[Closed] Burly lights for daily commute.

Bontrager Ion Pro RT and Flare RT for me. I could easily get away with fewer lumens on the front though - the Ion Elite or Ion Comp would be fine.

I'm loving my exposure trace and trace-r

Ravemen PR

I have a PR900, it’s about perfect for that. Broad low cutoff beam that lights the surface evenly and far ahead. It has a second emitter for offroad/high beam, this can be activated with a little remote switch (o-ringed on the bars near my thumb). Remote is handy to signal/flash other road users. Also has nice pulse mode which I find better than flash, doesn’t tire your eyes yet draws attention.

Emitters have a slight warm colour which also prefer. You can see approx runtime remaining in hrs/minutes via LED display. The build quality is very, very good for the price. Feels like it would cost double.

Had about 6 months now and it seems bombproof. Extra feature = doubles up as a USB powerbank.

If I was to buy again then would probably stump up the extra £20 for the PR1200 for a little extra if needed (ie gravel etc). There is a 1600 also.

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Ravemen-PR1200-USB-Rechargeable-DuaLens-Front-Light-with-Remote_107734.htm

Exposure joystick, £120 at CRC, bombproof.

I second the Ravemen PR series of lights. I've got the 1600.

It's a well built unit with a decent mount and useful features.

To get 3hrs out of it, you wouldn't be able to run it on max power but the lower power modes are still bright enough and you won't be dazzling drivers on the road with the profiled road beam.

My set up is a moon 350lx with remote switch on the front (yes Only 350lm) good enough for a fast road commute.
Tracer on the back
Exposure double end thingy on helmet.
I think helmet lights get you seen over crests in the road, over cars but also give drivers a bit more perspective to tell how far away you are at night, especially with bright lights.
No idea if this is the case.

Is this to be seen or see?

If to be seen, Exposure Trace / Trace R

How much of your commute will be under street lights?

My set up is a moon 350lx with remote switch on the front (yes Only 350lm) good enough for a fast road commute.

In contrast, my 1500lumen Strada SB is barely enough once your speed is over 30kph and you’re on totally dark roads. If adjusted properly so as not to dazzle drivers, the beam doesn’t have enough throw to see potholes. A helmet light is an absolute must at this point as a 3000lumen front light is dazzling even on low and a helmet light can be easily dipped or not for properly fast road work.

Another vote for the raveman. 1hr 20 min commute each way through darker months. Works great.  Its never given me cause to even think about it in 2 years.

Regarding the Ravemen lights - I wrote a little review of mine when I got it...there's some pics so you can perhaps get a better idea of it.

https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/ravemen-pr1600-bike-light-mini-review/

C and B Seen City Slicker front, if you're on tarmac.

https://www.candb-seen.co.uk/product-front-light.html

If you're riding gravel tracks, not so much - the new style mount on mine snapped whlie descending at about 25kph. Was thankfully replaced with one of the older style mounts, but the website has been updated to say that it's only for on-road use, not off-road

EDIT - just seen in the OP that it's 50/50 on and off road so this is probably not for you sadly

Get a dynamo, a bit more expensive (£200?) but you never have to charge a battery, or remember to fit them again.

And the beam pattern is much more useable than the average round beam where 3/4 of your lumens end up in drivers eyes or the sky.

Rear light - https://seesense.cc/
I've got their Beam Front light on pre-order too, was supposed to be out in Jan, but delayed, then lockdown.. I know it'll be great when it turns up eventually.
In the meantime, the Lezyne Mircodrive 500 has been just fine on the unlit backroads I ride home.

This looks like a good deal https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/lezyne-connect-smart-1000xl-ktv-smart-set/rp-prod191405

Lot of options out there, you pays yer money, you takes yer choice!

Using the same Bikehut 1000 as last year still it's doing the high beam duties (coupled with a dynamo running light) for a 40min each way, half unlit commute, good for at least a fortnight between charges this time of year... Pretty cheap for what it is.

I've got a Ravemen 1200. It's plenty bright and I dropped it whilst doing about 25mph the first time I used it and it survived!

