Light recommendations just for cycling to work

Irish Gunner

As the heading states..

Had a set of moon lights but only works when on charge.

Looking for front and rear that visible but not blinding for morning and evening commute.

Plenty on Amazon but looking for users input.

cheers

Ferris

I've always liked the lezyne USB charged lights. Reasonably priced, reliable and with a good battery life. I use them as a backup to the wired in lights on an ebike but I am happy with them. I do think that a commuter bike needs two front and two rear lights as murphys law dictates one will run out of battery/fall off/ get nicked/break.

Paddigol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120151629#Comment_120151629

I have the Lezyne 600. It's grand. Lidl/ Aldi did a copy version of it a few years back, so I run the two of them on my hour commute, one on steady and one on flash. Works well. I've been waiting for Lidl/ Aldi to have that version light on 'Special' for ages cos it was seriously good value and works just as well as the much more expensive Lezyne.

I have three lights on the back LOLZ - one (Lezyne) on the seatpost facing straight back and then two at the top of the rear triangle facing a bit left and right for extra visibility.

CramCycle

+1 for the Aldi ones of old but alas I don't see them returning as they had other ones the last time.

I have a cateye volt 400, and it's pretty decent, and a lezyne strio rear. I also have a set from Halfords for back ups that are grand for town commutes and cost close to nothing.

Just make sure they are USB rechargeable and bright enough.

Do you have a budget?

byrnem31

https://www.halfords.ie/cycling/bike-accessories/bike-lights/halfords-usb-rechargeable-led-bike-light-set-476366.html

I got them for a 10 min commute. They work well on flash and last a while. Got the Aldi ones few years back and they are very good.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120152487#Comment_120152487

They are my back up ones, work fine on constant for a 40 minute country commute. You'd take it slightly slower but for the price of them they put out great light.

ARX

For a rear light I highly recommend the Bontrager Flare RT. It's designed as a daylight running light and it's visible even when viewed against a low sun (I've checked). I've ridden behind someone using one and it really is very noticeable from a long way off, but it's not at all blinding. It's really good.

There is a matching front light (Bontrager Ion 200 RT). I don't know what it looks like from the point of view of oncoming traffic but I have no doubt that it's as good as the Flare RT. However it is a 'bee seen' light and won't illuminate the road.

Joe Daly and ThinkBike in Dublin and Altitude in Waterford sell them.

Note that there are cheaper 'City' versions as well.

tomasrojo

I like front lights that conform to the German StVZO. I have a Cateye that does, not insanely bright, but a properly shaped beam that doesn't illuminate the treetops.

I pair a permanently installed reflector-with-LED at the rear of the carrier rack with a fairly bright removable one. I prefer having the effect of one big light over a smaller piercingly bright one.

.

Ferris

StVZO means no flash function unfortunately. You need a flashing front light in Ireland IMO to stand out and identify you as a bike. I have both a continuous beam and the Lezyne 400 on a quick-slow flash.

Agree with what you said about insanely bright bike lights tho.

CramCycle

I'm not convinced about the flashing light theory, but thats just an opinion, I'd love some data on it. My mind it makes it harder to judge distance. I certainly would be against a flashing light only and at a minimum would like what you have with one solid and one flashing but if I only had one light, it would have to be a constant one.

tomasrojo

Yeah, I don't use flashing lights, unless the light is pretty feeble to begin with, and none of my current lights is that feeble. But I do appreciate why people like them.

(I do have wrist lights that I wave around a bit on occasion to draw attention. I guess that satisfies any need I might otherwise feel to go beyond constant lights.)