Bike Lights

Agent009
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Bike Lights

Postby Agent009 » Thu Jul 26, 2018 7:53 pm

What bike lights (front and rear) do people recommend?

For me, it must be USB rechargeable and have an internal battery. Must be bright as well.

Looked at Orfos Flare Pro but they need a battery pack and were ridiculously over-priced.

If there's no stand out I'll just go cheapies from ebay....

Cheers

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CoffsGal
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Re: Bike Lights

Postby CoffsGal » Thu Jul 26, 2018 9:18 pm

I am sure there are many very good lights on the market, but I have found the usb rechargeable Lezyne brand (both front and rear) to be quite bright and of good quality.

(Not internal battery and not usb rechargeable but my main road bike has AyUps since 2009, and still using original battery strapped to the stem. An excellent product.)

human909
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Re: Bike Lights

Postby human909 » Thu Jul 26, 2018 9:34 pm

CoffsGal wrote:I am sure there are many very good lights on the market, but I have found the usb rechargeable Lezyne brand (both front and rear) to be quite bright and of good quality.
That is my experience. Good value too. I own the Zecto which I wouldn't call bright as in light up an unlit path bright, but they suit my needs. There are other brighter ones available too.

Scintilla
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Re: Bike Lights

Postby Scintilla » Thu Jul 26, 2018 10:29 pm

Dynohub system.

SON28 with B&M LED Luxos U or IQ-X headlight with road-focused optics. B&M Toplite Plus or Hermans H-Track for the tail-light.

Excellent lights that one can easily run night and day, with no messing about recharging batteries.

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familyguy
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Re: Bike Lights

Postby familyguy » Thu Jul 26, 2018 11:05 pm

Currently testing a Ravemen PR1200 and CR900. The 900 has struck me as a good little unit for road, shaped beam, several levels plus two strobe types, USB rechargable and quite compact. Worth a look.

Jim

Agent009
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Re: Bike Lights

Postby Agent009 » Fri Jul 27, 2018 6:56 am

Thanks guys....plenty of options. Cheers!

fat and old
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Re: Bike Lights

Postby fat and old » Fri Jul 27, 2018 7:43 am

Use a Light & Motion 800 on the front. Good enough for 30kmh along unlit bike paths. lasts around 2 hrs at max, much more on lower.

Cyclophiliac
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Re: Bike Lights

Postby Cyclophiliac » Fri Jul 27, 2018 7:52 am

Scintilla wrote:Dynohub system.

SON28 with B&M LED Luxos U or IQ-X headlight with road-focused optics. B&M Toplite Plus or Hermans H-Track for the tail-light.

Excellent lights that one can easily run night and day, with no messing about recharging batteries.
I found reliability a major problem with dynamo hubs + lights. After having numerous dynamo hub problems, and problems with lights such as the Supernova series, and the B&M brands, I gave up and switched to battery lights.

Ayups are an excellent brand: reliable, reasonably bright, and with long battery life.

Neddysmith
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Re: Bike Lights

Postby Neddysmith » Fri Jul 27, 2018 9:17 am

Im using a AZUR rear light and Xeccon front light from cyclingdeal, both are usb rechargable and are fine for what i use them for, front has provided enough light for night rides and rear last ages so no complaints especially for the price

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familyguy
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Re: Bike Lights

Postby familyguy » Fri Jul 27, 2018 9:20 am

Looking at what I am currently, there's a lot of lights there that throw light for the sake of throwing light, with no thought as to where it's going. Avoid those unless you want to annoy people!

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g-boaf
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Re: Bike Lights

Postby g-boaf » Fri Jul 27, 2018 9:33 am

Scintilla wrote:Dynohub system.

SON28 with B&M LED Luxos U or IQ-X headlight with road-focused optics. B&M Toplite Plus or Hermans H-Track for the tail-light.

Excellent lights that one can easily run night and day, with no messing about recharging batteries.
Except that isn't USB rechargeable and doesn't have internal battery.

