cyccommute 

Be careful with lead-acid. When the light starts to dim, stop drawing from the battery! Lead-acid chemistry is very sensitive to deep discharge. Luckily, SLA are dirt cheap.

kf5nd

Unfortunately, with NR Digital Evolution, be prepared for it to BREAK. Mine lasted 18 months, then I took it back to REI for a full refund, and got a Cygolite for 1/3 the price.

cyccommute 

I have a Bell Metro which has a loop on the back for attaching a light. I have another helmet with a Whaletail (which Vistalite doesn't seem to make anymore ). I also put a blinky on a velcro strap on my left leg below the knee. Finally I attach on or even two blinkies to my camelbak.

I'm a regular bloody Christmas Tree!

jyossarian

I read in the Total Geek thread about guys McGuyvering an amber disco strobe from Radio Shack to the back of their bikes and powering it w/ SLAs. That should make you more visible to traffic coming from behind. You might also want to mount lights that make you visible from the side.

Steele-Bike

I have been riding pre-dawn commutes for the past 5 years. This year I think I have finally perfected my system. With the addition of reflective tape on all sides of the crank arms and the newly purchased Cat-eye omni-blinding taillight there is not much more I can do. I wear relective leg bands and have a reflective triangle on my messenger bag, amongst many other relective and blinking accessories. My 15W headlight is a must for the dark highway section. Other than that, I wear a helmet, use a third-eye mirror and try to watch everything.

Iffacus

I have just started commuting again after a change of jobs and moving house. My commute is only 8 miles but 7 off those are on unlit minor roads (single track) through a forest.

My Front Lights are
SMART LED https://www.chainreactioncycles.com//...x?ModelID=1389
Vistalite Nitesticks 5W & 15W(rarely used) https://www.vistalite.com/vistalite_03/03code25.html

Rear
On Pannier rack - unknown LED light/reflector, constant beam only
on Seat post - Cateye 5 LED https://www.cateye.com/uk/products/vi...d=7&subCatId=4
On Helmet - Cateye LED in a cord https://www.cateye.com/uk/products/vi...d=7&subCatId=4

I find that even with a 1in7(14%) descent (with hairpin corner) I am still able to descend using the 5w bulb (15w is great for blinding motorists that won't dip their headlights )

When I get a chance I'll post some pic up of my route

gear

Two blinkies on the bike one on you, reflective tape on the bike and reflective clothing on you. Shop for a new headlight as the Niterider digital eveloution will crap out on you and the connectors will come apart plunging you into total darkness (probably as you are flying down a hill). If you ride in the rain or just on wet roads keep in mind that you can't judge the depth of water in the dark so that little puddle could be hiding a pot hole. Speaking of pot holes, feel free to circle them with white marking paint, you will be sure to see them after that. Other than that experiment with varrying your start time a few minutes either way till you find just the right time that has the fewest cars (I now leave three minutes earlier and it makes a lot of difference). I think its safer in the dark because your the only thing the drivers see, during the day they have a lot more that they are taking in.

Sloth

I do this every morning I can. I LOVE riding before dawn, and there is not much better than riding into a sunrise on a crisp, clear morning in fall (or spring, for that matter, or summer, or winter!)

I definitely find that it's safer. Not only are there fewer cars, they give you lots and lots of room.

No worries - and have FUN. It's awesome!

I-Like-To-Bike

See attached photos. The high mounting position is important when more one vehicle at a time can be expected to be approaching from the rear, especially at high speed. I'd mount them even higher but couldn't get the bike into my garage. Front lighting isn't that important on my 4:30 -5:30 AM 12 mile commute, I know the road and my two lights allow cross traffic to detect my presence where it exists to see me. Also works well in the dark coming home in December and January. Not a stream lined high tech solution, but an effective one where assuring my visibility to 55mph+ motorists has a higher priority than setting speed records.

dragonfoxmem

since we are going into holiday season, why not decorate some halloween/christmas lights on bike to make more flashy and grab so much attention.

I may saw one once, I can't recall.

gauk

Side visibility is very important, you don't want someone to turn into you from a side road. Reflective tape on the sides of your tubes helps. This light is what I use: www.fossifool.com
Front headlight is very important for showing where you will be, make sure you don't get caught without a strong one. Carry spare batteries, you WILL forget to replace/charge occasionally.

bullethead

Ditto on the redundant front light as well as rear. My niterider in front is a great light, but when the battery goes, it goes in short order. It looks great when you start out, but dims RAPIDLY when the battery drains. Made me thankful for my backup, since the first 10 miles of my commute are also very dark. My biggest challenge has been mental.Visual references are quite a distance appart and I find myself saying "where is it" a lot, or maybe "are we there yet? " is a better way to put it....

I-Like-To-Bike

All depends on where you ride. I commute on a 55mph highway with two intersections in a six mile stretch. And in a deserted town for the other six. Vehicles turning into me is not a significant concern. [For the record my bike has a reflective band on the rear tire and spoke reflectors on the front as well as side lighting fromthe Cateye 1000 rear blinky].

I Know where I will be on the highway as long as my headlight can spot the road lines.

Changing batteries in sub zero weather in the dark is not an option for me, hence redundant lighting with frequent changes (at home) of rechargeable AA and C batteries. And I do NOT forget to change them, anymore than I forget to bring a tire pump.

