usb lights for comuting to work

thebourke

anybody recommend usb lights for commuting to work

endacl

Roads? Time? Distance? Budget? Seriously?

oLoonatic

I used them for about 6 months. they were fine. But the rubber eventually wears on them and they no longer stay straight. I got a decent set of batter lights the attached with a locking mechanism. Definely wouldnt buy another set of usb. They did last about 6 hours on the bright setting.

TheChizler

I got the Cycliq Fly12 and Fly6 for Christmas, best light I've ever used. Pricey though if you're not looking for the camera functionality.

G-Man

Not sure I recommend all types of USB for all cases. I found myself, well in the ~~10 to 15 eur range, they have a very fast drop off from fully bright to not working.. THis means you might check them at home and they are fine but they are dead before the end of the road.

Perhaps one in a higher price bracket are better or have accurate battery status indications..

Regular powered lights have a very long tail, so it was noticeable for weeks batt was going low and time to change.

thebourke

anybody used these?
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/cateye-orb-rechargeable-front-light-polished-black/

at1withmyself

thebourke wrote: »

anybody used these?
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/cateye-orb-rechargeable-front-light-polished-black/

No good as a front light, as per previous postmight help of you post some details of your commute?

07Lapierre

I use a Garmin Varia front light. Good for urban and rural/unlit roads.

https://www.google.ie/aclk?sa=l&ai=DChcSEwjX8uLi2_vmAhUX4O0KHVN7B94YABAPGgJkZw&sig=AOD64_1RgZDqnFvmwHsZnM2lt-kZJzSY9A&ctype=5&q=&ved=2ahUKEwiiw9vi2_vmAhXOXRUIHd1DBVoQwg96BAgMEC8&adurl=

Seth Brundle

I've a Ravemen CR500 on the front. Various modes (static light, strobe or mixed) and various brightnesses. Lights up a dark road well and good battery life.
Have a Fly12 camera light but need a better bracket so its currently not in use.
Rear light is a Flycliq Fly6 camera light. Back up light is Ravemen TR20 and is good.

Wishbone Ash

thebourke wrote: »

anybody used these?
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/cateye-orb-rechargeable-front-light-polished-black/

That light is really designed for the rider to be seen by others. Useless on an unlit road.

Breezer

I use the previous version of these:

https://seesense.cc/pages/see-sense-icon2

They’re made by a small company in NI. I find them excellent as “be seen” lights on city streets and they last me about a fortnight on a 15km round trip commute. They attach via rubber straps which are slightly flimsy, one has broken on me after 18 months, but they should be easy to replace.

Probably a little pricier than alternatives that don’t have the “smart” features, which I don’t really use, but I’m happy with them.

nilhg

https://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/212914-best-20192020-front-lights-cycling-40-light-beam-comparison-plus-how

AndrewJRenko

Check out Aldi or Lidl lighting specials. I got a great USB set in Aldi years ago that have lasted me well.

tomasrojo

Moon Crescent are very like those Aldi lights (though way more expensive). They need recharging almost daily (or actually daily) in the winter though. They have a bracket so you can leave the mount on the bike.

Cateye do something very similar, also with a pretty decent mount you can leave on the bike.

None of those lights will light your way on a dark road though.

triggermortis

I use USB lights for my commute which includes unlit country roads. I’m the front I have a trelock LS 950 and a cateye 400. I use the cateye in flash mode in the day and on fully at night. The two are great combined but neither is that great on their own. On the back I have a fly6 camera light and a cheap Halfords thing. I like to have more than one in case it goes dead without me realising (I commute at all hours). The trelock is the only one with a battery indicator and lasts maybe 5 hours on brightest setting. I religiously charge every light in work every other day as I got stuck one time with no lights and it wasn’t a fun time- even though I was only 2 from home.
I would prefer to get a dynamo set up, but that means having a separate commuter bike and I’m not there yet as I use my commuter as a winter bike as well and don’t want the dynamo all the time

byrnem31

Got the rolson front and rear USB on pigsback for €6 or that. Normally €20.
They seem to get good reviews but I wont hold my breath.
Should be delivered mid week.
Anyone have any experience of them ?

