daredevil

You need redundancy for one thing. A light on the bike and one on the helmet is not a bad idea. Additionally in the rear you should have the same....one on the helmet, one on the bike. For me it's a P7 up front on the bike with a Fenix on the helmet and a Superflash in back on the helmet with a Dinotte on the bike. One of the tail lights flashes and one is steady. In the front, both run steady, no blinking to confuse cagers.

btw, the Romisen would not be a bad choice for one of the lights.

Dodgensince74

I just bought one of these, won't know for a while how good they really are.

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

crazzywolfie

has anyone tried using one of these on there bike? i know it is not a bike light but it might work good.

dougmc

There's nothing wrong with adapting non-bike lights for bike use ... but that wouldn't make a very good headlight. It doesn't create a beam -- it just lights up the general area.

You could mount it on your downtube to light up the area under your front wheel to help you be seen -- but I'd suggest something with a beam for your headlight.

Cyclist0383

That's a suspiciously low price for a MagicShine light. I wonder what the catch is?

Dodgensince74

I wondered the same thing, but I figured for the price and using my paypal to pay that it was worth checking out. I figured that I've wasted alot more in the past without knowing ahead of time what might happen. I did do the "make offer" route and got it for less then the "buy it now" price.

Cyclist0383

Why not? $35 isn't really that much, and it's not like MagicShine is a totally unknown light. Please let us know how it turns out.

carlspeed

I thought that I had posted this here but I guess not. I got the planet bike super flash blaze set off ebay for $46 shipped and I love it. It's as bright as any thing else I've seen on the trail. Both blink, both are good units, and both can be removed if you want to simply use then as a hand held unit.

fuji86

I went with a Zefal set from Wal-Mart for under $ 20. Exceeds FL statutory requirements, Really only going to use it for those later PM rides, times I get caught a couple of miles from home after the sun has set. Or for the early AM rides and it's close enough for the sun to rise, yet hasn't, the 5 minute head start I call it. I think anyone riding in the middle of the night or well enough before and after sunrises & sunsets might be dealing with more drunk drivers ? My strategy for night riding, go slow, stay on sidewalks as much as possible, use side streets that are little to no traffic when possible too.

due ruote 

My Romisen stopped working after about a year, and I don't mean a year of hard service.

On a lark, I picked up a 2-pack of something called TechLite Lumen Master at Costco for about $15. They're a bit short and stubby compared to the Romisen but just as bright and have several modes. No problems in at least 6 months.

Lately though I've been impressed with the Planet Bike Super Flash blaze set. The flashlights get more use walking the dog.

gbiker

That's what I decided on. So far, so good, though I wish the center spot of the beam was bigger.

This is a great thread. I was looking at expensive bike lights at REI and underwhelming bike lights at LBSs before stumbling upon it.

Robert C

Based on the recommendations in this thread I ordered a set of flashlights, and blocks to hold them, from DX. I placed the order on the 11th of September, I got a notice that they were shipping ten days later, on the 21st. I received them yesterday, exactly one week after the notice of shipping, on the 28th.

I haven't used them at night yet; however, for all some complain about the shipping time form DX, I considered that very reasonable.

gbiker

I ordered from Shining Beam and got my package two biz days later. Good customer service too.

Cyclist0383

Where did you buy it from? From my own experiences with Romisen I suspect that some China shops like DX are selling seconds or counterfeit lights. All the Romisen I had from DX, as well as a friend's light have died. The Romisen that I have from Shining Beam is of totally different quality, and works a charm.

kh6idf

Just put a set of these on my wife's bike: https://www.rei.com/product/808471

No comparison to brighter more serious lights, but these are plenty bright to get noticed at a distance, are ridiculously easy to install (in seconds, no tools) and small / light enough that you could stow them in your seat bag or jersey pocket if you didn't want to leave them on the bike.

Mr. Embrey

I like the Serfas USB 3 headlight. Before that I used a LED flashlight held on with the inner tube technique. Both work well.

ZBoss

was going to ask if this worked well or not because I was looking for a bike light of some kind for a decent price...

dougmc

Well, what's your budget?

