BobbyG

I've been commuting in Colorado Springs with a Niterider Minewt 500 (~500 lumens) for about 10 years. It's more than adequate for my needs and speeds. The beam pattern is what's important. It's a wide-ish spot with a nice off-spot spread. Other headlights were brighter and tighter, others were wider but dimmer. This one hit the sweet spot for price and performance for me at the time. And the battery life works for me; my ride home in the dark can be up to an hour in the winter with snow.

I think my next light will be one with a shaped beam and a horizontal cut-off. Those do an excellent job of lighting the road with even less lumens, which is why they are favored when using internal hub generators. They also cause less blinding of oncoming drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians.