Author Topic: Bike Light Recommendations  (Read 3714 times)

trailrated

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Bike Light Recommendations
« on: September 17, 2016, 08:35:19 AM »
Just this year I jumped on the MMM train and started biking to work 4 days a week. It has hit the point now that when I am riding at 6:00am it is still dark out. This morning I scared some joggers that didn't see me coming and I am always a bit worried a car is going to smush me but no close calls yet. I want to get a light so I can see better and so people can see me.

I was skimming through amazon and saw some upwards of a few hundred dollars (yeah right!)and then others for about $5. I can't tell where to get the most bang for my buck. I want something that is going to work and not break within a week or so but I also don't want to spend a crazy amount.

I saw the USB chargeable ones but honestly that is one more thing I would forget to charge. I prefer the battery options and have an endless supply to use from work. Can anyone point me in the right direction and ... light the way?

BikeFanatic

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Re: Bike Light Recommendations
« Reply #1 on: September 17, 2016, 08:59:51 AM »
You need a bright headlight for commuting, the peds need to see you and you need to see them. Most AA Battery operated lights are not good enough, IMHO, especially if some of your commute is on the road.
I like this light for example, you will have to recharge once or twice a week. On the other hand,  My wife does have an excellent AA battery operated light but I rarely see it available now, maybe if you insist on disposable batteries yo can look for a light that take 3 AA- that may be brighter than the 2 AA kind. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CEABKR0/ref=s9_wsim_gw_g468_i1_r?ie=UTF8&fpl=fresh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=&pf_rd_r=36TBWCDW1DKGX0C594YG&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=14bf09e4-93c8-43ff-8639-e7979e7d1787&pf_rd_i=desktop

trailrated

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Re: Bike Light Recommendations
« Reply #2 on: September 17, 2016, 09:09:53 AM »
Thank you, I didn't realize the brightness varied based on battery but that makes sense now that I think about it.

Jacks flunky

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Re: Bike Light Recommendations
« Reply #3 on: September 17, 2016, 10:47:07 AM »
If you want to go the AA battery route, I would recommend the Busch and Mueller ixon iq premium. Not cheap(I bought mine for $60 from bike24 in Germany), but lights are cheap relative to a car or a trip to the er. Also, carry two lights each front and rear. Again, cheap insurance for the times i forget to recharge lights or when a light dies.

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csprof

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Re: Bike Light Recommendations
« Reply #4 on: September 17, 2016, 11:27:27 AM »
I know you mentioned AA, but I'd throw in another vote for the USB ones.  It really feels like a lot of the innovation in bike lights has happened with the rechargeables... My solution to the charging was that I ran an extension cable such that it was dangling over where we park the bikes in the garage, and put a dual-port USB charger in it with the cables dangling, so we could just immediately plug in our bike lights (on one bike) as soon as we got home.  Worked really well.  The USB lights are really, really good, and the prices are fine.

I use the cygolites:
  Rear - Cygolite HotShot ($20):  affiliate link  and non-affiliate
  Front - Cygolite Dash ($46): affiliate link and non-affiliate
   (Or as a combo for 60 - note that I found them on jet.com cheaper once!)

There are a ton of rear blinkies that work well;  this one is just another.  The front, though, I really love - it's got a daytime super-blink mode that's *very* eye-catching, and I've found anecdotally that it was good for reducing the number of cars that tried to turn right in front of me and cut me off.  Just don't use the daytime mode at night. :)  Both of these are pretty small and light.

The rear lasts > 1 week without recharging with an hour of use daily.  The front tends to need to be recharged a bit more often.

(From the "I forget to charge them" perspective, the little on-button starts to blink at you when the battery is getting low on the front light, so at least there's that reminder to help.)

We also use the "leg shield" (used to be owl band) ankle band/reflectors.  They're good for side visibility, because they're constantly moving.

Note that there a previous MMM thread in the recommendations section that has a bunch of options listed:

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/reader-recommendations/discuss-your-bike-bike-lights-tires-fenders-racks-and-panniers/

Happy biking!
« Last Edit: September 17, 2016, 11:33:30 AM by csprof »

trailrated

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Re: Bike Light Recommendations
« Reply #5 on: September 17, 2016, 12:52:36 PM »
Happy biking!

 Great suggestions thank you!!

The Guru

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Re: Bike Light Recommendations
« Reply #6 on: September 17, 2016, 09:13:12 PM »
A few years ago I was shopping for a light for my wife; came across a website w/ a buyers guide complete with screen shots of the brightness and light patterns. The Niterider 650 or 700 was noticeably the best, so I bought and wasn't disappointed. I used to agree about the USB rechargeables, but I'm now a believer. I have a Niterider 350- barely bigger than a roll of quarters, but insanely bright in its own right. It'll light up half of our half-acre backyard on high setting. It also makes a great flashlight for camping or tracking down our cats. NRs come in a variety of brightnesses up to 650 or 700 lumens.

csprof

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Re: Bike Light Recommendations
« Reply #7 on: September 17, 2016, 09:56:24 PM »
A few years ago I was shopping for a light for my wife; came across a website w/ a buyers guide complete with screen shots of the brightness and light patterns. The Niterider 650 or 700 was noticeably the best, so I bought and wasn't disappointed. I used to agree about the USB rechargeables, but I'm now a believer. I have a Niterider 350- barely bigger than a roll of quarters, but insanely bright in its own right. It'll light up half of our half-acre backyard on high setting. It also makes a great flashlight for camping or tracking down our cats. NRs come in a variety of brightnesses up to 650 or 700 lumens.

A good site in general is:  http://thesweethome.com/reviews/best-commuter-bike-lights/
and
https://www.bikelightdatabase.com/best/headlights/

(Both of those sites like the Light & Motion lights, which I haven't tried myself, as well as the Cygolites).

 

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