The Chainlink

Head light revisted.....

As the mornings get darker, I am wanting to update my headlight. The old posts seem just that, outdated. Any advice on some good headlights? I want to be seen, and to see the road if possiable. Rechargeable or battery? Thanks for the help.

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Permalink Reply by Julie on September 20, 2012 at 10:51am

Gene, I ride on the lakepath on my way home from work, and on the far north end it gets really dark.  Does the Cateye cast a wide enough beam that you can easily see the road and people in front of you? I need to get a better light so riding in the dark isn't so nerve racking.

Thanks!

Julie

Gene Tenner said:

I have two Cateye OptiCubes HL-EL135 (http://www.cateye.com/en/products/detail/HL-EL135/), one on my bike and one on top of my helmet. I wish/prefer they were rechargeable, but they use batteries. On the streets and the main Lakefront Trail I set both to blinking as there is already enough light and all I want to do is be seen. When I am on the lakefront but off the main trail - it can get pitch black - I set the helmet to its highest steady beam which is enough to see where I am going, but not enough to blind anyone else. If I only could have one I would choose the helmet-mounted one, because it lets me point the light where I want to go, not where the bike is currently pointed.

Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on September 20, 2012 at 11:00am

I just got a bike with dynamo-powered lights. It powers the front and rear lights. It's great. The lights are screwed into the bike and I never have to turn them on and off. People are now remarking to me, "Your lights are still on". "I know". 

If anyone is going to buy their new lights from Amazon, use this link as it will give a small donation to the Get Lit campaign, that gives away lights to people without them (and who don't know they should have them). 

william said:

I'd save up a little extra for a dynamo setup. you'll never go back to battery powered lights.

Permalink Reply by pat 5.5mi on September 20, 2012 at 11:06am

Regarding lights as a method for making yourself visible to others, I find that when I'm driving my car, the exact location of a cyclist with only a strobe is harder to pinpoint (imagine people dancing under a strobe light at a club).

For that reason, when I ride, I use two lights. One on strobe and the other on constant beam.  I'm actually contemplating starting to wear a clip-on light on my left side in addition to front & back lights.

As for model, I have two of those Cateyes like Gene mounted in the front.

Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on September 20, 2012 at 11:10am

Julie,

I often ride next to the water in winter. Talk about dark. It works fine there. I can see ice, potholes and the soft, eerie glow of raccoon eyes. Yes, the Cateye has plenty of light for the north end of the trail where there is some light, albeit reflected.

Gene


Julie said:

Gene, I ride on the lakepath on my way home from work, and on the far north end it gets really dark.  Does the Cateye cast a wide enough beam that you can easily see the road and people in front of you? I need to get a better light so riding in the dark isn't so nerve racking.

Thanks!

Julie

Permalink Reply by Mark Newald on September 20, 2012 at 11:14am

I decided to get the Niterider 350. I love it! The blinking light is very bright, and there are three settings for the solid light. Very, very bright. And I can see the ground out in front of me great. Paid around $75.

Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on September 20, 2012 at 11:15am

Agreed. I have one on my trike and one on my helmet, one to see and one to be seen. I had not thought about the pinpointing issue, which is an added plus.

uic said:

Regarding lights as a method for making yourself visible to others, I find that when I'm driving my car, the exact location of a cyclist with only a strobe is harder to pinpoint (imagine people dancing under a strobe light at a club).

For that reason, when I ride, I use two lights. One on strobe and the other on constant beam.  I'm actually contemplating starting to wear a clip-on light on my left side in addition to front & back lights.

As for model, I have two of those Cateyes like Gene mounted in the front.

Permalink Reply by El Dorado on September 20, 2012 at 11:24am

I use a couple of bright mini-flashlights & bought bike mounts for them. The flashlights cost half as much as regular bike headlights & work just as good.

Permalink Reply by Joe Studer 8.0 mi on September 20, 2012 at 12:00pm

I've been using Light & Motion products for years, and love them.  I currently am using a combination of the Vis360 and Commuter 400.  The Commuter 400 really illuminates the area in front of me, all by itself.  The Vis360, a set of lights that mounts on your helmet, does a good job of illuminating the area in front of you while also providing a really nice blinking light behind you. 

I use them in tandem because the helmet-mounted light "spotlights" whatever I'm looking at.  This can be very useful if I need to get the attention of a distracted driver.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on September 20, 2012 at 12:04pm

I also have this problem.   I feel kind of weird walking away from my bike locked somewhere with the lights still on.   It makes me nervous drawing that much attention to my bike when I'm leaving it. Sometimes I just want to hang around until it goes out but that can take a long time.  

I like having the "standlight" but when I want to turn the darn things off I want them to turn OFF.  The standlight should only work when the light is switched to ON.   Both my B&M LED and the Halogen do this.  All it would take is to have the OFF switch short out the capacitor and drain it down when flipped off. 

Steven Vance said:

I just got a bike with dynamo-powered lights. It powers the front and rear lights. It's great. The lights are screwed into the bike and I never have to turn them on and off. People are now remarking to me, "Your lights are still on". "I know". 

Permalink Reply by Vanessa B on September 20, 2012 at 12:11pm

Light and motion stella.  a good bet. pricey but its way brighter than a flash light, it's made to illuminate your way, not just to be seen. It's rechargable.  which means not buying batteries, better for landfills. and it mounts easy but not permanently, no screws so you can move it from bike to bike. Pricey but worth it. 

http://www.lightandmotion.com/bike/crossover.html

Permalink Reply by Crazy David 84 Furlongs on September 20, 2012 at 12:47pm

I actually like the Bike Planet Blaze 2 Watt (http://ecom1.planetbike.com/3045.html)   It throws enough light that I can see far enough ahead on a real dark path to go at a reasonable pace.  Its a bit hard on the batteries, but that's why Dog invented re-chargeable batteries.

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on September 20, 2012 at 12:55pm

Your dog invented rechargeable batteries? Must be one smart pooch. :-)

David crZven said:

Its a bit hard on the batteries, but that's why Dog invented re-chargeable batteries.

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