I-Like-To-Bike

Good idea if it would actually grab more attention from distracted drivers. I believe the blinkies I use are brighter and more effective for my purpose which is to enjoy a reasonably safe ride on a busy highway in the dark. Certainly better at grabbing attention in the dark than a butt wrapped in black lycra and one teensy-(weight)-wienie blinky being the only clue to drowsy/distracted motorists of a bicyclist in front of them.

rule

I look like a cross between a frikkin parade float and a UFO on the pre-dawn side of my commute. I have seen pedestrians actually back away from the road and retreat up into their yard a bit as I am approaching; and the school kids at a bus stop along my commute will crowd around to get a closer look at my set up as I wait at one particular traffic signal. 8P

Side visibility will save your butt more times than you think. But remember that reflectors only work if somebody is shining a light directly at you. So I have Blackburn Mars 3.0 blinkies hung on the sides of my backpack, and one hung off the top carry strap. All of that is in addition to the Cat Eye TL-LD1000 that hangs on my saddle bag. I wear alertshirts.com gear and use reflective accents and tape as well which really help being seen.

Otherwise, be predictable Be Predictable BE PREDICTABLE. Just about every time that I look back at a close call or when I have gotten tagged it was because I had tried something cute or on the spur of the moment had made a move that nobody could have seen coming. And apparently nobody is looking for cyclists using sidewalks, especially around intersections and crosswalks. That is the death zone from what the statistics will tell you.

Last point, if you get caught out just after sunrise, remember that nobody looking into the sun is going to be able to see you approaching no matter what you look like or are wearing. Same thing applies to your end of the day commute home. Plan accordingly for that as needed and you will go a long way to helping the cagers avoid you.

Hope this helps. Have fun and be safe.

Brian Ratliff

Thanks for all the advice. I did the commute this morning and was not as bad as I thought it would be. The first half was fairly dark, but it turns out that it was not pitch black. About half way through, it was pretty much full light. Two blinkers, one on the seatpost (blinking), and the other on the rack (steady) appeared to be enough.

There were fewer cars, though not as few as I would have liked. But hey, I've dealt with cars before and it's no big deal, just an inconvenience. All in all, not bad.

dbg

I was leaning in the opposite direction after seeing some bikes with pretty amazing reflectivity apparatus. Since motor vehicles use very bright lights, it would seem to be very effective to just reflect that back at them. But dusk is a difficult time for both. I'm now also liking the lihtman strobe idea. A basic strobe kit that I can clip to my backpack or somewhere on the bike seems like an excellent thing to have.

Jarery

Just this morning i was looking at my reflective setup as i pedaled. The most effective of all my reflective gear is on my feet, lower legs, because it moves.

Then i noticed that my rear pannier, which is mounted on left side (left mounted so that spray from passing cars hits the waterproof cover and not the unprotected back) blocks most of my reflective striping.

The fact that my panniers block so much, is making me think i may want to consider a trunk instead. Any thoughts on the whole visibility of someone with panniers compared to a trunk ?

Seanholio

Have you considered using a white LED light to shine on your back from the top of that mast? I'm sure there is no way they could mistake you for anything else when your back is lit up.

cyccommute 

The only problem with reflectors is that light has to hit them to be effective. I can envision some situations - tight curves, topping a hill, etc. - where the light from the car would not illuminate your reflectors until it is too late. Or, as someone else pointed out, bags that mask your reflectors. It's probably best to have some of both but I would lean more towards active systems than passive.

ItsJustMe

very good reference on how to get the best life and performance out of any kind of battery

Read the whole site for bonus points, and you'll be a battery genius.

Jarery

I have a question for our more electronicaly gifted forum folk.

I use two kinds of lighting systems. A halogen/nimh for headlight (alias) and a led for a taillight(L1000, the 10 led cateye one).

Battery life and light bulb/led life if you run the light in constant mode compared to flashing mode.

Led i would think would have both longer bulb life, and longer battery life in flash mode, since i dont think led's draw more power to turn on. But this is all a guess on my part. Do leds burn out faster on flash ? drain less on flash?

And then same question regarding my halogen. i could see the halogen being better on constant mode since i seem to recall the actual turning on part being a larger pwer draw, etc. Again, just a guess on my part. Anyone know for sure ?

Brian Ratliff

LED's are not light bulbs in the same sense as a halogen or simple home incandesent. LED's are semiconductors which happen to produce light. This means that an LED will not wear out, probably in your life time, flashing or not (although parts of the circuit may corrode or otherwise fail).

The most stress on a halogen would be during turn on, with the associated current spike into a cold filiment (this is a thermal cycle, which puts stress on the filiment, causing it to break). Therefor, it will probably last longer in constant mode. If you want a flashing light, spend $20 for a white LED light. You cannot see by them, but they are very bright and will make you very visible. Unless it is an emergancy, I cannot see a reason for operating a halogen light in blinking mode. I carry a white LED Cateye light for backup.

Brian Ratliff

By the way, I should update. I have now riden into work before sunrise for 4 days this week. It's gone well. There are fewer cars on the road and if it is really dark, they tend to give me wide berth. Remember the VW commercial with the car following a cyclist down a hill? A car did that for me today on the ride in on a long hill that can take me up to 55mph if I let it (don't worry, 45 max in the dark ). It was nice because it blocked a string of cars from passing me when I was at my most vulnerable. Maybe the commercial helped?

markf

Glad the pre-dawn commuting has gone well.

I bought a Shimano DH-3N70 generator hub and a Busch & Müller halogen head light about 2 months ago, and I really love it for night time commuting. It's not as powerful as your light, but the optics are so well designed that it provides me with all the light I need for speeds up to 20 mph on a narrow, winding unlit bike path. I've also done 40 mph downhills without blowing a bulb, so the regulating circuitry is pretty effective. Best of all, I don't have to worry about remembering to charge the battery, whether or not to discharge the battery, etc.