I need a front and a rear for a mixture of road and bridleways.

Must be usb chargeable.

Recommendations?

Use Lezyne. The front is a black thing about 4″ long and is good enough for woodland gravel tracks at 20mph.

Can you be more specific? They do lots of lights.

Never seen a CX race where lights are required so they’re not needed.

What makes you think they are for racing?

These look good

http://www.candb-seen.co.uk/newfor2014/city-slicker-series-front.html

http://www.candb-seen.co.uk/newfor2014/city-slicker-series-back.html

Latest news on the City Slicker Series lights – production run has been completed and lights are now in final assembly…

Posted by See + Be Seen on Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Never seen a CX race where lights are required so they’re not needed.

I have. Merlin Knights Cross in Carmarthen. Run at night, top section of course unlit.

Never seen a CX race where lights are required so they’re not needed.

The Swindon Thursday night series makes a second….
http://www.wessexcx.co.uk/2014/banjo-night-cx-series/

Is the lighting for seeing with, or being seen. Whats your budget?

The fact that its a CX bike doesn’t make any difference – you need a light, thats it, the type of bike isn’t relevant.

Currently using a L&M Urban 700 which has been great, plenty of power on high for bridleways then switch to low or flash for the road.

It’s very compact, the trade off is that it hasn’t got the longest burn times but that depends on what you need it for I guess, suits me just fine for an hour and half’s mixed on/off road commute.

Why the need for USB charge? How long’s the ride? Even a cheap magicshine or similar run on the lower power will last ages which should negate teh need to charge (Unless you’re doing really long rides!). The USB thing will limit your options a lot.

What makes you think they are for racing?

Because you specify it’s for a cx bike.

You need to think how bright you want it, which relates to where you are riding it. How long you want it to last. How expensive etc.
Why usb chargable? Is it for commuting as well?

Because you specify it’s for a cx bike.

Wow. There are still people who haven’t got over CX bikes now being categorised as including CX bikes that aren’t for racing…

The fact that its a CX bike doesn’t make any difference – you need a light, thats it, the type of bike isn’t relevant.

I beg to differ: They are needed for pitch black bridleways, but also for riding on the road without blinding other road users. Many of the lights designed for off-road use are too bright IMO for road use, unless you have an easily accessible dim option.

Oh, and yes: They do have to be USB chargeable.

Bump!

Mikey, take a look at the Cateye Nano Shot plus or Volt 300 for the front. Get yourself a Knog Blinder for the rear. All are USB rechargeable.

The Nano shot plus is nice for the road as the twin beams give it a good spread and good road presence without it being super powerful, the Hyper constant mode is good too as it gives a solid beam with an intermittent flash over it, so you don’t have to choose between flashing and constant. The Volt 300 is a smaller neater option if you need to pocket the light.

I’d personally go for an exposure axis/diablo but if you’re concerned about them being too bright maybe not for you.

I used a Knog Blinder for a full year’s commuting, in all weather. I was concerned about it’s weatherproofing but it’s been perfect, very bright and it’s shape differentiates it from car tail lights.

I just use my mtb lights. Glowworm x2 on the bars (until it broke on tuesday 🙁 ) and a torch on my head. Full beam on both off road. Just the bar light on low power pointed down on the road. I also have a small flashing one as well.

Rear light is just a cheapo led one.

Neither are usb chargeable but never been an issue. Areyou planning on charging them at work and want to avoid getting the charger tested?

Some cheapo chinese ones come with usb plugs. You could get one of them and a usb battery pack.

Many of the lights designed for off-road use are too bright IMO for road use, unless you have an easily accessible dim option.

This really is a silly, if not uncommon, comment. Ime, most if not all lights come equiped with an on/off switch/button. Again, it seems to have been widely adopted throughout the industry that said lights also seem to have more than one output setting, each setting being a difference in light output, selected by pressing a button.
So when riding on the road, being a considerate cyclist and not wanting to dazzle other road users, which is itself an offence.
Just press the Frickin button! and then, as if by magic, you will observe a change in the intensity of light being emitted from your light!
FFS!!

Front – The Lezyne ones are pretty good and USB chargeable, though they’re not mega bright. I have a PowerDrive which good, a little lacking for proper off-road stuff but fine for tow-paths and road work. I combine this with a MiniDrive on flash mode. There is also a MegaDrive which is bigger, brighter and more expensive.

Back – I’m really impressed by the Moon Comet I recently picked up, It’s USB compatible, very bright and has good side visibility, important if you’re doing much on the roads. I would always have 2 back lights, one flashing, one on constant. Either have 2 Moons or buy a Phaart from Planet-X for £4, the latter is not USB compatible but the AAA batteries last a long time.

Solo
So when riding on the road, being a considerate cyclist and not wanting to dazzle other road users, which is itself an offence.

That bit of legislation is quite subjective, and refers to how you use a light, not the light you use, in case anyone is worried they might be automatically breaking the law by using bright mtb lights on the road.

unge

Front – The Lezyne ones are pretty good and USB chargeable, though they’re not mega bright. I have a PowerDrive which good, a little lacking for proper off-road stuff but fine for tow-paths and road work. I combine this with a MiniDrive on flash mode. There is also a MegaDrive which is bigger, brighter and more expensive.

Thousands of them with battery issues. Best avoided really.

and refers to how you use a light, not the light you use, in case anyone is worried they might be automatically breaking the law by using bright mtb lights on the road

Which is what I posted. When suggesting that someone need not carry and use an additional light for road use only, but simply switch their current light to a lower setting so as not to dazzle other road users.
Please read the thread.
🙄

Hi there!! I had read the thread, and commented on your post for the benefit of someone who wasn’t an expert in these things like yourself.

That’s why I wrote “in case anyone is worried” instead of directly correcting you. I felt that your post could be misread by someone was less of an expert than yourself, as implying that it was automatically an offence to use mtb lights on the road here, as it is in Germany.

I knew that you would already know that, since you’d already bothered to patronise the op, and now me. Thanks. You have a good day ycy.

Hi there!! I had read the thread, and commented on your post for the benefit of someone who wasn’t an expert in these things like yourself.
Expertise not required, just read the thread and use the button on the light to lower the output when you’re on road. It really isn’t missile science.

That’s why I wrote “in case anyone is worried
so that’s you being patronizing then, because what you were really saying was “the people on here are probably too stupid to understand that comment“, nice 😉

I felt that your post could be misread your comment.
FTFY.

as it is in Germany.
Oh, is the OP in Germany? I must have missed that…

patronise the op
I think you’ll find that complaining about a light being too bright to use on the road, for the sake of pressing a button, is quite patronizing, however, I did include this comment
“if not uncommon“

You have a good day too.
😆

Thousands of them with battery issues. Best avoided really.

True, and I may have been lucky with mine. Saying that, you can buy a replacement battery for a couple of quid on eBay/Amazon if it does break. I’ve got a couple of spares for mine for when I do longer night rides.

Wow!! You lot are really something else (and not in a good way).

If you actually READ my post further up you will find the following:

I beg to differ: They are needed for pitch black bridleways, but also for riding on the road without blinding other road users. Many of the lights designed for off-road use are too bright IMO for road use, unless you have an easily accessible dim option.

Oh, sorry, I forgot: You don’t actually read anything before posting on here do you.

Thank you to those who have actually read the thread properly and made appropriate suggestions. I will look into those.