Need Strong Light for Cycling to See the Road!

[vja4Him]

I need a strong light for cycling, that will allow me to see the road, to avoid obstacles. I have a CatEye 520, which seems to be bright enough for drivers to see me, but it doesn't do any good for me to see the road ahead.

I also have a Coleman 60 lumens helmet light, which does help, but only for riding slow, like around 8-10mph. It is still somewhat dim though, but better than the Wal-Mart headlights.

I'm hoping to spend around $130, maybe even $150. I see DiNotte has a Pro Series 200L for $130 without the batteries/charger. I have tons of rechargeable batteries and three chargers.

But .... I'm wondering .. Can I get something that is brighter for around the same cost, that uses different batteries than AA? I really do need to see the road to avoid obstacles when riding in the dark. Streets in our area are very bad for riding ...

- Riding 4 Life
http://vj4him.blogspot.com/

 

[guaps]

You might want to read some reviews at www.mtbr.com - here is a link to their light reviews. There are tons of reviews there and the prices are listed for most of the lights.

I ride with a guy that has a Cygolite and one that has a Light and Motion light. So you might want to check out those brands too. We do an early morning ride each week in the dark. I don't have a light (yet), so I ride behind them since they can see. It gets harry once in while, but I haven't gone down yet.

I'm working on building my own light that will hopefully blind them both. :naughty:

 

[POH]

vga4him,

If after reviewing your options you end up getting a DiNotte 200L I don't think you will be disappointed. I have one and it works well as a road light. I run mine on 4AA Ni-Mh batteries and get 2.5-4hrs of runtime depending on how much the light is on high.

I have found that for me I tend to run it on the top setting (200lm) most of the time. At 30kph 200lm gives you just enough light (throw and spread). At 50% I found it to be a little hairy going more than 25kph as you don't get enough light projected in front of you to react. 25% mode is good for dusk and when you are just noodling along (<20KPH).

That being said I have 2 lights (1 DiNotte 1 homemade Dinotte-style) and at 400lm (100% mode x2) I have been able to scream along with some comfort at upwards of 40kph though thats pushing it. I use the second light as a backup light and to suppliment when the road gets twisty (too dumb to slow down ).

Don't forget to get a good tail light. I use the DiNotte 140L and it is fantastic. At night I look like a moving emergency light and cars slow to a crawl when going by as they have no idea what the heck I am until they are close. Even oncoming cars slow as they can see the 6' red circle of light hitting the ground behind me.

 

[JinbaIttai]

.

 

[Sprocketman]

I use a car light. It lights up the road enough so I don't have to slow down, although it's only half of what a car has and you begin to appreciate how much a car driver really does not see, particularly in rain.

Nothing makes a driver respond quicker, even in the midst of urban light clutter, since they are conditioned from childhood to look for oncoming cars, and at night that means they are looking for oncoming car lights. The small bike lights are bright, but they look like a pinpoint, and can just get lost among all the other light sources in the background. Car lights have a cutoff beam that does not blind others on a trail, and puts the light on the roadway where you need it. They also have a high beam. Mine is an old sealed beam unit made of Lexan, so it's lighter than the glass ones. I made a mount for it using a steel rim and a little trash can for car consoles from an auto part store.

For years I ran mine on heavy NiCd D cells from power packs for an NEC 386 laptop. Then I converted to NiMH batteries, and tried using C cells due to the higher energy of NiMH cells, but went back to D cells eventually because the C's just did not seem to hold up and lost capacity. I used 11 (NiMH)or 12 (NiCad) cells rather than ten to provide extra voltage and keep the light bright. Again, the cheap NiMH D cells did not hold up that well in daily use. In 2006 I started using a 5.5AH Powerizer Lithium Ion / Polymer battery that weighs 18 oz (500gr), puts out 14.7 volts for a very bright headlight. It may melt down some day the way lithium cells sometimes do when cell protection circuits fail. The vendor said at the time "for R&D use only and NOT for individual customers." I charge it in my bike parking area and use it while riding outdoors, so that's a concern but seems like a reasonable risk similar to those that laptop users are running. I am looking for one in the safer LiFePO4 or LIMR chemistry that self-extinguishes if a protection circuit fails.

I use my EDC for backup in case I forget to charge the battery. It's an MC-E running on a 16340. The beam is "wall of light" so the spill is probably not appreciated by oncoming riders on a trail, but I have not had to use a backup for a couple of years.

I have posted more info on my own solutions for night riding at
http://www.helmets.org/lights.htm

Randy

 

[vja4Him]

DiNotte 140 Taillight ...

I ordered the DiNotte 140, which should be arriving soon! Still waiting to get my bike out of the shop ... The rear wheel had to be specially built.

- Riding 4 Life
http://vj4him.blogspot.com/

vga4him,

If after reviewing your options you end up getting a DiNotte 200L I don't think you will be disappointed. I have one and it works well as a road light. I run mine on 4AA Ni-Mh batteries and get 2.5-4hrs of runtime depending on how much the light is on high.

I have found that for me I tend to run it on the top setting (200lm) most of the time. At 30kph 200lm gives you just enough light (throw and spread). At 50% I found it to be a little hairy going more than 25kph as you don't get enough light projected in front of you to react. 25% mode is good for dusk and when you are just noodling along (<20KPH).

That being said I have 2 lights (1 DiNotte 1 homemade Dinotte-style) and at 400lm (100% mode x2) I have been able to scream along with some comfort at upwards of 40kph though thats pushing it. I use the second light as a backup light and to suppliment when the road gets twisty (too dumb to slow down ).

Don't forget to get a good tail light. I use the DiNotte 140L and it is fantastic. At night I look like a moving emergency light and cars slow to a crawl when going by as they have no idea what the heck I am until they are close. Even oncoming cars slow as they can see the 6' red circle of light hitting the ground behind me.

 

[POH]

vga4him,

For a commercial tail light the 140 is a great option. Some may think (as I did before I got it) that it is overkill but I think it can easily help save someones life as it projects such a huge amount of light compared to your typical blinky. And I mean huge amount of light in comparison.

I hum'ed and hawed as to if it was worth it and decided the price was cheaper than my life if it helps save it. I ride in the country on very dark roads with zero overhead lighting and it has helped make me more than comfortable on them in the pitch black.