tc20

I use 2 x Cateye 200 on the front, with a Cateye Rapid Mini & a battery Cateye on the rear.
An apporx 1km stretch of my daily commute is on unlit main road and I find with both fronts on high beam theses are fine during total darkness. In other light conditions I will have at least 1 front light on flash, and perhaps the other on low beam.
Commute is approx. 30 mins each way; the charge light comes on every 3-4 days - I know that they have a decent reserve once the charge light comes on, but I prefer to top them up rather than run the risk.

Sample link:

https://www.halfords.ie/cycling/bike-lights/bike-lights/cateye-volt-200-xc-front-bike-light

https://www.halfords.ie/cycling/bike-lights/bike-lights/cateye-rapid-mini-rear-bike-light

LollipopJimmy

I use these but I'm never on rural or unlit roads, mostly between the canals in Dublin

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/cateye-volt-100-xc-rapid-micro-light-set/rp-prod162705

I find them perfectly fine, a charge lasts me a few weeks of commuting. I got a male to female usb cable to charge the front while it's on the bike, otherwise you have to remove the whole thing and I can't imagine the rubber mount likes to be pulled at very often.

ULMarc

I use the CatEye Volt 800 on the front. Things that attracted me to it:
- 800 Lumen max output.
- Micro USB (couldn't believe how difficult it was to find options that weren't mini usb, at least at the time)
- Battery is swappable. I don't have a second battery, but when it degrades I'd like to replace it.
- It has a mode where it's 200 lumens constant and pulses on full power. Really nice for urban visibility while still providing adequate illumination and battery savings.

tomasrojo

ULMarc wrote: »

- Micro USB (couldn't believe how difficult it was to find options that weren't mini usb, at least at the time)

My old Cateye headlight takes 4xAA but probably won't last much more than another winter, so I was looking around for something similar. Everything with half-decent luminosity is usb-rechargeable now. Which I understand. That's the market now. But I'm going to have to get a lot more usb chargers if everything ends up Li-ion.

ULMarc

tomasrojo wrote: »

My old Cateye headlight takes 4xAA but probably won't last much more than another winter, so I was looking around for something similar. Everything with half-decent luminosity is usb-rechargeable now. Which I understand. That's the market now. But I'm going to have to get a lot more usb chargers if everything ends up Li-ion.

Don't get me wrong, the USB rechargeable lights are wonderful to use these days. I've thoroughly enjoyed it.

I was only annoyed that some manufacturers are using Micro USB and others are using Mini Usb. I'm reluctant to choose any device that's Mini USB.

CantGetNoSleep

You'd even wonder when they will move to USB C - I change phones every 18 months - 2 years and i'm already on my third with USB C, so need to take an extra micro USB for Garmin / lights etc when travelling anywhere.

LollipopJimmy

CantGetNoSleep wrote: »

You'd even wonder when they will move to USB C - I change phones every 18 months - 2 years and i'm already on my third with USB C, so need to take an extra micro USB for Garmin / lights etc when travelling anywhere.

Do you not have the little adapter for the end of the cable?

I was laughing a few weeks ago, I had my bike charging (Di2), my watch, my phone, two lights and a garmin just to go for a cycle. Rare I'd have to charge all together but on this occasion I did.

tnegun

TheChizler wrote: »

I got the Cycliq Fly12 and Fly6 for Christmas, best light I've ever used. Pricey though if you're not looking for the camera functionality.

I was initially impressed with my Fly12Ce but am very under whelmed with it now. The mounting bracket is a serious weakpoint I've been through 4 under warranty and there are plenty of similar reports online. I've rearranged my setup on the bars and use a single mount for the camera now rather than mount it under my garmin as these adapters disintegrate over time dropping the camera on the road when they do! The video quality is OK and often have to step frame by frame to get a reg and maybe get it in pieces over several frames. Also the battery life at 10 months old is about 2.5 hours now thats with with 4/5 days a week usage for up to 2 hours with 1080 video and HDR. HDR is disabled if you use image stabilization.

