Bike Lights

[Nate89]

Now that the summer is here i find myself cycling up untill the light is beginning to fade and reckon i need a good set of lights, outside of the reflecters ive currently got.

Im really not sure what to go for though. Im basically looking for something bright, well made, long lasting, uses as little power as possible, yet still cheap. Any suggestions?

Thanks.

 

[MajorMantra]

If you just want to be seen then almost any of the cheap LED bike lights will be fine. If you actually want to illuminate a dark road in front of you then things get more expensive. The cheapest option for lights to see by is probably the Tesco torches (google it) at £8ish each if you can still get them but you have to do a little bodging to mount them. If you want a full made-for-cycling set of lights suitable for seeing then you are looking at upwards of £100.

Matthew

 

[Riverman]

I read on a forum somewhere that the tesco 3w torches are no longer cree and are not as bright. This may explain why they cost a fraction less than £8. Anyone else have any info about this?#

Although a little larger I think the following may be an alternative.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13060

http://www.mtbbritain.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=10625

 

[punkypossum]

For the back, I'd get one of the Smart 1/2 watt rear lights - can be had for about 8 quid and they are really bright.

 

[l4dva]

If you look on wiggle for the smart 1/2 watt light you can get a front and back set for about £15... I use the same lights and they are brilliant! The rear one is very bright, I got a cheap tesco led and that is rubish in compairson, really not worth the money the cheap supermarket stuff.

The front light again is very bright but it dosn't light up as large an area in front of you. You will deff be seen by cars etc, but it won't fully light up the road in front of you, you would have to spend hunderds for something that could do that. But for the money I don't think you can beat it!

 

[Llama]

+1 for wiggle deal on smart lights - order them soon, the deal will finish and they will be back at £25

 

[HJ]

Now that the summer is here i find myself cycling up untill the light is beginning to fade and reckon i need a good set of lights, outside of the reflecters ive currently got.

Im really not sure what to go for though. Im basically looking for something bright, well made, long lasting, uses as little power as possible, yet still cheap. Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Unfortunately bright, well made, long lasting and cheap do not readily go together. As a canny Fifer I am sure you will probably realize that cheap and good value are not alway the same thing. Therefor I suggest you take a look at this review of lights, if you want good, bright lights...

 

[Tynan]

rear lights are easy, front lights, cycle ones anyway cost, no way round that if you to light up the road to ride by

 

[MajorMantra]

I read on a forum somewhere that the tesco 3w torches are no longer cree and are not as bright. This may explain why they cost a fraction less than £8. Anyone else have any info about this?#

Although a little larger I think the following may be an alternative.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13060

http://www.mtbbritain.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=10625

I'm not sure about the non-Cree Tescos as I bought mine before they changed, but my impression was that even they were quite bright.

Certainly a torch based system can be much cheaper than dedicated cycle lights, and it's not hard to improvise a mount.

Matthew

 

[Riverman]

I think dealextrme do a mount which is suitible for the tesco torches. Buy two of those for less than £16 plus the mounts and you have yourself some serious front lighting.

Don't forget though that you will still need a standard front light.

 

[MajorMantra]

Don't forget though that you will still need a standard front light.

Theoretically, but I don't bother. No one can accuse me of having insufficient or inappropriate lighting when I have 1 to 3 of these torches on the front.

You don't need to spend that much on a mount really either. I modified mounts like this:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=29580

You take the top plate off, cut two grooves for cable ties, and reassemble. A bit of inner tube over the torch prevents slippage.

Matthew

 

[Llama]

+1 for smart light mount - i drilled two small holes and cable tied the tesco torch to that works a treat

 

[Randochap]

Im basically looking for something bright, well made, long lasting, uses as little power as possible, yet still cheap. Any suggestions?

You are asking for something that is unobtainable. Good/cheap -- pick one.

I have this conversation every week (with beginning randonneurs) and it turns up on forums daily. Everyone who straps a couple of cheap "torches" on their bike or helmet believes they have adequate lighting, until they are confronted with real bicycle lights. Then they realize they've been riding in the dark.

 

[MajorMantra]

You are asking for something that is unobtainable. Good/cheap -- pick one.

I have this conversation every week (with beginning randonneurs) and it turns up on forums daily. Everyone who straps a couple of cheap "torches" on their bike or helmet believes they have adequate lighting, until they are confronted with real bicycle lights. Then they realize they've been riding in the dark.

I'm fully prepared to believe that dedicated bike lights are better but my ~£30 Tesco setup (2 on bars, 1 on helmet) served me well in the winter and provided sufficient light to ride pretty well as fast as I wanted in pitch black conditions. The real downside to these torch systems is battery life as their full-beam output is typically sub 2 hours. For a typical commute or for shorter leisure rides this is fine though.

I may be wrong but I don't think the OP is asking about lighting for rando-length rides.

Matthew

 

[Randochap]

I may be wrong but I don't think the OP is asking about lighting for rando-length rides.

Though the page is part of my rando section, any dedicated commuter, long-distance rider or tourer will benefit from the kind of lights I'm talking about.

My personal view also leans toward generator-powered lighting. Then, you never have to worry about finicky batteries again. Batteries do fail, run down and (rechargeable) wear out.

Anyone who has ever been stranded or forced to replace batteries in the cold/rain (I have) will understand the benefits of generator lights.