Originally Posted by
Kapusta
One thing to consider is that if (and this is a big “if”) the extra brightness is gained by a more efficient LED, and the runtimes are really the same the higher output, the brighter light can be run at a lower setting more often, thus extending run times.
I have a Cygolite 850, on my gravel/road bike and I almost never use the high setting, but it is nice to have for riding on a trail with a lot of obstacles or if I am going pretty fast on the road (which I don’t usually do at night).
On my MTB, it is not nearly enough. When I mountain bike in the dark I want a minimum of 1500 on the bars and 800 on my helmet.
I’ll also add to the comment that beam pattern matters a lot, and a wide pattern needs more lumens. I actually like the Cygolite Metro pattern a lot for street riding.
That's a good question on the LEDs - I could probably glean this from runtimes. I will say I am wishing Cygolite would tell me what the output for the medium and low is on each of their lights - they only ever list what "high" is.
I had also considered getting a helmet light - do you have the less bright one on your helmet to reduce how much you blind people you look at, or is there another reason?
I am with you on the Cygolite Metro pattern - I really like the light I have now, so when looking at buying another I'd come across their brighter models and started wondering about those instead. The Metro 700 package with the 100 lumen HotShot is also a good value.
Originally Posted by
road292
Instead of seeking a higher-lumen light, might it make more sense to buy another Cygolite Metro 700 and mount both to the bike? Then you could choose to operate just one when extra light is not needed or when you need more battery life, or operate two for maximum light output. I don't ride at night so I'm not sure if using two lights is common or not.
That was actually how I ended up looking at the brighter ones - I was on Amazon looking at a second 700 set when I saw their brighter offerings and started wondering about those instead. Might still do that regardless, though my electric horn might have to find a new home or something. I am planning on getting another bike in the near future, and I'd be buying it its own dedicated light set, so the more I know now the better. I don't do much night riding these days (might change in the future) but it's fun to think of myself as being prepared!
Originally Posted by
jadocs
I think there should be a distinction between lights "to see" or "to be seen". If you are riding closed trails, and it is sufficient for you to see then I don't see an issue. However, "to be seen" is another issue. I would have someone video you riding at a distance (in sunlight) from the rear and see if your light is the first thing you notice (without looking for it). You may find that your rear light (power/patterns) are woefully inadequate.
My (primary) rear light is a HotShot 100 - this is decent though I have considered getting a brighter (c. 200 lumen) model for improved daylight visibility. I also have
a cheapy backup of unknown lumen bolted to my rear rack, but that's there 80% because the empty bracket on my rear-rack was bugging me, 20% in case my HotShot fails, falls off, or otherwise is not there.