Which best rechargable bike light(s)

[AuraTodd]

I am after some rechargeable lights but I am not sure which one’s to go for. Have been to my local bike shop and seen Moon XP500 at 500 lumins which includes the back light as well. Price for this is £85 which is in a sale reduced from £160 I think)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00APFUP...olid=SZ5DJWHXE28B&coliid=I2PX8TNZWO69XM&psc=1

I have also seen One23 Extreme Bright 1000, Front Light in a Weymouth bike shop at 1000 lumens max output £79.99 (for front light).

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008XH6S...olid=SZ5DJWHXE28B&coliid=I3PVB0N976ZKV7&psc=1

Would like lights for cycling round town and unlite country roads. Can you advise me which of the two listed above I should go for?

Many thanks.

 

[mjr]

Neither look designed/shaped/legal for road use. Why not do it properly, buy a dynamo and lights from Germany?

 

[helston90]

I have the moon xp300 and use it for commuting all winter and have done for a few years, it's a great light, plenty bright enough to see by even on 200 lumen (I never run it at full 300 so the 500 should be fine), the only major downside is the flash mode isn't really appropriate for anything- it has 4 modes of brightness then flash mode which is just too bright and annoying. Best perk is being able to charge from USB- so I keep one cable in work in case it needs a top up.
Never heard of the other one.

 

[MrGrumpy]

You are 2 days late as you could of gotten a Moon XP 780 for 47 quid in the Edinburgh bicycle sale. Of course as has been said these are not road legal apparently but that's for another debate.


In fact scrap that the sale is still on ! have a look ! Your moon XP500 is 62 quid right now and inc rear light as well!

 

[NorthernDave]

Halfords have got their Bike Hut 450 lumens rechargeable front light reduced from £49.99 down to £24 in their sale at the moment. It comes with helmet and handlebar mounts and seems plenty bright enough to me. Battery life is reportedly up to 10 hours, depending on which mode you use.
www.halfords.com/cycling/lights-locks/lights/bikehut-l450-front-light

 

[flake99please]

For the front, I would recommend the Cateye Volt 700. At their lowest setting (100 lumens), they're more than adequate for commuting on lit roads, a simple double click whilst on, and you have the full monty (700 lumens) for unlit paths.

For the rear I would recommend the Exposure Tracer as you main 'always on' light. Again on its lowest setting, the light has a good throw of rearward facing light.

I have used both these lights since January this year, and have been faultless. I also have 2x front Cateye Rapid X fitted to my front fork (flashing), and 2x rear Cateye Rapid X flashing) fitted to my down tubes. I may look like the proverbial xmas tree, but I consider these necessary for my 4am commutes.

 

[bpsmith]

I have the Cateye Volt 300 and Volt 50 pack. Very good set of lights and plenty bright enough for your requirements.

 

[annirak]

I recommend the B&M series. I love my Ixon IQ Speed Premium. The light it lays out is a nice, consistent patch out front, that stretches far enough that I'm happy doing 25 mph in the pitch black. The light consistency is a really important part for me, since that means that there is no hot spot in the middle of my vision, which means better situational awareness and less tunnel vision. As a bonus, the light is incredibly bright, but doesn't dazzle other road users. Since it conforms to the German StVZO regulations, that makes it legal for use on roads in the UK (most bike lights are not legal for British road use).

I would suggest checking out the Ixon line, which is available from Rose Bikes.
http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/products/bike-components/lighting/battery-lamps/headlights/

I found this site really helpful when looking for lights:
http://fahrradbeleuchtung-info.de/overview-battery-powered-bike-headlamps-cutoff

 

[gavintc]

Since it conforms to the German StVZO regulations, that makes it legal for use on roads in the UK (most bike lights are not legal for British road use).

What makes a front light legal for road use? I have series of lights and am curious what is not legal.

