peterh337

Hi All,

I ride about an hour each day, on both tarmac and dirt tracks; currently daytime so don't need night riding capability, although a lot of the roads are under a canopy so quite dark.

For the front light I have a Ravemen PR1200 which does a good number of hours before it has to be taken off the bike and put on charge. It will do 1.5hrs on absolute max power but on the road, as more a conspicuity light, it will do 20hrs. This is pretty good.

But I can't find anything decent for the rear light. I have a Ravemen TR30M (£30) which is certainly bright enough on the max setting but the tiny battery lasts under an hour. And all the rear lamps I can find are fairly similar.

I do electronics and could prize the case open and replace the battery with a big one (same chemistry i.e. same cell voltage) and bodge something, but I wonder if anyone can suggest something better.

Thank you all in advance. The bike is a Sunn Shaman.

njkayaker

Battery powered rear light typically last for many hours on flash.

The rechargeable ones might not.

pdlamb

Most of the name brand USB-charged blinkies should last an hours between charges. Either put a charger near the bike's parking space, and recharge, or take it off and bring it inside to charge after every ride.

If you're thinking about AA or AAA batteries, get two of different brands. You'll generally find they have different discharge curves, so you'll probably have at least one running on any given ride.

DrIsotope

In triple-flash mode (my preferred for daytime use,) a Cygolite Hotshot 100 will do at least 30 hours.

Source: we have three HotShots

wingless

My Cygolite Hotshot Pro 150 has a measured run time of about 34 hours at one flash per second.

PaulRivers

I'm confused about why you're having trouble finding a long last rear light? Most of them last for hours. ..

Planet Bike Grateful Red, 5 hours on steady and 30 hours on flash:
https://www.planetbike.com/grateful-...ke-tail-light/

Superflash Turbo, 5 hours on steady and 100 hours on flash:
https://www.planetbike.com/superflas...ke-tail-light/

If you want to put out an absurd amount of light behind you the Dinotte QuadRed tail light puts out 200 lumens, 2 hours at 100% , 4 hours at 50%, 16 hours at 25% - 8/16 hours on pulse.
https://windinmyface.com/gear-tailli...otte-300R.html

I used to be a big fan of AA/AAA powered lights but I gave in and went to usb lights as the batteries can't pop out on a bump and they're so much less hassle - just plugging them, rather than tediously opening the case and physically putting the batteries in a charger. Most convenient way to keep things ready to go was to plug in my chargers next to the bikes and charge the lights on the bike. Just leave it plugged in, unplug it when you leave for your next right, and your lights are always charged.

spoofer

I usually support my local bs, but I got my rechargeable blinky things for $15 0n amozon

peterh337

You might all find this rather amusing but while all the products recommended look just great, none are sold over here in the UK.

I can buy them on Ebay with a hefty surcharge of about 2x (delivery and then import duty and taxes). Amazon.co.uk says Unavailable for all of them. Amazon.com vendors almost never ship outside the US.

Maybe I just need to pay the 100% extra.

peterh337

Someone here sent me a PM but I cannot read it because I have not made enough posts

peterh337

Ah now I can. One has to make 10 posts

bikebikebike

ditto cygolites.
mounts, duration, no leaking cells
has cured my cheap light habit,
at ~20 on amazon was a bargain

gios

My rides are mostly one of two routes (both are circuits - first is 3 laps, second 4): either an hour (around 16.8 miles), or around an hour and a half (22 miles). I have a set of red blinking Serfas Thunderbolt lights that I strap on to the seat stays (so rear facing) and they will last for 2 one hour rides. They won't last for 2 and a half hours though - at least one will be dead. The newest one, a white Thunderbolt facing forward mounted on the handlebars will though. I still charge all 3 of my Thunderbolts after every ride now. I don't ride at night.

I charge my Garmin Edge 500 after every two rides. It can last longer, but I hate when I forget to charge and it shuts off mid-ride.

Same with my Cygolite Hotshot (rear facing red attached to seat post)- charged every two rides. It also can last probably 3 or 4 or 5 rides. It's an older model - the High Power 2 Watt lol. I will upgrade eventually to the 150 or 200 or 350 lumen model.

_

Tourist in MSN

I do not know if Planet Bike is imported to UK or not. I am in USA.

Bike touring, I prefer AAA batteries, I can change the batteries and keep using devices where a USB rechargeable device often can't be used while charging, I use the Ikea brand Ladda AAA rechargeable batteries, the white ones that are low discharge. As an emergency backup plan I can buy disposable batteries too.

