Cycle Lights

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taxboy

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I believe there are some cyclists here and I would appreciate some advice regarding lights for my bike please; are these items where I should stick to known brands or can I save a few pounds with less well known names ?
Looking online I think I probably will need 900 lumens or will this be overkill ? My trips will be town centre followed by unlit country lanes
Any other advice gratefully received
 
my advice would be two lights up front and two up back, don't have to be expensive.
but at both end one constant and one flashing. front white, back red.
you will get shot down for flashing at the front though,
 
I'm lucky enough that anywhere I cycle usually would be well lit up on darker evenings. At the moment I just have a pair of chargeable lights that just clip on via an elasticated band, easily mounted and taken off. I think they are only 300-400lm. I have been looking to something a bit stronger though, for the odd times I would venture into less well lit roads. At the moment it's more to be seen than to see. But with Autumn closing in, and now that I have an E-bike, [which is more consistently faster travelling] I would like something stronger.
 
A real 900 lumens is enough for serious mountain biking through unknown trails in pitch black - this is massive overkill for the road. Even Chinese 900 lumens (probably about 300) is more than you need unless riding unlit country lanes at speed. I've built a few sets of lights over the years, starting with 12V halogen bulbs and large battery packs, moving to importing LEDs and voltage controllers and running 1650 cells.

I'd suggest 100 lumens rear, with a broad lens will be much better than a brighter light with a small diffuser because these can dazzle motorists (and will be brighter than a typical brake light). You want to be seen, rather than antagonise or cause an accident. Up-front 100 to 300 lumens depending on where you ride, aimed like the dipped beam of a car and not like a main beam into their eyes.

Flashing light will get you noticed, but they make it harder to judge speed and distance - I would recommend not to use them because they make it harder to tell how far away you are and how fast you're traveling, so you're more likely to be hit.

When choosing and using lights, remember that road users should respect each other, and it's not a battle between 2 wheels and 4.
 
ancient_mariner said:
Flashing light will get you noticed, but they make it harder to judge speed and distance - I would recommend not to use them because they make it harder to tell how far away you are and how fast you're traveling, so you're more likely to be hit.
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Totally agree, I find the flashing lights make it very difficult to assess the scene, as I do the banks of LEDs on some EVs.
 
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