Hello

I’ve just recently started a new job which means I can commute by bike.
It consists of 2 miles built up area and 3-4 miles of country lanes early morning and sometimes later evenings.
Being someone who’s never really used lights before, I’m asking you knowledgable folk for advice.
Thanks in advance

White for the front, red at the back 😉

Magicshine?

I bought a lezyne super drive xl reduced at wiggle the other week. It’s surprisingly powerful and would probably be plenty for a few miles in country roads.

As for the back, the smart R2 is what I use most of the year. Whatever you choose, get two so if one dies you’re not invisible. A smaller/cheaper spare front light is a good idea too, but obviously you’re more likely to notice if the front fails.

Simon. Thanks bud 😆

Bails. In my limited knowledge, I was looking at the cree lights on eBay. Any idea if they are any good? Reliability?
I’m not ever planning to take them off road but brightness and the ability to last an hour or so would be top of my list of priorities.

very bright lights are not a good idea, there is bright and bright, there is a reason why cars fail their mot if the lights don’t align correctly.

i use a set of Ayups. which are bright enough most of the time, only on fast road decents do they have any issues. ( obviously a little on the pricey side for what your wanting but hopefully give an idea of power. )

I would suggest, if budget and inclination allow, looking at dynamo’s things have changed over the last few years.

Hmmm will do, cheers

I’ve got some of the Cree torches. They’re great – nice and small, convenient and the battery lasts ages. Easily bright enough for my pitch-black road. Problem is that the battery is a bit loose and when attached to the bars, the light switches modes all the time. Head mount is fine, presumably because it’s less bumpy. I’ve heard you can tape up the battery to stop this happening. I need to try this.

More powerful lights with a separate battery are a) unnecessarily bright and b) more faff.

A good, bright rear light (and a spare).

I’ve got a Blinder

What is your budget? I Like Cateye Rapid 1 USB rechargeable on the back and Exposure Strada on the front. But there are cheaper options.

There are some lights built to German regs with beam patterns specifically for road use, putting more light on the road, and with a sharp cut-off to avoid annoying others. Unfortunately, the German regs also favour dynamo power, so the choice of battery powered ones is limited. I use a modified Philips Saferide. The beam pattern is much better than an MTB light or torch, but the stock batteries are disappointing, hence the mod.

I’ve got a few year old exposure light, which is good, but would be a bit overkill. For just a few miles I’d get a decent bike specific rear light or two, and probably get a cheap LED/cree torch and a velcro/rubber handlebar mount off ebay.

I think bike specific front lights for general use have had their day, why bother for short – medium journeys when you can just get a universal mount and use your normal torch, which is probably more powerful, unless you spend big £££

a good rear light – I commute by car on country lanes.. i’d say 80% of the cyclists I see have either no lights, or lights that are utter crap…

I’ve got 2 cheap chinese cree lights which are great. One is bar mounted with a diffuser lens which gives a lower intensity spread of light and the other is helmet mounted. The helmet mounted one is good to illuminate the road ahead at a bend to give on-coming motorists a warning that you’re there before they come round the bend. I am careful to point my head down and to the left when a car passes to ensure I don’t dazzle them.

One think i’ve also started to do on my commute is to use my lights in daylight. I recently was driving into a low sun and only saw a cyclist at the very last minute, a flashing LED light might have given me more warning that he was there.

I think bike specific front lights for general use have had their day, why bother for short – medium journeys when you can just get a universal mount and use your normal torch, which is probably more powerful, unless you spend big £££

On the contrary, I reckon manufactures will eventually realise that there’s more to a decent road light than lumens, and will start making more lights with road-specific beam patterns.

agree above about rear lights on country roads, and to be honest wearing hi viz clothing too. I run a rear light on the saddle post and one down on the rear stays.
as front the front,
i have a magicshine and its pretty bright on max. setting.
the thing i find is you have to have it on high and set to a longer distance so you can see far enough ahead in case of potholes, dirt, branches, cows and sheeep on the road, but they do get some nasty glances and flashes from oncoming other road users.
as soon as i see a car coming i’ll switch it to lower setting.

i wonder if they would be better placed lower down on the bike (not sure they can, or where they might go -? front fork?)

will eventually realise that there’s more to a decent road light than lumens

Eh? Cateye have been doing this for years. Exposure are a johnny-come-lately who have only really started road-specific lights. The Strada isn’t particularly bright but gives a good flood. My single Cateye nano-shot is almost as good and I switch between them all winter (depends on the bike). My Joystick isn’t really a road light at all.

