Barrettscv 

I'm going to upgrade to new lights, front and rear. It's been a few years since I purchased commuter lights. I'd like the front light to be quick and easy to remove and having some kind of mounting bracket is preferable. I'm looking for plenty of power and usb recharging on the front. Battery powered or usb recharging on the rear light is acceptable, I have no preference. I'd like to keep the total cost to about $125.00, unless there is a good reason to spend more.

Any suggestions?

chas58

Many lights seem to be similar - its the mounting system that differentiates them. I Lighed Light in Motion for a couple of years because the silocoln mounting system was adaptable enough where I could mount on my handlebars or helmet with the same strap. But that light had a tiny (~1/4") mount point that eventually broke off of all of them. Ugh.
For long lasting quality, Nightrider or Cygolite have been good for me.

Barrettscv 

Yes, I'm researching the Cygolite Metro Pro 1100 on the front at this point.

Koyote

There are tons of good options. To narrow down the options, you might want to give some details about your usage: are the lights for daytime visibility (to be seen), or for night time? Urban or rural riding? What kind of runtime do you need? etc.

Barrettscv 

The bike will be used entirely in the City of Chicago. Mostly daytime use, but also nighttime use. 99% of the trips are under an hour. Right now the bike is not being used to commute daily, but that could change. A mounting bracket with easy on and off is essential, as stated previously. USB recharging is a must-have on the front light, as stated previously. $125 combined cost, as stated previously.

Ymerej

Night rider 6780 for the front, comes with mount not the best but it works. Kedge makes a dedicated mount if you don’t want to remove.

knog blinder R70 for the rear

both usb recharge

both can be found on amazon

Koyote

https://www.amazon.com/CYGOLITE-LIGH...s%2C174&sr=8-2

Use both on the brightest settings, flashing or solid, for daytime visibility.

Use the rear light on a lower flash setting at night, and the headlight on the solid setting that works for you.

Cygolite is reliable, and reportedly has good CS.

daviddavieboy

I have been using a Flare R tail light for 4 years now and it is still going strong. This week I had it out on a 6 hour daytime ride and was still flashing on the brightest setting. I did a personal test to see how far away I could see it and it was well over a mile.

This year I bought a small Lezyne 400 headlight for daytime riding and I think it is very good for that. On the same ride it had no problem staying bright for the entire ride. I was disappointed last night though on my cold and very wet commute home in the dark. I had the light fully charged and on the brightest setting and I could only see the ground ~10' in front of me and it was not really that well. After about 1/2 hour the battery indicator on the top turned red and after a hour it stepped down a brightness level. I work in the city and live in a rural area so when it stepped down it was ok as there are no other lights around me anyway so it was still bright enough. Great daytime light but not for night commutes.

I have a $25 - 10 year old Chinese X2 (Solarstorm) light with a battery pack that easily outshines the Lezyne and can light the ground up for ~40-50' in the city. It has a runtime of about 3 hours on the brightest setting but it is HEAVY and it pisses off vehicle drivers if I forget to turn it down. It does however make them turn off their high beams when approaching me

Vismund B

I’ve been using a Cygolite headlight for roughly 7 years now and it’s still going strong (I hope I did not just jinx it). It’s bright enough to see and it works for being seen as well. Super fast to put on and remove from bracket that remains on bike. It usually lasts 5-6 hours without a charge depending on how bright I put it on.

Been also using a Cygolite hotshot in the back for roughly 7 years. Only reason I replaced it (with another hotshot) was that I lost it after riding on a very bumpy unpaved stretch of road. Run time is not as good as the headlight but still great. Can easily last me a week of commuting before it needs a charge.

hsuBM

Serfas recently came out with the Vulcan 350 which is just barely brighter than the daylight sun reflecting off of my red saddle. It’s almost definitely blindingly bright in the dark, so I really only use it in the afternoon.

after reading a lot about single lights not providing depth perception for any drivers, let alone 2020-2021 cellphone users who sometimes are texting under the influence of driving, I’m never without at least two lights lit on the back.

