Hi
Can someone recommend some decent bike lights? I have a front one that attaches with the rubber band type thing that’s pretty good except it turns on in my bag every time so it’s always dead when I go to use it.
Needs be removable from the bike easily.
I would prefer USB C over micro USB. Or maybe rechargeable AA battery which I already own.
Also the rear light is gonna be attached to milk crate on the back rack.
It’s for a city just to be seen so I don’t need 7150 lumens.
Thanks!
Lights from igsport are quite good, have type-c charger and a universal mount (like bike conputers, action cameras, etc).
Thanks!. They come with the mount right?
Yes. As well, you can by such a mount everywhere (I bought my ob aliexpress). I can recommend a two-side one for the handlebar: bike computer on the top side and the light on the bottom side, I found such a setup very useful.
I’m not sure how their BS01 bike light is, but I have a lot of other sofirn lights and they’re rock solid considering the price point. Unfortunately I don’t think they have a matching red one for the rear though.
Love this tail light: https://www.niterider.com/products/vmax-™-150-bike-taillight I have a bit of webbing on a milk crate it clips onto easily, or I can hook it to my collar or waistband.
And I use a high performance cylinder light on a headlamp under my helmet for front lighting. I like that wherever I look is always lit up that way.
I second the Niterider series. I had their front Lumina, when I realized I needed a brighter light to see all the potholes on my winter evening commutes. And got this exact rear one when I needed to upgrade my back light.
I love that it is rechargeable, and bright enough to be seen in the deceptively lit suburban light-pollution of my commute. (And they are pretty easy to find at sports/bike shops)
And the grips are good enough to hold and readjust, but can still take them off if you lock up your bike for a few hours.
I bought some lights from AliExpress (the brand is Rockbros), they work very well. Strong light, decent battery life, rechargeable by USB-C. Good times all around
Anti-recommendation:
I bought Victoper lights - piece of cake to attach and run, and the light is decent, but the battery is weak, they almost run out of charge in about 20 minutes. I only spent $13 though, so I guess you get what you pay for.
Thank you! Anti recommendations are definitely helpful haha
My current setup is a universal mount with a Fenix E35, just your typical (expensive high-performance) cylindrical flashlight. I keep it dim, but it gets ridiculously bright if I do need something to see by.
For the rear I use a Fenix LD15R. It’s a little clip-on light that I put on my backback. It’s perfect because it’s wearable and can shine red, not just white.
Before this, I was really happy with a set of lights from knog. Two wearable knog plus lights, to be specific. I used to clip them on my person instead of onto the bike, that way I never worried about mounting or forgetting them on the bike to be stolen. They do also come with a magnetic mount that you can rubber-band onto your bike, helmet, or whatever else the clip wouldn’t work for.
Knogs “gimmick” on a lot of their lights is built-in usb A contacts. The lights can be charged by plugging them in like usb drives into any usb port or charger.
For “be seen” lights knog has great options, and while there are cheaper lights, my knog lights lasted. They kept working for years of daily use, and I didn’t replace them because they didn’t work. Only because I didn’t want to keep charging them every two days with how much cycling I was doing.
Since they’re capable of high brightness, the Fenix lights last weeks at dim “be seen” brightness.
Edit: OH! And if you didn’t think of it yet, the most cost-effective visibility upgrade might be retro-reflectors. I got a roll of reflective vinyl tape for 10 euros at a local bike store, and put some tasteful strips of it on my frame and rims. Even the tiniest amount of light makes them glow. Most of all, they make it extremely obvious what I am and where I’m going.
Just for those who’ve not tried it, hub dynamo lights seem to have the best all round experience in city biking. A hub dynamo is something worth considering next time you buy a bike. Although I’ve retrofitted by replacing the front wheel once.
Why dynamo lights? It’s a huge convenience, and means no excuses for riding at night:
- Never forget to charge, or check charge level, or buy batteries.
- Never go out without lights hoping you’ll be home before dark.
- Never have lights lost or stolen. Dynamo lights are little more than an LED + lens.
- Never attach and detach lights each ride. Just walk away.
- Never even switch lights on and off ever again. Leave them on.
- Never have to carry your lights somehow with you all evening.
I mainly use this rear light. It comes with a bracket so you can mount it to the back of your rear rack. Then you just clip it in. I hate the rubber band lights.
I’m also quite happy with this front light. The mount stays on your bars and the light really easily clips in and out.
Borth are usb-c. Don’t bother with the planet bike front lights. Maybe their nicer ones are better but the mount is ass for the cheaper ones.
