Lights

[LegendRider]

A friend and I plan to ride throughout the off-season in the evenings after work. Does anyone have a recommendation for front and rear lights that don't bust the bank?

[mktng]

rear light. PDW Danger Zone.

front.. i bought a Dreadnought from them aswell.. not as happy with the front as it sucks the life outta AA's. I would strongly recommend a USB charging front. the rear Danger Zone runs AAA's but they last a long time... and its hella bright !!

[Nooch]

Front light, I've been very happy with the cygolite expillon 800, running it on medium seems to work just fine for me commuting and pre-dawn.

Rear Light, I use a dinotte 300r or 400r depending on which bike I'm on, but the Serfas TSL-60 (IIRC) the shield is a great rear light.

[buldogge]

+1 on the Expilons...I've got the older 500 (or is it 450) but would love to pick up an 800 or 1000.

The Lezyne Superdrives (or whatever level) aren't bad either.

In the rear, I have various Superflashes, PDW, and Cygo...all similar tombstone shapes/red/strong LEDs.

-Mark in St. Louis

Front light, I've been very happy with the cygolite expillon 800, running it on medium seems to work just fine for me commuting and pre-dawn.

Rear Light, I use a dinotte 300r or 400r depending on which bike I'm on, but the Serfas TSL-60 (IIRC) the shield is a great rear light.

[FlashUNC]

I'm a big fan of all Lezyne lights.

[BumbleBeeDave]

Front: NiteRider Lumina 600. Bright, self-contained, USB rechargeable. Performance has had them on sale recently for $109. On the "strobe" setting cars actually pull over. I assume they can't figure out what the heck is coming at them. It's BRIGHT.

Rear: Light & Motion Viz 180 Micro. $50. USB rechargeable and easily visible in full daylight. I've been running it on all my rides the last few months. Cheap insurance.

BBD

[sjbraun]

I've had good service from Cygolyte Expillion headlights.

Overal, I'm now more of a fan of Light and Motion. The Urban series packs a lot of light in a small package, easy to recharge and compact on the bars.

I use the Urban 550, running mostly on the medium setting.

For commuting, I value ease of charging, integrated batteries, and quick installation and removal.

-Steve

[josephr]

Front: NiteRider Lumina 600. Bright, self-contained, USB rechargeable. Performance has had them on sale recently for $109. On the "strobe" setting cars actually pull over. I assume they can't figure out what the heck is coming at them. It's BRIGHT.

Rear: Light & Motion Viz 180 Micro. $50. USB rechargeable and easily visible in full daylight. I've been running it on all my rides the last few months. Cheap insurance.

BBD

Just bought the niterider 600 thru amazon for $109 and what showed up in the mailbox was the nightrider 750! Its my first ever light but my riding buddies swore by it and I'm not complaining at all.

I just use a regular ole planet bike blinky in the back.
Joe

[Likes2ridefar]

$88 for the 1100 lumen magicshine. i got 2 from amazon and use one on the bar and one on the helmet. more than enough light for any situation.

just one would be enough for most people I think, but if you plan on riding in total darkness on bumpy or twisty roads at high speeds you'll probably want two.

rear I use light and motion.

[djg]

I don't know what counts as "breaks the bank." Relative to just a few years ago, the value of LED lights has gone through the roof -- much better quality at much lower prices. For not much more than a hundred bucks, you can get a killer front light, like a niterider lumina 650 -- tons of light on high, and quite a bit on medium, frankly, easy-on and easy-off, a compact package with no outboard battery and an easy USB recharge. No, it's not a PBP light, but if you want a few hours or more of excellent illumination in a small package, it's great -- you'll be seen and you'll see (the road surface, as well as the roadway). Other manufacturers put out comparable products, and I've no idea at all what's the best of them, but nowadays it's just easy to get something good at a reasonable price.

For the rear light, I've been happy with the Vis 180 -- there are bigger and brighter, like the Dinotte, but the Vis 180 is, IMO, a very good light at a reasonable price; and it's way better than a bargain basement blinkie.

[BumbleBeeDave]

$88 for the 1100 lumen magicshine. i got 2 from amazon and use one on the bar and one on the helmet. more than enough light for any situation.

just one would be enough for most people I think, but if you plan on riding in total darkness on bumpy or twisty roads at high speeds you'll probably want two.

rear I use light and motion.

. . . tend to, ah, melt/explode/generally self-destruct?

BBD

[wildboar]

How effective is that Vis 180 rear in daytime riding? Or any of the others for that matter.

[Kupe]

NiteRider Lumina 650 for me, and I'm very happy with it. Great light, reasonably priced, compact, USB charger/internal battery is nice & tidy.

[Likes2ridefar]

. . . tend to, ah, melt/explode/generally self-destruct?

BBD

do they? havent noticed that yet, I hope never. quality is as good or better than previous lights I've used that cost far more and were not as bright.

I had the 2200 before getting these two and it felt warm but never super hot. it worked exactly as advertised. wish I had kept it...had no idea i'd be scrambling to train for a race in a few weeks. I sold it because it was total overkill for my NYC commute.

[Kirk Pacenti]

I'll second the CygoLite recommendation.

[cp43]

do they? havent noticed that yet, I hope never. quality is as good or better than previous lights I've used that cost far more and were not as bright.

I had the 2200 before getting these two and it felt warm but never super hot. it worked exactly as advertised. wish I had kept it...had no idea i'd be scrambling to train for a race in a few weeks. I sold it because it was total overkill for my NYC commute.

There was a recall a while ago related to the MagicShine lights. There was a defect in the battery which could cause a fire.

