Some good lights for night cycling in country lanes suggestions please

[BigonaBianchi]

What lights are good for seeing where I am going at night in dark unlit country lanes? I want to be able to avoid the potholes etc. Max bang for buck would be good obviously.

Thanks.

 

[cyberknight]

plenty of discussions on here about lights, xml t6 seems to be the best bang for your buck .

 

[mcshroom]

How far do you need to see?

I use a B&M Cyo with a hub dynamo for most night riding, but if you are after batteries, then these would be pretty good for lighting half the county
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111209291979

 

[andytheflyer]

plenty of discussions on here about lights, xml t6 seems to be the best bang for your buck .

I cycle the lanes of S Cheshire and N Shropshire at night, and +1 for the Cree T6. I reckon it's probably going to show up a fox at well over 400m. I've been flashed by car drivers if I angle it up too much - so I reckon for £20 it's a good deal.

 

[fossyant]

The solarstorm 2xU2 LED lights are good, more than twice the power of a single T6.

Just search on the T6 thread in Accessories

 

[nappadang]

Get a good Petzl head torch, much better than a fixed light IMHO.

 

[Davidc]

There are plenty of options.

My choice is a B&M CYO 60 driven from a Shimano hub dynamo plus a Hope Vision 1.

The two act as backups for one another, but normally the CYO is set up as in its instruction leaflet and lights the road ahead well, with the Hope aimed at the left edge of the road so I can better see the bits where the edge of the road is missing and many of the potholes are located.

 

[Davidc]

Get a good Petzl head torch, much better than a fixed light IMHO.

1. Not legal on its own.
2. Less visible to drivers than a fixed one in the legal height range.

Have an collision using just that and you'll get no compensation and you'll be paying to repair the scratches you caused on the vehicle that hit hit you.

No problem as a secondary light though.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

That cree t6 looks the kind of thing I had in mind and its cheap really...how long does the battery pa k last while riding? I'll need it to light my way fro around 90 minutes there then 90 minutes back

 

[nappadang]

1. Not legal on its own.
2. Less visible to drivers than a fixed one in the legal height range.

Have an collision using just that and you'll get no compensation and you'll be paying to repair the scratches you caused on the vehicle that hit hit you.

No problem as a secondary light though.

I agree with everything other than the less visible bit. It's higher up and can be seen over hedges and dry Stone walls etc.

 

[Koga]

That cree t6 looks the kind of thing I had in mind and its cheap really...how long does the battery pa k last while riding? I'll need it to light my way fro around 90 minutes there then 90 minutes back

Depends on the quality and how many batteries the torch needs but T6's use quite a bit of batteries. So I would suggest you also buy a cheap Cree Q5 as a back up. The Cree Q5 will run much longer on the same battery (18650) and is still pretty bright. In this way you will always get home with pretty desent lights.
Both should run on 18650 batteries (and you also need a charger).

For what it is worth, I have used this set up for years, works well, plenty of light and much cheaper than most.

 

[mcshroom]

I agree with everything other than the less visible bit. It's higher up and can be seen over hedges and dry Stone walls etc.

Speaking as a driver as well as a cyclist head torches are far les visible than bike mounted lights. They are outside of the zone where lights are expected, disappear completely when a rider looks behind them and move erratically when the rider is facing forwards. All these make it harder to work out what the item is and where it is.

Head mounted lights can be useful for 'staring out' cars thinking of driving out of side roads, but a be-seen light on the front alongside is far more effective for getting others to see you

 

[nappadang]

Seems people disagree with me about head torches and each to their own. Purely from a "seeing where I'm going" point of view I still think a head torch has a lot of plus points, points which appeal to me and add to my feeling of safety. I do use mine in conjunction with lights that meet the legal requirements.

 

[Davidc]

I agree with everything other than the less visible bit. It's higher up and can be seen over hedges and dry Stone walls etc.

1. They are above the normal line of observation, and higher than expectation (i.e.other vehicle lights).
2. They are usually obscured totally by car roofs.

When driving I always (never an exception) see helmet lights only after seeing lights at handlebar or fork crown height. When riding I very occasionally see helmet lights first.

Helmet lights can be useful when riding.

 

[Broadside]

That cree t6 looks the kind of thing I had in mind and its cheap really...how long does the battery pa k last while riding? I'll need it to light my way fro around 90 minutes there then 90 minutes back

It will probably just scrape 3 hours endurance on max but on the mid setting you should get 5-6 hours out of it.