I asked the friendly and knowledgeable folks at kycyclist for their recommendations on lighting for urban commuting. There were a number of replies, and I've pasted them here in one place for reference.
First is the original inquiry, then the responses.
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Thanks in no small part to the efforts of LBC members to promote Bike to Work Day, I have regained my enthusiasm for bike commuting. In the past, I have commuted principally during the warm, summer months, when it's always light when I ride.
I want to extend my commuting into the shorter days of the fall -- I know we're not there yet. However, when the days get shorter, I would like to have my bike set up with a decent lighting system, principally in terms of a headlight which will make me highly visible to oncoming traffic.
I know there are many solutions to this. I'm not quite ready to rebuild a wheel to create a dyno-hub setup which would allow automatic recharging. So, I'm looking for some reasonable, rechargable system for an urban commute. I'll be on streets with street lamps, so I'm more interested in being seen by motorists than in illuminating dark roads. I ride about 7 miles each way, from the St. Matthews area to downtown.
Right now, I use a pretty big handlebar bag as part of my commuting luggage, so something which mounts on the helmet might have some appeal. Or, I could ditch the handlebar bag, put on a rear pannier on my commute/tour Trek 520, and do a handlebar mount.
I suspect there are some opinions on this, so I would welcome your suggestions.
Thanks in advance,
Jim
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I'm using a Serfas HL-1.1 headlight for being see during my commutes,
pretty happy with the way it flashes-strobes.
http://www.serfas.com/product_details.asp?ID=678
Perry
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The Cygolite Milion 200, which I have used for two years and am very
happy with, is bright enough to light your way after dark and works
well as a be-seen light, too. It's a compact, all-in-one unit with a
quick-connect handlebar mount. It can also be mounted on the helmet
with the included hardware.
On top of that (and I know you'll be jazzed by this feature) it is
USB-chargeable.
http://www.cygolite.com/products/new/Milion/milion200.html
Duc
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I use a combo of two lights, one "to see" and one "to be seen".
My "to see" light is a Busch and Muller Ixon IX, which has properly focused
auto-style beam, with an upper cut-off and puts 90% of its light on the
road. It runs off rechargeable AAs, which can be recharged without removing
them from the unit, and it can also be charged through a dyno system if you
ever decide to upgrade.
My "be seen" light is a Cateye LD-150-F. I also run this off rechargeable
batteries (AAAx2). I like its very wide, unfocused beam. It's quite bright.
It includes an adjustable mount which can go around bars or even your fork.
It also includes a clip which can hold it on clothing or a blinky loop on
your bag (I have mine attached to my handlebar bag this way)
Timothy
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I use industrial generic rechargeable batteries in my lights. The charger is <$10 and the batteries are about $1 ea. They last forever. They hold the charge for quite awhile. Over 2 weeks with continual use including daytime. I charge the AA's one Sunday night when I go to bed and the AAA's the next. Don't fall for the name-brand crap.
Debra L. Hutchins
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I don't use rechargeable NiMH AA/AAA in my lights, but I do use them
in other applications (camera, mainly, but I use said camera while
riding, to be on-topic) and I've yet to find any that lasts "forever"
or even half that. I've tried many different brands, popular and
obscure, and they all lose the ability to hold charge sooner or later,
usually sooner and nowhere near the service cycle that was claimed.
And I do use a "smart" charger that doesn't overcharge, can trickle
charge, and can "renew" the batteries.
What's your secret? What brand of batteries are you using?
Duc
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You know, I honestly don't know. They don't have a manufacturer's name on them. I got them from the "battery guy" at the Dayton Hamvention about 4 years ago. I typically run 2 headlights (4XAA) and 2 tails (4XAAA) daylight and night, but then I have to ride around UK. :) I have about a dozen of each in back-stock but I'm still running with the original set. The charger is equally generic. It's not a fast one but it doesn't overcharge.
Debra L. Hutchins
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i have a niterider usb mounted to an extra helmet which i use solely for after-dusk riding. it's now two years old and works great.
the value to having a helmet-mounted light vs one that's bar-mounted is that you can look around corners or use it to stare down motorists who appear to be encroaching on your space.
price: ~ $139
from a driver's perspective, it seems that anything that flashes makes riders more visible, so if i were commuting a ton i'd include a front mounted blinky into the mix.
Charles
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Tim said:
I made a 12 volt 50 watt system using a small lawnmower battery and halogen landscape lights. I have about $40 tied up in the whole setup. The battery goes in a handlebar bag with an inline switch and fuse. The light is a cannibalized maglite, it also has small red trailer light. If I make one again I think I'll go with a larger volt battery 17.5 and over volt the lights. Cuts down on the light life, but lights the area even more. Landscape lights are dirt cheap.
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Eric said:
I'm using the Sefras TSL-150 True light. It is insanely bright, lithium
ion rechargeable via standard USB, last 15 hours, has 3 brightness modes
including strobe. Extremely pleased with it. They have a 250 lumen model
as well. I wanted a really bright light so that it could be used during
the day in strobe mode to improve visibility as well.
http://www.serfas.com/product_details.asp?ID=835
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If I left out anyone's response, I apologize. I hope this is useful to others; it certainly is useful for me. Thanks to all!
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