Bike lights

Ballard

I have Nightrider rechargeable lights which I find very good. I see that they're £100 for the pair which is a bit pricier than I remember. I think that I paid nearer £60.

One thing that you might need to consider is where you connect the rear light. Nightrider fit on the seat post which is fine but it means that I am limited to the type of panier that I can use. I can only have those which are on the side of the rack and not above it.

fred246

People used to gulp at me spending £90 on a bike light. I used to commute long distances and it made such a difference. Some of them were paying £3-400 a month on car depreciation and yet they thought £90 was a lot to spend on a bike accessory that made such a difference. When I arrived at work I always had to find a USB charging point to get it charged up for the return journey.

surreysaver

Norman_Castle said:

You certainly need lights but when driving reflective clothing makes cyclists far more visible. No batteries to fail and potentially very cheap.

Assuming motor vehicles have their lights on 

surreysaver

bouicca21 said:

Believe me - I’m fluorescent!  

When cycling in darkness, its reflectiveness you need, not fluorescence 

SidneySmutt

Here is the link to that £350 front light. I emailed the retailer asking if it was a typo. But alas, no answer!

Exposure-Optix-All-Terrain-E-Bike-Front-Light_128107.

I can't post links, so edited it to show the name of the light.

bouicca21

i didn’t realise fluorescent wasn’t good enough -  thanks for pointing it out.  Will get a new jacket!

silverwhistle

I've always been more worried about being seen than lighting up the road ahead of me. I was once caught out without lights cycling back along a country lane, some of which was shaded over with trees. That was a bit tricky but otherwise there was enough moonlight and your eyes adjust, and your ears also come in to their own with regard to other traffic.Not recommended mind!

Think I have some Aldi/Lidl lights, but I also have some tiny Decathlon lights which you can loop round anywhere to give a back up: https://www.decathlon.co.uk/vioo-100-led-rear-bike-light-yellow-id_8327967.html

surreysaver

bouicca21 said:

i didn’t realise fluorescent wasn’t good enough -  thanks for pointing it out.  Will get a new jacket!

Fluorescence for daytime, reflective for night 

Nebulous2

SidneySmutt said:

Here is the link to that £350 front light. I emailed the retailer asking if it was a typo. But alas, no answer!

Exposure-Optix-All-Terrain-E-Bike-Front-Light_128107.

I can't post links, so edited it to show the name of the light.

£350, paah- that’s nothing!  https://www.evanscycles.com/exposure-six-pack-mk10-sync-front-light-4750-lumen-EV369501 

I can’t see it at the moment, but I think I’ve seen an £800 one. Those really expensive lights tend to be for mountain bikes off-road, where you really need to see where you are going. 

I do long- distance endurance road cycling, and as I said earlier a dynamo tends to be used by most participants. We don’t really admit, even to ourselves, what we spend on kit. Light output isn’t the most important thing. Beam shape is a big factor for road use. German regulations demand the light is cut-off at the top, to prevent blinding oncoming drivers, a bit like a dipped headlight. The best lights for most people meet those standards. While stuff like that is very common on the continent it is of more limited appeal here, partly because our laws don’t demand it. 

SidneySmutt

Nebulous2 said:

SidneySmutt said:

Here is the link to that £350 front light. I emailed the retailer asking if it was a typo. But alas, no answer!

Exposure-Optix-All-Terrain-E-Bike-Front-Light_128107.

I can't post links, so edited it to show the name of the light.

£350, paah- that’s nothing!  (Link as above).

I can’t see it at the moment, but I think I’ve seen an £800 one. Those really expensive lights tend to be for mountain bikes off-road, where you really need to see where you are going. 

I do long- distance endurance road cycling, and as I said earlier a dynamo tends to be used by most participants. We don’t really admit, even to ourselves, what we spend on kit. Light output isn’t the most important thing. Beam shape is a big factor for road use. German regulations demand the light is cut-off at the top, to prevent blinding oncoming drivers, a bit like a dipped headlight. The best lights for most people meet those standards. While stuff like that is very common on the continent it is of more limited appeal here, partly because our laws don’t demand it. 

Blimey almost £500 for a bike light! But thanks for the link. 

I watched the vid in your link. Those people must be mad hurtling down a mountain in the dark. Even with a good light! 

Part of my journey to/from work is riding down an unlit heavily tree lined potholed mess of a road (old railway spur). So a decent light would be a wise investment. Or I could go down the cheaper root and just buy a large tube of Savlon!