REVIEWS DEALS BIKESHOPS TRAILS

Another commuting thread about lights...

27478 Views 156 Replies 43 Participants Last post by mtbxplorer, Sep 24, 2011

martinsillo

Discussion Starter · Jan 14, 2010

So guys... besides his health...another thing that really concerned me from the Joshed third car crash was something J_Hopper said about being seen.

due to my work schedule I have a dark commute one way in summer and both ways in winter time...I know my current setup (Sigma Triled/Cuberider) really $ucks and riding in a non bike friendly city really made me think... I already order a second tail light (Topeak 10leds UFO) but I feel like I need to add more lumens to my ride so...

...what I'm asking here is for your light commuter setup.... the one you fell comfortable with, something like this:

Model/Location/setup

My current setup (when the UFO arrives actually):
Front Lights:
1st: Sigma Triled / Handlebar / Blinking.
2nd: None.
Tail Lights:
1st: Topeak 10Leds UFO / Trunk Bag / Blinking.
2nd: Sigma Cuberider / Helmet / Steady.

If you want to add pics fell free...and comments about blinking and steady lights will be awesome.

1 - 20 of 157 Posts

markf

· #2 · Jan 14, 2010

FRONT:
princeton tec switchback 3, bright, 3 brightness options with a blinky pattern if needed
REAR:
2 planet bike super flash lights. one on messenger bag, one on seat pack. both flashing. also plenty of reflective stuff on my bags, coat, shoes, etc.

highdelll

· #3 · Jan 14, 2010

Swerve into traffic to be seen.

blunderfonics

· #4 · Jan 14, 2010

FRONT:
Magic Shine P7 headlight on bars - usually on Low or flashing depending on the road
Eveready LED Headlight on helmet - used more to be seen than to see with.

REAR
Blackburn Mars 4.0 - This is a great tail light. Extremely bright and has 2 yellow leds mounted for side visibility. I plan on grabbing another one of these for my backpack.

I also have reflective tires (Schwalbe Big Apple & Michelin City on my commuters), a big reflective stripe on my backpack and reflective ankle straps. None of this has kept cars, pedestrians and (occasionally) other cyclists from doing stupid stuff around me, but I know I am at least more likely to be seen by those who drive with their eyes open.

edit: had wrong product name

EBrider

· #5 · Jan 14, 2010

I have a L&M Seca 700 for the front. I wouldn't buy one just to commute with, but happened to have it for night rides on the MTB. Totally overkill, but awesome. Especially riding on the path in the dark and fog.

These spoke lights help with side visibility: http://www.amazon.com/Adult-Safety-...&s=toys-and-games&qid=1263489533&sr=8-2-spell

They don't fit on my current wheels, so I have an Infini light wrapped around the hubs.

CommuterBoy

· #6 · Jan 14, 2010

highdelll said:
Swerve into traffic to be seen.

:lol: :thumbsup:

I have a Planet Bike Superflash rear and an older Cateye LED headlight. The Cateye is decent, but there are much better options out there now. With new batteries, it makes cars dim their headlights when they see me, but the beam is narrower than I would like, especially on pot-hole patrol on my dirt road.

The superflash is great. No question that cars notice it and scoot further out into the other lane compared to a cheaper blinky that I had before.

I also have lightweights (www.lightweights.org) on my spokes. On non-colored spokes, they're basically invisible in the daylight, and they weigh virtually nothing. The set of lightweights comes with 4 extra 'dot' shaped reflector stickers designed for the ends of quick release skewers... I put two on each heel of my shoes. A reflector on the pedal/foot isntantly lets cars know that you're a bike... no mistaking that movement.

Sorry, the cateye isn't in the pic, but here's a flash pic that shows the lightweights, and the superflash on the seatpost.

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less_than_aaron

· #7 · Jan 14, 2010

highdelll said:
Swerve into traffic to be seen.

Hahaha! You beat me to it! Nicely done!

mtbxplorer

· #8 · Jan 14, 2010

CommuterBoy said:
:lol: :thumbsup:

I have a Planet Bike Superflash rear and an older Cateye LED headlight. The Cateye is decent, but there are much better options out there now. With new batteries, it makes cars dim their headlights when they see me, but the beam is narrower than I would like, especially on pot-hole patrol on my dirt road.

The superflash is great. No question that cars notice it and scoot further out into the other lane compared to a cheaper blinky that I had before.

I also have lightweights (www.lightweights.org) on my spokes. On non-colored spokes, they're basically invisible in the daylight, and they weigh virtually nothing. The set of lightweights comes with 4 extra 'dot' shaped reflector stickers designed for the ends of quick release skewers... I put two on each heel of my shoes. A reflector on the pedal/foot isntantly lets cars know that you're a bike... no mistaking that movement.

