Night riding -- backup light?

[ClutchCargo]

Since doing more night riding lately, I've been thinking it seems like a good
idea to have a backup in case that spendy li-ion battery goes dead or the
light otherwise fails unexpectedly. What do people do for this ...
cheap Cateye? Knog frog? Pencil flashlight to hold between your
teeth as an alternative to riding home in the dark? :confused:

Interested to hear what forum folks do.

Thanks and ride on!

[thejen12]

Topeak WhiteLight, 35 grams. Blinking or steady. Very bright to be seen, but not much to see by. But it's for emergency only (or daytime rides in the mountains). http://www.topeak.com/2007/products/lights/whitelite.php

I typically run at least two tail lights, so I don't bring an extra one of those.

Jenn

[MassBiker]

I can't say enough good things about this light, sturdy, easy to put on and take off and hightly visible! The flashing mode is visible from a long way off...and it is a good deal!
http://www.cateye.com/en/product_detail/341

:beer:

[DonH]

Im not sure of your budget, but check out www.danolite.com
Its a lightweight helmet light that works well.

[deechee]

mec turtle lights (http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=84552444258 8127&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302692895&bmUID=1194028410675) . 3$, cheaper than the battery it holds and small enough to have a bunch in various jacket pockets and backpacks.

[Orin]

Cateye EL300 usually. German version is better as it has voltage regulation built in. Cateye mounts are cheap, so I have one on most bikes. This model is probably being closed out... not on the main headlamp page on the Cateye web site any more.

Orin.

[maunahaole]

A friend of mine has a hand crank rechargeable LED setup. A little bulky, but bright and not tied to batteries.

[Bernie]

Absolutely the Cateye Opticube. Enough light to get you home and be seen, but small, light and very sturdy

[Homsie]

I use the Knog Frogs.....a white up front on the bars and a red one on my seatpost. I have multiple bikes and these are easy to switch to any of them because you they mount with a loop/hook arrangement. They're good enough to be seen, but not really to ride fast with.....I use them in conjunction with my Light and Motion ARC HID which I helmet mount. They run on watch batteries, are water resistant and are supposed to last 140+ hours or so before you have to replace batteries.

You can set them to either solid or flash to increase visibility (both flashing is most visible!).

James

[myette10]

who else read the title of this thread and wondered why the OP would be riding his bike in reverse to begin with?

[ClutchCargo]

who else read the title of this thread and wondered why the OP would be riding his bike in reverse to begin with?

It's a fixie, Trixie ! :rolleyes:

[Birddog]

I use a LED flashlight purchased at Lowes, its the NEW Lowes Task Force 3W "CREE" 2C 150+ lumens $29.95 batteries included. Make sure it is the new one, it clearly sates on the pkg 150 Lumens, the older version does not say this. I have it strapped to my stem with one of those aftermarket velcro frame pump holders, a Twofish Lockblock or Bikeblock would also work. The light is actually better than my main light (12 watt,6 volt Halogen). It replaces a smaller 1 watt LED that also was purchased at Lowes, it works pretty good too, but is not near as bright as the new one. The one watt is about as bright as my old Cateye EL300. A flashlight is handy for repairs or searches in the dark.

Birddog

[Peter B]

I use the Princeton Tec Eos. 1w led, 3 AAA, helmet or bar mount, 3 light levels plus blinking. 5-6 hours on highest setting w/ lithium batteries. Light, bright and reliable. More than sufficient to ride by.

[davep]

+1 on the Eos. I usually have it on my helmet to read cue sheets and see my computer, but it also bright enough for a riding light if needed.