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.