best lights . . . .

[gaz]

Gaz pls.

Cateye lights above the £25 mark are just as good as anything anyone else makes in that price bracket. I have two rear flashers made by Cateye which have served me well - one that's 6 regular LED's chucking about light all over the place, another with a 1W centre which makes a fine rear spot, along with a couple of the cheap little rubber things they make which are handy as backups and when popping out about town as they are very easy to get on and off.

Problem is the cheap ones that so many buy and never bother recharging. But that's people.

You're right, their more expensive (I would push it up to +£60 lights are good) but that goes for pretty much all brands.

/bikelightsnob

 

[Matthew_T]

I think rear lights are very good even when cheap. I have two LED ones from Cateye and they are both very bright. The 5 LED strip only cost me about £15 and it has performed very well. I am still on the original batteries from when I purchased it in last September (It hasnt dimmed).
I do think I need a brighter one for the new commute though, and cateye dont seem to provide any which meet my requirements.

Front light wise, a Cree XML T6 on the front combines with a Cateye LED (to be seen) and a Cateye medium quality light provide plenty of light to see and be seen with.

 

[Boris Bajic]

Cateyes? I take it you don't want to see where you are going then.
Cateye seems to have done a fantastic job of flooding the market at the low range of lights and as such they get bought. However the products they produce are next to useless, I wouldn't even use them as a backup light.

This is quite an odd post.

I've been cycling for forty-odd years and have used a wide variety of lamps in that time. I ride on urban, rural and city-centre roads in everything from broad dayligh through mist, rain and fog to pitch dark.

I have several Cateye Cube (?) lamps for my bikes and those of my children. We can generally see where we're going and have enjoyed fairly good safety records. I see my kids out riding in the dark when I'm driving and they seem to be visible and safe. We have more powerful lamps on the family cars, but they have a different job to do.

Your comments come across as slightly snide and lacking in grace. My Cateyes are among the best lamps I've put on a bicycle. They last, the batteries last and they put out enough light for me.

I am visible and can see enough of the road ahead to make me feel safe. You may feel the need to be lit up like a cruise ship and that may be a jolly good thing, but there's no need to be dismissive of the choices of others. It is not dignified.

 

[Deleted member 20519]

 

[Cush]

This is quite an odd post.

I am visible and can see enough of the road ahead to make me feel safe. You may feel the need to be lit up like a cruise ship and that may be a jolly good thing, but there's no need to be dismissive of the choices of others. It is not dignified.

Boris I think this is normal in groups, some walkers are very dismissive of others kit. On a thread like this I try to sort out the good and ignore or play lip service to the rest.
I have now ordered a Cree XML6 from a firm that is more expensive than Amazon but they seem to offer better service. For the rear I will be using a Cateye strip, supplemented by leg bands that light up, which I got to put on the dogs collars (they both looked at each other with dignified indignation) a couple of other lights that still work for the panniers and a jacket that has lights all over it which I got for subscribing to Cycling Active but have never had the nerve to wear round our village.

 

[fossyant]

Cat eye lights are pants for the money. The fronts are way over priced for the power, poor brackets and plastic. The rears are a bit better but still to expensive.

If someone has batteries in from last year in a rear light, then the light is low power and won't penetrate bad weather very far (@Matthew_T).

For rears you need at least the cat eye 1100 ( but over priced) but my recommends are Blackburn Mars 4.0 1 watt, Smart R1 and the R2 (1/2 watt and 2 x 1/2 watt), RSP Astrum or the Cherry Bomb. These are all AAA lights that give fantastic output.

I use the lights above as backups to either Magicshine 818's or now C&B seen big barsteward lights (I run two and I recon they shove out 300 lumen each at the rear as they eat a custom lipo pack in 3 hours) These type of lights and the likes of exposure, dinnote and hope district kick the little AAA lights into oblivion. So a little cheap rear light isn't as good as you think. In heavy rain, it has to get through the dark, and rear car lights, especially if riding on main roads.

 

[gaz]

This is quite an odd post.

I've been cycling for forty-odd years and have used a wide variety of lamps in that time. I ride on urban, rural and city-centre roads in everything from broad dayligh through mist, rain and fog to pitch dark.

