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 The old posts seem just that, outdated.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 in it to win it 8.0 mi on September 20, 2012 at 7:19am

When i flip off bikes nothing happens either.

James BlackHeron said:

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 Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on September 20, 2012 at 7:21am

I see what  you did there...

Permalink Reply by Seri97 on September 20, 2012 at 7:39am

I have a Cygolight 200 Lumen rechargeable light for the last two years and I have been very happy!

The price has come down considerably and the lumens have increased.  I payed $140 for 200 lumens two years ago and now you can buy 300 lumens for $50.00.  REI has the 300 lumen rechargeable light for $60.00.  http://www.rei.com/product/845391/cygolite-metro-300-usb-front-bike...

Bike Bling lists it for $50.00.

http://www.bikebling.com/Cygolite-Metro-300-USB-p/cygolite12-mtr-30...

Permalink Reply by Seri97 on September 20, 2012 at 8:19am

I thought my light was good and then I saw a head light on the Northside Critical Mass the other week.  It was the Light and Motion Urban 550 Commuter Rechargeable Headlight.  It was very bright and yet not blinding.  This is on short list to buy in the next month.  Tree Fort is doing an instant price match from Modern Bike for $144.00 from $160.00 (10% off)  Tree Fort offers free shipping over $100 and is one of my favorite online bike stores to purchase from. 

http://www.treefortbikes.com/product/333222381619/709/Light-and-Mot...

Another favorite is Gotta Ride Bikes.  They always offer a minimum of 15% off of each order, (20% off of your first order) there is no tax, they can order items for you you do not see online and they offer free shipping over $100.

http://www.gottaridebikes.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT

Permalink Reply by Apie (11) on September 20, 2012 at 9:50am

I just purchased the Urban 550 last night after a few days of research.  It is perfect for the commute, and comes with a helmet mount if that is your preference.  I have only used it for 30 miles, so far I like the brightness, the loop attachment, the minimal weight, and the side lights.  It is built very well, and that is coming from someone who has a tactical light fetish.  I suggest you save up and get the right light for your needs.  I may do a little night riding in the North Branch trail, so i wanted to be sure I had enough lumens.  I was using a Spok and that wasn't cutting it in the shadows on streets.  My 180 lumen 4sevens mini123 does not have a good mount, and CR batteries are just too expensive to keep buying for my 22 mile (RT) commute.

Light and motion is a great company, mostly US made, and they stand behind their products.  I also like the idea that they make scuba lights, therefore the waterproofing spec should be legit.  Good luck, and get a bright light soon!

Permalink Reply by Julie on September 20, 2012 at 10:00am

Thank you all! I'll get a better light asap!

Permalink Reply by Adam "Cezar" Jenkins on September 21, 2012 at 7:08am

I'm actually thinking about getting http://www.amazon.com/Ultrafire-502b-Flashlight-Lumens-Integrated/d...

900 lumens. Takes special batteries.

I'm a special case because I live out in the suburbs and ride an unlighted bike path.

Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on September 21, 2012 at 7:21am

I've got a pair of Blackburn Flea front and rear lights.  Got 'em from REI.  There were probably 20120 closeouts.  The battery run-time of the front light has always been pretty short.  I exchanged some emails with the Blackburn folks but never really got anywhere.  (I wasn't too persistent either.)

The difficulty with dynamo lights is that you limit yourself to one bike or have to save up for a bunch of them.  (I have several bikes.)  Otherwise they would probably be a good option.

At any rate, a lot of bikey types on the internet-bob google group seem to be investigating the tons of possibilities available on Deal Extreme.  MagicShine and other stuff with the same basic housing shape and CREE XML bulbs seem to put out a tremendous amount of light.  They don't cut off the top of the light cone (don't know the proper term), so you have to aim them carefully so as not to blind oncoming traffic.

Skip

Permalink Reply by Joe Willis on September 21, 2012 at 8:26am
I have both of these and they are FANTASTIC!!!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PLANET-BIKE-BLAZE-SUPERFLASH-HEADLIGHT-TAIL...

I am upgradeing to this soon

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PLANET-BIKE-BICYCLE-BLAZE-HEAD-LIGHT-HEADLI...

This is a great tool to help you see what they look like,
http://planetbike.com/page/learn/lightfinder/
Permalink Reply by Clark Lasswell on September 21, 2012 at 10:36am

I try and ride my 20mi commute through the winter so most of the time in dead winter it is dark when I am on the bike. I bought the MagicShine MJ-808. It's a cheaper knock off of the Lupine Tesla light but its about half the price. It is $85. for the emmiter, rechargeable battery and charger. The light is 900 lumens so it is bright as heck. Has three modes; hi, lo, and strobe. Easy, quick O-ring mounting.

I bought one and the charger was dropped and I thought it was the system not charging so I got another the next year...at the price it is worth it. Turns out it was just the charger was bad and now I use two lights; one on the bars one on the helmet. This set up is blazing bright and I no longer get the willies when I come upon forest fauna in the pitch dark as I pound down the trail.

Check out this review from MTBR: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qGaPCZxToM&feature=player_embedded 

Permalink Reply by Barry Aldridge on September 23, 2012 at 6:16am

I just bought flashing head and tail lights (single LED) that use thin watch batteries. They were very inexpensive on Amazon. I haven't used them yet, so I don't know how long those small batteries will work, but they seem bright. I ride in the city and only need them to announce my presence to cars. The headlight would be inadequate to illuminate a dark path or street.

Permalink Reply by Duppie on September 26, 2012 at 7:38am

The main problem with these small watch batteries is that they typically cannot be recharged. So you end up buying new batteries all the time. That tends to drive up the total cost of the light over time

AA/AAA bateries can be recharged time and time again with a cheap charger.
Barry Aldridge said:

I just bought flashing head and tail lights (single LED) that use thin watch batteries. They were very inexpensive on Amazon. I haven't used them yet, so I don't know how long those small batteries will work, but they seem bright. I ride in the city and only need them to announce my presence to cars. The headlight would be inadequate to illuminate a dark path or street.

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