New bike light opinions (2019 edition)

[ravdg316]

Hi all,

Need a new bike light. I'm feeling a bit bitter that my Light and Motion Urban 1000 broke without provocation only two months after the warranty period expired, so I'm trying to gauge other brands.

Is there anything else that's as easy to use and as light? Or should I just bight the bullet and buy another Light and Motion and expect only a two-year lifespan?

I'm looking to mount on handle bars and to easily transfer it between bikes. Exposure is in the lead so far, based upon previous forum threads on this subject. Their product line is confusing and so apparently is the interface to actually use their lights.

Thanks for your help!

[p nut]

I have a few Lezyne lights. 750-1200 lumens. They've worked for years and show no signs of slowing down. The oldest one is about 7 years old.

[Lanternrouge]

I have a Lezyne and it's pretty nice. It seems that Lupine and Exposure are considered the best. I have an Exposure as well and it's impressive how long the battery holds a charge when not in use compared to some others. FWIW if you are riding in actual dark where you really need lights to see, I'd recommend one on the bars and one on the helmet.

[Andy sti]

Did you still contact L&M? If you haven't it may be worth it, they tend to be pretty good.

[joosttx]

I just bought a Lupine Piko TL Minimax. Super bright, super compact, incredibly well made, easy to transfer from one bike to the other. I LOVE it.


https://www.lupinenorthamerica.com/P...Flashlight.asp

[BRad704]

I have a couple of the newer Bontrager Ion Pro 1300 lights. Love them. Thumb screw bar mount is easy to move bike to bike also.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[coreyaugustus]

I've been using the Cygolite Dash 450L out front and Cygolite Hotrod in back for some time now and they've served well. Rubber strap attachment is quick and easy. USB recharging is a huge convenience.

I've been tempted to get ones that integrate bluetooth cameras, just because of the scary stories about careless/malicious drivers, but they're quite pricey for my tastes.

[schwa86]

I'm just throwing it out there -- I've had a lot of lights for commuting over the years. When my commuter was stolen out of a locked bike cage (it too was locked) at work my dynohub and really good light went with it. So I went cheap, bought a cree light for about $16 off the internet. It is super bright, has a flashing mode, stays charged for 3-4 hours, and if you buy an extra battery, you can have one in reserve. I have been using it on 3-4x a week daily commutes (when it's dark) for about 3 years now with no problems. I guess its lightly larger than a self contained unit (I Velcro strapped the battery below my bars) but not by much. So I think it depends on your anticipated usage etc.

[KidWok]

Been really happy with Cateye for a long time. Got a Volt 300 ages ago and ran it until I lost it. Bought a Volt 1200 to replace that and it has been great...more light than I really need. Bought myself another Volt 300 (new old stock) earlier this year and the battery died. Cateye sent me a Volt 400 under warranty.

I especially like that the Volt 300 and 400 come with a helmet mount. I have run my 1200 with the helmet mount a few times and it's a blinding amount of light to have on top of a helmet, not to mention a bit heavy.

Tai

[echappist]

I've been very disappointed with my Lezyne tail light. Maybe about one-year worth of usage in the last three years, and it's now dead. The battery is not replaceable, so I have to get a new one.

Anyone has suggestion for bright lights using replaceable battery?

[notsew]

On this same theme, has anybody bought one of those cheapo amazon lights for mountain biking? Something like this https://www.amazon.com/Victagen-Head...=fsclp_pl_dp_5 or any of it's ilk?

[stien]

Originally Posted by Andy sti

Did you still contact L&M? If you haven't it may be worth it, they tend to be pretty good.

This. They sent me a new vis 360 pro when my old low end vis had a wire insulation break.

I’ve had plenty of experience with Niterider too, but I think when all the lights eventually die, I’ll stick with L&M helmet plus dynamo on bike.

[ravdg316]

Originally Posted by stien

This. They sent me a new vis 360 pro when my old low end vis had a wire insulation break.

I’ve had plenty of experience with Niterider too, but I think when all the lights eventually die, I’ll stick with L&M helmet plus dynamo on bike.

I have indeed. The first guy I talked to "victim-blamed" me and accused me of not knowing how to work the light, even though I've been using it with no problems for two years. To be fair, it looked like he was just selecting stock template answers to my questions about it. Still not good.

[schwa86]

Originally Posted by notsew

On this same theme, has anybody bought one of those cheapo amazon lights for mountain biking? Something like this https://www.amazon.com/Victagen-Head...=fsclp_pl_dp_5 or any of it's ilk?

That's basically a 2x version of what I suggested above. In all seriousness, it might be overkill unless you are trail riding in pitch black or something.

[tctyres]

Originally Posted by KidWok

Been really happy with Cateye for a long time. Got a Volt 300 ages ago and ran it until I lost it. Bought a Volt 1200 to replace that and it has been great...more light than I really need. Bought myself another Volt 300 (new old stock) earlier this year and the battery died. Cateye sent me a Volt 400 under warranty.

I especially like that the Volt 300 and 400 come with a helmet mount. I have run my 1200 with the helmet mount a few times and it's a blinding amount of light to have on top of a helmet, not to mention a bit heavy.

Tai

I've got an 800 and a 1200. Easy to use and hold charge well. The 1200 on max is typically overkill.