beginning commuter

[pheobe]

I have a 10 mile commute to work and just ordered a specialized vienna 3 disc. Does anyone have any opinions on this bike or any pointers on what type of headlight is the best bang for your buck?

 

[Muddyfox]

The vienna is a great bike and im sure you'l enjoy your commute on it ... how many bucks do you want to spend on a light ?

Simon

 

[gaz]

Most will say the best bang for your buck is the hope vision 1, from around £70 upwards it is rather expensive for the average commute to justify, but it is a very good light!

 

[HLaB]

With front lights IMO its a case of wanting to be seen or see. If you want to be seen there's some great lights out there for a good price, I'm using the predecessor (1/2 watt) version of this. Unfortunately lights to see with seem to cost more for me they don't justify it but for you they might. On the rare occasion I need a light to see with I supplement my light with others.

 

[pheobe]

I would love it if I could spend around 30-50 dollars. That sounds like a reasonable price range to me but I would like it to be rechargeable. That may increase the price a bit. There are no street lights where I will be riding either and the drivers are crazy. Ample sight for me and sight for them is a must.

 

[HLaB]

I would love it if I could spend around 30-50 dollars. That sounds like a reasonable price range to me but I would like it to be rechargeable. That may increase the price a bit. There are no street lights where I will be riding either and the drivers are crazy. Ample sight for me and sight for them is a must.

Have you thought about rechargeable batteries? It sounds like you need both a light to see and be seen.

 

[johnr]

I've recently bought a Blackburn flea front light to supplement my Hope 1. It's incredibly light - almost weightless! It throws out a decent amount of light on its own, and in flashing mode cuts through all the Yorkshire mists, rain and fog. I'd be confident of using it alone if I forget to recharge the Hope in time.

 

[Flying Dodo]

Pheobe - seeing as you're across the pond, the Hope 1 probably wouldn't be easy for you to get hold of anyway. However, lighting is something worth spending money on, not just so that you can see the road ahead properly, to avoid potholes etc, but also to minimise the possibility of another road user not seeing you.

As a bare minimum, have a look at the Cateye EL530, which you can get for under $50. Often it's a good idea to have a second light on flash, which could be a cheaper model.

 

[Wobblers]

I would love it if I could spend around 30-50 dollars. That sounds like a reasonable price range to me but I would like it to be rechargeable. That may increase the price a bit. There are no street lights where I will be riding either and the drivers are crazy. Ample sight for me and sight for them is a must.

30 to 50 dollars isn't actually much for a light to see with. Remember that you actually need a surprising amount of light to spot things such as potholes in time to avoid them (don't ask me how I know this!). You also get much more respect from other road users if you have bright lights.

I use a B & M Ixon IQ for commuting - it has a shaped beam that puts all the light on the road and the large reflector makes for a bigger visual impact with motorists (in theory). The Hope 1 has less side visability. Since you're in the US, you might want to have a look at the Dinotte 200L - it easily puts out enough light to go at 20+ mph and also has good side visability. The only problem is the seperate battery pack that is a bit of a faff to remove, which is why I use my Ixon instead of my Dinotte for commuting. Also check out the Magicshine - apparently it's awesomely bright though possibly not the most well constructed.

The cheap option would be to get a torch with a P7 LED (the same one in the Magicshine) from somewhere like DealExtreme and attach it to your handlebars with a lock block mount. Side visability won't be great, so it would probably be a good idea to add a cheap LED flasher to help.

 

[cyberknight]

try looking at deal extreme as well , they have mini torch`s that are attatched to the handlebars and for the price give a lot of light.

I run one of these on unlit roads.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13732

Mounted on one of these

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.15642

Rechargables last 3-4 hours so i recharge it 2 times a week in the middle of winter.

I also use one of these as a back up/ light for normal roads .

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.18307

 

[Klaus]

Whilst we are on the subject of lighting, I have been looking at some German websites and it seems the dynamo is still very popular there, I remember it well when I first cycled there as a teenager. Used in combination with "stand" lights would it not be a good alternative to batteries? The bike I acquired hasn't got any lighting so this is something I am looking into. Your thoughts are welcome!