Lighting for commuting bike

I’ve used a ViewPoint light I got from Performance years ago until midway through this past winter. It was okay but battery died pretty quickly and it wasn’t too bright. This past December I bought a Magicshine light. It’s one of the best $90 I’ve spent especially compared to many of the other lights I was lookign at. The light is super bright and holds a charge pretty well.

It’s not perfect though. It comes with a couple of bands to attach the light to your handlebar. I notice that the bands seem to have stretched a bit so I have to adjust a couple of times per ride, which isn’t a big deal to me.

Overall, I really like the light and would buy it again. Here’s the link…

http://www.geomangear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4_41&products_id=180&zenid=nupke3e98fdjd29a8i7th2p201

First off – chapeau! for a hell of a commute. My normal advice for commuting lights is less about lights for you to see by, and more about lights to be seen by others. Clusters of bright flashing LEDs do the trick in that case (and, conveniently, are rather cheap). Lights to see by, as may be your need (given that you’re on likely poorly lit trails), require far more in the way of quality. I’d take Pete’s advice, but I can also put in a good word for the Magicshine’s that Skreaminquadz mentioned. My other half used a set of those through all of last winter for her commute (~5 miles), and was very happy with it.

I’m not sure that I’d go helmet-mount for commuting purposes. For me, finding a place to stick the battery is kind of a pain in the @ss with anything but a jersey. Plus, I’m the sort of person who’d keep forgetting about the giant spotlight on my head, and keep blinding people that I looked at along the way.

@Arlingtonrider 728 wrote:

With the days starting to shorten soon, I would really appreciate some recommendations from regular commuters about a good light or lighting system to install on my commuting bike, which I use primarily on trails. I’ve found some information on the net, but mixed reviews regarding stability of mounts, etc., and some of the information might be out of date and not take new products into account. I commute about 50 minutes each way, and would like something that doesn’t require nightly recharging. The guy I spoke to at the bike store was helpful, but was not a commuter and obviously was recommending products sold by that store. Any suggestions? Also, I’ve heard about people using helmet lights to see the trails, and am wondering if that is a good idea too and what kind people have found best. Thanks in advance for any responses.

If you want to compare the latest lights out there, here is a great website.

http://eddys.com/articles/how-bright-is-that-light-ig493/

I mount a rear blinky in the bike and separate one on the helmet. I believe having a light higher up on the helmet helps visibility in traffic. Having a light mounted on the bike assures me that I always have at least one light pointed in an appropriate direction. Having multiple lights is, of course, more robust to a single light failure. Personally, I don’t think that there is much of a difference between standard rear blinkies. My experience is that the super bright ones often have less surface area. Consequently, overall visibility may or may not be much better with something fancy in the rear.

The light mounted on the main commuter bike is an old model; but it still works well. Although now that I think about it, I have different models on various bikes. One is a super flash.

The light on my helmet is self-leveling. http://ecom1.planetbike.com/3010.html

Both rear lights are also reflectors which helps satisfy VA state requirements for night riding on a bike.

I use a super bright helmet light during the winter. I don’t think it is made anymore. My model uses rechargeable AA batteries so that in a pinch, I could always purchase batteries at a store. The light is bright enough to illuminate the few dark spots on my commuter. But not nearly as bright as what the MTBers use at night. I did pick up a spare charger to leave at work in case I forget to charge the light. I also mount a blinky on the front.

I add reflector tape on the fenders, panniers, and such to improve night visibility. I also use arm/leg bands with LEDs. http://ecom1.planetbike.com/3030.html

Just wanted to add this note: when the lights are out, please let trails@arlingtonva.us (and perhaps the County Board) know.

For all you Magicshine owners – I just received the following email. Horrible time of year for this to happen since I need the light for commuting now. Looks like I may be looking at other light options (like the Exposure Joystick light Dirt recommends) if I can’t get a replacement battery soon, and I mean very soon.

To Our Valued Geomangear Customers,

Geomangear temporarily has stopped selling Magicshine lightsets due to our concerns regarding the safety, quality, and performance of Magicshine’s lithium-ion battery packs sold by Geomangear between July 2009 and November 2010. We have determined that these Magicshine battery packs do not meet Geomangear’s high expectations regarding product safety, quality, and performance. We have notified both the manufacturer of Magicshine lightsets and the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission that Geomangear intends to voluntarily recall all Magicshine battery packs sold by Geomangear.

We are actively working with the Safety Commission, outside engineering consultants, and a new battery pack supplier to evaluate product recall options for our customers. Geomangear will provide recall information and instructions directly to our affected customers after our final corrective action plan has been approved by the Safety Commission.

If you bought a Magicshine lightset from us between June 2009 and November 2010, please discontinue using your lightset until we are able to provide you with an upgraded replacement battery pack. Despite our best efforts, this process will take some time, and we ask for your patience. You can rest assured that Geomangear has taken, and will continue to take, appropriate steps to protect the safety of our customers, and we will stand behind our products. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you and appreciate your continued loyalty and support during this unprecedented situation our company is facing.

Hey Pete – thanks for the offer. I haven’t been commuting this week as I’m not feeling well. But I may take you up on the offer when I start commuting later in the week (assuming I’m feeling better). I’ll PM you.

With the MagicShine on reserve duty (I’m not too terribly worried about using it, plus I make M. handle it when charging.*) I’m back to the MiNewt. Had to do some (not very good) re-soldering of a broken connection, after a couple of years use. Not as bright as the MagicShine, but definitely useable.

*Kidding, people. Mostly.