Lights

[mauisher]

What's a good, all-around, light headlight for a road bike? Looking for something that's easy to take on & off and bright. (i.e., the ideal light, of course!!:D) Thanks in advance !

[Trekhawk]

I like this one:
http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=A9258
:)

[PscyclePath]

I've been very pleased with Light & Motion's Stella 200N (http://www.bikelights.com/info.asp?uid=226&p=13):

It's a 200 lumen light, with a good long battery life. When fully charged, it'll run 5 hours on its brightest setting, or you can notch it down to "medium" (10 hours) or "low" (20 hours). It's supposed to run more than 50 hours in blinky mode. Very lightweight and easy to put on and take off your handlebars, and it comes with a helmet mount, too. The one drawback is the battery, but even that is smaller, lighter,and more compact than the bottle battery for my old Cygo-Lite NightRover.

I ride a lot in the dark this time of year, and as soon as the DST change came around, had lots of run-ins with the local bike and jogging ninjas. When set on high and aimed low, my Stella makes a first-class ninja detector; on a straight stretch of trail I can pick these rascals up way past a quarter-mile away, and up close, well... Yehuda would be proud:

http://www.yehudamoon.com/images/strips/2008-09-10.gif

Another really good choice is the Dinotte 200L-AA (http://store.dinottelighting.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=dinotte&StoreType=BtoC&Count1=634777247&Count2=551917672&ProductID=2&Target=products.asp):

This one is very compact and lightweight... and still get you 200 lumens of light. The beam is not quite as wide as the Stella's but you get excellent visibility and "see-ability" even out on the pitch-black country roads and back streets. It runs on 4 rechargeable AA batteries, and in a pinch will even accept the regular AAs that you can find at any convenience store. You get about 2.5 to 3 hours of light at full power on a single charge or set of batteries. It mounts to just about anything and anywhere using a rubber O-ring. For several extra bucks, the Dinottes come in models with up to 800 lumens, but the 200L makes a good all-around commuter and utility light.

The Stella comes in a AA-powered version as well for around 80 to 90 bucks, with about the same run time, but you sacrifice multi-mode capability -- when you turn it on, it goes plumb all the way, at 120 lumens.

[mauisher]

Thanks for the replies with light ideas (and cartoons!!). Does anyone know of a good online source for the Light & Motion Stella light? Thanks, again:)

[pinkbikes]

If you want the lightest, brightest and easiest to put on and take off, then I must recommend Ay-Ups. They are absolutely bullet-proof, waterproof, bright as anything (320lumens) very light (58 grams for the lightset plus another 100grams or so for the battery in its pouch) the simplest possible attachment........ and.....

They come in gorgeous colours! And that's IMPORTANT!:D

I know they were designed for mountain biking to start with, but they are great on the roadie - allow you to ride at a real pace without out-running your lights! Check it out!

http://www.ayup.com.au/index.php

[Mr. Bloom]

I've been very pleased with Light & Motion's Stella 200N (http://www.bikelights.com/info.asp?uid=226&p=13):


Tom's link takes you to their site where you can purchase on line.

You may consider getting two - one for lighting your own path and one for flashing so motorist see you better.

[Velobambina]

Anything L&M makes is excellent.

If you are serious about riding after dark, I highly recommend L&M's Arc-LiOn lamps. They are an investment but very much worth it.

I also have the Dinotte. I use it for a backup headlight. Quality-wise, it can't touch L&M. I've had to improvise by gum-banding the lamp attachment to the battery because the connection has gotten increasingly unreliable. Not a big deal but be advised. YMMV. I plan to replace this one w/the Stella, perhaps sometime in '09.