I have several Cateye Cube (?) lamps for my bikes and those of my children. We can generally see where we're going and have enjoyed fairly good safety records. I see my kids out riding in the dark when I'm driving and they seem to be visible and safe. We have more powerful lamps on the family cars, but they have a different job to do.

Your comments come across as slightly snide and lacking in grace. My Cateyes are among the best lamps I've put on a bicycle. They last, the batteries last and they put out enough light for me.

I am visible and can see enough of the road ahead to make me feel safe. You may feel the need to be lit up like a cruise ship and that may be a jolly good thing, but there's no need to be dismissive of the choices of others. It is not dignified.

I appreciate that you looked deeply into my post and took the time to write a response. Most of what you say is correct, i'm basically a lightsnob and have fixated opinions on some brands and quality of lights.

You'll need to be specific about which cateye you used, cube is a 'technology' they use called opticube, Most cateye lights aren't good enough to light your way on a dark path at 10mph, not worth the money imo.

 

[gaz]

C&B seen big barsteward lights (I run two and I recon they shove out 300 lumen each at the rear as they eat a custom lipo pack in 3 hours)

They state that is what, 500 lumens? Which is plain incorrect, I got one and it's not as powerful as my dinotte 400r. So I would guess it's closer to 200 than 300, considering my 400r is brighter and gives a batter spread and is only around 240 lumens

 

[Twelve Spokes]

Blimey,remember the old days when we had ever ready lights or dynamos and leds were crap (basically it was filament bulbs),we are so spoiled for choice with great lighting technology (now).I've done a bit of off road (recently) as they have closed half the back streets round here to renew three railway bridges and my lights were fine.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

I have two of these at the back, & they're rather bright (one flashing, & the other continuous)
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/ro...ts-rear-smart-rear-light-1-2-watt/smarligh241

Two like these on the front, but with 2 watt LEDs;
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/ro...light-lunar-25-lux-white/smarligh129000000000

 

[Broadside]

I use the Smart Lunar R1 and have seen others using the same so I think they are pretty bright/noticeable on the open roads. On the Dunwich Dynamo i saw a few people with what I would call obnoxiously bright rear lights, almost dazzling from 300yds away. On getting up to them I asked what the lights were and they turned out to be Hope Districts. If you want something really seriously bright at the rear then consider these, but IMO they are a bit too bright as they are similar intensity to a car rear fog light.

A friend has the Magicshine MJ818 rear light and this has a very impressive output for a lot less money than the Hope, admittedly with a much lesser build quality.

 

[fossyant]

They state that is what, 500 lumens? Which is plain incorrect, I got one and it's not as powerful as my dinotte 400r. So I would guess it's closer to 200 than 300, considering my 400r is brighter and gives a batter spread and is only around 240 lumens

They do say 500 but no way. The Magicshine is about 70-80 lumen, and these C&B lights are at least double that. I find the modes better too - both LED's on, one flashing one steady or both flashing. You can even alternate which LED flashes if you press the right combo. I've also had the flash speed very fast - there seems to be some additional hidden button presses that give additional modes. Very happy with them so far, although they are thirsty. They do seem to use charge when switched off - i.e. power to the switch. It's still the most powerful of the cheaper lights and the only better ones for output are the Dinotte's at ££s

 

[Cush]

Ordered a Cree XM-L T6 yesterday morning from C&B Seen Ltd. It arrived before 11:00 this morning. Due to other commitments it will be at least ten days before I can test it out on a night run but I will try it out in the garden tonight (never know I might even catch a poacher in the fields below us)

 

[Bigbud]

As its getting to that time of year I want to pick up some good lights, don't mind spending a few quid for good stuff, what configuration is preferable for being seen light ? Was thinking a bike mounted front & rear then a flashing front and rear on my helmet. Was looking at this http://store.dinottelighting.com/dinotte-xml-3-headlight-with-400r-taillight-p176.aspx

 

[F1fan]

I have a Gemini Xera and bought a second light head so i use one for flash and the other for constant. They are expensive but nowadays you get what you pay for.

The back i have a Fibre flare and a Moon Shield.