[Closed] Nights drawing in - what lights for commuting?

use 2 rear lights, 1 on you, 1 on the bike - this results in a slightly out-of-sync movement which is very eye catching.

and hi-viz yellow reflective ankle straps - the upanddown pedaling movement is also very eye catching.

How longs your commute ?

Mk2 red eye for 30 quid and use your joystick with some form of side visible suplimentary front light.

My use exposure stuff is now going into year 4 so has paid for its self at what i paid for its self

Failing that rechargable flare/flash combo is a good option my boss has a set an they impresssed me for size

Commute is just under 18 miles each way.

Thought about a red-eye but ideally I want to get the joystick off the helmet mount - it's not a huge problem but the weight is noticeable (admittedly only really noticed it off road though so more bouncing around).

Yep, very impressed with exposure which is why I was considering the flash/flare combo. The joystick I have is about 5 years old now and still going strong.

Good point on the ankle straps.

For 18 miles each way, I would get a dynamo hub. Plus something like the Busch & Muller IQ Cyo - it is well bright enough for on-road riding. Or the new IQ2 Luxos, though its not available yet.

Plus a few extra flashing rear lights, I like the Cateye LD1100.

Why cant you bar mount the joystick ad it the red eye ?

I mean the big red one not the little single small led plug in micro eye

Ive got maxx d on low upfront with a mk2 red eye out back

And a joy stick on my head with an old mk1 red eye on my head for 15 miles each way.

Nite Rider MiNewt 250 usb, for the front.

Edit: Oops, didn't see the price limit.

Dynamo hub looks nice but too much cost and effort, plus would restrict the bike I use. Currently I just have a race bike demoted to commuting duties but hope to get a decent commuter at some point, if/when I do I'll definitely look at those though.

Red-eye - I've only seen the micro ones, normal could be just the ticket for the back to go with what I've already got there. What model joystick are you using with the micro? Mine is 2008ish (240 lumens), I guess it will work but need to check.

are you meaning you'd still use the Joystick too?

[s]having had a looksee

id actually buy a flare and a recharger. at least then its independant.

they are incredibly bright 😀

my joysticks about the same age as yours[/s]

scrap that just noticed its 9hrs on disposables and 3hrs on a rechargable ..... does your vintage of USE have the smart port ? if so i stand by using the full size red eye

This winter I'm using three of the 0.5 Watt Smart Rear Lights for commuting - two on the frame, one on the courier bag - all set to flashing....

[img] [/img]

footflaps

please put one to solid..... its incredibly hard to judge distances on flashes in the dark alone !

[i]please put one to solid..... its incredibly [b]difficult for car drivers[/b] to judge distances on flashes in the dark alone ![/i]

PLUS 10000000000000000

not just cars ..... fast moving cyclists coming up behind incredibly slow moving cyclists have the same difficulty.... although im sure they were verging on falling over they were going so slow.

ive just got one of these
http://www.cycle-world.co.uk/products.php?plid=m2b0s37p3428...its great! very bright and only £100..also use the rear light above as its also very bright,they also do a chepaer front light for 59

Trail rat. Aye, you're right.

Imo, its a flashy to catch the eye, but its a constant light that helps others see in which direction I am travelling, the distance I am away from someone and how fast I am traveling.

I rate the Lunar Smart 1/2 watt lights, got a couple of R1s too, which are mental bright.

Its been done to death on here before, anyway. Flashing, constant, bla, bla. FWIW, I ride with my rear light on constantly.
That way theres no excuse for any other road user to claim they didn't see me.

And its worked pretty well so far.
😉

* I've posted my two penneth worth only out of concern for others, not for flame practice *

4 hour run time is a bit shite on that cateye.

They aint bad lights but cat eye alwasy seem to be a few steps behind in the light game.

18bikes - yep, I'd bar mount the joystick and perhaps use a red eye along with some other cateye types on the back. If I went flash/flare then bar mount the joystick and helmet mount the flash, with one of them set to flash and one solid. On the back saddle mount the flare and put some cateyes on seatpost/seatstays.

trail rat - it's not on the exposure site, but I read elsewhere that the flare puts out less lumens on disposable batteries, could explain the difference in burn time.

yeah all im thinking is that at 18 miles each way youd have to charge them up in work no ?

bobbyatwork - £100 for a commuting front light is over budget, it's actually the rear I'm more concerned about. If needs be I have a Hope V4 I can strap to the front and a joystick for helmet mounting.

Probably, to be on the safe side. It's not that hilly so I can do an hour each way pretty comfortably, with a 3 hour burn time I have wiggle room.

What do you lot use to get you seen?

As above ,I always think ankle thingies are more eye catching .

I got some cheap Aldi ankle straps, with the LEDs in them.
I use two smart lights on the seat post ,one solid ,one slow flash.
Two of those frame lights that Tescos sold for a while,they hang off my bag and I like the idea that they are bouncing about a bit.
Nite flux unit on the front( old ,but still good) with a Fenix for back up in my bag.
This years addition ,is two pedal reflectors glued together ,then hung off the seat rails.
All of this plus a yellow jacket and I should be hard to [s]miss[/s] hit .
Top tip I had for the Smart lights ,was to wrap tape round the joint after putting new batteries in.
On their 3rd winter, and still going strong.

anyone found anywhere with a stock of the R1 with reflector ? need to get a few for some of the other bikes in the house.

anyone near the slug - my holy hand grenade is somewhere on it but i cant find it - if you feel lucky !

I (used to) use a torch from DX with a P7 LED and an 18650 battery. Strapped to my helmet it is the perfect commute light and also the perfect supplement to my Lumicycle LED3 bar light for off road night rides. It lasts for hours.

However, I seem to have mislaid it and I just need a replacement. I'm thinking of the XML T6 variety now but I'm so confused which one to get. I don't need the batteries or charger, I just want it small bright and not too heavy. Does anybody know the one that will make me happy?

[i]Top tip I had for the Smart lights ,was to wrap tape round the joint after putting new batteries in.
On their 3rd winter, and still going strong.[/i]

Alright !. I'll spill the beans. Tape on the joint of a lunar is ok, but, ime, can be a bit messy when the tape goes all gooey.

I use a section of old, road wheel, inner tube, say, may be 5-10mm wide and just wrap that around the light, over the joint. Making sure not to obscure too much of the lens for side visibility. Works a treat, haven't lost a Lunar yet.