My only gripe with it is I'd like a more attention grabbing pulse/flash mode. I'd like it to be always on with a quick, brighter, flash from the second LED. But instead it just gradually makes the one LED brighter, then dimmer, then brighter again in a very 'smooth' pattern.

Kryton was selling a decent set on the ads the other day for a good price?

Something like the bikehut 1000/1600 for the proper dark bits alongside something more traffic friendly for the rest alongside it would work.

Most of the small Moon light under £30 would do that job fine.

Rear lights most things would work - I like the Moon Nebula I’ve been using for a few years but I also run a second rear light just to be sure -
Just a cheapy thing to sit on the seat stays.

Happy with Moon Meteor Storm Pro. USB charging, reasonably easy to remove from mount, a little stiff, but sturdy. Bright, and good low-brightness modes for road/street lit areas, or non-demanding off-road you know like the back of your hand -- brighter modes for more demanding off-road and/or dark roads.

In contrast, my 1500lumen Strada SB is barely enough once your speed is over 30kph and you’re on totally dark roads.

Mental. I commute on completely unlit roads quite happily with a 250lm Moon something or other, and most of the time with it on the 150lm setting.

The problem with these portable sun-type lights is that they knacker your night vision, so you can see the pool of light and only the pool of light. You can actually see more, further ahead, with a 'dimmer' light, because you can make stuff out outside of the beam (it's rarely pitch black, there's often quite a lot of residual light around). And you don't need more than 250lm to be seen on an unlit road.

Agree with IHN, don't need 1000s of lumens on the road.

Cheers folks, some good options there.

The problem with these portable sun-type lights is that they knacker your night vision, so you can see the pool of light and only the pool of light.

As do the headlights of approaching cars. So for the next 3-4 minutes, you're completely blind to what's on the road or the state of the road.

250lumens is not enough at 30kph. At 30Kph you're doing almost 8.5m/s and to react you're going to need 2 seconds, so the light needs to highlight a pothole over 17m away on a dark surface. At 45KPH, that's over 30m. Show me a 250lumen light that can do that without having nothing but a spot specifically set at that distance.

The main luminescence of the light should be set at around 8m, that means that the flood should be set to around 16m, similar to a car headlight.

Regarding brightness....the Ravemen PR1600 I have only runs at that brightness (1600 lumens) with both beams on, which I never use on the road. Each beam is 800 lumen, just with a different lens on to re-direct the light.
I rarely need to use full road beam. I would normally have it set to mid setting which is 400 lumen and reduce it to the low setting (200 lumen) for early evening/twilight riding.

Is it wrong to enjoy the thrill of being blinded by on coming traffic Whilst doing 30mph down a hill.

I'm still using an old Hope Vision 1 - must at least 10 years old and take 4 (rechargeable) AA batteries,
No idea on lumens, but just have it on low on road and turn it up higher off road. Keep looking at new ones, but if it ain't broke...

250lumens is not enough at 30kph. At 30Kph you’re doing almost 8.5m/s and to react you’re going to need 2 seconds, so the light needs to highlight a pothole over 17m away on a dark surface. At 45KPH, that’s over 30m. Show me a 250lumen light that can do that without having nothing but a spot specifically set at that distance.

Anything with a StVZO sticker on it.

Even the most expensive, super bright dynamo lights are probably only ~250-400 lumens (they're sold yb lux not lumens). They do it by not shining the other 500-1000 into drivers' eyes and the sky.

If you project the beam pattern onto a vertical surface it's actually pretty much as you say, a very bright letter box shaped spot, that dims towards the bottom with a sharp cut at the top. When you project that onto the ground at a shallow angle you get an even amount of light right into the distance.

The main luminescence of the light should be set at around 8m, that means that the flood should be set to around 16m, similar to a car headlight.

Except that's nothing like a car headlight. Like a StVZO light, they're designed to project the light onto the road, not putting half of it to waste.

That £13 Lidl set were a great buy around March, which I think TINAS raved about for their price and their apparent StVZO compliance.

The front hasn't had much use yet, but the rear light has been a regular on rides approaching sunset.