Road bike lights

Yamadakuncha

Hello

I am looking for some lights for my road bike, is there anything that is suitable for riding on unlit roads. I have done some searching on the 'net but all the lights seem to be aimed at the mtb market.

Does anyone ride on unlit roads?
Can anyone offer any help or advice?

Cheers

Morgan

The main difference is that on the road you need the beam to project further ahead, since you'll be going faster. Many of the light sets aimed at MTBers would be decent enough on the road too. Do you have a budget in mind?

rp

Yamadakuncha wrote: »

Hello

I am looking for some lights for my road bike, is there anything that is suitable for riding on unlit roads. I have done some searching on the 'net but all the lights seem to be aimed at the mtb market.

Does anyone ride on unlit roads?
Can anyone offer any help or advice?

Cheers

Check out Inoled lights, they can be run dynamo or rechargeable battery pack, and project pretty well on dark roads - enough to pick out the verge, plus being LEDs they don't blow and give a very white, visible light. They're not really strong enough for off-road though.

Yamadakuncha

I dont have a specific budget in mind I'm willing to consider anything really, I dont mind paying for a quality product that will meet my needs.

I thought that the lights aimed at the mtb market might be a little weighty for road use, and was wondering what other riders are using.

billyk

check out the lupine wilma 6, *uck me that thing is powerful, but it aint cheap either at about 600, battery pack is very small too, some cheaper jobs are good too, cat eye single shot is good and bright but its a bulky unit, it will light up an unlit road

DurtyMurty

My 2 c

On unlit country roads at night, as well as standard bicycle lighting, I use
http://www.zweibrueder.com/english/products/headlights/headfiretriplex.html
available in most "outdoors" shops. The great thing about it is it's always "looking" where you are, and supplements the bike light. If you do buy one, get a few sets of 1000mA AAA Nimh rechargable batteries and a plugtop charger to go with it. Light will not be as good with the rechargeables (3.6 v instead of 4.5 with alkaline) but it's the greener (and cheaper) way to go. It is rather bright so don't stare at motorists faces !

Put as fair bit of red light at the back - on unlit roads motorists dont expect to find a bike at the next bend

Wear a good quality reflective jacket - Day and Night - Always - You only live once!

Victor

You have two objectives - to see and be seen. Just male sure, when placing a light on you head and looking sideways that you have a second front light.

Cassiel

Use a Smart Halogen on my everyday bike. http://www.twowheelsgood.co.uk/index.php/product/safety_reflectors_lights_belts_bands_vests/safety_lights/LAM201HA.html
Just use the 10watt beam the whole time. Battery is good for around 90-120 minutes, charges overnight.

Cateye do a neater package, battery goes into the bottle cage etc. for a few quid more.

doozerie

My commute is on lit roads (except when roadwork crews decide to cut the lights closer to home now and again, for the craic!), but even for that I prefer to have a light that is bright enough to make me stand out against a background of lights from other traffic, etc. I have been using the front light from the following set for a few months now:

http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=13899

It is the brightest light that I have used, and I find it very good. It is not cheap, but it is a good light and is far cheaper than the better rechargeable units (but obviously doesn't have their power either). On rechargeable batteries (4x AA 2500mAh), I get in or around 10 hours or so of bright light - they'd run for a lot longer still, giving out a weaker light, but I just recharge at that stage. The rear light in that set gets very good reviews too, but I haven't used it myself. Both lights are available separately as well as in the set.

If you want a light to be seen by, then this one works well. It also does a reasonable job of lighting the road too, but again it is not as effective as as the better rechargeable lights. The better rechargeable lights have similar power to that of a car headlight, but they are typically heavier as well as being very expensive, so it really depends on what compromises you are willing to make.

The following is a useful review of some of the (non-rechargeable) lights available as of Oct 2007:

http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/article/massive-commuter-lights-test-12906

Raam

I've used a couple of different "Light & Motion" front lights. The first one, "Light & Motion Solo", is very bright, but only has one mode. It is a normal type of bulb (I can't remember the proper term) and the battery is separate and straps to your bike using velcro.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=8904

The second one I tried, which is also my latest one, is the "Light & Motion Vega". It is LED and contains no external battery, so it charges in the same way as your mobile. It has 3 levels of brightness and a flashing mode.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=5772

Both are very good lights. The solo is the brighter one, but the Vega is more convenient.