Light recommendation. What the best :-))

[tincaman]

If you don't mind a separate battery pack, get the Fluxient mentioned above, the quality of the battery is as important as the light head, and Torchy's batteries are known to be quality. If you want USB rechargeable self contained try the Lezyne 600XL, both around £40

 

[shouldbeinbed]

+1 for the volt series.
The Volt 300 is more than enough for riding in dark country lanes.
Also get reflective slap bands for the ankles

Good call on the slap bands. I use them on my wrists rather than my ankles tho as indicators.

I am very anal about having pedal reflectors though so these account for low level uppy downy motion that ankle bands would also offer.

 

[Mrs M]

Moon LX360 is a nice bright front light.
On sale at Evans for £27.99 down from £54.99.

 

[johnnyb47]

I've just been having a root around the garden shed and found a rear led light languishing around the various junk I have in there. The only problem is there's no room on the seat post to mount it because my saddle bags in the way. The saddle bag is only a cheapie from wilkos so I've decided to cut a small slit in the top of it so that I can clip my light to it. In in fairness its rock solid and confident it will stay put. Because it sticks out away from the seat post it should be quite visible to.

 

[Sharky]

I've just been having a root around the garden shed and found a rear led light languishing around the various junk I have in there. The only problem is there's no room on the seat post to mount it because my saddle bags in the way. The saddle bag is only a cheapie from wilkos so I've decided to cut a small slit in the top of it so that I can clip my light to it. In in fairness its rock solid and confident it will stay put. Because it sticks out away from the seat post it should be quite visible to.

If you can take the back of the LED light off and drill a couple of small holes into it, you can usually use zip ties to tie it onto the saddle bag.

 

[dellzeqq]

https://www.7dayshop.com/bike-cycle...bike-headlight-bundle-with-spare-battery-pack

Cree T6 with spare battery pack £27.01 - but postage takes up to £30

 

[Goggs]

https://www.7dayshop.com/bike-cycle...bike-headlight-bundle-with-spare-battery-pack

Cree T6 with spare battery pack £27.01 - but postage takes up to £30

That sounds like a very good deal. I added it to my 'basket' expecting delivery to France to be a problem but it's not & it's only £3.49!

 

[johnnyb47]

Today I bought a 3 watt Cree light from Wilkos. Cheap and cheerful for £9.99. I was quite impressed with it on tonight's ride out. It's got the usual three functions of high power and low power as well as the strobe. When cars were passing me I could actually still see my light shining to road up over the cars lights. Some of the reviews state the bracket is weak and the light can fall off its mount but I personally can't see how it could. It certainly never came lose on me. Battery life. Well I'll have to wait and see on that one as it only uses 3 AAA batteries, so I don't think they will last particularly long but time will tell.
It's certainly a good light if your on a tight budget.
All the best
johnny

 

[fossyant]

Just a little advice from someone who has a few of these Chinese lights. Be mindful in traffic as some of the high power lights throw light everywhere, so you might want to aim it right down in traffic, and only push it up when there is no traffic. They are blinding. I used to use an unlit cycle track on my commutes, and quite a few folk would either leave their high power lights on high, or have them on strobe. It was blinding. They are, however, great for MTB off road.

You can get wide angle lenses for some of the lights. Also don't get too bamboozled by the quoted 'lumen' as most cheapo ones lie and quote theoretical light.

With regards battery packs, some are shocking. The lights from 7 day shop are fine. With these chinese lights, you can, at a later date, get a plastic battery pack which you buy proper quality batteries for. This works out at £30-£40 for the pack and 4 batteries, but it's something you can do later on.

 

[SuperHans123]

I recommend the usb rechargeable IZone lights for the front.
Tredz currently have the 650 lumens model for £28.99.
Fantastic brightness without blinding oncomers Like the Cree lights.
Different modes and battery strength indicator on rear.
Doubles as a normal torch as well.
Also, less bulky than the Cree lights as no battery pack.
I have had mine for about a year and cycle through the winter, sometimes down a pitch black cycle track through a valley and it lights it brilliantly.
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Izone-ARC-650-Rechargeable-Front-Light_87259.htm

 

[fossyant]

A lot of commuters, me included, use the Hope Vision 1, but they aren't cheap. Bright but not too bright, but built for the commute.

 

[SuperHans123]

Pretty sure the Izone is as bright if not brighter and is more versatile with usb charging. You could buy two Izones for the price of one of these Hope lights.

 

[johnnyb47]

Is led lighting technically legal for road use. I seem to recall vaguely they were not permitted to be used solely as the main light source many moons ago and were only to be used with an incandescent light . The police obviously don't bat an eye lid at them nowadays..Was there also a law on the requirements for bikes to be fitted with mud guards. Virtually all 80s racers had those useless aluminium guards that just covered the brakes.

 

[fossyant]

Pretty sure the Izone is as bright if not brighter and is more versatile with usb charging. You could buy two Izones for the price of one of these Hope lights.

You can indeed, but many of us have the Hope 1 as it's so damn well made. I've had mine 7 years. It's getting long in the tooth, but the AA batteries are a bonus point if you've got chargers, and you can always carry spares. Horses for courses. Always pick what best suits you.

 

[fossyant]

Is led lighting technically legal for road use. I seem to recall vaguely they were not permitted to be used solely as the main light source many moons ago and were only to be used with an incandescent light . The police obviously don't bat an eye lid at them nowadays..Was there also a law on the requirements for bikes to be fitted with mud guards. Virtually all 80s racers had those useless aluminium guards that just covered the brakes.

No law about mudguards.

Most LED's don't comply with the highway code and aren't approved. There are a few German lights that have a beam cut off as the LED is mounted in the top of the reflector, and have a specially designed lense/reflector. Most lights you can but now, you've got to be careful with the aim. A 800 lumen LED on high is very blinding. It's about the same output as a car headlight, but comes from a small reflector that does not have any beam control and the light intensity per reflector area is very high.

The police won't pull you over, but be respectful to other road users. For example, the Hope 1 is only 240 lumen on high, but that's too bright really, so you run it on low or medium in traffic, but even then angle it down.

Some of these cheap lights output over 300 lumen on low, so beam aim is crucial not to blind people.