Sorry, the cateye isn't in the pic, but here's a flash pic that shows the lightweights, and the superflash on the seatpost.

Nice! Liked the lightweights in your pic & ordered some so I will be stylin' soon. To anyone with the superflash, how's the switch on it? Currently have a princeton tec swerve (dumb name for a good light) with a nice big lever, easy with gloves and you don't have to cycle thru 8 flash patterns to turn it off like my other blinkies. Thx

[email protected]

· #9 · Jan 14, 2010

CommuterBoy said:
:lol: :thumbsup:

I have a Planet Bike Superflash rear and an older Cateye LED headlight. The Cateye is decent, but there are much better options out there now. With new batteries, it makes cars dim their headlights when they see me, but the beam is narrower than I would like, especially on pot-hole patrol on my dirt road.

The superflash is great. No question that cars notice it and scoot further out into the other lane compared to a cheaper blinky that I had before.

I also have lightweights (www.lightweights.org) on my spokes. On non-colored spokes, they're basically invisible in the daylight, and they weigh virtually nothing. The set of lightweights comes with 4 extra 'dot' shaped reflector stickers designed for the ends of quick release skewers... I put two on each heel of my shoes. A reflector on the pedal/foot isntantly lets cars know that you're a bike... no mistaking that movement.

Sorry, the cateye isn't in the pic, but here's a flash pic that shows the lightweights, and the superflash on the seatpost.

I have a SWOBO Del Norte, and the drop bars are just too much. I was going to switch to straight MTB bars, but they just don't quite fit. I think your ride just gave me the answer I was looking for! :thumbsup:

CommuterBoy

· #10 · Jan 14, 2010

^^ TransX Bullhorn bars. Got them at Pricepoint I think. They have those Cane Creek 200TT levers on sale for something like 10 bucks right now too...

On the Superflash, it's crazy easy to operate. The 'button' is actually inside the case, you push up on the bottom of the case to turn it on to blinky mode, then solid mode, then off. The plastic of the case bends in to push the button, which is hidden from the elements, inside the case. Some folks have had issues with them cycling through modes or turning off (myself included) because of jarring around during bumpy sections of road, etc. I fixed this by taking the case and wedging a stick into it overnight, to bend the plastic in the other direction, so it wasn't so close to pushing the button...I've never had an issue since. I have also heard that they have addressed this issue on newer models, and it's no longer a concern. No experience with a newer one. But to answer your question, I operate mine with my pearl izumi lobster gloves, which are about as bulky of a glove as anything. It's really easy to operate.

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Gary the No-Trash Cougar

· #11 · Jan 14, 2010

Front: PB 1/2-watt Blaze, usually on steady, sometimes flashing if it's overcast or an area where a lot of people are pulling out of driveways/side streets.

Rear: PB Superflash on flash. Reflective stripe (actually an extra reflective leg band) on my backpack.

Sides: 2 reflectors per wheel, pedal reflectors, reflective leg band.

I really should add more reflective stuff, though.

mtbxplorer

· #12 · Jan 14, 2010

Front
1 Sette white blinky (usually not blinking - too distracting) kinda cheapo constr
1 bar shape red blinky (seatpost mount snapped, now velcroed on)
1 helmet light by Cateye Nicad/Halogen, lasts thru a.m. & p.m. commute
1 handlebar Nightstick headlight by Vistalite (not made anymore & not recommended, battery looks too much like a pipe bomb) Mostly for a backup if helmet lite dies.

Rear
Princeton Tec Swerve (nice!)
2 unknown brand blinkies go on helmet & backpack

Reflective leg bands, reflectors on booties (when used), reflective stripes that came on backpack

Yellow jacket

When I looked up the name of my Princeton tec Swerve, I see they have a rear red blinky, the RF6, rated 1 lumens - don't recall seeing Lux ratings on others..anybody got 1?
http://www.princetontec.com/?q=node/100

Ordered one of these Hi-Viz Camelbaks but apparently from the slowest company on earth...not here yet. Looks great for road & hunting season, OK for commuting "light", not much cargo room.

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jrm

· #13 · Jan 15, 2010

Same here

with the magicshine up front. Cateye something or another blinkie out back. Need a better brighter one.

mechBgon

· #14 · Jan 15, 2010 (Edited)

Front: I used to have a Light & Motion Seca 700 (pretty good for lighting the roadway, very good for being seen). I sold it, so now I use:

Front:

DiNotte 600L plus Dereelight DBS V2, as compared to my Dodge Caravan w/ commentary

I may also throw on a helmet-mounted light to help attract the eye. Depends how paranoid I'm feeling that day

Rear:

Nova BULL emergency-vehicle strobe head, Trek Beacon bar-tip blinkies, and I now have a PDW Radbot 1000 on my helmet, not shown there (sort of a turbo-SuperFlash).