Taillights --

https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.35036 $3.54 taillight, good quality, great price. Really, at this price, as good as this light is, I'm hard pressed to suggest anything else unless you've got lots of money to spend.

Most of dealextreme's older bike lights are crap, but some of the ones they've added recently are good, and the ones I suggest are in the latter category.

As for headlights ...

https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.18307 $7.43 good quality, great price. Ideally, get rechargeable AAA batteries to go with it.

If you've got $55 to spend --

https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.16501 $36.21 light
https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.8274 $1.54 mount
https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.5790 $8.18 two batteries
https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1251 $12.30 charger

If you've got $95 to spend, get the Magicshine 900 from Geomangear.

And if you've got some more money to spend and want to "bling" up your bike a bit and help it be seen from the side, get the Disco Spokelit for about $7. Around here, Academy carries them.

speedlever

I have 3 of these DX blinkies, a PBSF, and a PDW Radbot 1k blinkie. I am *not* a fan of the DX blinkie.

The DX blinkies... you get what you pay for... cheapo mount, fairly bright light, very cheap construction.

The PBSF and the PDW Radbot 1k are both quality units. I am currently running the Radbot 1k and really like it.

dougmc

Do you have the exact same blinkie I suggested? Some of the other DX lights are crap (as I already mentioned) but this one is pretty good. It's similar to the Planet Bike Superflash, but slightly inferior in construction. But 85% less in cost. It's not *that* cheap in construction.

I do put a rubber band around it to make sure it doesn't pop apart mid-ride -- but I do the same for my PBSF, as it has the same tendency to do so.

I've seen the Radbot. It looks excellent -- but it's like $30 rather than $3.54.

It all depends on your budget. More money will get you better stuff, but you can pretty decent stuff without spending a bunch of money.

speedlever

Yep. That exact same one. Except that I bought 3 of them for 2.91/ea.


IMO, they are cheap and are borderline (being generous) junk. When you turn on the DX blinkie, the blinkie moves unless you support it just right because the mount is so poor. There are 2 positives associated with the DX blinkie.
1) it is cheap
2) it is reasonably bright (I don't know how long the batteries will run it)

You can find the Radbot 1k for about $20 online. It comes with two different types of mounts. I had to buy a separate mount from PB for my PBSF to mount to my tail light bracket. The Radbot 1k includes the same mount as part of the package.
$22.95 including shipping

After comparing, the price difference is more than justified. I've never had either the PBSF or the Radbot 1k come apart during a ride. I did have the PBSF come off my bike once when I hit a bump in the road.. but that was because I bumped it out of the locked position when cleaning the bike after the prior ride and I never re-secured it in the locked position.

I depend on the blinkie for safety when I ride at dusk. $20 difference is worth it to me for a much better quality product.

lac29

Are you using just one? I just bought two to try with the twofish lockblocks. I have high hopes for them.

hubcap

If you want to take the next step with lighting and use 18650 batteries, I have found the Solarforce L2 with their recommended drop-in to be great.

The price for their flashlight shell (Host) is $13. I recommend this drop-in...$18 bucks, sheess, you can't go wrong..https://www.lighthound.com/Solar-Forc...In_p_3610.html

It has served me well over the last couple months. Puts out more light than my TerraLux and lasts longer too. Not dissing the Terralux - it does what its batteries allow it to do. The AA Terralux just can not compete with a 18650 assuming the same size light.

If you need spill, I would go with the Romisen RC-C8 II Q5. It is fantastic for 18650 batteries. It does not throw as well as the Solarforce...but, oh my, does it not put a good spill out there.

Ferrino

Thankyou sir! Just ordered this flashlight and rechargeable batteries! I'm new to this type of powerful battery and am wondering if there are any "gotchas" I should be aware of when recharging them (i.e. safety-wise)? Thanks!

estcstm3

Light link is gone what was it? Im looking for a good rain resistant light thats not total junk I was leaning towards the Princeton eos tec 2 @ 70 lumens, but all of the deal extreme have me thinking.