Lights That Work!

[wildhawk]

Thanks for all the suggestions for lighting on a recent thread I had. We went to several LBS and the lighting systems were too expensive for us right now. But since we had purchased Rav-X saddles (loved them!) for our bikes we thought we would check out their lights. My favorite LBS had just gotten in the RavX Opti-Bar X1 5 Led lights so we picked up a couple for my bike and we are very pleased with them - not only the low cost ($29.95 each) but the performance. Our park trail closes at dusk and we had noticed that our old lights were horrible once it became dark. But these new ones light up the trail perfectly and cast light out the sides to that I can see the perimeter as well. They are very visible and very bright. Heres a pic and the stats:
5 bright white LED Light
Lightweight
IC control two modes: steady or flashing
Water resistant
Uses 4 AAA batteries
Battery life: up to 150 hours
Quick release mounting bracket
I mounted two of them and at dusk I will set one on flash mode and when it gets completely dark I put them both on steady. Works great!

[wildhawk]

Here I go replying to my own thread - what a Fred! Anyway, I would appreciate some feedback on my new lights - has anyone else tried them?

[chicagogal]

I LOVE those lights! I had one on my bike and recently lost it. Either it was stolen from my garage or I knocked it off myself at a rest stop and didn't notice. Either way, it's gone and I miss it terribly. It lasts for a long time on one set of batteries and has a very sleek design. I bought a new lamp with more lights built in so that 2 can be set to flash and 2 on constantly. This is a nice feature, but the lamp is so bulky that I wish I had my old lamp (like yours!) back.

[Crankin]

ah, well that is the light I have, which I described in another thread about my first dark commute. I could not see a thing! I only had one, but still, it seemed like the light shone far, but not directly on the road and was very dull. I had it pointed down as far as it could go, but I really felt as if I was riding blind.
I need bright!

[Aggie_Ama]

I think those are the ones I had and it broke on a bumpy road. The front piece popped right off- twice. I had it replaced once. Second time I didn't feel like driving to Performance and dealing with it. BUT my husband had no issues with his at all.

I didn't think it was bright enough for true night riding on dark county roads but for dusk or a road with some street lights it was good. I am not 100% sure that is the same one but it looks like it. I do enjoy the flash mode lights that I find better for giving drivers a heads up that a bike (or something) is coming.

[wildhawk]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I agree that there are brighter, better lighting systems out there - we just can’t afford one right now and it is true that we do get some ambiant streetlight on our ride home from the park. DH is concerned about non-familiar trail riding and wants to get better lighting sometime when we can afford it. But our neighborhood is pitch dark as we live in an unincorporated area of our city. The only lights are the occasional porch light left on. So the RavX lights are working for now, but we are riding on familiar territory. I have both of mine pointed down and can see the road fine. It was a challenge to get lights on my handlebar to point down since I have the bag mounted on the front. Sorry that they did not work for you Crankin - I know how frustrating it can be to try out bike stuff and not have it work - we went through several saddles and lights before we found something that worked for us. Plus, I have better night vision than my DH. He complains about the window tint on my car when driving at night, and I can see through it just fine.

[Aggie_Ama]

You are also using two which will make it better. My experience was limited on a very dark county road. The houses are all on multiple acres and usually not near the street at all, so it is REALLY dark. Sadly this is the way I will be commuting home come winter, eek!