I"m looking for a good bicycle light as a christmas present for my sister. She rides on the roads a lot and is starting doing night rides, so she needs a light to see with, not just be to be seen.
Can you anyone recommend such an animal?
Thanks.
What's a Good Bicycle Light?
TheOtherLeft on 29/11/2017 - 23:10
Comments
By the look of those they wouldn’t be much chop for using them to see with. Maybe ok on lit up streets, but not much good in the dark.
I have a few different front lights, the cheaper ones are fine for being seen, but are no good for dark sections. Unfortunately I can’t recommend anything recent as the good lights ‘to see with’ I have are several years old. They are Cheapish Ebay Solarstorm X2 lights that are bright enough for night bush riding. I don’t know what the current variations are.
Just as a slight off-topic diversion,
Does anyone have any suggestions for a good headlamp for cheap? Ive been looking for one lately but OP may also be able to use this instead
At last I can be useful to this site. The current X2s are fine.
Here they are:https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/4-Modes-Solar-Storm-8000LM-CREE-…
I've been running 6 or so of these for 3-4 years on family bikes. They're great and never had a problem. The battery pack goes on the top tube. Think of the rechargeable batteries as disposable though. They'll last about six months using every day before they stop retaining adequate charge. Then throw the battery pack away and buy 4 x 18650 quality rechargeables and a waterproof housing from your favorite Chinese retailer.
For back lights go for Tioga Dualeyes or the cheaper (and probably not as good) Azur copy. Not rechargeable unless you use rechargeable AAAs. The AAAs last for ages anyway.
There are some more expensive lights around but I think these are great.
Wow, those solarstorms are cheap now! I bought mine for about $50-60.
when aldi have their bike sale gear they usually sell a front and rear light pack for like $20. It is the best value light I have bought.
Recently bought a Spear 900 from cyclingdeal. Can also be purchased on their eBay store with current 5% discount for $37 delivered.
https://www.cyclingdeal.com.au/buy/xeccon-spear-900-lumens-b…I use the light and motion - urban 900. Bloody amazing light imo. But highter priced but for its use I think it's worth it .
Got if from here - http://www.cellbikes.com.au/Light-Motion-Urban-900-Front-Lig…
If you are riding on the roads at night and need a light to see with, not just to be seen you need something putting out around 650 Lumens+. The $20 Aldi light will flash and let cars see you but on a dark road with no streetlights it wont light up enough for you to see where you are going. Also, if you are out on the road for a couple of hours you need something with the battery life to last the whole trip, no point being stuck in a blackout half way around. Further, if you have a nice lightweight bike that you drag uphill etc the last thing you want is a massive heavy battery pack or enormous housebrick of a light weighing you down.
I am a very keen cyclist and the default gold standard for a light like this is the 'exposure joystick'. They are not cheap but they are well made, high quality, small, lightweight and will last forever. They have a metal housing so if they are dropped on the road they might get scratched but they will probably be OK. Exposure make a range of lights, some very expensive but the joystick is the sweet spot for performance and affordability. you can probably pick one up cheap on wiggle, chainreaction or probikekit websites. http://www.wiggle.com.au/exposure-joystick-mk12-with-lanyard…
Another to consider (and the one that i use) is the Bontrager Ion. It is a bit smaller but it is plenty bright enough. I've ridden at night in the Dandenongs down black streets with no streetlights with mine and it lit up the whole street (scared the cows?). you can pick one of these up in any Trek dealership (Bike Shop). https://www.trekbikes.com/au/en_AU/equipment/cycling-accesso…
Both the Joystick and the Ion easily clip onto your handlebars and can be clipped off and stuck in a pocket if you leave your bike anywhere. they are also both USB rechargeable, no swapping in and out batteries.
I have a cree front and back setup that is powered by 4 x 18650 (laptop) batteries. It is all wired up but I know that it produces huge light and I know that the rear is working providing the front is working.
You also have to consider whether the lights may be stolen depending on where you leave your bike.I found rideon magazine to have very useful 'Top lights' articles on their website for each year. Eg [2016 Top Lights] (https://rideonmagazine.com.au/top-bike-lights-2016/)
Rideon provided some good recommendations from comprehensive testing of a wide range of products and budgets, also seperating out 'be seen' from 'to see'.
Consumer magazine NZ also made their tests and recommendations avail at the following [consumer.org.nz/products/bike-lights/overview] (consumer.org.nz/products/bike-lights/overview), though possibly less recent and had difficulty tracking down sellers for a number of the products.
I went thru similar exercise of hunting for lights recently though for a budget 'be seen' light
What I got? It won't meet the needs of the OP but I picked up a Knog Pop II for NZ$25 on special from torpedo7. For the rear, I had already on a whim picked up an $8 rear light from Kmart thinking it was surprisingly bright instore and chuckled when I subsequently saw it getting a mention by Rideon. Both performing consistent with expectations.
Happy Xmas shopping.
I bought my 16yr old one of these - https://www.bigw.com.au/product/repco-led-light-set/p/833668…
Can be removed easily, put in his bag so it doesn't get stolen, which happens (his had 2 locked bikes stolen)
Alternatively you could get a helmet fitted one, e.g. - http://www.99bikes.com.au/light-topeak-headlux