[Closed] Commuting lights?

How much?

I have a fairly old exposure strada which works nicely with high and low beam. Although would always reserve a few quid for a secondary set of lights (normally i just use a head torch for this).

My local Aldi still had quite a few of the lights in stock when I checked last Thursday.

Been a lot of these threads - so what will happen is:

* some people will come along and tell you Dynamo is the way forward for commuting. It’ll potentially cost you an arm and a leg and mean rebuilding a front wheel I think.

* the exposure fan boi’s will say nothing else comes close and even though they are ludicrously expensive that’s what you should get.

* some very cheap options will be suggested hat probably won’t last very long.

* other people (me) will suggest what we have ourself.

So in that spirit I’d recommend a front Moon Vortex which I paid £28 for from CRC I think it was. Up to 600 lumens when there’s no-one to blind, but with several other lower powered steady lit modes. Also has a pulse mode where it’s permanently on low but with a brighter pulse, and various flashing options. USB rechargeable and a decent firm handlebar mount.

On the back I don’t think you need to spend a fortune - I’ve got an £11 (again from CRC) lifeline rear light on one of my seat stays. Also bright / multiple modes / usb rechargeable. I do also have a Moon Nebula which is awesome - nearer £30 online but it has silly levels of rear brightness should you want them, as well as flashy modes and a pulse mode. I use the pulse on both rear lights at the same time as I dice with traffic when I commute so I want loads of light.

* other people (me) will suggest what we have ourself.

Lezyne 🙂

Or look on eBay for the Aldi ones at slightly inflated prices.

A dynamo doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg.

A basic dynamo wheel for £30. https://www.decathlon.co.uk/28-front-hybrid-dynamo-wheel-id_8133890.html
Plus about £35 for a decent front light, eg B&M IQ Fly Premium. Bright enough for dark towpaths, and doesn't dazzle other people https://www.bike24.com/p2103112.html
Add a rear light for about £10 if you want. eg B&M Toplight View. https://www.bike24.com/p267773.html

Then no worries about batteries etc, it just works.

Lezyne, pick the one that fits budget and brightness and you'll be fine. Worth noting that for a well surfaced towpath you don't need that much power unless you're really going for it. On the back I like 2 or 3 cheaper lights, some constant, some flashing.

I'd make sure whatever you get is USB chargeable, makes it very easy to keep the battery up without having to buy a new wheel.

The £14.99 Aldi rechargeable set were bang on - front lasts an hour on full power and you don't need full power on my unlit towpath commute.

Not sure what they currently cost, but my B&M Ixus light is bang on - enough light on lower setting for towpath commuting, German road legal beam so it doesn't dazzle, though it does cut off and sometimes not spot overhanging twigs.

That’s most of the answers I suggested you’ll get covered now....

I'd read some comparative reviews written by someone who's used more than a hand-full of lights.

the exposure fan boi’s will say nothing else comes close and even though they are ludicrously expensive that’s what you should get.

<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">Great lights for mountain biking / road riding. Good customer service. Made in the UK. Probably overkill for commuting. In the spirit of shared experience, the last Lezyne I used was a poorly sealed rear that died from water ingress. Moon Shield is an ace, bright rear, but again eventually killed by the wet.</span>

* the exposure fan boi’s will say nothing else comes close and even though they are ludicrously expensive that’s what you should get.

Well, that.  ^^ They last forever. The customer service is  brilliant.

Honestly, the amount of money I spent on cheap lights, expensive lights, replacement bulbs (have you seen how much HID bulbs are?!) and then finally went for Exposure and...they just last.

And even if they do break, you send them back to Exposure who promptly fix it.

I went for these in the end as they looked the closest to the Aldi lights.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B076SS1RXY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've been pretty pleased with them so far,40 minutes a day for the past week and they are still going on their first charge. They light up the towpath pretty well and are supposedly meet the STVZO standard.

if you want to "to light the way ahead without dazzling oncomers into the inky blackness" you want something that meets the STVZO standard - ie has a shaped beam that puts the light on the ground and not up at eye level.

Exposure, Lezyne et al make great lights for off road night riding (I've got both) but the unshaped beam *will* dazzle oncoming riders unless you point it so far down it's not really lighting your way ahead.  I've also got a couple of bikes with Dynamos and German standard lights and the beam shape is genuinely better for commuting

Aldi or Lidl lights are cheap. Exposure do STVZO stuff now and so do Lezyne

Easiest way to look at what's available is to check a German shop -  https://www.bike-discount.de/en/search?q=stvzo

Rear lights almost anything is bright enough. Superbright and/or flashing is horrible for other riders, especially on unlit paths (you'll blind them).  something less  bright should give better battery life as well.