Do you ride with light? Any recommendation?

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2rismo
Posts: 50
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2016 5:54 am

by 2rismo

I leave my lights on my bike all the time (unless charging them) and use them on every ride.

Bontrager Ion700 front and Flare rear.

by Weenie


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JKolmo
Posts: 654
Joined: Sat Feb 10, 2007 2:00 pm

by JKolmo

ronderman wrote:Yea, I ride with a rear one and soon a front one. I've been through a lot of lights, a ton, trust me when I tell you that there is one light that stands alone above all others. Dinotte. Fantastic light that can be seen like no other, but thankfully just as good customer service. Great, great company and they are well deserving of your hard-earned money.

Trust me - all others can't compare. I use it during the day all the time, but when it starts to get dark and this light is going car drivers change their behavior from a long, long way away. I've tried probably a dozen lights and this is the only one that driver's change their behavior. Also - group rides - feel free to be like "hey all, my light is like really bright - so I'm gonna go to the back and stay there."

http://store.dinottelighting.com/new-qu ... -p111.aspx


I second this! Dinotte truly is the best! For a lighter but not as heavy duty quality almost overbuilt rear light Lupine Rotlicht is a very nice alternative.

BugsBunny7788
Posts: 67
Joined: Fri Jul 10, 2015 6:48 am

by BugsBunny7788

I'm a big believer in lights and safety first. We all enjoy riding and nothing is more important than getting home safely from your rides.

For rear lights I HIGHLY recommend the Bontrager Flare R. Not all rear lights are equal.

Here's what I like about the Flare R.

It has a DAY TIME mode that works.
The light output and flashing patterns are sufficiently bright enought to be CLEARLY visible during the day by other road users. It is really really bright.

Wide viewing angle.
Other road users approach you from behind at all angles and not always straight on. The Flare has a very wide viewing angle. Some lights are only bright dead on which isn't practical.

The battery lasts a looong time
All this brightness means it will use a lot of power. Some lights die after 2 hours which is just too short to be practical. From memory in day mode it lasts 5-7 hours (rechargable via USB).

Side lighting
Many accidents happen side on. The Flare has little yellow lights on the side. They are sufficiently bright in the evening to warn side on cars - but not bright enough during the day.

jeffy
Posts: 1325
Joined: Sun Oct 05, 2014 11:51 pm

by jeffy

+1 Flare R. The hype is real. Even on the low setting they can be seen from ridiculous distance.

Light and Motion front using go pro garmin combo mount by k edge

Image

adcords
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2016 1:46 pm

by adcords

I use a set of these. http://ayup-lights.com
Not usb chargeable, but they are the equivalent of a car headlight - amazing in winter. Have had them over four years and they're still going strong. One of the best long term investments I've made for the bike.

User avatar
Asteroid
Posts: 222
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2016 8:43 pm
Location: Los Angeles, California

by Asteroid

Lots of expensive recommendations here. All good lights, no doubt. I go cheap, because high or low price, all of 'em eventually wear out or break.

Headlight: https://amzn.com/B01CEABKR0
Taillight: https://amzn.com/B005DVA57Y

These are both super bright. Over the years, I've ridden variations of these during daylight hours and they've saved my butt several times.
Oldbie

tomee
Posts: 220
Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2014 8:52 am
Location: AUS

by tomee

i use a Fly12 upfront and a Exposure TraceR for the rear

2rismo
Posts: 50
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2016 5:54 am

by 2rismo

BugsBunny7788 wrote:I'm a big believer in lights and safety first. We all enjoy riding and nothing is more important than getting home safely from your rides.

For rear lights I HIGHLY recommend the Bontrager Flare R. Not all rear lights are equal.

Here's what I like about the Flare R.

It has a DAY TIME mode that works.
The light output and flashing patterns are sufficiently bright enought to be CLEARLY visible during the day by other road users. It is really really bright.

Wide viewing angle.
Other road users approach you from behind at all angles and not always straight on. The Flare has a very wide viewing angle. Some lights are only bright dead on which isn't practical.

The battery lasts a looong time
All this brightness means it will use a lot of power. Some lights die after 2 hours which is just too short to be practical. From memory in day mode it lasts 5-7 hours (rechargable via USB).

Side lighting
Many accidents happen side on. The Flare has little yellow lights on the side. They are sufficiently bright in the evening to warn side on cars - but not bright enough during the day.


All of this.

McGilli
Posts: 373
Joined: Sun Jun 07, 2015 6:57 pm

by McGilli

2rismo wrote:
BugsBunny7788 wrote:I'm a big believer in lights and safety first. We all enjoy riding and nothing is more important than getting home safely from your rides.

For rear lights I HIGHLY recommend the Bontrager Flare R. Not all rear lights are equal.

Here's what I like about the Flare R.

It has a DAY TIME mode that works.
The light output and flashing patterns are sufficiently bright enought to be CLEARLY visible during the day by other road users. It is really really bright.

Wide viewing angle.
Other road users approach you from behind at all angles and not always straight on. The Flare has a very wide viewing angle. Some lights are only bright dead on which isn't practical.

