What good quality lights should I buy for a Raleigh Classic tourer?

[Methersgate]

I went on so long with the hub dynamo on my old Mercian tourer that the whole of the revolution in bike lights passed me by.

Now I need some. At my age (73) I am willing to spend for a really good set up, which I will assume will include a lithium ion battery that I can charge away from the bike.

It’s the bike in my avatar, but it now has a Brooks saddle and a Blackburn rear rack.

If the lights look a bit “in keeping” with the 1980s bike, that’s a bonus!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Recommend this light.

https://lumintop.com/product/b01/

Good focused beam, replaceable 21700 lion battery. Can charge in light or remove and charge seperately. Usb c charging if former. Long run time, 21 hours low, and 6.5 hours medium etc. Low is fine apart from really fast descents on bad roads. Good robust mount for bike.

 

[Methersgate]

Thank you very much.

 

[Gunk]

Recommend this light.

https://lumintop.com/product/b01/

Good focused beam, replaceable 21700 lion battery. Can charge in light or remove and charge seperately. Usb c charging if former. Long run time, 21 hours low, and 6.5 hours medium etc. Low is fine apart from really fast descents on bad roads. Good robust mount for bike.

Doesn’t seem to mention a price.

Decathlon do a very good and sensibly priced range of lights.

 

[oldandslow]

You need to define "good". If you're talking about separate batteries, it implies that you want to ride all night and have them last. Otherwise, there are loads of brands that produce decent rechargeable lights where you just plug in a USB. Within a range, you'll get different options for brightness, battery life, etc. I stick with Cateye ones because I already have brackets on each bike. For example the AMP400 is a starting point if you're doing relatively short rides. Produces enough light for the odd unlit stretch, but probably more around town, and tends to be my go-to light although I have others. Spend more and get brighter if you have more demanding requirements.

 

[Methersgate]

Thank you; most helpful.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Doesn’t seem to mention a price.

Decathlon do a very good and sensibly priced range of lights.

Official shop link

https://www.lumintoponline.com/coll...ts/bike-light-b01?_pos=1&_sid=0d74c3896&_ss=r

 

[Hover Fly]

Back in the 80s, I toured in the Alps on a Raleigh, while there I ditched the terrible Ever-Readys for some realy smart Cateyes, 500 series if I remember, They’re long obsolete, but this wouldn look too out of place:
https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bi....ds&gbraid=0AAAAADrJx6xX1mDLHA49Z7w8nNv7gyRW5

 

[SuperGalactian]

If you are used to a hub dynamo, why not get similar again? Modern hub dynamos are vastly more efficient and low resistance compared to those of the last century, and you will be amazed by the amount of light you can get. The SON Edelux II is quite a trad-looking lamp, and you can get it in a colour that will match your bike!

If you don’t want to have to buy a new front wheel (eg from Spa Chcles), or rebuild the old around a dynamo, there is also the tiny but effective Velogical.
[https://www.velogical-engineering.com/dynamo/product-information/?lang=en ]
I recently installed one with a Supernova E3 Pure 3 front light on my 1980s Claud Butler. Installation was fiddly, but I am really pleased with the result. It can be disengaged from the wheel, like the bottle dynamos of the past, but I leave it on all the time because it’s resistance is barely perceptible, and I want daytime running lights. I went down this route because - to my 71 y.o. eyes - all available good battery lights look unacceptably ‘modern’!

 

[Big T]

You could get some (Never) Ever Readys. Completely useless for seeing where you are going, but they will be appropriate for the age of the bike.

I remember doing a country lane commute with Ever Readies, back in the 80’s. I could just about see the edge of the road, about 3 feet in front of my front wheel.

 

[SuperGalactian]

You could get some (Never) Ever Readys. Completely useless for seeing where you are going, but they will be appropriate for the age of the bike.

I remember doing a country lane commute with Ever Readies, back in the 80’s. I could just about see the edge of the road, about 3 feet in front of my front wheel.

In those days, a bottle dynamo could power a halogen bulb, which was vastly better than a battery light. I used to cycle the busy A11 with one in the late ‘70s. On country lanes, I quite enjoyed switching out the dynamo and cycling by moonlight - until one day a deer dashed across just in front of my wheel.😬

 

[Methersgate]

If you are used to a hub dynamo, why not get similar again? Modern hub dynamos are vastly more efficient and low resistance compared to those of the last century, and you will be amazed by the amount of light you can get. The SON Edelux II is quite a trad-looking lamp, and you can get it in a colour that will match your bike!

If you don’t want to have to buy a new front wheel (eg from Spa Chcles), or rebuild the old around a dynamo, there is also the tiny but effective Velogical.
[https://www.velogical-engineering.com/dynamo/product-information/?lang=en ]
I recently installed one with a Supernova E3 Pure 3 front light on my 1980s Claud Butler. Installation was fiddly, but I am really pleased with the result. It can be disengaged from the wheel, like the bottle dynamos of the past, but I leave it on all the time because it’s resistance is barely perceptible, and I want daytime running lights. I went down this route because - to my 71 y.o. eyes - all available good battery lights look unacceptably ‘modern’!

Thank you - this looks like the ideal solution!

 

[SuperGalactian]

Thank you - this looks like the ideal solution!

Good! Not to dampen your enthusiasm, but to be realistic, there is still the problem that the lights all but vanish when you stop. I say 'all but', because many modern lights have a stand-still function where the light continues to run for 5 minutes or so from a super-capacitor that has been charged as you cycled. Be sure the version of light you buy has this feature - some mfrs (eg SON) offer both types. My Supernova has this feature, but I have to say that the stand-still light is underwhelming, and I wouldn't rely on motorists seeing it, nor would it help me mend a puncture at night.

There's no clear winner among battery, re-chargeable, hub dynamo and rim dynamo: they all have pros and cons. For me, living in the rural south, the rim dynamo works; but if most of my cycling was urban or suburban, I wouldn't consider it.

 

[Illaveago]

You could get some (Never) Ever Readys. Completely useless for seeing where you are going, but they will be appropriate for the age of the bike.

I remember doing a country lane commute with Ever Readies, back in the 80’s. I could just about see the edge of the road, about 3 feet in front of my front wheel.

I found that they produced a light ring a bit like half of what the Mysterons used.