Question for riders in rainy weathers

I do not ride before dawn or after it gets dark, but sometimes I need a head light that will let car drivers see me, for example, when it is raining. I have a Blackburn Mars blinkie in the back and a Knog strobe in the front, but the batteries of the latter run out incredibly fast (less than 4 hours), especially if I rode in rain. The blinkie works just fine.

Any recommendations for a head light that has good battery life and that won't "drain in the rain"? I was looking at the Portland Design Works "cosmic dreadnought", but it is pricey. If it has TE forum endorsements, I might break the bank for it.

Just in case, I don't understand rechargeable lights that want be connected to the computer via a USB port. In my mind, a muddy / dusty light has no business near my computer!

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Originally Posted by pll

Just in case, I don't understand rechargeable lights that want be connected to the computer via a USB port. In my mind, a muddy / dusty light has no business near my computer!

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Any electronics store will sell a "power block" that allows you to plug a device with a USB charger into an ordinary wall socket. I use them for all sorts of things....phones, lights, MP3 players.... Don't rule out a light just because of its charger.

I don't ride often in dark/rainy conditions but have used the same headlamp thatI use for backpacking. Petzl Tikka, about $40 runs on AAA batteries. I get about 30-40 hours before having to replace. There are many similiar.

http://www.petzl.com/en/outdoor/tikk...ies/tikka-plus

I commute year-round, in the dark, in the rain, and have really liked Blackburn lights - really bright and they won't break the bank.

This year, I'm using the Blackburn Flea. ($36 CDN)

http://www.blackburndesign.com/Flea2_USB_front.html

I also have their Quadrant light.

I have had people stop me and tell me how visible and bright I am.

I also ride throughout the year, including in the winter months when it's dark by the time I leave the office and rains a fair bit. This is the front light on my main commuting bike: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/cateye-hl-el...k-front-light/ It's a Cateye and is bright (3 leds), small, light and the batteries (2 AA) last for ages. It works well in a city environment where there are a lot of light sources already and the main function of the light is to draw the attention of drivers to my presence. I have it on the flashing mode most of the time. I'm not sure that it's bright enough to light up the road ahead sufficiently if you're riding outside town though. It doesn't say anywhere that it's waterproof but I regularly ride in the rain and this hasn't been a problem yet.

i ride in dark and rain, but i put a generator hub on my bike so I have only a very light lamp to guide me. No heavy batteries or battery packs and no running out of battery power!

Great info on lights. I used to ride before dawn, knowing that it would only get lighter. My light was a big heavy thing with a huge battery. Now I don't ride before dawn anymore but I would like to have a light for winter riding anyways. I've seen some really small Nite Riders that look interesting. Has anyone tried them?

Mimi, I like generator lights, but when you stop for traffic or whatever, doesn't the generator light fade since you are int moving?

Thanks for all the recommendations. I think I will give the Blackburn flea 2 a try. I wish the Knog had worked out, but the batteries drain too fast and they are expensive.

I have a Niterider MiNewt 250 rechargeable light. Has a high, medium, low and strobe setting. You don't have to recharge on your computer. I have a cord that plugs into the electrical socket and the other end goes into the light. My DH has one also and commutes at night and in the rain (Oregon=rain). I use the strobe mode always when I ride during the day-even on sunny days, so drivers will see me and I rarely have to recharge it.