Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

winter lights

Morning,

Wonder if anyone could suggest a good front light, the amount of options out there is a bit bewildering...

Needs to be :
Suitable for road/ country path use
Easily clip on and offable, no external batteries
Maybe between 600-800 lumens
I like the alloy body type ones too, good and tough

Also would also appreciate advice on bright rear lights

Thanks in advance for all advice

Matt

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

Add new comment

17 comments

Avatar
Malhone | 9 years ago
0 likes

Morning all,

Many thanks for all the input and suggestions.

As per the effusive second poster, I've found some a Lezyne Deca Drive front and Micro Drive rear on sale for 46% off… (Sport Pursuit if anyone needs some lights).

The Deca drive does seem extremely bright, so I'll run it in eco mode for now.

Thanks all!!
Matt

Avatar
Daveyraveygravey | 9 years ago
0 likes

OP, I would really recommend two lights front and rear; you can never be 100% sure if you have just one that it isn't going to conk out on you, for whatever reason.

Can I ask why you don't like the battery pack ones? I have a couple of the cheap Chinese ones from Ebay and they are brilliant, I really cannot understand why anyone would pay more.

Avatar
bendertherobot | 9 years ago
0 likes

I've taken a different approach this year. Where, before, I did bright, I now do Smart.

So, at the front, a Philips Saferide 80 and See Sense 190. Very good combo.

At the rear a See Sense 155 lumen (which is just excellent) and two red fibre flares on the seatubes, both on solid.

Finally a flashing green fibre flare on my rucksack just for that bit more noticeability.

My perception is that I feel safter than I did running a huge lumen magichine and piercing knog blinder

Avatar
oddbydefault | 9 years ago
0 likes

If you want a truly beastly rear light, get the Moon Shield.

Retina burning 60 lumens, fantastic side-visibility, mini USB rechargeable, and insane strobe mode for when you *really* want to be seen (not recommended for club runs - even low power is too bright).

It clips on to a bracket with a sturdy rubber strap which fits almost any seatpost, and even seatstays. The bracket is easily adjustable, so you can angle it however you like.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/moon-shield-60-rechargeable-rear-light/

If you're after a front light too, the Shield can be bought in a package with the X-Power 300 http://www.wiggle.co.uk/moon-x-power-330-front-and-shield-rear-light-set/. It's a cracking light, even at 'only' 300 lumens. I mount it in conjunction with a Lezyne Super Drive XL (which gets a run for its 575 lumens - it's definitely not twice as bright) on my commute which is a mix of lit and unlit roads, or sometimes pitch black cyclepath. Only switch on both in the totally unlit bits (because why not), and when I fancy looking more like a car.

Avatar
Pierre replied to oddbydefault | 9 years ago
0 likes
oddbydefault wrote:

If you want a truly beastly rear light, get the Moon Shield.

Retina burning 60 lumens, fantastic side-visibility, mini USB rechargeable, and insane strobe mode for when you *really* want to be seen (not recommended for club runs - even low power is too bright).

True that - it's an amazing little light but is almost offensively bright. The little rubber strap fits nicely round the back vents of my Kask Mojito helmet, so if I'm going out for a ride alone I'll usually put it on, but even on low power mode it's plenty bright enough to make sure I'm seen from way back. Drivers may honk at me but at least that means they've seen me. I've never dared use it on high-power mode, it would just p'ss people off! (though I wonder if I could deploy it when racing to stop someone sitting on my back wheel...? ; )

Avatar
Sidi 700c replied to oddbydefault | 9 years ago
0 likes

Are mods deleting posts here? I remember giving a very negative report on the Moon Comets that i think was in this thread. Nowhere to be found now and there are not that many people that comment here judging by how slow the forum topics recycle.

Avatar
Gareth W-R | 9 years ago
0 likes

Get yourself on eBay, get a solar storm x2 ( just eBay bike lights and you will get a selection ) have been using one for months now, much brighter than light sets costing 10x the £20 you will spend. I was using a topeak hp 5w before which was good but cost £230 and does not stack up light wise. Run time is not as good but as long as your night rides are not too long you can get 3-4 hours out of the solar storm ones.