Lezyne are pretty decent front lights - as said before. But I didn't like the way the strap held the rear light. It kept on coming loose and falling off. One time it fell off and landed on a driveway near my home. I found it. Next time not so lucky, it probably got squashed by a car.

Ay-Up lights are also superb, but they have an external battery. On the flip side, it is easy to mount them to nearly any type of handlebars.

Scintilla
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Re: Bike Lights

Postby Scintilla » Fri Jul 27, 2018 10:03 am

g-boaf wrote:
Scintilla wrote:Dynohub system.

SON28 with B&M LED Luxos U or IQ-X headlight with road-focused optics. B&M Toplite Plus or Hermans H-Track for the tail-light.

Excellent lights that one can easily run night and day, with no messing about recharging batteries.
Except that isn't USB rechargeable and doesn't have internal battery.
OP asked an opinion "What do people recommend?" I gave my opinion.

B&M Luxos U does actually have an internal battery BTW...... a small one that powers the 4-5 minutes stand-light for when stationary, and the tail-lights have similar from a capacitor :wink:

Scintilla
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Re: Bike Lights

Postby Scintilla » Fri Jul 27, 2018 10:09 am

Cyclophiliac wrote:I have found reliability a major problem with dynamo hubs + lights. After having numerous dynamo hub problems, and problems with lights such as the Supernova series, and the B&M brands, I gave up and switched to battery lights.
I have not found any such reliability problems. The lights just keep running and running for me. The B&M Luxos U has been run in full-time use (night & day) for about 26,000 kms. Before that I ran a Supernova which was moved to another bike.

Battery lights on the other hand...... I just do not have the patience with the faffing about of charging and problems with batteries. I like light systems that are just going to be ready for action, whether I last used the bike last night or 3 months ago.

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MattyK
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Re: Bike Lights

Postby MattyK » Fri Jul 27, 2018 11:42 am

familyguy wrote:Currently testing a Ravemen PR1200 and CR900. The 900 has struck me as a good little unit for road, shaped beam, several levels plus two strobe types, USB rechargable and quite compact. Worth a look.

Jim
Would love to hear more.

I'm liking the look of the Lezyne StVZO Pro 80:
http://www.lezyne.com/product-led-perf- ... 0stvzo.php

Seems like a next-gen Philips Saferide.

Agent009
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Re: Bike Lights

Postby Agent009 » Fri Jul 27, 2018 11:47 am

After looking at all the suggestions, I like the Lezyne. Also found another brand get Knog which are very similar to Lezyne and get good reviews.

duncanm
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Re: Bike Lights

Postby duncanm » Fri Jul 27, 2018 1:12 pm

knog blinder type lights all the way for 'to be seen'.

Completely waterproof, no sockets to attract grime, internal battery, simple and effective mounting systems, simple and almost indestructible USB interface for charging.

I had an old knog rear light that I recently lost (in the middle of the South Pacific ocean, but that's another story). It broke its original silicon loop-strap after about 5 years of constant use and I had been using a bit of velcro in the last year or so.

I bought its successor, and was very pleased to see that they have kept all the good features; modified the strap system to make it replaceable, with spare loops supplied. The switch is also easier to use and they updated the LED technology, so its brighter.

ie: good, solid, well-thought out design.. and they obviously listen to market feedback.

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kb
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Re: Bike Lights

Postby kb » Fri Jul 27, 2018 1:21 pm

Pretty happy with my Exposure Strada. It’s internal battery but it also doubles as a power source through charging port :-). Is a little pricy though.
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Howzat
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Re: Bike Lights

Postby Howzat » Fri Jul 27, 2018 1:44 pm

Front: Light & Motion Urbans - bright, solid straps, easy swap to different bikes.
Rear: Moon Nebula is big and visible. Also check out SeeSense Icon/Ace, Bontrager Flare R, Light & Motion Vibe, and the champion's choice, the NiteFlux RedZone.

It's not a bad idea to run two lights for redundancy, especially on the rear, where you might not notice if one is out.

