Light?

[Bilsko]

@eminva 29808 wrote:

Okay, so the survey results are in: people don’t like blinky lights on the trail. And it appears the vis360 blinks. So that one gets crossed off the list. Thanks, everyone.

the Vis360 has 3 settings for the front : Hi-Lo-Blink. The rear light is blink-only

[Certifried]

@eminva 29808 wrote:

Okay, so the survey results are in: people don’t like blinky lights on the trail. And it appears the vis360 blinks. So that one gets crossed off the list. Thanks, everyone.
Liz

From what I’ve read, it’s the front, bright blinky that everyone hates on a trail. I don’t think the majority of people care about a rear blinky, though there are probably a few that do.

What I like to do on trails is turn off my helmet vis360. I still have the cygolite on the bars, pointed downwardish and 2 solid reds in the back. When I go out on roads, I’ll leave the 2 solid reds on the rear but turn on my blinky-in-the-back vis360, leaving me with 2 front brights.

[eminva]

Thanks, Certifried. On the W&OD, there are a lot of road crossings, and I was thinking a helmet light would be helpful there for visibility to cars approaching the trail crossings, as well as to see things off to the side of the trail if I think I see movement (I’m always anxious about deer out in my neck of the woods). So, I would hope to be using it on the trail.

I don’t think it has to be super powerful — I will have my Diablo on my handlebars so if I need all powerful light, I’ve got that. Any suggestions are welcome.

Liz

[mstone]

I especially like the vis360 on the trails, because getting fixed-light equivalent coverage of the sides (where the deer are poised to jump) would require a honkin’ big light. Instead I use the helmet light and scan, and just look down and right when passing someone head-on. The vis360+ model lets you turn off the back light if it really bothers you; I don’t care that much. (People shouldn’t be tailgating me in the dark on the trail in the first place. )

[Riley Casey]

Something about your post has me thinking that this may be your first season of commuting in the dark winter hours. Disregard the following if thats untrue. If true then please adjust your goals from ‘minimum required’ to absolutely essential and worth the big money even more than having a helmet. If you are invisible on the road you stand a much better chance of being dead. If you can’t see where your going on a suburban side street or trail your either walking or finding the potholes needlessly. A really good head light plus tail light combo along the lines of those already suggested in the thread are really, really important for night riding. Also important, and one of those things that doesn’t get put on the list until it bites you in the nose is a spare light. If you are commuting and have no other options for getting home at 6 pm in January you’re pretty much stuck if your primary front light fails to come on one night. A spare such as a helmet light or even a $10 LED hardware store flashlight is a real life saver.

@Jason B 29592 wrote:

As the days grow shorter, I am looking for a decent small light that can easily interchanged to different bikes. I need front and back. Any suggestions??
Thanks

[Bilsko]

@Riley Casey 29832 wrote:

Also important, and one of those things that doesn’t get put on the list until it bites you in the nose is a spare light. If you are commuting and have no other options for getting home at 6 pm in January you’re pretty much stuck if your primary front light fails to come on one night. A spare such as a helmet light or even a $10 LED hardware store flashlight is a real life saver.

Funny, I was just thinking about this yesterday afternoon, but in a slightly different context.

I grimmace every time I look out my window in the evening and see someone riding up MacArthur without a light (front or rear). My thought was to have a cheap $5 LED rear blinky on me at all times and give it for free whenever I encountered a lightless rider. Kind of like what WABA does with the seasonal light giveways, but all the time. It wouldn’t be cheap and I suppose some people might not like being offered a free light, but it might help a bit.

I usually roll by the Waba give-outs, but I think next time I’ll stop and pick up a light or two so I have some to hand out down the road.

[vvill]

@eminva 29808 wrote:

Okay, so the survey results are in: people don’t like blinky lights on the trail. And it appears the vis360 blinks. So that one gets crossed off the list. Thanks, everyone.

By the way, I mentioned earlier in this thread that I got my new Exposure Diablo last night. The Exposure USA website has the Diablo for sale for $199 with a “minor cosmetic blemish.” I cannot even discern the blemish on my new light. So if you were thinking about a Diablo for the approaching season, this might be an option to save some cash.

Liz

I don’t actually mind blinky front lights as long as they’re not too bright. And blinky rear lights are fine. I run with them on quite often.

As for the Exposure lights… endorsed by Pete AND Liz? I might have to get one now.