The Vulcan is expensive, but I heard too many “oh*****” quick applications of brakes & steering behind me in the daylight before I got it.

I’ve been pretty safe feeling with the Vulcan up under my saddle and a Thunderbolt on each seatstay just above the brake bridge. It seems so far like I’m approaching zero amount of a surprise to people only occasionally glancing up away from their lap at the road in front of them.

The L&M Urban 1000 is only barely as bright as a daytime running light on a Mazda, but I’ve dropped mine on concrete at work a bunch of times and so far it seems fine. I intend on getting at least one more 1) for that Depth Perception aid for other road users 2) it really isn’t lighting the road as much as I’d prefer when I’m descending bigger hills in the dark and in the full brightness setting in below 40F, it’s dead in 45 minutes.

As long as there are people who are happy with lights as bright as a candle, it seems like single lights that are appropriate for seeing and being seen as a vehicle are still some years away.

chas58

For commuting, I use as small as I can get (~400 lumen) light; for night, I use 1-2 800 lumen lights. Really, all lights I have, have a type of strobe mode for commuting. I think it is best with the always on (~300 lumen) + strobe. Some of them have a strobe only mode - but that really confuses drivers, and some of them pull over to let me ride by when its strobe only.

Helldorado

I advise against using the Light & Motion "Urban" series of front lights.


I own three of them. For dry weather they are fine, albeit their battery life has never lived up to the claims of the manufacturer. But L&M continue to sell lights with poorly designed charging port covers. Not only do they crack and break off easily (they are made of hard plastic, not rubber or silicone), they do NOT seal out water. I know this because one of my lights just stopped working after a 20 mile ride in the rain. The cap was firmly in place over the charging port and it wasn't a deluge, just a steady fine rain that I rode through. But now there is condensation under the lens and the light won't turn on despite bing fully charged. Why L&M continues to make these crappy little charge port covers is a mystery. But I won't buy their products any more even though they do look kinda' cute.

Darth Lefty 

There are long-running threads over on MTBR about lights that I've found more useful than anything here. Thanks to those, last time I shopped, I skipped out on a self-contained unit. I got something smaller on the handlebar, a lot more powerful and warmer color temperature (4000K), with a remote four cell battery. It's a really dramatic difference from my Cygolite 300. I'm not 100% happy with the new light either. It's got a battery indicator that's always on so if you leave it plugged in the battery dies. I'd like it if the mount pad was 1-1/4" dia and not 7/8" or there was an option. But it sure makes better light, and for a lot less dollars per lumen. The kit comes with a battery, charger, a head lamp or helmet strap, a bunch of accessories, all for $40

https://kaidomain.com/bike-lights-and...ens-Bike-Light

I moved the Cygolite to my helmet for a spotlight but wasn't really that happy with it. It's so much bluer than the new light it was irritating.

noglider 

I somehow became a "product influencer" and am constantly receiving offers to get products in exchange for writing reviews. I got this $30 light for free so I would review it. I wasn't expecting to be impressed but I was. It's rated at 800 lumens, and I have no idea if that's accurate, but it's the brightest light I've used, and I've used lots of lights. The construction seems to be very good, much better than the other cheap lights I've used. It comes with a taillight that isn't worth a darn, but that's OK.

iKirkLiten 2020 Upgraded 800 Lumens Bike Light USB Rechargeable

Ferrouscious 

I use a Lezyne 1000XL for commuting. 1000 lumens as in the name. There's probably better out there, but it's bright, affordable, and looks pretty slick too. I would recommend the 1300XL over the 1000. Battery life is much better if you can live with the bigger form factor.

chas58

They suck. Great Idea, and I love the silicon strap that fits a variety of handlebars and even my helmet. But that attachment part is too weak, and breaks. I like the light so much I bought two of the, but the mounting point broke on both of them within weeks of each other. My older night rider and cygolites are going strong.