I use the Planet Bike Superflash in flash mode when riding on a straight highway, it has a tightly focused beam and is best mounted on the bike so it can be aimed.

When on a winding road with lots of ups and downs, I want a beam that is wider and higher, for that I use a Planet Bike Superflash 65 in flash mode.

When touring, I have both on the bike and choose the one that meets the road conditions better. But if in fog or if I am riding into a sunrise or sunset where I may be hard to see by a car driver behind me, I will have both lights on.

Even though they still look bright after a week, I recharge the batteries weekly to make sure they stay bright.

There are so many good light manufacturers out there that I am sure you can find a good one. The B&M lights are quite expensive in USA, not sure if they are more affordable in UK or not. I use some of their dynohub powered lights. I do not know if the B&M battery lights flash or not, their dyno powered taillights do not.

fourfa

Ditto Cygolite Hotshots. Only one I've seen that lets you slow down the daylight / safety flash rate to save power - either for those all day daytime rides, or to have reserve for when you go past sunset.

(can't help with UK availability though)

peterh337

I ordered this one
https://ride.lezyne.com/products/1-led-8r-v204
It's the biggest I can find
About $70.

Iride01 

I don't have a recommendation about longest lasting. But you might also want to get a good red reflector for the rear.

In the fifty some odd years I've driven an automobile, I've been impressed with how well a red reflector shows up on a bike. Under the saddle or on a fender they show up exceedingly well at night and at a long distance off when I've happened to overtake someone with out lights riding on the road.

And those on the edges of plain flat pedals show up too, though they might fascinate some with the up and down and they forget what they are actually seeing.

peterh337

The UK has loads of narrow country roads, and the explosion in road biking has created widespread problems for drivers who try to overtake where they cannot do it safely, and many cyclists have been injured or killed. I live in the countryside and used to cycle to work (20 mins) but have stopped because of one death there and another one in identical circumstances in the same place which I saw but which didn't happen by a margin of about 1 second. So I now cycle only on certain quieter roads and on tracks. The issue is that a lot of these are under tree cover and thus quite dark.

I've driven a few k miles in the US and the roads are generally much wider there.

Iride01 

Our motorist's usually have their lights on when they drive at night. That light is what the reflector reflects.

If that blurb was for my post above it, then I wasn't saying use a reflector instead of a light. I was intending it as a backup for when your light's battery was drained.

fietsbob

B&M Senso turn themselves off after a couple minutes when switched into that mode, stopped.. in the dark,
come on when you start moving , in the dark..




I think UK imports the same products Planet Bike sourced, but under a different name..






..

canklecat

Ditto, Cygolite. And the newer Hotrod is lighter, narrower and more discrete. I just got one for my road bike. It's excellent, a great alternative to the Hotshot which is already the single best buy in all bike lighting. The Hotshot is more intensely focused by a polished conical reflector, almost laser bright viewed from directly behind. The Hotrod uses multiple LEDs and is somewhat more visible from the sides and more even within intense hotspots.

If you can't buy one directly where you live, bribe someone to send you one from the US. If the packaging and USB cable are omitted, the Hotrod takes up less room than a ballpoint pen. It could be stuffed inside a birthday card and padded envelope and probably arrive safely.

gios

I was looking at those. Currently use the Serfas Thunderbolt, which are 35 lumen, and the 90 lumen Hotrod is tempting. I like that the attachment wrap is the same on both of them.

canklecat

The Cygolite Hotrod also improved the functionality of the single pushbutton.

The Hotshot two multi-function buttons are pretty good, but the tactile feedback could be improved, and it seemed to take longer than necessary to change modes or turn it on/off.

The Hotrod button seems to have been designed to respond to those minor quibbles about the otherwise excellent Hotshots. The button tactile feedback is better, and the press-and-hold to turn off seems more natural.

yves845

https://www.lupine.de/products/tail-...t/rotlicht-max
unbreakable, reliable but not cheap. I own one ...

MinnMan

Another vote for Cygolite Hotrods. Love em.

I have a bunch of them and I like to ride with one on each seat stay. If the situation is normal, I've got one on and the other is just in case the battery runs down on the first. If I'm in a situation where I care extra about visibility, both of them together work well. In flash mode always, unless I'm riding in a group.

Ogsarg

For daytime use, I like to have the brightest light possible so it isn't washed out in the sun. I was using a Cygolite hotshot 150 Pro but the battery stopped holding a charge after a little over 3 years of use. Replaced with a Bontrager Flare RT. I give the Cygolite a little better rating due to brightness and mounting options. The flare RT is amazing given it's tiny size and weight. On 6-8 hour rides I have never had one go dead.