The nights are drawing in, bike lights

[Bunje]

As an experienced cyclist of some decades I am always shocked at the number of cyclists who do not have their lights on and functioning as we move to autumn. The USB charging lights are now reasonably cheap, especially those for inner city commuting. I have used two Cateye volt 100 on the front for two years in town and would recommend having at least one with a cheap battery backup in your bag; the charge has lasted about ten hours for me on low setting. The chargeable rear lights are also now more varied, I am changing to a brighter more expensive light the Bontrager Flare, the reviews looked good, but at this point I cannot vouch for it. I suggest that the community might want to share their experiences of lights, especially duration of charge and the brackets as these are the biggest bugbears. I have also bought ten pairs of very cheap frog lights at under £1.50 a pair and will hand them out to the students and other newbies putting themselves in danger this autumn, experienced riders with some spare cash might want to consider the same. For the less experienced who started riding this summer, if another rider suggests you get some lights please don't take offense, they are looking after your interests; especially if they hand you a pair of lights and ask you to pass them on when you have bought yours.

[gaz]

I suggest that the community might want to share their experiences of lights, ...

It's an annual debate, trust me.

A guide to cycle lighting regulations remains the best source of information for the current legal requirements.

[thirdcrank]

Good Lord! It's that time of year again. Time flies even faster as you get older.

Welcome to the forum BTW

Season of mists and cycle lighting reviews.

[Annoying Twit]

I find it annoying how quickly I seem to go through lights. One 3W CREE Wilkinsons light I bought went intermittent after I dropped it, so I bought another. It went intermittent after a short while without any mistreatment. I bought the Aldi white front light, and it stopped charging after two or three charges. I grudgingly bought the new Aldi lights set as I needed some more lights.

I have the Lidl 3W front light, but the battery does not last long enough for longer distance night riding. I rode out of the city at 3:45am, and the battery warning light was already flashing by the time the day had fully broken.

I'd really like something that I could use for a longer period of time and which would last a much longer time. I do have a separate 20ah USB battery, but that's not the best solution.

The Cateye 100 is very cheap. Maybe I should get one of those. Is there anything in the Cateye range which is a bit brighter and has a good inbuilt battery for maybe twice that price? There's also the Cateye HL-EL135 LED.

[Paulatic]

Very timely
Went out last night and my dynamo hub didn't work. Taking a look at it today I think it's probably had it. I'll be looking for a battery light as my days of cycling through the night have ended. I detest buying disposable batteries so I'll be looking for something rechargeable suitable for dark country lanes with probably 4-6 hr life.
Any suggestions?

[Annoying Twit]

Very timely
Went out last night and my dynamo hub didn't work. Taking a look at it today I think it's probably had it. I'll be looking for a battery light as my days of cycling through the night have ended. I detest buying disposable batteries so I'll be looking for something rechargeable suitable for dark country lanes with probably 4-6 hr life.
Any suggestions?

Don't buy ANY of the lights I've bought. Not a single one has done what it says on the tin. I'm guessing though as you are a proper cyclist, you aren't looking at anything in my price range however

Reading the reviews of the Lezyne Micro Drive 450XL Front Light, I note that one reviewer asks the question of why all cheaper lights have at least one major flaw. In the case of the Lezyne, it's said that the switch to switch modes is very hard to press. A pity in a way, as otherwise it looks entirely suitable for my needs.

[JohnW]

Good Lord! It's that time of year again. Time flies even faster as you get older.

Welcome to the forum BTW

Season of mists and cycle lighting reviews.

Soon be Christmas tc!