Breezer wrote: »

I use the previous version of these:

https://seesense.cc/pages/see-sense-icon2

I've the previous version on the rear and its very good and bright also never killed the battery so its good for 3/4 hours at least. Mine is starting to let a little water in at 12 months old though which is disappointing

Seth Brundle

tnegun wrote: »

I was initially impressed with my Fly12Ce but am very under whelmed with it now. The mounting bracket is a serious weakpoint I've been through 4 under warranty and there are plenty of similar reports online. I've rearranged my setup on the bars and use a single mount for the camera now rather than mount it under my garmin as these adapters disintegrate over time dropping the camera on the road when they do! The video quality is OK and often have to step frame by frame to get a reg and maybe get it in pieces over several frames. Also the battery life at 10 months old is about 2.5 hours now thats with with 4/5 days a week usage for up to 2 hours with 1080 video and HDR. HDR is disabled if you use image stabilization.

My Fly12 bracket broke as soon as I tried it. Not sure do I send it to Cycliq or SportPursuit.com (who I purchased it from).
I picked up a spurious metal bracket in my LBS which sits out front (it's a "duo" bracket which also fits my Garmin 520) but the allen bolt that connects the arm to the handlebar bracket tends to work itself slightly loose which then allows the camera to shake resulting in a poor quality movie. :rolleyes:
I tempted to get some superglue to bond it together.

JMcL

tomasrojo wrote: »

But I'm going to have to get a lot more usb chargers if everything ends up Li-ion.

One or more of these and a handful of cables is your friend - or at least mine! I've one for the kids to plug all their stuff into and another beside the bikes where I can just whip the lights and Garmin off after a ride or every couple of days and plug them all in. Have one USB cable long enough to charge one light on the bike that's fiddly to take off. Much neater than a heap of wall warts

tnegun

Seth Brundle wrote: »

My Fly12 bracket broke as soon as I tried it. Not sure do I send it to Cycliq or SportPursuit.com (who I purchased it from).
I picked up a spurious metal bracket in my LBS which sits out front (it's a "duo" bracket which also fits my Garmin 520) but the allen bolt that connects the arm to the handlebar bracket tends to work itself slightly loose which then allows the camera to shake resulting in a poor quality movie.
I tempted to get some superglue to bond it together.

I got onto Cycliq support themselves and they sent me free replacements. They will try claim you over tightened it and I believed them the first 2 times but unless you leave it flapping they disintegrate due to the vibrations the second two failed at nearly 600kms each. Its a combination of the weight of the camera and poor plastic if they made it from an alloy it would be 100%

tnegun

JMcL wrote: »

One or more of these ...

I've something similar in the shed they're a great job charging everything!

TheChizler

tnegun wrote: »

I was initially impressed with my Fly12Ce but am very under whelmed with it now. The mounting bracket is a serious weakpoint I've been through 4 under warranty and there are plenty of similar reports online. I've rearranged my setup on the bars and use a single mount for the camera now rather than mount it under my garmin as these adapters disintegrate over time dropping the camera on the road when they do!

Thanks for the tip, definitely using that strap that came with it as a backup! Only really do a relatively short commute so hopefully I'll get a bit longer out of the battery.

Mc Love

Bought this and it is the best light I've used https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07TJ4Y1GM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

tnegun

Thats actually the one that was retired by my Fly12 its on my other bike now, battery and light were phenomenal the only thing I was a little unsure of was how glaring it was to oncoming traffic after 24 months some of the lens surround has started to break down and the connector between the battery and light corroded so on a bad day will keep turning off. Contact cleaner resolves for a few days/weeks but it's coming to the end of its life now probably got a good 12 months daily out of it though.