Thanks, @
samkl, @
znomit, and @
unterhausen.
You know how sometimes just asking a question out loud is enough to bring the obvious answers out of the woodwork?
It occurred to me that I had a topped-up Cygolite Hotshot (SL 30, I think) attached to my fixed-gear commuter, but had never really tested how long it would last, or how visible it was at its lowest setting. So not long after samkl and znomit mentioned their Cygolites, I turned mine on, dimmed it all the way, and found a spot to leave it in the basement. 24 hrs later, it was still going strong. Check. Once it was dark and our toddler was asleep, I went on Google Maps to figure out how far away 450 feet was from our end of the sidewalk. I carefully set it on the ground at the end, and strolled over to my target. Still plenty easy to see, so I kept walking. Another 150-200 feet got me to the end of the block, and I probably could have gone a lot further before it was out of sight, but started to get a little self-conscious about what I was doing, so I retrieved it and went home...
I guess I was biased from a couple lights I'd owned that only had bright or flashy modes -- after some more digging, it looks like quite a few lights would do the job. Now, I'm curious how lightweight one could go, dependably... my Hotshot is 55g, Cygolite makes the Micro 30 at 35g and the Dice TL at 30g. Has anyone reading this tried the Lezyne Femto Drive Rear (22g) or others in this weight class?
