How many lumens would a light bulb lume if a light bulb could illume?

[scottcw2]

I'm going to start commuting by bike next week and will need lights.

For the rear, I want something to make me visible without being annoying or distracting to drivers. From a driver's perspective, I hate lights that are so bright that it distracts me from the road.

For the front, I want a light that will let me see both right in front of me and enough ahead that I don't get surprised by anything.

Recommendations appreciated.

[Blue Jays]

Lupine has been terrific in my experience.
For handlebars, rear, and helmet-mounted.
Excellent results on road and mountainbikes.

[pinkshogun]

i have a decent 650 lumen front light and would not go any lower than that
my buddy bought a new 1000 lumen and its slightly better

[Elefantino]

800 was always good for me. And a 200 headlamp.

Watch out for woodchucks.

[David in Maine]

I like headlights designed for the German STVZO standards. The lights are cut off to avoid blinding drivers. I just got a Lezyne Power Pro which works great although it weighs a ton. Busch and Muller have options as well. If you order from German sites like Bike24 the prices are reasonable.

David

[rwsaunders]

Lots of folks swear by the DiNotte Quad Red and the Lupine Rotlicht for taillights.

https://store.dinottelighting.com/2020-quad-red-taillight-with-built-in-battery-p111.aspx

https://www.lupinenorthamerica.com/taillight.asp

[CNY rider]

I've had a couple of front lights, and a tail light from Dinotte and never been disappointed.

[donevwil]

My wife uses a helmet mounted L&M Vis 360+ to supplement her bike's dyno lights. The L&M is excellent and has proven why a helmet mounted headlight (at a minimum, the 360+ has tail light as well) is very useful (follows your head/vision, get's driver's attention when they are off to your side, driveway, etc).

I use a Dinotte Quad at the lowest strobe setting for daytime riding. Love it, but would never use it in the dark, way too bright IMO.

[verticaldoug]

There is an UK manufacturer Exposure Lights which makes just killer lights. I have a 1050 lumen Joystick which I can mount on my handlebar or helmet. I hardly ever use full blast as it is too bright for traffic. But nice to have the option on pitch black roads with no cars.

https://exposurelights.com/products/bike/helmet-lights

I also recommend a reflective vest. These really help you stand out. You will look like Tron in the headlights but it is so worth it.

I ride in the Thames Valley in the winter early mornings in the pitch dark where roads are always wet and we get fog.

https://www.provizsports.com/en-us/collections/reflect360

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2xvWglCGOw

[scottcw2]

Some great suggestions, thanks.

I took a flyer on the PDW Path Finder headlight that has a "Vertical Cutoff Beam designed to focus the 200 lumen main beam onto the road in front of you and prevents lost lumens that can blind oncoming traffic." Sounds similar to the STVZO standard.

I also ordered their Gravity Plus tail light with a "built-in accelerometer that detects deceleration or swerving and automatically changes to a super bright, solid beam to warn following traffic."

I always like to support as close to local as possible and I like their innovative designs. The Path Finder is only 200 lumens, but reviews indicate it is sufficient for commuting in the dark. I can always try something else if not.

[mdeth1313]

I guess it depends on where you're riding. If you have street lights and/or are in an urban area you won't need so much. My commute requires some serious light. Rural, unlit back roads with a 40+ mph descent. I use L&M seca 2200 headlights.

[oldfatslow]

Lots of folks swear by the DiNotte Quad Red and the Lupine Rotlicht for taillights.

https://store.dinottelighting.com/2020-quad-red-taillight-with-built-in-battery-p111.aspx

https://www.lupinenorthamerica.com/taillight.asp

The Dinotte rear lights are awesome. I don't ride without them. I want people to see me and their rear light gives them plenty of time to react.

Even if they are on their phone they will see the light WAY ahead and hopefully put down the f'ing phone as they wonder what the hell you are.

[Davist]

I'm going to start commuting by bike next week and will need lights.

For the rear, I want something to make me visible without being annoying or distracting to drivers. From a driver's perspective, I hate lights that are so bright that it distracts me from the road.

For the front, I want a light that will let me see both right in front of me and enough ahead that I don't get surprised by anything.

Recommendations appreciated.

I know the following may be well understood around here, but wanted to emphasize..

To reduce the annoyance factor, and increase the usefulness of the beam, aiming the (front) light is key. Many don't bother or aim straight/parallel to the ground, this is not ideal for drivers or riders. Look at the beam pattern projected in front of you, I usually aim mine for a (roughly) 15-20' "wide" pattern on the street in front of me, which also gives plenty of straight ahead light. I think Peter White or someone has an article on this, and I think it's part of the above mentioned German safety spec...

As for recs/comparisons, I use a 600 Cygolite dash pro and a Garmin Varia 510 in the back. I also have a brighter ~1000 lumen amazon special for off road but it has a separate battery pack, which is less convenient.

[DrewK]

Check out Outbound Lighting.

www.outboundlighting.com

They are getting rave reviews in the MTB world. I don’t have any of their stuff, I use Gloworm, but when I wear out my current lights I’ll probably get Outbounds.

[Patb095]

Some great suggestions, thanks.



I took a flyer on the PDW Path Finder headlight that has a "Vertical Cutoff Beam designed to focus the 200 lumen main beam onto the road in front of you and prevents lost lumens that can blind oncoming traffic." Sounds similar to the STVZO standard.



I also ordered their Gravity Plus tail light with a "built-in accelerometer that detects deceleration or swerving and automatically changes to a super bright, solid beam to warn following traffic."



I always like to support as close to local as possible and I like their innovative designs. The Path Finder is only 200 lumens, but reviews indicate it is sufficient for commuting in the dark. I can always try something else if not.



