with the seasons changing, I want to continue riding in the evenings. I used to ride in the evenings a few years ago, and used one of those Nyte Rider head lights that were charged by means of a bottle-sized battery (yes I’m old).
Nowadays the lights are much better. Been looking at Lezyne head lights, but am a bit overwhelmed with choices from a variety of manufacturers.
I’ll be using the light a few times a week, for no longer than 90mins at a pop, primarily on the road. So I’ll need to be able to see things but don’t want to blind oncoming cars. I remember that even back in the day of Nyte Rider the cars genuinely got spooked or just were that much more careful when they saw me. And see me they did.
Question: what’s the best light out there for the $? Requisites: must be easy to charge, fit on the bar, last a few hours with good, safe lighting, and work well in the cold (New England, y’all).
Preferably not super $$ (under $100 would be great).
As someone who does a lot of night riding and gets blinded by way too many riders, please look for lights with the German StVZO standard. Or at least lights that have a similar beam spread pattern.
Edit: I really wish I could recommend the Busch & Muller Ixon line of lights, but they are tough to get ahold of here in the United States. The one that uses four AA rechargeable batteries is pretty awesome.
I have the Garmin Varia UT800 and I do like it for anything less than 4 hours. After that the battery can be a little iffy. As a backup and what I put on my daughters bike is the Cygolite Dash pro and really enjoy that light.
I LOVE my Cygolite Metro 600 (now discontinued). Such a good value light that’s beyond simple to use. On low, medium, high, flash, off. Throws a really good beam that illuminates a lot of the road. I also own the Hot Rod taillight which is also excellent.
It ain’t sexy but when I need light I’ve found that this helmet head & tail light is the best. It points where I look and is easy to remember whichever bike I grab.
+1 for the knog pwr range. I’ve got a road attached underneath my head unit, battery lasts ages for the size (3350wh) and you can charge up your phone or head unit if you’re in dire straits.
If you’re interested in a helmet mounted light, Gloworm from NZ makes really good compact units with an external battery pack that you can pop in a jersey pocket.
Where are you mounting it? Bigger headlights with “single-unit” design with the battery on board bounce more than the split unit setups.
MTB/gravel needs more light spread than road. Both road and MTB need throw. Something that’s a lot brighter on center, will just make it impossible to see the off-center, so balanced lighting is important.
Don’t short the mount. It is as important as the light. If you need to mount a battery, this can be a hassle. You might need to tighten your light down super tight on your existing go-pro mount.
Blinding people control is all about tilt. Again, a dimmer light will make it easier to see the bright spot and the unlit areas.
Light and Motion make several bar and helmet mounted all-in-one 1000 lumen light options. I have a couple. One on the bars, one on the helmet. All you need for road riding and not crazy expensive.
I have the Urban 800. Great light. But a great feature [why I chose it over some of the competitors listed] is the GoPro mount capability. I bought the K-Edge extended handle bar mount (it’s great) and have my Garmin 1030 mounted on top and the Urban 800 mounted underneath. Perfect setup; doesn’t consume more handlebar space (i like mine clean).
I rarely cycle in the dark, but got the L&M Urban 1000 for those times when the nights are drawing in, and you get caught out (or go to the pub). My setup is exactly as mentioned above, underneath a K-Edge. It’s bright, so I tilt it down a little. I really like the fact it has side lights as well.
6 years ago I bought a NiteRider Lumina 800, it seemed expensive (over $100) but came highly recommended. Included a helmet mount and handlebar mount. Still works great, and a few years ago bought a K-Edge to (GoPro style) mount it under my bike computer. The light turns night into day, so bright that on a short trail segment near my house I use my hand to not blind any walkers on the trail.
I have the niterider lumina 950 and have had it for over 4 years without any problems. It’s around $100 and comes with mounts for your bike and helmet. One of the brightest lights I’ve seen and I use just 1 light for night time single track riding. Worth it IMO