 

[annirak]

What makes a front light legal for road use? I have series of lights and am curious what is not legal.

http://www.ctc.org.uk/cyclists-library/regulations/lighting-regulations

Front Lamp
One is required, showing a white light, positioned centrally or offside, up to 1500mm from the ground, aligned towards and visible from the front. If capable of emitting a steady light, it must be marked as conforming to BS6102/3 or an equivalent EC standard.

If capable of emitting only a flashing light, it must emit at least 4 candela

The point is the standard marking. You won't find one on most LED light products.

 

[flake99please]

Reading further down in the CTC article linked above...

My reading of the text below is that any light that flashes is now legal, but not approved?

Flashers
Thanks to the 2005 RVLR amendment on 23 October of that year it finally became legal to have a flashing light on a pedal cycle, provided it flashes between 60 and 240 times per minute (1 – 4Hz).

Even better: it became possible for a flashing light to be approved, meaning no other light would be needed in that position. And since BS6102/3 does not cater for flashing, approval is granted simply on the basis of brightness (as specified above).

Because DfT very much prefer things to be evaluated against a proper technical standard wherever possible: any flashing lamp that is also capable of emitting a steady light is approved only if it conforms with BS6102/3 when switched to steady mode. Since most flashing lights do also have a steady mode, they're legal but not approved, so you'll probably need another lamp that is.

Unfortunately Britain is not the force it once was in the world cycle market, with the result that very few manufacturers can nowadays be bothered to test and mark their products to our standards. So it can be really hard nowadays, to find any approved lamp for sale these days, flashing or not!

Fortunately our Police seem hardly more concerned by legal niceties than lamp manufacturers. Since it became theoretically legal to ride a bike with just flashing lights on it, they're nowadays no more likely to quibble its legal status than one equipped with steady lights – unless they're rather dim (the lights that is) or involved in an accident. Then it's possible that someone might look a bit closer

 

[annirak]

Reading further down in the CTC article linked above...

My reading of the text below is that any light that flashes is now legal, but not approved?

The issue here is in the original text of the 2005 RVLR amendment.

If capable of emitting a steady light, it must be marked as conforming to BS6102/3 or an equivalent EC standard

(emphasis mine)

My reading of this is that unless your light is blinky only, it must be approved to be legal. IANAL, but it seems pretty clear to me what the legalities are. What's not clear is what individual police forces will choose to do.

Unfortunately Britain is not the force it once was in the world cycle market, with the result that very few manufacturers can nowadays be bothered to test and mark their products to our standards. So it can be really hard nowadays, to find any approved lamp for sale these days, flashing or not!

This is precisely why I went with a German light. The law in Germany is quite strict about cycling lights. They all must conform to StVZO (which is more strict than BS6102/3) and there is no blinky exception.

Legal aspects aside, I really like having a dip beam. It means that I can have a light which is very bright without worrying about oncoming traffic being dazzled by my light, which can also cause accidents.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Bear in mind that, as rechargeable AA and AAA are available and reliable, your choice of rechargeable lamps may be wider than you think.

 

[MrGrumpy]

For the front, I would recommend the Cateye Volt 700. At their lowest setting (100 lumens), they're more than adequate for commuting on lit roads, a simple double click whilst on, and you have the full monty (700 lumens) for unlit paths.

For the rear I would recommend the Exposure Tracer as you main 'always on' light. Again on its lowest setting, the light has a good throw of rearward facing light.

I have used both these lights since January this year, and have been faultless. I also have 2x front Cateye Rapid X fitted to my front fork (flashing), and 2x rear Cateye Rapid X flashing) fitted to my down tubes. I may look like the proverbial xmas tree, but I consider these necessary for my 4am commutes.

This one wasn`t half price unfortunately but the Volt 1200 was if the OP is interested.

 

[Milkfloat]

This is precisely why I went with a German light. The law in Germany is quite strict about cycling lights. They all must conform to StVZO (which is more strict than BS6102/3) and there is no blinky exception.

A genuine question - is the German light actual legal here? It may be conforming to a stricter standard than the BS, but seeing as it is not marked as BS then surely it is not legal?