New Bike in garage - beginners help with lights

[JJ28]

Hi all,

Finally got my bike (as I am making the move from running to cycling).

Got a Boardman Comp Hybrid, that has been in my garage now for 3 days and unable to go out on it due to getting home from work late / no lights.

A really stupid question, but do people train at night time? I know with running just put on a high visible running jacket and stay on the paths. But with cycling, obvioulsy I need lights, but can't remember seeing people out training.

Any help would be great.

 

[MacB]

Yes they do, some actually prefer riding in the dark, especially when it comes to country roads, you seem to get more passing room. Lights depend on where and how you ride, if you want to be able to ride anywhere, at any speed, then it's not cheap. For example:-

LED front and rear battery lights - £30 - good for riding in towns and lit areas, ie good for being seen by but not good for riding on unlit roads at anything above about 10mph

LED front and rear battery lights - £100 - this amount should get you the same sort of rear lights, Smart Superflash type but a decent torch for the front and should cover rechargeables with charger - something like one of the Fenix torches, other will recommend other types

LED front and rear dynamo powered - £160-£200+ - This will get you a reasonable Shimano dynamo wheel and front dynamo light, a rear dynamo is optional as the superflashes are cheap and the 2 AAA batteries last for ages. Also a rear dynamo is generally for fitting on a rack, so you need one of those. Front dynamo lights go from about £30 to £300 but you'll get great service for £125 down to about £70.

My choice - I'd get a dynamo wheel, front light only and an extra little battery flasher for the front and just use battery rear lights. Decent setup would cost you about £200 all in for this, it really depends on how much you want/like riding in the dark.

 

[cyberknight]

Hi all,

Finally got my bike (as I am making the move from running to cycling).

Got a Boardman Comp Hybrid, that has been in my garage now for 3 days and unable to go out on it due to getting home from work late / no lights.

A really stupid question, but do people train at night time? I know with running just put on a high visible running jacket and stay on the paths. But with cycling, obvioulsy I need lights, but can't remember seeing people out training.

Any help would be great.

A lot of people recommend Hope vision 1 which you can pick up for around £70 and a +1 for smart superflash for around a £10 each.
I personally use torches mounted on specially supplied mounts from

http://www.dealextre...dx/category.905

They do take a few weeks to come though so if you need them quick your best bet is your local bike shop .

i run 2 of these ..

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.26800

with 2 of these on the back...
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.35036

 

[jimboalee]

While its still in the garage, go round it with corrosion prevention. Finnegan's Waxoil, wax polish and Jenolite.

Pay particular attention to threaded parts where the metals are dissimilar. Especially the rear mech cable tension adjuster. This is the first bit to seize solid.

 

[Cyclist33]

I wouldn't exactly call it training, but I used to ride very frequently a 3 mile trip on very dark country roads, and I didn't slouch; and I also regularly rode a 12 mile trip on A road and dual carriageway in the middle of the night. I used a Cateye or Smart front light with between 1 and 3 LEDs, something similar in red at the back, and never had any problems with seeing the road or anything on or around it. They cost £20-£25 a pair.

I'm sure the £100+ lights are fantastic, but you're not a car and I wouldn't think you need them in almost any application.

Stu

 

[the_mikey]

I go on rides at night, just to keep the legs spinning, and found out the hard way that to get good lights you need to spend at least £50 on a front light, and that probably won't be enough if you're riding where the street lighting is poor or non-existant.

For me, I use the lights to make sure I am seen, but also so I can see the road surface ahead, don't want to fall into a pothole you didn't see. Being able to cycle down unlit roads is essential where I live.


Currently, I'm using a 1W led lamp on my helmet, a 3 watt rechargable lamp on the handle bars + a cateye which is about 1/4 of a watt in flash mode for when the light conditions don't require anything brighter. I also have a 1/2 watt Smart red led flasher on my seatpost.

I'm looking to upgrade my front lights to something like an exposure race mk5 rechargeable unit or RSP asteri 6 rechargable lighting system.

 

[jimboalee]

Part of my commute is unlit country B roads. I have a P7 Lenser 200 Lumen torch, £34 from Amazon. It is sufficient. About as good as a 'Sixteener special' moped headlamp ( Yammie FS1E ). 90 minutes runtime on 1000 mAhr rechargables.

 

[rovers1875]

A lot of people recommend Hope vision 1 which you can pick up for around £70 and a +1 for smart superflash for around a £10 each.
I personally use torches mounted on specially supplied mounts from

http://www.dealextre...dx/category.905

They do take a few weeks to come though so if you need them quick your best bet is your local bike shop .

i run 2 of these ..

http://www.dealextre...ls.dx/sku.26800

with 2 of these on the back...
http://www.dealextre...ls.dx/sku.35036

+1 I run several of the Ultrafire flashlights on my bikes and there ace. For around £30 to £50 you can get some serious kit with rechargable batteries and a charger. As you have said they do take a few weeks to arrive but they are definatley worth it and much cheaper than from UK suppliers.

 

[Alan Whicker]

I run the Smart 1/2 watt 3 LED lights front and back. East London's hardly the depths of the countryside but they are certainly very good for urban riding. The red is actually quite painful to look at. I might double upon the front light this winter, though.

By the way, 'Torch' brand lights are the same as Smart ones - but for half the price on Ebay. Just got a spare through the woollyhatshop.