Headlights

[JamesK]

If you want a serious rear light, then there are only two options both made by Dinotte, either the 140L or the 400L depending on budget...

thanks for the advice but these area bit out of my price range! (which I should probably have mentioned!)

I'm willing to spend up to about £40 on a rear light which hopefully takes AA rechargeable batteries


James

 

[DrSquirrel]

Either Magic shine:
http://www.dealextre...ls.dx/sku.29489

Either provide more than enough light. If you buy both, you'll get lumen points from passers by saying your lights are bright

I second this (re: Magicshine) although I would only really recommend these to someone that half knows what they are doing, as they often need a little bit of fettling (tidying up solder, reapplying thermal paste, cleaning off oil etc).

Commercial ones you pay too much in the hope that a warranty claim you aren't blamed (honestly, warranties are not the end all of it, "yes it's broken, here is a new one..." is a rarity). A good option is the small batches manufactured by enthusiasts/hobbyists, these are a good middle ground for price. Look around at mtbr and candlepowerforums for the lads that build/sell their own.

 

[Randochap]

If you are serious about commuting and staying safe, you'd be wise to invest in a good generator-powered system.

No more batteries to worry about and they are very reliable over the long term. The new LED generator headlights are blindingly bright. The best systems are German-made -- from Schmidt. Check out the "Randonneuring" section of VeloWeb for more info on the virtues of such systems.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

If you are serious about commuting and staying safe, you'd be wise to invest in a good generator-powered system.

No more batteries to worry about and they are very reliable over the long term. The new LED generator headlights are blindingly bright. The best systems are German-made -- from Schmidt. Check out the "Randonneuring" section of VeloWeb for more info on the virtues of such systems.

Agreed. I use a SON-20R dynamo hub on the front wheel of my Vivente Randonneur, and don't notice the drag from it. I have the Supernova E3 Triple and E3 Taillight (also German ), and the headlight especially produces excellent light output. It's not cheap, though. I've had the generator hub for over a year, and the headlight-taillight set for over a year, without any problems from these.

 

[Tynan]

not agreed

I have a cateye 10 led rear that's been running every ride for over five years ans wants 2 aa recahrageables abut once a month tops

dynamo s have a place on longer rides sure, but for commuting modern leds ligts are cheap and easily run on batteries, you don;t need anything like as sexy on a rear light as a front

 

[BentMikey]

I'm not sure dynamos are that great TBH. Sure, useful, but not the most appropriate solution in all situations.

 

[Davidc]

Good lights don't come cheap, but are well worth buying.

My choice is to combine dynamo (generator) lights with battery ones. I like to have the diversity to protect against faults. If I had to chose one or the other it would be the dynamo ones.

The best dynamo front light I've found is the B&M CYO60, which I use, and it lights up unlit country roads well. The best integral battery front light I've seen is the Hope Vision 1. I don't have one but when my Cateye fails that's what'll replace it.

At the back the B&M range are good for dynamo lights and I have yet to come across anything better than the 0.5watt LED Smart superflash units for battery operated lights

The Schmitt hub dynamos are very good and very expensive. The Shimano ones are much cheaper, I've found them very reliable (one on each bike now and no problems) and I've never noticed any drag, 'though there must be some for them to work. My first Shimano one did over 45,000 miles attached to 4 different rims and is still going strong with the person who bought it from me several years ago.

 

[SavageHoutkop]

Hello,

I'm looking at buying lights for my commute. Most of it is lit anyway, but I want to have the option of going down some un-lit roads on occasion, though this is not my main concern.

I've pretty much decided on the Fenix LD20 http://www.fenixtorc...ix-ld20-r4.html for my front light, but don't know what to do about a back light.

Does anyone have any recommendations of anything I can also buy from www.fenixtorch.co.uk ?

Thanks,

James

Not from Fenix, but I have a Smart 1/2 watt rear light which takes AAA rechargeables and I find it's plenty bright enough!
http://www.cyclestore.co.uk/productDetails.asp?productID=17516 as the first google image pic of the one I'm talking about.

 

[BentMikey]

If you look for an RSP Astrum on ebay, they are even better than Smart lights, and decent value for money. Nothing like a Dinotte 400L, but still a good enough rear light.

 

[Randochap]

not agreed

I have a cateye 10 led rear that's been running every ride for over five years ans wants 2 aa recahrageables abut once a month tops

dynamo s have a place on longer rides sure, but for commuting modern leds ligts are cheap and easily run on batteries, you don;t need anything like as sexy on a rear light as a front

OK disagree, that's your prerogative, but you haven't given readers any decent analysis. In fact you make a pretty dangerous claim that "you don;t need anything like as sexy on a rear light as a front."

Why would one not want to be especially visible to traffic approaching from the rear? Certainly I would want to be -- and am -- lit up like a Christmas tree. That's why I run three rear lights -- two high-quality (battery) lights on seat stays, one on rack bracket, fly a reflective triangle and wear reflective clothing.

Yes, cheap battery lighting is ubiquitous, but a lot of it shouldn't be allowed on the road, IMO. There are certainly good battery headlights available (and I review some on my lighting page referred to above) but if you consider the overall cost (incl spare/replacement batteries) there is not ultimately not much difference in overall cost. Again, I say, dynamo systems are just the thing for busy commuters. No hassle with batteries, reliable and ultimate cost/benefit.

Have you actually tried and compared different systems?

 

[HJ]

I find that the Dinotte 400L Road Rider’s experience is all I need...

 

[HLaB]

thanks for the advice but these area bit out of my price range! (which I should probably have mentioned!)

I'm willing to spend up to about £40 on a rear light which hopefully takes AA rechargeable batteries


James

Two great rear lights IMO which are a lot cheaper and very bright are the smart superflash and the Blackburn Mars 4.0; I'm not sure about the websites description I've found the Mars slightly more power hungry and the most waterproof of the two (The Smart can fail when heavily saturated IMC it fails to on so thats B) ). They take AAA (rechargeable IMC) all rear lights I've had in the last 10 years have been AAA.

 

[summerdays]

I've got the Smart Superflash which I think is brilliant for its pirce. I've also got the BLT Fantom which I think is very bright and under £40 I believe, not to the Dinotte standard though but equally not that price range either. The Smart Superflash is so cheap that you can easily afford 2 of them - which I like to have for a rear light.

 

[2Loose]

The Smart Superflash is so cheap that you can easily afford 2 of them - which I like to have for a rear light.

+1 for 2 smart superflash rear lights, in case one fails. They both fit in one pocket too.

 

[fossyant]

Rear lights.............. you have.................

The new Magicshine - no-one has one yet, but at about $55 (dollars is good), but has a big battery,

Those mega expensive Dinotes..............(which are awesome)

Normally very good are....

RSP Astrum - 2 x 0.5w LEDS one spot/one diffused.....(flippin best I've seen)
Blackburn Mars 4.0 1.0w rear
Smart 0.5w Super flash

And many other lower output but very visible lights......... 2 or more lights good, one bad, if it runs out !