Ok - winter draws on...what is your preference for shiny, flashing bits that make you visible to white pick up van man and old men who wear their caps whilst 'driving'? I need some - soon anyway...and they had better be mega waterproof too!
Smart 3 l.e.d front and 7 l.e.d. rear, I leave them on flash mode, not, ahem, strictly legal but people can see you. Not so good down a dark un-lit path as they are more a 'be seen' rather than a 'see' light set up. Plus they're small enough to whip off and stick in your pockets if you need to.
Dinotte LEDS Not cheap, but about the size of a film cannister and the larger (LiIon) battery pack is slightly smaller than a cigarette pack. Fits easily on the bars and the battery pack on the stem. For the rear both will fit on the seatpost. The cheaper version uses a battery pack with 4 AA batteries, and has a 2 - 3 hr life, but carrying a spare set of AAs is nothing. Brilliantly bright!
why do you need all those HUGE strap-on batteries and fiddly wires for commuting? Sure they're probalby bright, but there's lots of much smaller, lighter, cheaper and easier to use lights that are bright enough... That whole get-up looks like a right faff! Just get a set of these for fifteen quid and have done with it.
I rely on Cateye at the front and back, battery life is good. If however you are going down dark lanes with no street lighting and cars come towards you with their headlights on then vision is somewhat impaired!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you do use very bright lights, especially on cycle tracks, don't forget to consider the oncoming cyclists whom you may dazzle if they are set high. I'm afraid I tend to let users know if they do it to me
How about This That would be fantastic for me in the pitch black country lanes! just wish it didn`t cost so much!. as cheapest price ive seen is £178 with postage on ebay.
wear a flashing light on your head/helmet. that way, no motorist can pull out from a junction and then claim they have not seen you, because you can look in their direction and know they cannot miss it. trust me, works a treat.
Although the HID are fantastic, they are not the only option. Their real benefit of those is a run time of over two hours between charges. As an alternative, I find the Lumicycles Halogen really good and even with a 12W and 20W still mange to get a couple of hours per charge. Although I got them for night mtbing, they are also fantastic for riding fast in country lanes. It does mean you can train at night rather than just make progress. The Lumicycles are about £175 and are very reliable with excellent service and backup from the manufacturer in the UK. Not all the more hi tec lights are either as reliable or as easy to sort out. Some friends have had real problems with not being able to get problems fixed with some of the more cutting edge designs. Then when they don't work and can't be repaired does it suddenly sink home quite how expensive they were!
Thanks all, for making time to reply - it is much appreciated. I'm going to do my market research next and hopefully make myself a little bit lighter - although the aperitifs have started to slide down as I write...
I have recently been bought a cateye EL700 Triple shot which seems ok and is nice a bright and with a reported run time of just over 3 hour run time. I have not had much use out of it so far so cant really comment. I would have chose a light with a Li Ion battery but that would have cost me a lot more money so i am happy with my gift.
To be honest I wouldn't buy another topeak. Quality was a lot to be desired, and the mounting arrangement very haphazard. and quite heavy too. Changed over to Dinottes front and back. Very good and not a faff to use or mount as Bonj is inferring.
I always fancied one of those big lights ,but were too dear for me ,so i settled on some halogen ones some time ago,£15 for the set,the rear one was a diode flasher as well as normal mode,they slide on and off they're brackets easily,and are secure enough for road use,but i think ill be adding a couple of flashers just to be seen more easily.
I'm pretty happy with my Dinotte (4x AA) front light, it's a small light, with a little battery pack that attaches to the frame. I wouldn't really need it if my commute didn't involve a stretch of unlit road (although since getting it I've used it even when it's ever-so-slightly overcast, since it's bright enough to show up well under those conditions). Smart 1W Superflash on the back, low-cost and bright (could be a tad more waterproof). Thinking of a Dinotte rear tho', for that "afterburner on" effect when it gets foggy.
Bonj, the photo shows the whole kit, in practice you use only the light, and the small black battery pack. more compact on the bars than a complete beattery enclosed unit. Asterix , You are quite right. By fitting the rear to the seatpost there is an automatic downward angulation for the rear, and the front is simply sensible positioning.
