What's your favorite Bike Light for night riding?

[1Easyrider]

Also, don't forget to get a flashing rear light.

Flashing rear lights are Illegal in the United Kingdom. You're so laxadaisical with your laws in the USA.

How can anyone justify the price or buying one of these expensive LED lightsets. I've seen them selling for between £250 and £500. Ridiculous.

 

[dan66]

Flashing rear lights are Illegal in the United Kingdom. You're so laxadaisical with your laws in the USA.

How can anyone justify the price or buying one of these expensive LED lightsets. I've seen them selling for between £250 and £500. Ridiculous.

Auto drivers must be more courteous/safe in the UK! With the nutcases roaring down the roads in SUV's and talking on cell phones here (southern CA), ANYTHING that makes me visible is good!!

 

[1Easyrider]

Auto drivers must be more courteous/safe in the UK! With the nutcases roaring down the roads in SUV's and talking on cell phones here (southern CA), ANYTHING that makes me visible is good!!

But you're only half as visible if you're flashing. The light is off half the time and on half the time. That can't be sensible?

 

[dan66]

But you're only half as visible if you're flashing. The light is off half the time and on half the time. That can't be sensible?

I think a flashing light catches peoples' eyes more than a steady light. Besides, on the REALLY bad stretches (Pacific Coast Highway) I use multiple lights. Two in different flashing patterns and one steady. It may seem like overkill, but there are stretches of the road where people are doing high speeds in misty/foggy conditions and there are parked cars in some areas. Some guy pulled up to me at a stop sign and asked if I was a cop!

Alternate route? I wish there were.

What part of the UK are you in? I've been there a few times on music tours in college (Stourbridge, Oundle, Kettering and a few other places. And a sea-sick-inducing trip to Iona/Fingal's Cave up north) The roads always looked really narrow. stay safe!

 

[garage sale GT]

Flashing rear lights are Illegal in the United Kingdom. You're so laxadaisical with your laws in the USA.

different is not the same as lax.

 

[Yojimbo_]

I have some LED thingies, but I'm thinking of buying the Dinotte for the rear. According to stories I've read, the tail light is so bright that some drivers have complained.

Anything that makes me more visible from the rear is good. There is enough ambient light where I ride that a little LED flasher on the front is ok. Besides, you have time to respond if you see them coming from the front, but you can't do anything if they come from behind - you are entirely at their mercy, so better make sure they see you.

 

[granthar]

Flashing rear lights are Illegal in the United Kingdom. You're so laxadaisical with your laws in the USA.

Are LED front lights now legal as there was a time where the law stated that bike lights in the UK have to have a filament bulb

 

[Bob Ross]

I think a flashing light catches peoples' eyes more than a steady light. Besides, on the REALLY bad stretches (Pacific Coast Highway) I use multiple lights. Two in different flashing patterns and one steady.

+1

When I'm commuting at night I've got four tailights going: Three of them are the tiny but bright ViewPoint Hot Spots - one red, slow flashing, on the back of my helmet, one red, fast flashing, on my left seatstay, and one white, slow or fast flashing depending on my mood, on the right seatstay -- plus I've got a large red ViewPoint Flashback on the back of my saddlebag, either set to some crazy marquee-type strobing or else continuously on.

After going through two or three different headlights that were all either not bright enough or had too narrow a beam, I recently settled on the NiteRider MiNewt X.2 Dual. In hi mode it supposedly puts out 300 lumens, but even in low mode I've had people complain that it's too bright! (Especially other cyclists who might be riding in front of me & are trying to check behind for traffic.) But with the two headlamps I can get really wide coverage without hot spots.

 

[lbraasch]

Can't beat a HID for brightness or clarity especially if you ride routinely at night or do enduros.

NightRider has a new light called the TriNewt. It's replacing their HID system. Although HID is great, LED's last longer (bulb life), use less power, and can handle larger spills.

For something in the ~$150 range, can't go wrong with the MiNewt.

HID's are old technology compared to high output LED's.

 

[kleng]

I just have the Dinotte on the back and the Dual Cross 300 on the front.

 

[napcop]

But you're only half as visible if you're flashing. The light is off half the time and on half the time. That can't be sensible?

so police / fire vehicles would be better suited to NOT have red & blues that flash, rotate, and oscillate? As a cop I assure you, flashing is a good thing for visiblity (especially varying patterns). sidenote: we just outfitted our fleet with LED lightbars. BIG improvement over conventional blulbs for visility.

 

[rowskein]

so police / fire vehicles would be better suited to NOT have red & blues that flash, rotate, and oscillate? As a cop I assure you, flashing is a good thing for visiblity (especially varying patterns). sidenote: we just outfitted our fleet with LED lightbars. BIG improvement over conventional blulbs for visility.

It's amazing what lights some people will ride with and still expect to be seen!



Flashing lights are legal in the uk as long as the light still complies with the appropriate regulations. All nighttime riding regulations for the UK are specified on the CTC's website.



http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=4071

or the Department of Transports website,

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/vehicles/vssafety/guidanceaboutlightsonpedalbi4556


It should be easy enough to make your own decision on what kind of lighting you think is most visible, just watch a few bikes when you're out driving in the dark! I think flashing lights are far far better for visibility. Even with a good and very bright solid light, a brain can play tricks on people and they don’t register it!

 

[dgregory57]

I use a Cateye LD-1000 for the rear.

I haven't used them yet (waiting for more warmer weather) but for the front, I just purchased two Fenix L2D flashlights and mounts for the bar and helmet.

I have gone outside to see how they'll do, and they will do a great job... probably to be used on the high (not turbo) mode... It seems bright enough, and doesn't use the batteries as quickly. I may even be able to drop down even lower, if I know I will be on the road for a long time, to extend the batteries.

I have a charger and NiMH batteries ready to go.