new light.

http://www.niterider.com/prod_minewt.shtml

He didn't have any in stock, but is ordering more so we put our names down. It's rechargeable, very small, but also very bright. He said it runs about $169.

[Selkie]

Part of the trail I ride on is not lit, so it's pitch black. I invested in a Lights & Motion ARC Li-On headlight, which is very bright. This year, I bought a backup headlight after I had a minor mishap w/my regular headlight (that I easily fixed, but had to wait on a part from the manufacturer) -- a Niterider Flight. Got a good deal when Performance had a 20% off coupon! Also very bright. Because I ride every day, I need something reliable, bright enough that I can see safely, and durable/high quality. Both lights have their pluses and minuses, but I am completely satisfied with them. Both of them have batteries that easily strap into a bottle cage and I was able to get spare mounts so all of my bikes can be "after dark" rides. In addition, both lights offer high/low beam settings, which is great when I encounter other early morning commuters or joggers/walkers and don't want to blind anyone!. The lights have decently long run times, so long as I recharge the battery after each use. Also, I use tail lights, blinkies on the back of my helmet, reflective tape on my helmet & wheels, etc. You can't be lit up enough.