I don’t know this product but I’d say it is a good choice if you are riding in a dark area. There is 2 thing with light ( lumen and candela) low lumen and high candela mean that you have a controlled light where it needs to be going. If you ride where there is urban lighting you would probably need a bit more than 200 lumen. Think of it as contrasts. Same as when watching TV during day time vs watching TV at night. You see better when it’s darker around the TV . So to be able to get a good contrast the rule is : dark area = less light and brighter area = more light to achieve a good contrast.


Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

[Hakkalugi]

I’m a big fan of Bontrager lights. I like the 200-series for everyday DRLs, and they have some larger ones between 700-1400lm which I use fatbiking in the winter. They are certainly bright enough for bombing through the forest at night, and they definitely do the trick for commuting.

[charliedid]

Some great suggestions, thanks.

I took a flyer on the PDW Path Finder headlight that has a "Vertical Cutoff Beam designed to focus the 200 lumen main beam onto the road in front of you and prevents lost lumens that can blind oncoming traffic." Sounds similar to the STVZO standard.

I also ordered their Gravity Plus tail light with a "built-in accelerometer that detects deceleration or swerving and automatically changes to a super bright, solid beam to warn following traffic."

I always like to support as close to local as possible and I like their innovative designs. The Path Finder is only 200 lumens, but reviews indicate it is sufficient for commuting in the dark. I can always try something else if not.

Those are good light for the $

[Peter B]

There is an UK manufacturer Exposure Lights which makes just killer lights. I have a 1050 lumen Joystick which I can mount on my handlebar or helmet. I hardly ever use full blast as it is too bright for traffic. But nice to have the option on pitch black roads with no cars.

https://exposurelights.com/products/bike/helmet-lights

I also recommend a reflective vest. These really help you stand out. You will look like Tron in the headlights but it is so worth it.

I ride in the Thames Valley in the winter early mornings in the pitch dark where roads are always wet and we get fog.

https://www.provizsports.com/en-us/collections/reflect360

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2xvWglCGOw

Another hearty vote for Exposure lights. They really make some terrific products!

[Patb095]

In the same matter would everybody know if an integrated in the handlebar type of light would exist? Since everything is possible. I would think something that would replace the faceplate on the stem.


Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

[chiasticon]

My wife uses a helmet mounted L&M Vis 360+ to supplement her bike's dyno lights. The L&M is excellent and has proven why a helmet mounted headlight (at a minimum, the 360+ has tail light as well) is very useful (follows your head/vision, get's driver's attention when they are off to your side, driveway, etc).yeah I have a Vis 360+ and also like it for these reasons. the side lights are one of the best parts; they really help to illuminate you at intersections. I like using it on low and using a bar-mounted light on low as well (so bar light at about 250 lumens, Vis 360+ at around 100). the combination creates plenty of light and has a larger "spread" to it than just a bar-mounted light. running them on low, you'll get a lot of battery life from them. I may be in the minority though, in thinking that blasting a 1000+ lumen light at all times it totally overkill in most road riding situations...

also, helmet lights are great if you flat and need to repair it in the dark.

[CAAD]

During the week my rides start at around 5:45 am. My Light & Motion Urban 800 does the trick well. I usually run it on the medium setting, around 400 lumens or so.

For the rear I run the Bontrager Flare RT. A few different modes to choose from. Small, lightweight, and effective.

[charliedid]

To add to the discussion...

I have a ton of different lights. In winter I use a 1300 Lumen Cygolite (ext battery) on lowest at night and slow flash during the day. I get at least 2 weeks before I charge. Not a long commute at 4miles ea way.

I also have been using a small Topeak helmet light that has a number of modes and is not super bright but is another source of visible light.

I hit the high beams when feeling vulnerable and or in super dark places. I point my rear Cygo down at about 20 degrees so as to not blind people with the power and never use a strope effect. The nice thing about that light is I can adjust the rate in all the modes. Not too much $ either.

[scottcw2]

My Light & Motion Urban 800 does the trick well. I usually run it on the medium setting, around 400 lumens or so.

Light and Motion is what my LBS recommended. I will try them if the PDW stuff does not work out.

[OldCrank]

Are bike lights really that much of an annoyance to cars?

Or is the annoyance that a pesty cyclist is on Their roadway?

Anyway here's an experiment:
In the dark, lean your bike on your car's fender and turn bike and car's lights on.
Walk 50 or 100' away.
Is the bike's light blinding, or annoying you?

Repeat with pickup truck. With high beams (cough).

Oh yeah, I've had good luck commuting with a NiteRider.

[chiasticon]

Are bike lights really that much of an annoyance to cars?

Or is the annoyance that a pesty cyclist is on Their roadway?the second part is likely true very often. as for the first... there are certainly some lights with a very annoying blinking/strobing pattern. for example: https://youtu.be/KI3iZ-Ch7pY?t=313

you want to be noticed. you don't want to piss people off or blind them, increasing the chance they'll do the opposite of what you're after and hit you.

[Patb095]

I believe it is true. Bike light is different than car light.

Car light have most of the time a cap over the source so you don’t have a directe view at the bulb.

Bike light, even small, expose direct view to the led.

It’s not power of the light that blinds you , that’s the direct view to led or bulb filament.

[mt2u77]

A city at night,
is filled with points of light.
A single headlight,
no matter how bright,
turns depth perception
into deception.
If you want to be seen,
add space between,
and a little motion
will further that notion.

When it's pitch black,
your vision will lack,
unless lit by a steady beam.
If you care to be wise,
pay heed to the eyes,
and aim down from the heavens,
lest you garner the wrath of mt2u77.