^That's my winter commuter. My three-season commuter has a DiNotte 140L taillight and Trek Beacon bar-tip lights, plus a SuperFlash on the rack:

Both commuters are dosed up pretty good with reflective tape, and so am I:

BTW if anyone gets the hots for reflective tape after seeing that, let me recommend the Reflexite V82 that I've been using. It's thin so it doesn't try to peel itself off, it's got very high reflective performance, it's the premium 10-year grade, and you can get it in colors if you don't want silver (although silver is the most reflective). night-gear.com carries it and doesn't have a minimum order charge.

but I feel like I need to add more lumens to my ride so...

If you can remember to turn them on, the Trek Beacon bar-tip lights are a great add-on. They give you a visible horizontal width, and if they're aimed level, they're pretty bright to the viewer, as you can see from the YouTube videos I linked to. They use one AAA per side, so you can use rechargeable AAAs. They do burn through batteries relatively fast, so throw in freshly-charged AAAs every 20 hours or so. They're also easy to install and you don't have to make room on your seatpost for their mount.

I'm also a big fan of the SuperFlash as long as you get it aimed dead level and straight back. People seem to not comprehend that bike blinkies are directional and have to be aimed at the target.

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3

martinsillo

Discussion Starter · #15 · Jan 15, 2010

thanks M, I read the first 2 chapters about safety on your website, good stuff, will try to read it all during lunch time...sad I can't see youtube from the office

LowLow

· #16 · Jan 15, 2010

I just got the Dinotte 400R taillights and holy sheisse are they bright! Very awesome. For the front, I use these Turbo Cat lights that I used to use for mtb (before I got the Dinotte 800/400L combo). I wouldn't recommend the Turbo Cats because the battery is heavy, it only lasts a couple of hours or so, and it takes 10-15 hours to charge.

HardyWeinberg

· #17 · Jan 15, 2010

I have 2 separate LED lights (one on one bike, one on the other) that I like but I find that supplementing them both w/ the a $50 led flashlight really removes all doubt when I feel like I need it. The flashlight devours batteries (less than 2 commute legs per charge) so I don't use it too often but I'm glad to have it.

pinkrobe

· #18 · Jan 15, 2010

I turned into a bit of a light nerd a couple years back. Here's what my wife and I run on our bikes [lights on daily from October - March]:

Me
Front - DIY Dinotte [MC-E LED - 700+ lumens]
Back - 2-LED red flasher [one on seatpost, one on helmet]
Wife
Front - D-Star Altair Triple [3 x MC-E LED - ~2000 lumens max, usually run at ~600]
Back - PBSF on seatpost, 2-LED red flasher on helmet

My light is bright enough that cars assume I'm another car with a headlight out and move over. She switches her light to high when riding in high-collision areas or on our daily downhill. The brightness might seem like overkill, but all our riding is on the streets. We have to compete with streetlights and car lights, and it's too easy for drivers to simply not notice a dim light.

My wife is using her current light in place of a Princeton Tec Switchback 2. I love Princeton Tec. They have fantastic customer service and make great products with the exception of the Switchback series. OMFG, what a pathetic excuse for a bike light at that price. Check out the MTBR Bike Light Shootout for a comparison of light output for a wide variety of lights. The Switchback series is expensive, but has horrible output/$. It's too bad, because the battery technology is good, the accessories are amazing and it's really easy to use. I think they just put in crap LEDs, which kill the performance. Until that gets fixed, I'd stay away from the Switchback.

I'd recommend the Magicshine. Massive bang for the buck - under $100 shipped for that amount of light is amazing. I know a few people who have them, and they are very happy with the performance.

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mtymxdh

· #19 · Jan 15, 2010

when I do night rides, I usually leave the office at 7pm , go home, change clothes and ride from "El Obispado" to "Chipinque" I ride with NiteRiders MiNewt X2 on the handlebar, and a couple planet bike flashers and also a NiteRider TriNewt on the helmet...

and a generic led flasher in the seatpost for the back

also I wear one of those reflective vests , I got it @ the home depot like $100 pesos or so...

the only "safety" issue I have had was one time returning home at about 11.30 pm some punk as* kids throw me a big mac but they failed,,, then Uturned their car and passed again this time they throw the soda, missed again but when it hit the floor splashed my feet...

martinsillo

Discussion Starter · #20 · Jan 19, 2010

So I didn't read the specs...the 10 leds Topeak UFO are:

6 Super Bright Red LED's
4 Super Bright Yellow LED's (this ones in particular are not super bright!!!)

yes...I didn't get any huge improvement...the setup will remain the same though... but I'm adding this ...green version...already on its way..I'll give it a try.

for the front I'm thinking on a double set of magicshine

1 - 20 of 157 Posts

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