Recommended Lights ?

[Spy]

Hi all,

Thinking of getting some front and rear lights and was wondering which ones you have experience of and would recommend.

I prefer the blinking/flashing lights and ideally light in weight and as small as possible without becoming ineffective.

Any recommendations ?

 

[BSRU]

Hi all,

Thinking of betting soem front and rear lights and was wondering which ones you have experience of and would recommend.

I prefer the blinking/flashing lights and ideally light in weight and as small as possible without becoming ineffective.

Any recommendations ?

You need to specify your budget as there is vast selection from very cheap to very very expensive.

 

[Hacienda71]

Planet x have some cracking deals on smart 1/2 watt rear lights and light sets. Damn good rear lights.

 

[smokeysmoo]

Anything from Cateye, especially for the front IMHO, but it also depends what you want to do. Do you just want to be seen, or do you want to actually illuminate your way? If it's the latter you will need deep pockets.

 

[cyberknight]

Hi all,

Thinking of betting some front and rear lights and was wondering which ones you have experience of and would recommend.

I prefer the blinking/flashing lights and ideally light in weight and as small as possible without becoming ineffective.

Any recommendations ?

Do you need it for roads with street lights or will you be riding on unlit roads at night?

For normal roads these are very good..
http://www.planet-x-...-rear-light-set

For the unlit roads i use mid winter i have 3 of those 1/2 watt flashers like in the link above , a back up standard like like one of those and i run a 900 lumen rated front light called magicshine that means i can cycle at full pace even on totally black country lanes.You can find them from around £50 up to £80 dependent on the supplier (but they are the same light)

For safety i always recommend 2 front and 2 rear lights if you know you are definitely going to cycling at night as you never know if one decides to stop working ...

 

[mcshroom]

For be-seen lights there's a 'TORCH' branded set at Wilkinsons for £8 which are decent 1/2W flashers (from experience they are also rain and hail proof )

For seeing where you are going on unlit roads then the Hope vision 1 is the forum favourite at about £70-75, Planet X have a deal on the Smart Lunar 35 for £15 (I use one of these for most of my commutes in rural Cumbria - but you do have to back off on hills as the light isn't good enough for full attack mode

), and then there are the torch-like lights that range from 1W creee lights at about 80-100 lumen, through to the magicshine/ultrafire style lights from China that claim up to 900 lumen (I don't think my ultrafire torch reaches that, but it does produce a ridiculous amount of floodlighting)

 

[Norm]

I prefer the blinking/flashing lights and ideally light in weight and as small as possible without becoming ineffective.

Light weight, small and flashing means Exposure Flash and Flare, available together at £85 including rechargables and charger or £75 if you want to buy your own batteries.

Very small and light, incredibly easy to operate (twist the cap one way for on, the other for off), easily removed when you leave the bike or to swap between bikes, they are very bright and made in Britain by USE, so you'll struggle to find another company with better customer service.

Cheaper options are available but they will all have compromises and lighting is one area that I don't compromise on.

 

[Spy]

Planet x have some cracking deals on smart 1/2 watt rear lights and light sets. Damn good rear lights.

Thanks for all the recommendations. I live in London so all the roads are mostly lit.

Just looking for some lights to ensure I can be seen by traffic. I like the flashing ones as they catch the drivers eye more easily.

In terms of budget, I don't want to spend too much. I was thinking up to £30 for both but not sure if I am being optimistic at that price.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Nebulous]

I have the smart 25 lux set on my road bike.

Smart lights

Prices vary widely for them. Good lights, but the rear can be prone to water ingress, particularly if you don't have mudguards. After having a problem I have coated the seal in vaseline and it hasn't recurred.

I'd agree with the two lights for backup suggestion though. On my mtb for commuting I have a set of cateye lights set to flash and a Lidl set that are on steady. All 4 of them would have cost less than £30, and the front Lidl one is rechargeable, but the combination seems to work.

 

[Spy]

The Smart Lunar lights look great value and within my price range. What size are they roughly ? I can't seem to tell from the photos.

 

[Hacienda71]

Pretty small circa 6cm x 3cm x 3cm i would have said from memory without having mine in front of me. You can attach them to seat posts or stays as they have a couple of fittings when you buy them

 

[Spy]

Thanks, they spund spot on. I assume it is wise to go for the most powerful set ie. the white 25 lux over the 15 lux ? The only issue is that the 25 Lux are white

As an alternative, which lights would you guys recommend from Halfords ?

Reason being is that I am thinking of picking up a Catey Strada computer and Topeak Joe Blow pump from there. They have a 3 for 2 so in theory I can get a set for free from there. Unfortunately their Smart Lnar lights are overpriced so was thinking maybe a cateye set.

 

[ohnovino]

Another vote here for the Smart lights from Planet X. I got the Lunar 10 set a couple of weeks ago for £9.99 and I'm delighted with them. I felt anything brighter would be excessive for riding on lit roads, and would presumably run the batteries down at a faster rate.

The only downside: I nearly crashed when I tested them out because I kept looking back to see how far my rear light was reflecting

 

[Beebo]

Smart Lunar 25 lights are currently on offer at Evans £27.99 reduced from £55.99.

 

[Spy]

Smart Lunar 25 lights are currently on offer at Evans £27.99 reduced from £55.99.

Thanks but that is their web price. If I was buying from the web I may as well buy from Planet X who are cheaper