Not sure which Cateyes you’re talking about, but I’ve not seen any with beam patterns anything like the decent German dynamo lights. Similarly the Strada pattern is just a bit wider.

magic shine for the bike, Hope for head torch and little key ring lights for clipping to bag.

Being someone who’s never really used lights before, I’m asking you knowledgable folk for advice.
Thanks in advance

Dynamo hub and b&m light. B&M like a proper car light i.e. has proper cutoff so does not dazzle oncoming people (take not 1000lumen divs in central london…)

I have an XT dynmano hub and a B&M Lumotec IQ Cyo 60lux

click

you can get complete wheels in dynamo hubs for not a lot of cash from the german and dutch online places

and for rear a battery powered 1/2watt smart

after my experience with this setup on my tourer then I am going dynamo on my brompton for this winter..

Si

I go for 2 front and 2 rear lights (one constant, one flashing), that way it’s very unlikely I’ll be left in the dark by batteries failing.

Front: LEDlenser P7 (200 lumen) and Smart 35(?) lux
Rear: 1×0.5w and 1x1w Smart lights

I go for 2 front and 2 rear lights (one constant, one flashing), that way it’s very unlikely I’ll be left in the dark by batteries failing.

^^This^^

Also, the combination of flashing and constant aids driver awareness. Worth investing in good reflective ankle bands as well, IMO.

Also, don’t skimp on the rear lights. People spend hundreds on fronts, and then overlook the rear. Silly.

This from Halfords is a nifty helmet light that has a front and rear which would make a good back up.

The Cree Chinese generic lights with 4 laptop batteries can,t really be beaten for value and light, just make sure they are ‘dipped’

Definitely second the recommendation for two rears. At least with a front light, you’ll notice when it packs up. I use a Moon Shield 60 and Smart R1.

My Light & Motion Seca 1700 has a nice sharp cutoff and when adjusted slightly to the left oncoming cars are not dazzled. Its a pity the same can’t be said for the beam patterns of the cheaper lights.
I suppose you pay your money and take your choice.

Good rear light + orange hi viz clothing coupled with reflective stuff on the legs is best. I wear one of these
for my winter commute as it’s mostly unlit roads.
It’s not fashionable, but lots of people comment on how visible I am.

The new job consists of wearing orange high viz trousers and vest anyway so i shall be wearing those on the commute. I have a helmet mount already so may opt for a bright torch type for that so I can see potholes etc as advised above.

Wasnt there some Nike gear that was ultra-ultra reflective and also had flashing lights built into the fabric ?

EDIT: seems there is a running jacket review
EDIT EDIT: seems germany has it , german video

EDIT EDIT EDIT

I’m also amazed there are not more hi-viz reflective full leggings similar to the mavic above, in decent breathable fabrics.
why are most black!

Don’t listen to some of the comments above, especially if you commute on unlit country roads
Front light bright as you can get and throwing a beam that’s as good as a cars. I have oh too often when using a couple of watts front light had cars think its OK to cut a bend at speed.
Doesn’t happen when putting out 400+ Lumens
Back lights 2 I use a flashing Knog clipped on clothing, small flasher on the helmet and a steady Lezyne on the bike.

Use the wiggle light test to see what you are getting

wish the UK was more dymano friendly… such good setups now..

so much better than strapping a torch to the bars..

I run a Majicshine on the front, usually at lowest setting but I do stick it on high near dark junctions and through the wooded sections on my commute. 2 led’s on the rear, one on my seatpost and one on my rucksack.

also have reflective tags hanging from my rucksack.