Lidl cycling/other & Camping gear stuff

[Sweep]

yes the original rear is actually a decent light.

Though I was always wary of the mount.

And doubtful about its weather-proofing.

The new rear is handy as it fits a cateye mount.

[The utility cyclist]

i'm also happy with my usb one from the last event and the 4×AA battery one before that. They both cost £10 to £12 from memory and I got my second battery one for not much more than £6.

From a casual online look the new one seems to be a substantially boosted price with no particular advantages.

I will skip it.

I don't think it's bad value, in fact it's still excellent value to be fair.
The original rear light was/is garbage, not even 99p worth, the rear light in the new set has a Li-ion battery in it, try find a new rear light that has that with a 3 year warranty from a UK retailer for under a tenner. The front light I think is rated a tad higher than previously and has a bit more tech to it, certainly than the simple three light level mode of mine (which is fine for me).

?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Witmoving-Bicy ... 01LYV0X91/

I believe I own this one

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Keywell-Rear-B ... 07CWQRG7M/

but in a different brand name as part of a £20 front/rear set.

It is ok but I would not really recommend it unless you just need it for a short journey, as the battery does go flat with little warning.

That front light in that first set isn't really any comparison to the one from LIDL it's the kind of light you'd use in emergencies or if you always rode on well lit urban rads only, certainly not mountain biking which would be ridiculous going by the beam pattern.
Given the lux rating and beam shape of the LIDL one (if it's the same beam as the old one) then despite the lowish capacity of the built in battery I still think the overall package is very good compared to most others you can find, I'd rather pay £20 for the LIDL set than £9+postage for the Amazon set, others may think differently but the LIDL front light is far more useful for more scenarios.

[Sweep]

Agree.

I have ridden a night ride through dark lanes on the Lidl light.

Wouldn't dream of it on those other buttons.

[thelawnet]

I wasn't recommending those lights particularly, just observing that rechargeable light sets are ten-a-penny nowadays....

This one is (supposedly) 60 lux as well, same as Lidl's effort https://www.amazon.co.uk/Degbit-Recharg ... 07JMNF4MH/

[Sweep]

I wasn't recommending those lights particularly, just observing that rechargeable light sets are ten-a-penny nowadays....

ten a penny lights are ten a penny.

and these days a lot of piddly things I wouldn't stray far from a usb charge socket with are rather more.

The Lidl lights are not "ten a penny" quality at all.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Crossed lines I think

When I went to lidl last night, I noticed

Auto Brake Rear Light This Model

But also noticed there older model at £12.99, it has rechargeables front and back and also the graphic looked similar to the one above which shows mode type and battery life etc.

Brief read of the packs and still has the 1300mah batt but give longer run times?
I get 3hrs high 60lm at the mo and up to 12 hrs on low 15 lm.
With a dipped beam that does not dazzle oncoming traffic its a good buy.
I have an old model replaced under warranty (plus another two) which has the four mode button and off, 1st mode is the variable light which adjusts the light out depending on ambient light, then hi-med-lo.
I normally get 3hrs (2.5 and indicator on red but light carries on working) on high (on off road need the max light, but do wear a powerful head unit as well) but on Wednesday as clocks have changed left in the light and when home after 2 hr 40 the red indicator was still green so I saved a bit of battery

[mercalia]

New one has a brake light - the rear has 3 leds so I assume normal is 1 led and brake light is all 3 on?
how on earth does the brake light work?
£7 increase seems a lot to pay for such a gimic?
They only have the £20 ones in Streatham

[Sweep]

New one has a brake light - the rear has 3 leds so I assume normal is 1 led and brake light is all 3 on?
how on earth does the brake light work?
£7 increase seems a lot to pay for such a gimic?
They only have the £20 ones in Streatham

Yes I wondered about the "brake light". All such things, including direction/turning indicators are a dangerous gimmick in my opinion. Riders best relying on their road awareness and clear manual indications to other road users.

[st599_uk]

New one has a brake light - the rear has 3 leds so I assume normal is 1 led and brake light is all 3 on?
how on earth does the brake light work?
£7 increase seems a lot to pay for such a gimic?
They only have the £20 ones in Streatham

Quite a lot of German bikes have a brake light based on dynohub AC frequency.

Could there be a switch in the pack that goes in the brake? I've seen those too.

[mercalia]

its a silly idea any way. what car driver atually is aware of the cycles & their lights other than in a vageu way. And forget about lorrys

I think Lidl has spoilt a perfectly decent simple light set, first adding the auto function and now this. And bumped the price upto a "do I really want this light" rather than" I'll give it a punt"

what next? small leds on it showing how much charge left as you find on powerbanks? ( now that might be useful?)

Now if they made the light so that you could take it apart to replace the battery then would get my vote - the blurb that says the bulb will last oh 100,000 hrs is just pointless as the battery will expire long before that

[mercalia]

ah talking of smart rear lights
I was in my Steatham Lidls and they have some very expensive helmits. I thought why so much. Seems like they have LEFT AND RIGHT INDICATORS ON THE REAR AND A CONTROL UNIT THAT GOES ON THE HANDLE BARS (i I think). I think Lidl are starting to lose it?

[st599_uk]

Compared to other smart helmets, £40 is cheap. I saw one at IFA for £200. Only difference is it had bone conduction headphones and mic built in to the straps.

[Sweep]

Compared to other smart helmets, £40 is cheap. I saw one at IFA for £200. Only difference is it had bone conduction headphones and mic built in to the straps.

yebbut still a daft idea st - I don't need a helmet to be smart - I've got my head for that - the helmet's job is just to protect that.

I agree with mercalia - daft of Lidl to sell those - and anyone who buys one must have already had a bump on an unprotected head - so too late.

[mercalia]

I have had a look at the new lights. The front one seems longer than the previous ones which were much shorter and maybe a bit fatter

[Pastychomper]

I bought a set as a spare, last year's set has served me well so far.

New one has a brake light - the rear has 3 leds so I assume normal is 1 led and brake light is all 3 on?
how on earth does the brake light work?
£7 increase seems a lot to pay for such a gimic?

There's an accelerometer in the rear light. It turns on the two outer LEDs if the light decelerates for some fraction of a second, or if it's placed face-up on a table - if you go down a steep hill it'll probably look like you're riding your brakes. It appeals to the geek in me (which was probably the point), but I agree it's an expensive gimmick.
On the plus side, the rear light works while charging, unlike the front.

what next? small leds on it showing how much charge left as you find on powerbanks? ( now that might be useful?)

The front light has two rows of LEDs on top - one to show the current brightness level (and whether it's on auto), and one marked "accu" that presumably shows the charge level. I haven't been out in the dark to see how annoying the extra lights are.

...Now if they made the light so that you could take it apart to replace the battery then would get my vote - the blurb that says the bulb will last oh 100,000 hrs is just pointless as the battery will expire long before that

Amen