[mercalia]

welcome to the forums.

very generous of you giving out lights. In london the issue is not so much they dont have lights as they need new batteries

[mercalia]

Very timely
Went out last night and my dynamo hub didn't work. Taking a look at it today I think it's probably had it. I'll be looking for a battery light as my days of cycling through the night have ended. I detest buying disposable batteries so I'll be looking for something rechargeable suitable for dark country lanes with probably 4-6 hr life.
Any suggestions?

a good idea to have a backup system - some thing similar happened to me coming back my travels - my bottle stopped working, but in this case was just the wiring that needed replacing as there was a break some where. If you have been following the lidl light series then one nice thing about the small lithium one is that plugging in a power store in teh usb socket mulitplies the run time eg with a 5000mah store I got 11.5 hrs at max power supposedly 40 lumins 10 more than my bottle dyno Axa Pico 30

[Abradable Chin]

I find it annoying how quickly I seem to go through lights

It's outrageous how disposable they are. I shouldn't be surprised if there are people about who have spent more on lights than on their bikes.
I've used polymorph beads to repair mounts, or customize other mounting brackets to fit my lights when I've lost a mount, or for when I want to transfer the light across bikes. Again, why can't there be a standard? Even a single brand seems to vary the mount from model to model and year to year.

[Annoying Twit]

I find it annoying how quickly I seem to go through lights

It's outrageous how disposable they are. I shouldn't be surprised if there are people about who have spent more on lights than on their bikes.
I've used polymorph beads to repair mounts, or customize other mounting brackets to fit my lights when I've lost a mount, or for when I want to transfer the light across bikes. Again, why can't there be a standard? Even a single brand seems to vary the mount from model to model and year to year.

My everyday bike is festooned with broken bike mounts that I haven't removed yet. I can't believe that building a long lasting bicycle light, with a mount that would withstand considerable wear and tear, for a reasonable price is an unsurmountable engineering problem.

Re the comment on backups, for proper night riding I use an approximately 3W Cree for normal riding, and have a 10W in reserve for (e.g.) fast riding down a twisty road or rough surfaces when I want to see better. I'm not sure why people want those 5600 lumen monsters. In my case, the 10W functions as a backup, with a spare battery in my bag. I also have a head torch in my bag, which is a second backup, or can be used if I decide I want more flexible lighting.

[Paulatic]

Very timely
Went out last night and my dynamo hub didn't work. Taking a look at it today I think it's probably had it. I'll be looking for a battery light as my days of cycling through the night have ended. I detest buying disposable batteries so I'll be looking for something rechargeable suitable for dark country lanes with probably 4-6 hr life.
Any suggestions?

Don't buy ANY of the lights I've bought. Not a single one has done what it says on the tin. I'm guessing though as you are a proper cyclist, you aren't looking at anything in my price range however

Reading the reviews of the Lezyne Micro Drive 450XL Front Light, I note that one reviewer asks the question of why all cheaper lights have at least one major flaw. In the case of the Lezyne, it's said that the switch to switch modes is very hard to press. A pity in a way, as otherwise it looks entirely suitable for my needs.

I don't know if I'm a proper cyclist but I do know I like proper lights.
I keep a couple of battery lights as back ups and they are probably similar to ones you've bought. They are in the £20-30 price range and are OK but no comparison to a good dynamo light. You'd have thought in this day and LED age £30 could by a good light. I'm still looking and reading.

[Gattonero]

...
The Cateye 100 is very cheap. Maybe I should get one of those. Is there anything in the Cateye range which is a bit brighter and has a good inbuilt battery for maybe twice that price? There's also the Cateye HL-EL135 LED.

get the Volt400, it's very sturdy and bright to see in complete darkness. Good battery life, too.
The battery can be unscrewed and with a small cradle can charge your phone

[Gattonero]

mAh

...
Reading the reviews of the Lezyne Micro Drive 450XL Front Light, I note that one reviewer asks the question of why all cheaper lights have at least one major flaw. In the case of the Lezyne, it's said that the switch to switch modes is very hard to press. A pity in a way, as otherwise it looks entirely suitable for my needs.

I have the Lezyne, is not a bad light.
Nice design, but very small battery inside! TBH, the "hard to press" button is not the biggest problem there Shame, 'cause it's a convenient design and a bright light, though the Cateye Volt400 is much better as the proper reflector makes a nicely focused beam, the Lezyne has a one-piece lens/reflector which seems to waste some of the light.
The gold piece you see in the middle of the light core, that small thing is the battery, 950mAh only

[mjr]

So many people suggesting so many legally-insufficient lights. Only the dynamo and lidl ones are good. That's why it's so hard to buy good lights in this country. Why settle for substandard poo?