JohnnyMordoc

Folks,

I have been looking to add some lighting to my hybrid bike.

I am looking for something that has some quality and hopefully "Made in the U.S.A."

Rechargeable.

I am looking for both a front light and rear light - it is starting to get dark earlier and want to be safe.

So far the been leaning towards the Magnus Vision II -

Trying to avoid the big bulky battery packs -

Recreational rider - not hardcore mountain bike.

Looking for some options or thoughts.

Thanks in advance.

JJ

Skipjacks

Cygolite.


Front and back.

dslteck

are these what you are running and if so can you post a pic of them?

bobwysiwyg

+1

Google Cygolite, they have several models.

Skipjacks

Big thread talking about the virtues of the Cygolite 460
https://www.bikeforums.net/electronic...ont-light.html

My post in there has a link to my Amazon review of that light with pictures

This is the taillight I use (Better pricing is available elsewhere. I got mine new on eBay for about $35.)

https://www.amazon.com/Cygolite-Hots...te+hotshot+150

coominya

I only use the cheaper stuff myself but I found this. It gets some decent reviews. The flash mount costs extra.
https://tinyurl.com/ybn9zn3o





I like mine bright, very bright with a long beam so I can see the potholes ahead easily. Also a priority for me is reliability, I don't want to be halfway home and have it go flat so I choose ones that don't have integrated batteries, only ones I can carry a spare for, like the plugin one above.

srestrepo

I'm a big advocate on cygolite also. I've had the cygolite metro for the front with a 360 lumens and now I use the 1100 lumen. On the rear I had the hotshot 50 lumen but I upgraded to the 150.

These lights haven't failed me. I have reached out to customer service a few times for different reasons and have always received a response in a timely fashion. And when I ordered extra mounts for my other bikes they got them to me in 3 days or less.

HerrKaLeun

You can use some of the LED flashlights you can get for cheap from amazon or ebay and get some of the lamp holders. Advantage is lower price and a replaceable battery (you can have spares on long tours) and very high light output.
I know you asked for night time riding. But when on streets i really recommend daylight running lights to be seen (+ reflective clothing). Car drivers won't see you not pay attention.
i have 150 lumen niterider lights for rear, and 600 lumen niterider for front. they are good, but pricey and don't have replaceable batteries, so they are throwaway lights after some years. On my secondary bike I have the above flashlights (there are very few red ones).

JohnnyMordoc

Thanks for the info.

Will take a look at the Cygolite and NiteRider.


REI seems to have both.....


Seems like all the sites are all over the place on the ratings.......


Magnus Gear USA - Vision II

Good thought about daytime riding...

Also will get some sort of bundle that has a rear light also.....

Thanks for the info..... keep it coming......

-JJ

canklecat

First, in a headlight, buy more than you need. It's more cost effective to get, say, a 500 or 800 lumen light and run it on medium output. You'll still get adequate light and it'll last much longer per charge. While 200-300 lumen headlights are adequate for many situations they usually last only an hour or so per charge. A 500-800 lumen light at medium output will deliver the same 200-300 lumen output for 2-4 hours, depending on model.

Light & Motion headlights are designed and assembled in the US from foreign made components. The closest you'll get to a US made mass market bike light. Fair prices, a little higher than the competition, but excellent values considering their customer support and product quality. I've used a L&M Urban 500 for almost a year, no serious complaints (I could pick a few nits, including wishing the light could be run and charged simultaneously via an external USB battery).

The L&Ms have relatively broad, even beams. I made a homebrewed hood for mine from a white HDPE plastic pill bottle to shade it a bit from the eyes of oncoming cyclists/pedestrians, especially on the MUP and my own neighborhood.

I think Oculus lights are designed and assembled in the US too. Not as well known but a unique design. More like a vehicle headlight beam. User replaceable rechargeable batteries. A little more expensive but worth considering.

In taillights, Cygolite Hotshots are a best buy. Hard to beat them for bang for the buck. I've run a Hotshot 50, their lowest power model, for several months. No complaints. Works well, lightweight, easy to use, runs a long time per charge. If I commuted in daytime or toured on highways I'd get the stronger Hotshot 150.

DiNottes may be the best and brightest but are also expensive.

I'm also impressed by the newer Serfas E-Lume headlights, especially the dual LED models. Big improvement over their older models which were more like narrow spotlights.

