Fall is here. Let's talk lights.

[CNY rider]

It's time for me to buy another light for fall riding.

My main commuter has a gen hub with lights, and I wear my DiNotte on my helmet. So I'm good there, until they salt the roads, when that bike goes to the basement for holiday.

I have one of those older L&M lights with the giant proprietary battery back but it's getting on in years and has trouble running for 45 minutes now after a charge.

What I would like is a light to clip to my bars. I will still be wearing the Dinotte 200 on my head.
I would prefer AA batteries because I'm fed up with throwing things away when the proprietary batteries give out.
Is the DiNotte still the best out there? Should I just get another one? Anyone using the 1 watt Planet Bike? Those look interesting and cost a whole lot less.
Thanks.

[avalonracing]

I was just looking for a lightweight, easily detachable bar light and to me the best choice was the Light and Motion Urban 300. We'll see about the longevity but I don't like separate battery packs and I wanted something with a good beam spread and light (this is 110G).

[skijoring]

Originally Posted by CNY rider

It's time for me to buy another light for fall riding.

My main commuter has a gen hub with lights, and I wear my DiNotte on my helmet. So I'm good there, until they salt the roads, when that bike goes to the basement for holiday.

I have one of those older L&M lights with the giant proprietary battery back but it's getting on in years and has trouble running for 45 minutes now after a charge.

What I would like is a light to clip to my bars. I will still be wearing the Dinotte 200 on my head.
I would prefer AA batteries because I'm fed up with throwing things away when the proprietary batteries give out.
Is the DiNotte still the best out there? Should I just get another one? Anyone using the 1 watt Planet Bike? Those look interesting and cost a whole lot less.
Thanks.

1 watt PB is nice, I also have the 2 watt. I have talked with drivers about the lights and they see them very well. More of a 'be seen' light, than for actual navigation. But they have a great clamp, easy on/off and work well with recharge-ables.

[leooooo]

Finished my second ride last night with a NiteRider 600.
Anyone looking for a self contained unit, this is the way to go.

Pros:
Great for road riding, illuminates any potholes and large debris easily while going at 30mph.
CHEAP!
Light quality is very good (total opinion).
Quality Panasonic batteries, not some knock-off.

Cons:
May not be good for trail riding (lacking in spread, good helmet light?) or city riding (the lights will def blind oncoming traffic).
Claimed low, med, high settings has very little variance in practice. Maybe like 40 lumen difference between each setting. Was hoping for 100/300/600 or something of a sizable difference.

[jr59]

For the past 2 years I have used a twofish flashlight holder, and a Fenix ld20.
With rechargeable AAs.

I have tried other brands of flashlights, some were brighter, but didn't last near long enough. Some didn't have the best of light stream.

This set-up works best for me. It's light weight and can be moved from bike to bike very quickly.

Of course YMMV!

[sjbraun]

I've been really happy with the Cygolite Expilion 250. Interbike coverage suggests the new models will pack more light into the same package at a lower price.

[kenmetzger]

I would echo what skijoring said about the Planet Bike Blaze. It is great for being seen by drivers. I have had some pedestrians complain that it is too bright. It does an OK decent job lighting your way, but its main asset is letting everyone know that you are there.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by CNY rider

It's time for me to buy another light for fall riding.

My main commuter has a gen hub with lights, and I wear my DiNotte on my helmet. So I'm good there, until they salt the roads, when that bike goes to the basement for holiday.

I have one of those older L&M lights with the giant proprietary battery back but it's getting on in years and has trouble running for 45 minutes now after a charge.

What I would like is a light to clip to my bars. I will still be wearing the Dinotte 200 on my head.
I would prefer AA batteries because I'm fed up with throwing things away when the proprietary batteries give out.
Is the DiNotte still the best out there? Should I just get another one? Anyone using the 1 watt Planet Bike? Those look interesting and cost a whole lot less.
Thanks.

L&M all in one for the handlebar, small white Blackburn flea on the handlebar, rear Flea on my helmet, another on the bike along with a another tail light. My biggest fear is getting hit from behind.

[Doug Fattic]

I have the Planet Bike dynamo Blaze LED headlight combined with a Sturmey Archer generator front hub on my Dutch style grocery getter. I would guess it puts out 2 or 3 times as much light as any of the halogen lights I’ve used with a bottle generator. Of course on this style of bike I’m going around 10 miles an hour. At that speed it seems like more light than I need but not nearly what my old Cateye Stadium light would produce on my normal bikes. It will produce full light at 5 or 6 MPH and keep going at a lower output for a few minutes when the bike is stopped. It also has a blinking feature. If I am ridding the bike path behind my house and shop in the total darkness, it will light up the path for several hundred feet. It is certainly what I would buy again if I wanted to stay within that price range (which is much cheaper than lights most members refer to).

[BillG]

Bite the bullet, get a Dynohub and a Supernova E3. The thing is incredibly bright with the best illumination pattern I've found. I giggle every time I use it in awe of just how bright it is and I don't have to worry about a battery pack.

[Mikej]

The Lupine piko is twice as much as everything else, but insane - 750 Lumen (tested, certified) self contained. I want one. I have a MiNewt 350 right now, which for the price seems pretty good.

[Birddog]

I just upgraded my DiNotte because the 4 cell LiOn battery died after 3 years of use. Rob gave me a helluva deal on an upgrade. The cost is not so great when you consider I used this for 3 years. I got a new improved charger, a 4 cell battery, and the new light engine which is about double my old 200L in lumens. I could also have just traded in my old battery and charger for a good deal as well, but I decided to go all out.

[achurch]

Ship from NZ. Unless someone talks me out of it will order next week and post a report once delivered...

http://www.deptofadventure.com/categ...ycling-Lights/

[dekindy]

What type of road, lighting conditions, etc, will you be riding or are you just looking for a brand recommendation? If the latter, Dinotte is about as good as it gets. Other than that, there are a lot of other brands to consider since LED technology has advanced by light years (pun intended) and lots of new manufacturers have come to market. Best things would be to go to mtbr.com and sort the light models by number of reviews and ratings to get a feel for the highest rated. Also, check their light shootouts.

One brand that I discovered was TrailLed. I recommended them to my cycling buddies and an Engineer in our group was impressed and purchased one. He is ecstatic. Great light, small and lightweight light and battery, and replacmenet batteries are inexpensive. http://trailled.com/

[xeladragon]

To be seen, I have a Planet Bike 2W Blaze in the front and a Planet Bike Superflash in the back.

To see, I have an Exposure Diablo.

http://www.exposurelights.com/product/000018/diablo/

I highly recommend all 3 products.