I haven't heard anything about the new ones, so I can only assume that the issue has been fixed.

Chris

[Heisenberg]

The Exposure Sirius (www.competitivecyclist.com/exposure-sirius?cmp_id=sm_fbcc01) is my go-to. Long burn and actually designed for the road - lens provides a nice pattern on the road at speed, as well as keeps from blinding other users. Made in the UK, super high-quality construction.

IMO, Blasting a 700 lumen light into the faces of oncoming traffic is a good way to snag some hate or cause a wreck.

[jpw]

The Exposure Sirius (www.competitivecyclist.com/exposure-sirius?cmp_id=sm_fbcc01) is my go-to. Long burn and actually designed for the road - lens provides a nice pattern on the road at speed, as well as keeps from blinding other users. Made in the UK, super high-quality construction.

IMO, Blasting a 700 lumen light into the faces of oncoming traffic is a good way to snag some hate or cause a wreck.

a great forum ID.

[BumbleBeeDave]

How effective is that Vis 180 rear in daytime riding? Or any of the others for that matter.

. . . and easily visible in daylight. It also pulses, doesn't flash, and has a six hour run time.

BBD

[Pars]

What about Cree-LED tactical flashlights with LiOn rechargeables? I have something similar that I occasionally use in a whitefish block; gives adequate lighting. I use an 18650 LiOn in it, but don't know the actual runtime.

This one looks decent, and has a strobe as well:

http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-215/Romisen-RC-dsh-C8-II-R2/Detail

I use a PB Superflash rear most of the time

[UberBike]

I've been using the Serfas True series for the past few years. Well made, affordable, usb charging, user replaceable batteries. Batteries are self contained not external packs. Everything upto the 500 uses the same battery. The new 750 uses a larger battery. They all share the same helmet and handlebar mounts.

[LegendRider]

I just got an email from Excel indicating they're having a sale on lights.
http://www.excelsports.com/main.asp?page=7&major=3&minor=6

[plattyjo]

I'm a fan of Dinotte, Light & Motion and Lezyne (although generator hubs are the way to go, IMHO!)

[Anarchist]

I use Gemini Lights.

Xera on my helmet - rated at 850 lumens.
Duo on my bars -rated at 1500 lumens
Titan with a red, beam shaper lens as a tail light - rated at 750 lumens. Run this on medium (50%) in flash mode.
I also have a Blackburn Mars 4.0 on the rear, also in flash mode

I have no trouble seeing where I am going, or being seen.

[Peter B]

The Exposure Sirius (www.competitivecyclist.com/exposure-sirius?cmp_id=sm_fbcc01) is my go-to. Long burn and actually designed for the road - lens provides a nice pattern on the road at speed, as well as keeps from blinding other users. Made in the UK, super high-quality construction.

IMO, Blasting a 700 lumen light into the faces of oncoming traffic is a good way to snag some hate or cause a wreck.

+1 on Exposure Lights

[druptight]

Recently decided to up my game from a PB blaze AA battery guy to a USB rechargable. Went with the cygolite metro 360: http://www.amazon.com/Cygolite-Metro-360-USB-Headlight/dp/B00E1NQ4P2

It seems plenty bright to see/be seen while commuting at 360, without blinding oncoming traffic. Also has a solid/pulse mode that is solid so that you can see but has a slight pulse so you can be seen. Seems to work pretty well and at $55 it's hard to beat the price.

[mtb_frk]

I just ordered a cygolite tridenx 1300. I can't wait to try it out. I will run it on my bars with my lumina 650 on my helmet. The lumina is a nice light but one light just isn't enough. I like having bar mounted lights to help show the potholes etc on the gravel roads I ride. I will post up once I get it and give it a try.

[xeladragon]

I have this:

http://www.amazon.com/NiteRider-Mako-200-Light-Combo/dp/B009VUAY4C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1381845448&sr=8-2&keywords=niterider+combo

Front light is strong enough to be used as a "to-be-seen" light, not a "to see" light. I don't love the mounts, but the lights themselves are spec'ed well and very reasonably priced IMO.

[RichardL]

I have Serfas Thunderbolt USB rechargeable taillight, and it is very bright: UTL-6 Thunderbolt Taillight (https://www.serfas.com/products/view/669/referer:products%7Cindex%7Clights%7Ctail-lights)

It also comes in 7 different colors to match your frame.

[LegendRider]

I bought these today for $107 OTD.

Headlight:
http://www.niterider.com/lumina-350-2013/

Tailight:
https://www.serfas.com/products/view/669/referer:products%7Cindex%7Clights%7Ctail-lights

[zetroc]

Excel has the Niterider Lumina 700 for $112:

http://www.excelsports.com/main.asp?page=8&description=Lumina+700+Cordless&vendorCode=NITERIDE&major=3&minor=6

[Anarchist]

The Gemini Olympia is currently $114 at ActionLed.

[LegendRider]

A friend just bought a NiteRider and is having difficulty mounting it to FSA K-Wing handlebars. Any tips?

[shovelhd]

There was a recall a while ago related to the MagicShine lights. There was a defect in the battery which could cause a fire.

I haven't heard anything about the new ones, so I can only assume that the issue has been fixed.

Chris

That was only for light sold by Geomangear. The recall put them out of business. I've had no problems with the replacement battery pack. The head unit is a stock Cree. I've added an aftermarket lens to it which has a sharper cutoff and thus better road lighting. The matching taillight is one of the brightest I've seen.

[eippo1]

A friend just bought a NiteRider and is having difficulty mounting it to FSA K-Wing handlebars. Any tips?

Don't use the rubber thingy. It's only useful for 26mm bars.