Of the rest of the pack -- Niterider, Cygolite, etc. -- frankly, they're all the same. Every model I've compared side by side at REI was indistinguishable from the next. They're all good, so get the brightest for the money that has a mount you can live with. Mounts vary a lot.

jskash

I use the Cygolite Metro 700 in the front.
https://cygolite.com/product/metro-700-usb-2/

and the Cygolite Hotshot in the rear.
https://cygolite.com/product/hotshot-100-usb-2/

djmcnz

I like my Cateye Volt. I have the 800 lumen, they go up to 6000 lumen. Removeable, USB rechargeable battery so you can carry spares if you need.

raqball

How much do you want to spend? I swear by Dinotte lights but they are expensive!

2018 XPL-3 (white) Headlight with Quad Red Taillight Package ? DiNotte Lighting USA Online Store

fietsbob

Nite Rider is in San Diego..

a1penguin

Cygolite: Metro 550 on the front for daytime flashing and Hotshot Pro for the rear blinkie. The Metro 550 is OK for night riding but it only lasts about 1.5 hours.

Niterider makes competitive products.

I believe both of these are designed and assembled in the US. You might also check out the Electronics, Lighting and Gadgets forum.

ps249

https://www.amazon.com/NiteRider-Lum.../dp/B00O8FP4GI I ride with the NR Lumina. It throws about a 75 foot beam good for 1.5 hours on the highest setting. It is equivalent to a 1 car headlight beam. I highly recommend.

coominya

I would imagine just about all the different manufacturer's components are made in China, some under licensed supervision, many not.

djmcnz

Where they're made should make no difference at all.

How rigorous and effective the quality control is is what's important.

u235

In the winter, ride 1.5-2 hours at night a few times a week. Most of this routine is road/bikepath in areas with no street lights and away from houses so it is dark enough you wouldn't see your hand in front of your face.
I've been using 2 relatively cheap Amazon flashlights. Most of my ride is fine with only one but sometimes I use both. It is not really the brightness of just one that is limiting, it is the coverage. Some areas I need to see wide and far and you can't do that as good with one flashlight even with headlight lens diffuser cover. Of all the ones I've bought they all seem to perform about the same. I make sure it is compatible with 18650 battery which I have a few of and a charger already. Two flashlights with holders is roughly $25-40.. The thing is, I already own a bunch of flashlights so other than the holders, there is nothing bike specific about them. For the rest of the year, one of any flashlights I have can act as my daytime flasher if needed. If I was doing random offroad/singletrack at night or a lot of night riding in unfamiliar mixed territory, I would invest in a bike specific remote battery uber bright light.
In the perfect world, I'd use one bar mounted and one on my helmet. I've tried it, it is great. The problem is regardless of it's actual weight, I just can't get over the feeling of having any extra weight mounted on my head for that long.

prq9218

I use a Niterider 350, my night/early morning rides are on MUPs.

ptempel

+1 For the Cygolite recommendations. I have a Cygolite Hotshot Pro 80 for the tail light.



For the front I have an old Jet Lights i13 halogen model with a water bottle battery.



Will probably be looking to replace it later on this season. Only minor complaint on the tail light is that the USB port and cover are on the bottom. So if the rubber cover is not in place, then you could get some rain and road grime on the interface. However, the Cygolite rubber cover is better than another one I used to own. So am pleased with the light overall.

Edit: Some of the guys I see on my commute use Dinotte lights. They are not cheap, but seem to be good quality. I have my eye on their XPL-3 front light: https://store.dinottelighting.com/201...tery-p210.aspx

PayutenyoAgimas

Bold 360 by Magnus Innovation. bought a set from Amazon. the white light was defective. complained to the customer service of Magnus and they sent a replacement two weeks later. for visibility, they are enough but to light your way, not enough.

prj71

I prefer self contained lights myself...

https://www.ituolights.com/collectio...-neutral-white

https://www.fenixlighting.com/produc...ix-bike-light/

PR1200 - Front Light - RAVEMEN

JohnnyMordoc

Thanks for all the info folks - ended up going with Cygolite Metro 1100 for the front and the Cygolite Hotshot 150 for the rear.
Took into account they are made in the U.S.A and have optional plug-in power charging options.
Runtime looks to be pretty good.......and has gotten some good reviews.

Thanks again for the help!

Skipjacks

I'm curious, how bright is the 1100?

The 460 is more than bright enough as a "see me" light so how strong is the 1100 in practice? I assume there are settings to make it less bright as a daytime blinker and "emulate the noon day sunshine" as a night time headlamp.