Lights that are visible for day time riding

[spirro]

I have a rear light currently but it's not visible during the day. I'm going to start commuting to work a couple of times a week so looking for something visible during the day. I've heard great things about the Radbot 1000 but hear it sucks the battery life. Ideally I'd like a USB rechargeable one for convenience. Something around the $50 mark or less. Currently looking at the NiteRider Solas 2(http://www.this link is broken.au/niterider-sola ... ear-light/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) but seeing what others have had experience with.

The rear light is more important to me, but I wouldn't mind a new front light also (preferably USB rechargeable) if anyone has any recommendations. Same budget.

Thanks in advance

[thecaptn]

I use a 1watt Niterider Cherry Bomb which is very visable during the day so I recon this one your onto should be awesome.

[Matt_Matt]

If USB is your thing .... http://www.cygolite.com/products/hotshot_2w.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I run this as well as a radbot 1000


Matt

[spirro]

If USB is your thing .... http://www.cygolite.com/products/hotshot_2w.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I run this as well as a radbot 1000

Thanks for that. It does look impressive. What I like about this one over the NiteRider from reading about it is the low battery and charging indicator (this is just a nice to have more than anything else).

Just been reading about these lights on these two sites:
http://bicycles.blogoverflow.com/2013/0 ... ts-review/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://bikinginla.wordpress.com/2013/03 ... -or-night/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Aushiker]

PDW the makers of the Radbot 1000 make a USB rear light, the Aether Demon. Might be an option.



Andrew

[ball bearing]

Opticube 1100

I've been using these for years without any problems.

http://www.cateye.com/en/products/detail/TL-LD1100/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ColinOldnCranky]

If USB is your thing .... http://www.cygolite.com/products/hotshot_2w.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I run this as well as a radbot 1000


Matt

After having my last couple of lights that are charged by USB I would find it hard to move to anything that is not. The convenience of being able to charge everything and anything whether I am at work, in the car, at home or at anyone else's place is priceless. No longer do I find that I have not got the charger when I need it, no longer do I have to be ruled by a rigid charging regimen, no longer do I need to pack that one lousy charger when I go away, no longer do I need to fear losing that charger.

[ball bearing]

If USB is your thing .... http://www.cygolite.com/products/hotshot_2w.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I run this as well as a radbot 1000


Matt

After having my last couple of lights that are charged by USB I would find it hard to move to anything that is not. The convenience of being able to charge everything and anything whether I am at work, in the car, at home or at anyone else's place is priceless. No longer do I find that I have not got the charger when I need it, no longer do I have to be ruled by a rigid charging regimen, no longer do I need to pack that one lousy charger when I go away, no longer do I need to fear losing that charger.

Perhaps, but it's easy to carry a set of spare batteries - USB is useless on the road.

[ColinOldnCranky]

If USB is your thing .... http://www.cygolite.com/products/hotshot_2w.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I run this as well as a radbot 1000


Matt

After having my last couple of lights that are charged by USB I would find it hard to move to anything that is not. The convenience of being able to charge everything and anything whether I am at work, in the car, at home or at anyone else's place is priceless. No longer do I find that I have not got the charger when I need it, no longer do I have to be ruled by a rigid charging regimen, no longer do I need to pack that one lousy charger when I go away, no longer do I need to fear losing that charger.

Perhaps, but it's easy to carry a set of spare batteries - USB is useless on the road.

If you are an occasional user (and accept the reduced light) then go cheaper and carry a couple of batteries. But if the option is there for a usb charged light then it is unlikely that it will fail you in the time that you are on the road. And it's light will be an order of magnitude greater.

I can't vouch for all USB charged lights but I venture that most have several hours charge on high power. I run mine down every couple of months for maintenance reasons and I can vouch for it having around 4.5 hrs for front solid and rear flasher, three times that if the front light is on flashers. Which means I often forget about charging fo ra week or more and simply plug in when I think about it, wherever I am at the time.

I'm not talking top shelf, my light cost around $160 from LBS. I spent several hundred dollars more than that on batteries alone for the previous satisfactory battery jobs front and rear and spent a lot of time switching to power saving modes or switching off. Granted I do ride six days a week thru winter leaving mostly at 5:30am and come home in the dark. Most riders would take longer to get the return, some never. But it doesn't take a lifetime of darkness riding to pay back the cost of replacement batteries.

But, to your main point, these things tend to last many times more than an alkaline battery between charges.

I don't know if there is much in USB lights in the price range stipulated by the OP. My advice is a little more general.

[ColinOldnCranky]

To the OP, Jaycar used to carry a few reasonable priced lights. You don't then pay double what you need to as you mostly do at bike shops or outdoor mountaineering places.

In general do not be swayed by the number of LEDS in a light - some have twenty or more. Just market appeal for something that costs more to produce but gives less output.

