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My wife is doing the JOGLE in a few weeks time, it appears the route planners have chosen a shorter route which means more trunk road riding.
I was looking at the Exposure Flare set for £50 (non chargeable as the rechargeable set will be going flat towards the end of the day. I can get a box of 12 batteries for £20 which would last the trip as its over 10 days.
But before I take the plunge, are there any other contenders I should consider?
thanks 🙂
Hope vision 1, - just standard batteries.
LM minewt USB - rechargable but does last a long time.
How much riding in dark are you planning on doing?
Yeah depends if you want the lights to be seen or to see buy - if the latter (i.e. riding in the dark) then you want something brighter than a Flare.
Flare is fine, but for USB rechargeable I'd suggest the Cateye Rapid 1 and matching front light. As mentioned, none of the above are bright enough for night riding. Then I'd go for an Exposure Strada.
It will be for daytime visibility, occasionally you see roadies with strobe style front lights and its this what I am looking for. I think they are particularly useful when faced with overtaking traffic on your side of the road.
She will be riding in one of several small groups that don't know each other, but I don't know how well they will stick together so its possible she could be riding alone on a fast road in poor conditions.
Should be fine with your first plan then, lots of alternatives but the Flash/Flare is very bright and reliable so a good choice. I'd also consider a fibre flare for the rear seatstay, it provides added side vis + they aren't annoyingly dazzly to riders close behind you.
The Exposure lights look really good from a daylight visibility point of view (excuse the pun)
I would get the rechargable pack as you can use either battery in the same light. Use disposables for the long run time for the long ride, then use the rechargables after she has finished the ride and does not need a long continuous runtime.
Would recommend the Tacx Lumos if on road bikes and you’re after ‘to be seen’ lights.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/tacx-lumos-front-and-rear-led-handlebar-light-set/
I've been looking at the lights used by a lot of other commuters over teh winter. Back lights are easy - you really don't need to spend a lot to get something surprisingly visible. The Blackburn Mars 4 is cheaper than the exposure rear, very bright, and has a good battery life on standard AAA batteries but I cheaper lights than that are still very effective. Over bright rears tend to dazzle. Nasty for other cyclists and probably for drivers as well.
Front's a bit more complex. There's a big difference between 'be seen' and 'see by' lights on the front but for dusk/daytime the exposure lights set on 'flash' are some of the best around as they have some constant light so much easier to judge distance and speed with them than something that's a true strobe. Should still be on constant when it's dark though.
Usual advice that bright/hi-viz clothing is at least as if not more important than lights. Bright windvest is the most flexible bit of clothing you can get, a couple of velcro ankle bands, light coloured helmet, maybe some hi-viz tape (cheap on ebay) added to panniers if she's using them or to the back of the seatpost/stays.
If you really want to be seen during the day, the Gloworm X2 has a 700 lumen Flash mode which will last for 9 hours or a slower flashing Strobe which gives a 1200 lumen pulse every second for 2 days.
Just to clarify OP, you're looking for lights to be 'seen with' in daylight?
That's right fourbanger. I think having looked at the options, I will go for the Exposure rechargeable set, back up with normal batteries for when she may want them on all day i.e rain. The light stick also looks good as it shouldn't annoy the other riders. thanks 🙂
I'm a Exposure Lights junkie with
Joystick
Diablo
Race
Enduro
Flash / Flare
2 X Redeyes
The Flash / Flare are [u]VERY[/u] bright for their size and ideal to be seen by. However, their design isn't perfect and like other peeps I know, mine have been back to USE for repair.
For gloomy riding / TT events, I'll use the F&F but be aware they [i]might[/i] be temperamental.
For proper lighting I run a red eye + Smart Electron on the rear and a choice of front to also power the redeye. The Smarts don't have the best weather sealing and can be erratic in wet weather.
If I was going to be paranoid, I'd say A N Other LED on the rear and a F&F. You'd have to be pretty unlucky to lose both rear lights.
Oh and BTW the rechargeable Flash is a lot brighter than the disposable - http://www.exposurelights.com/product/000058/flash/
M1kea
What's your experience of running the redeye rear? I've used it with a joystick and a Race. Either way it seems to have a much more dramatic impact on battery life than it's supposed to (and makes the guage unpredictable).
simons_nicolai-uk - MemberM1kea
What's your experience of running the redeye rear? I've used it with a joystick and a Race. Either way it seems to have a much more dramatic impact on battery life than it's supposed to (and makes the guage unpredictable).
Hi
I've found them to noticeably impact battery life as well. I have one of the original?? metal ones plus the Flarealike versions.
Not done any comparative tests but empirically I reckon a Joystick + Redeye will do 2 hours max on full power.