The great thing about being a night-riding cyclist is that when there’s say, a snowpocalypse or derecho, and you need some flashlights, it’s pretty easy to go to your bike room/accessories storage and come out brandishing 1000 lumens in two hands.

[Arlingtonrider]

Add Kathy to that endorsement list, and I don’t think Skreaminquadz will mind if I throw his name in as well. That’s a great price for a Diablo.

[Jason B]

Thanks everyone for the imput. Just to follow up after reading all the reviews, I went with the Lezyne super drive with the portLand tail light. Not as high end as many of the suggestion but a definite step up from my typical Dick’s sporting good light I usually pick up. Besides I have been very impressed with both the Lezyne pump and their alloy levers. I’ll keep your suggestions in mind when looking for a helmet light to compliment as we creep into the night.
Thanks again

[OutsideTheLaw]

Another vote for the “dont’ scrimp on lights” advice and another vote for Exposure, especially the Diablo. I’ve been using an Exposure Toro as my bar light (3 or 4 years now) and an Exposure Diablo as my helmet light (past two winters, and a blinker in the summer). The Diablo is expensive, but unbeatable, and not as expensive as an accident.

On the rear, I’m running the Planet Bike Superflash Turbo, and a Portland on the rear of the helmet. Much much cheaper and visible from a half mile behind.

Don’t scrimp on lights.

[rcannon100]

Just wanna join the echo chamber:

High power strobes on the trail suck: For oncoming traffic, when the strobe is on, all ya can see is white; then the strobe goes off and all you can see is dark; then the strobe goes back on again and ARGGGGHHHH!!! Turn the strobe / blinkers off on the trail, and if you use a high powered light, please point it down at the trail.

Second, I want to give counter advance to the “dont scrimp on lights.” Consider what you are doing and these two options:

* If you use a high powered light on a trail, you zone of visibility will largely be where that light lights up the trail. Outside of the lighted zone, you will see nothing due to contrast. If, as some suggested, you are doing long distance on dark trails – seeing the bumps and goblins is probably a good thing. High power is good.

* If you use a lower powered light on the trail, it will not light up your path too well – its purpose is for others to see you – but you will be able to see both the lighted part of the trail and the trail outside of that zone. In other words, if you are biking largely in urban environments, where there are lots of light sources – the additional light from other sources give sufficient light and let you see more of what is around you – not just the zone your light lights up.

This is my strategy. I place two 3LED Planet Bike lights on my handle bar – it lights up the path a little – I can also still see where my lights do not light up the path – and the primary strategy is a double light configuration that cars can readily see. And they dont cost too much – largely cause they run on AA batteries probably.

And as we switch to night riding, dont forget your clear eye protection – you usually can get decent safety glasses at hardware stores for just a couple of bucks.

[mstone]

The anti-strobe meme is getting a bit out of control. Are they optimal? No. Are they the end of the world? Also no.

[Arlingtonrider]

Also, bright lights that are helmet mounted can be blinding and very annoying to oncoming riders. If you must use a bright helmet mounted light, it helps a lot if you look down and to the side of the trail when people are coming at you.

[jabberwocky]

@mstone 30440 wrote:

The anti-strobe meme is getting a bit out of control. Are they optimal? No. Are they the end of the world? Also no.

They’re really fricking annoying on the trail though. Every taillight I’ve ever seen has a constant mode as well as a blinkie/strobe mode; I don’t think its all that difficult to just switch it to constant if you’re going to be riding a popular trail like the Custis/W&OD/whatever.

[JorgeGortex]

@jabberwocky 30448 wrote:

They’re really fricking annoying on the trail though. Every taillight I’ve ever seen has a constant mode as well as a blinkie/strobe mode; I don’t think its all that difficult to just switch it to constant if you’re going to be riding a popular trail like the Custis/W&OD/whatever.

For me its not the flashing tail lights… most aren’t so bright that they blind me, its the flashing headlights, as other have mentioned. Just switched to low level constant if you must use a light on the trails. (Frankly, on the trails, I often just turn the headlight off as it is bright enough to see already.)

As for a headlight, I am using my Niterider Lumina (forget which version) and it is more than enough for street or trail. The flashing mode I use on the street really catches driver’s attention as I approach cross-streets. I had one lady follow me on her bike, for awhile, b/c she said she felt safer with my light leading the way! Go Boocycle with Niterider!

JG

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