The battery lasts a looong time
All this brightness means it will use a lot of power. Some lights die after 2 hours which is just too short to be practical. From memory in day mode it lasts 5-7 hours (rechargable via USB).

Side lighting
Many accidents happen side on. The Flare has little yellow lights on the side. They are sufficiently bright in the evening to warn side on cars - but not bright enough during the day.


All of this.


Agreed. 400km of my weekly 700+km is through windy mountain highway. I need to be visible from near and far, and all angles. While back while riding the highway a guy had one of these - and I was able to see him way up the pass, and on corners etc - so I asked him what it was and have used one ever since. Charging mine right now for tomorrow's mountain run...

roox
Posts: 16
Joined: Fri May 02, 2014 5:10 pm

by roox

haven't used a light in a year or so, but I loved the Specialized Flux Expert I had. Was rugged, amazing beam pattern, side visibility, compact. My fave light of all time.

For the rear I used a very bright cheapo planet bike light, it worked, but I always wanted to upgrade to the matching specialized tail light.

kervelo
Posts: 866
Joined: Wed Jan 21, 2009 6:58 am
Location: Finland

by kervelo

Check the Lupine product range. I use Wilma and Rotlicht during the autumn, when the sun sets early.

leej88
Posts: 354
Joined: Mon Apr 05, 2010 4:22 am

by leej88

I usually ride around dusk in an urban environment and as such, visibility can be quite an issue as there's simply too much light pollution going on around town and even on quieter darker stretches of road, when the sun is at an angle, it might be hard for drivers to see you if you're in the shadows and the driver's eyes are blinded by the setting sun.

After a bit of research, I've narrowed down these couple of lights. They're listed based on their maximum output in lumens but one should note that the throw and spread of a tail lamp is just as important as how bright it is.

1. If weight isn't an issue (it might sound sacrilegious to say so especially when we're on WW), the brightest of them all would be the DESIGNSHINE DS-500. With 6 cree red leds giving a maximum output of 1000 lumens, this is by far the brightest I've seen. They seem to be out of stock though and I reckon an e-mail or call to Stephen (the man behind these lights) might be worth a shot.
Image
LINK: http://store.designshinelighting.com/product-p/ds500v4.htm



2. Next up is the Dinotte 400R Daytime rear light. There isn't an official statement regarding it's maximum lumens output but I'm guessing that they should be in the 300~400 lumens range. Like the Dinotte above, they're powered by an external battery and aren't the lightest unit around.
Image
LINK: http://cdn.nexternal.com/dinotte/images/400R-RED-Taillight-Bike-Light-DiNotte-Lighting.jpg

The above mentioned rear lights both require and external battery pack and are much heavier than your average rear light so it might be a turn off for some. As such, I've included some of the brightest rear lights with in-built batteries below (ranked in order of their brightness):

1. Coming in at no.1 would be the Orfos Red Flare. Mounts onto your bike securely with a Magnets and has great all round visibility. They're waterproof as well. 300 lumens.
Image
LINK: http://www.orfos.bike/products/red-flare

2. Next up we have the SEE.SENSE ICON+ rear light that is probably one of the most advanced rear lights out there. Bluetooth connectivity allows you to set the brightness, mode and it even has an on-board sensor that would send you a notification if your parked bicycle gets stolen. This feature automatically turns on when your cell phone is 3 meters away from the bike and can be turned off. 250 lumens.
Image
LINK: https://shop.seesense.cc/collections/icon/products/icon-rear-light-1

3. Next up would be Dinotte's latest product, the Quad Red rear light. It has a really long run time (4hrs) at full brightness and comes with an assortment of mounting brackets just like the 400R. 200 lumens.
Image
LINK: http://store.dinottelighting.com/trade-in-existing-dinotte-light-for-quad-red-taillight-with-built-in-battery-for-reduced-pricing-p201.aspx

4. Last but not least, we have Lupine's Rotlicht. It has inbuilt light sensors that brightens the light when your surroundings get brighter and also a gyrometer to detect deceleration, thereby acting like a car's tail-lamp during braking. Visibility is great and the rubber straps allows for a fuss free mount on any type of seatpost/seat stays. 160 lumens.
Image
LINK: http://www.lupine.de/eng/products/rear-tail-lights/rotlicht

Hastur
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 9:45 am
Location: SWE

by Hastur

For commuting or training in low light or dark, I use the "Lezyne Zecto Drive" set. I would not go off road and into total darkness with them, but I can see and be seen with them. And the price is good. Rechargable and sturdy.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/lezyne-zecto-drive-light-set

MikeDee
Posts: 118
Joined: Mon Dec 22, 2014 1:27 am

by MikeDee

I have a Cygolite Hotshot 100 rear light. Very bright and long run time. A lot of riders I see use them and it is one of the brightest ones, easily seen in daylight. I only use a front light when on narrow roads when there's a risk of head on collisions.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

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cymans
Posts: 100
Joined: Sat May 28, 2011 10:17 pm

by cymans

After trying many back up lights these seem to be the most reliable for me so far and the charge lasts for a long time.

http://road.cc/content/review/171061-bbb-signal-combo

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