Avatar
KiwiMike replied to Gareth W-R | 9 years ago
0 likes
Gareth W-R wrote:

Get yourself on eBay, get a solar storm x2 ( just eBay bike lights and you will get a selection ) have been using one for months now, much brighter than light sets costing 10x the £20 you will spend. I was using a topeak hp 5w before which was good but cost £230 and does not stack up light wise. Run time is not as good but as long as your night rides are not too long you can get 3-4 hours out of the solar storm ones.

Another +1 for the SolarStorm X2 at around £25. Been my go-to fast night riding light for a year now. Tons of light, good spread, small-ish, battery lasts well over 2+ hrs if you cycle between high and low for descending/climbing.

Nothing comes close for the money. Nothing.

Avatar
Freddy56 | 9 years ago
0 likes

I am 3 weeks into my see.sense. due to the city commute and too many near misses I do feel it has the extra edge for safety. One charge is lasting me 10 hours which for me is a full week. Would go for the 120lumen as I think the 200 one I bought is too bright for on coming traffic.

Avatar
Reg Molehusband | 9 years ago
0 likes

I have a Petzl Tikka XP2 head torch which has the usual steady/flashing modes. 70 Lumens and a wide reach of 40 metres. Highly weather resistant and robust. Rather than buy an expensive more powerful cycle lamp, which would probably blind oncoming motorists, I've adapted the Petzl to attach to the handlebars. Petzl do an Adapt Kit which has enabled me to clip the light onto a small bracket that I've made. The rear light is a B'TWIN VIOO Clip 300 USB which I bought from Decathlon for £8.50. It's bright enough to do the job and in flash mode can last up to 9 hours. I've got mine clipped to the back of the saddle bag.

Avatar
Paul_C | 9 years ago
0 likes

Philips Saferide 80

has a bright dipped beam which does not dazzle and reaches out quite well. Almost all the light goes down onto the road.

rechargeable, but in a pinch, can take ordinary AA batteries if you have the right allen key.

http://www.philips.co.uk/c-p/BF48L20BBLX1/led-bike-lights-80-lux-battery...

I've also got a Philips Saferide rear light which doesn't dazzle either and a Lezyne Microdrive rear light.

Avatar
oldstrath replied to Paul_C | 9 years ago
0 likes
Paul_C wrote:

Philips Saferide 80

has a bright dipped beam which does not dazzle and reaches out quite well. Almost all the light goes down onto the road.

rechargeable, but in a pinch, can take ordinary AA batteries if you have the right allen key.

http://www.philips.co.uk/c-p/BF48L20BBLX1/led-bike-lights-80-lux-battery...

I've also got a Philips Saferide rear light which doesn't dazzle either and a Lezyne Microdrive rear light.

If you're looking for a Saferide you might struggle - Rose Bikes appear to have some http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/philips-saferide-80-led-bike-light-ba...

Also be aware that the run time on high is short - 2 hours claimed, realistically about 90 minutes even with good batteries. On the other hand it probably is about the best of the battery-driven dipped beam headlights for dark road use. More 'sociable' than high- lumen torches. Whether that's actually the same as 'better' is a harder question.

Avatar
CXR94Di2 | 9 years ago
0 likes

Niterider lumina 750 I bought several for me and the kids £62 each online. Niterider also do a very bright rear light aswell Solas 2watt

Both models are usb charging. Built very well, I couldn't recommend niterider any higher

Avatar
redmeat | 9 years ago
0 likes

Lezyne Power Drive XL/endthread

Avatar
KiwiMike replied to redmeat | 9 years ago
0 likes
redmeat wrote:

Lezyne Power Drive XL/endthread

The XL's 475 Lumens isn't really bright enough for more than about 10MPH, in my experience. Other than that, crackingly good light.

Avatar
redmeat replied to KiwiMike | 9 years ago
0 likes
KiwiMike wrote:
redmeat wrote:

Lezyne Power Drive XL/endthread

The XL's 475 Lumens isn't really bright enough for more than about 10MPH, in my experience. Other than that, crackingly good light.

Regularly doing night rides 18mph+. No problem.

Latest Comments