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kb
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Re: Bike Lights

Postby kb » Fri Jul 27, 2018 4:11 pm

Yeah, redzone is a good rear choice. Still get random riders asking me about it even though it’s the duller pre-2016 redesign.
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lewie15
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Re: Bike Lights

Postby lewie15 » Fri Jul 27, 2018 4:48 pm

I prefer a more concentrated flash, which is why I like the Bontrager Flare R. I have owned a number of lights and have come to realise more lumens doesn't necessarily mean more visibility. My Niteflux Redzone gives out 500 lumens, while my Flare R which gives out 65 lumens and is far more visible from behind. I find that the Redzone and See Sense (250 lumens) both get drowned out when it is particularly sunny, while the Bontraeger Flare R is more visible in sunny conditions.
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singlespeedscott
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Re: Bike Lights

Postby singlespeedscott » Sat Jul 28, 2018 11:29 am

Over the years I have used a number of lighting systems for commuting.

I never had much luck with generator lights, just another thing to go wrong on the commuter.

The early halogen battery lights where ok but the batteries where separate mount, slow to charge and only had a short life.

When Ay Up came out with there LED lights It was a whole new world. Unfortunately due to there separate battery system I cant count the number of problems I had with dodgy cables and connections. I still use them for 24hr races but no longer for commuting.

These days I prefer Cateye's range of USB internal battery lights. I have found the Volt range of headlights very reliable and the Cateye mounts are far superior to most other brands rubber band mounts. Their prices are also very reasonable.
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VeloGiro
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Re: Bike Lights

Postby VeloGiro » Sun Jul 29, 2018 12:45 am

Scintilla wrote:
Cyclophiliac wrote:I have found reliability a major problem with dynamo hubs + lights. After having numerous dynamo hub problems, and problems with lights such as the Supernova series, and the B&M brands, I gave up and switched to battery lights.
I have not found any such reliability problems. The lights just keep running and running for me. The B&M Luxos U has been run in full-time use (night & day) for about 26,000 kms. Before that I ran a Supernova which was moved to another bike.

Battery lights on the other hand...... I just do not have the patience with the faffing about of charging and problems with batteries. I like light systems that are just going to be ready for action, whether I last used the bike last night or 3 months ago.
Agree with the reliability and overall effectiveness of hub dyno driven lighting... I have incrementally accumulated hubs and lights over the past few years. (I have even learned how to to build front wheels from scratch in the process). As such i now have all manner of different combos of dynohubs and lights that i can use on all the bikes in the fleet.

I have not had to think about battery charging to drive bike lights (front and rear) for some time now...Completely understand that dynos are not for everyone, and they have their limitations, and that they are a bit x'ie... but I (clearly) do like them! For me i reckon its a bit like solar panels..its kinda cool to be 'of the grid' :)
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tez001
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Re: Bike Lights

Postby tez001 » Sun Jul 29, 2018 4:14 pm

For the rear, I run the Cycolite hotshot which you can get in a variety of brightness. I've got the original hotshot which is still going strong ~ $45 - $50

Front, the commuter has the previous model Lifeline branded light which has a claimed output of 700 lumens and is plenty bright for my commute. It was around $60 when I got it, however the new version goes for $100 odd. On another bike, I use a older Cygolite front light which I got together with the hotshot. That one has a rating of 280 lumens and I find it's *just* enough for my early morning rides.

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MattyK
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Re: Bike Lights

Postby MattyK » Mon Jul 30, 2018 11:45 am

280 lumens is fine IF you have decent optics.
700 is excessive. Usually wasted on blinding other people, or aimed so low that it inhibits your own view.

Insert my annual winter rant about bad optics here.

tez001
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Re: Bike Lights

Postby tez001 » Mon Jul 30, 2018 7:19 pm

I only say 280 is good enough as it provides just enough light to see things on the road / path as long as it's familiar territory. 700 while I rarely use it, is great on unlit paths, but as you are alluding to, considered use is a must.

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