More is not better, the opposite in fact. Be disposed towards a light that has a single highly rated LED. There will only be one or two to choose from in the price you have stipulated (but heaps of 20-led wonders).

A couple here - I have not looked at them myself. Click the URLs for brief specs.

http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.as ... TID=1051#7


http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.as ... TID=1051#7

[ball bearing]

But, to your main point, these things tend to last many times more than an alkaline battery between charges.

I don't know if there is much in USB lights in the price range stipulated by the OP. My advice is a little more general.

OK, I wasn't aware of the run times. I do have a couple of Exposure Diablo front lights (I carry a backup) that are USB chargeable, but I use the wall wart as the USB takes ages to charge up.

[jacks1071]

I use (and sell) these ones, battery life is 150hrs flashing and you can easily carry spare batteries or install two of them? It comes in Front & Rear versions although the front is only really a backup or a city light.



http://www.pro-liteoz.com/store/product ... light.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I run the bar-end lights which we also sell as my "backup" and due to this I don't carry spare batteries.



http://www.pro-liteoz.com/store/product ... light.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Nearly everyone I ride with regularly has duplicated this setup.

[InTheWoods]

I have a rear light currently but it's not visible during the day. I'm going to start commuting to work a couple of times a week so looking for something visible during the day. I've heard great things about the Radbot 1000 but hear it sucks the battery life. Ideally I'd like a USB rechargeable one for convenience. Something around the $50 mark or less. Currently looking at the NiteRider Solas 2(http://www.this link is broken.au/niterider-sola ... ear-light/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) but seeing what others have had experience with.

The rear light is more important to me, but I wouldn't mind a new front light also (preferably USB rechargeable) if anyone has any recommendations. Same budget.

Thanks in advance

Wanted to go back to the OP here.

1. Radbot 1000's are great but they are not bright enough to be realistically effective during daytime. Sure you can *see* them, just, but they don't stand out from the surroundings to add anything much to your visibility unless you're in deep shadow. The light being visible, and actually attracting attention, are 2 very different things.

2. Any light that will be effective during daytime will suck a *lot* of juice - a *lot* more than the radbot. You cannot have both long battery life (without a huge battery) and bright enough to be effective in daylight.

3. I use a zebralight H51r for daylight use, which is 110 red lumens. It sucks an eneloop AA nimh battery dry in around 2-2.5 hours in blinking mode. This would be the very minimum amount of light you should be looking for. For nighttime use, you will totally enrage drivers with it unless you point it at the ground or something. From memory some of the Dinoitte rear lights compete with the zebralight when it comes to lumens.

4. The type of light you are looking for will generally have only 1 LED, a large battery (either internal li-ion, or AA - no coin cells here), and the battery will last a few hours.

[ball bearing]

Gee, I would have thought that a bicycle light manufacturer based in wet, wet, wet (did I mention that it rains a lot?) Portland, Oregon would have designed their Radbot 1000 to be at least slightly water-resistant. I got stuck behind a road watering truck today and my new tail-light had seepage inside of it from the wheel spray.

[kenwstr]

Well my Big W bike light set certainly is visible in daylight. Seems to be Repco brand InSight Power (3 powerful LED headlight 4 LED taillight). I have have used this on every ride both day or night for years. The headlight failed recently due to corrosion under the bubble switch but after a good clean and resolder, it's as good as new. This was a little tricky but it's cheap enough to just buy a new one, shop was closed at the time though.

While not a bike light, if you want to spend serious money on something nobody will miss, strap a 170 lumen LedLenser H7 on your head.
I'm sure the make something you could rig as a tail light. I'm sure the police won't miss you either.

Seriously though I don't think you need a whole lot to satisfy this requirement as long as it's in blink mode most reasonable lights are easily seen in daylight IMO.

Ken

[rangersac]

My pick of moderately priced usb rechargeable rear lights that are daylight visible would be either the Moon Comet or the Cateye Volt 50. The Knog Blinder R is also nice and bright, but the seatpost strap is the weak point, mine tore after 6 months of use. The Moon has the best mounting options with either a seat post rail mount, or a flexible strap that can be attached to a post or stays and is adjustable for tilt angle. The light can also be mounted either horizontally or vertically. The Cateye is limited to a seat rail mount which could be an immediate write off, but has the longest run time, and is the only one with a replaceable battery. For the front you can get any number of Chinese Cree numbers in your budget that pump out stupid lumens, but for a stand alone usb rechargeable light I reckon the Cateye Volt 300 is pretty hard to beat. Dead easy mounting system that is easily swapped over between bikes, puts out a decent beam spread, and the hyperdrive mode (constant beam with an intermittent high beam pulse) is a great daylight option in the traffic.