# Commuter lights suggestions for under $200



## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

The other day I finally decided that the two small LED headlights that I am running on my commuter is not enough light to be comfortable with during the morning commute. I have a Cateye HL-EL510 and a Viewpoint Flare 5 headlights and they both just put out a small spot of light in front of me. Combined, I just have enough light to see things on the road to watch for but I've had a few times when I rode right over potholes and things that I never saw with the insufficient lighting. My commute takes me through two sections that has no street lighting at all and very little ambient light. It doesn't help that I leave the house shortly after 5 AM so it is almost always going to be dark on my morning commutes. The problems I have with my current setup is that both headlights put out a small spot of light that isn't very bright so they're more like front running lights to let people know I'm there, not to light my way in the darkness.

I looked around online for a headlight and the NiteRider MiNewt.X2 Dual headlight looks promising to me. So, this past weekend, while I was at the local REI picking up a Planet Bike SuperFlash tail light, I ask to see one and compared it to another hand-held 4AA LED headlight and there was no comparison. Then the salesman asks, "what are you going to use this for?" I replied, "commuting," to which he replies, "you don't need this light." WTF? I don't need this light because it is overkill for commuting? I don't need this light because the cheapie 4AA LED headlights should be sufficient, even if I have twenty of them strewn across my handlebar for commuting? I never got the chance to ask him to explain. I have pretty much decided that I *do* need this light or something like it so I'm moving forward with its purchase but I have decided to ask the folks here a) whether or not I need this light and b) which light should I choose to go with for under $200 and why?


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

Here's all you need to know with regard to low-cost lighting:

Tail-light: PB Superflash

Headlight: Fenix L2D Premium. It's an LED flashlight that's incredibly bright and runs on rechargeable AA batteries. Fenix sells mounts to attach it to your handlebar or helmet. The whole system (light, batteries, mount) costs about $70 and weighs about 100 grams.

www.fenix-store.com


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## JohnnyTooBad (Apr 5, 2004)

Yeah, you need it. Not only will it make you more visible to cars, but it'll let you see what is in your path with enough time to easily avoid it. It'll also allow you to ride faster because you won't outrun the light pattern. Those areas that have no street lighting or ambient light will be a lot more enjoyable when you can see where you're going.

As for which light, do some surfing here and on MTBR. There are a ton of threads about lights, and a comparison of lights on MTBR. There's enough info and posts about lights to keep you occupied for a week of reading.


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## mmorast (Oct 22, 2007)

+1 on the Fenix flashlight that runs on two AA. Provides plenty of light for my 18 mile commute in area that ranges from no overhead lights to fully light. The light is nice and light (weight wise), good battery life, relatively cheap ($65), and weather resistant. 

The MTBR comparisions and most of the other ones on the web will not compare the Fenix to bike specific lights. I have though compared it against my friend's mininewt X2, and it puts out as much if not more on the 2nd to highest setting. This the setting I have been using and it lasts for the ride to and from work for 2 days. That is about 4 hours of commuting. I have seen someone with the Dinotte 200L riding and I do not think the Dinotte puts out any more light than this is capable of. Getting two of the Fenix would probably get you pretty much between the Dinotte 200L and 600L for less than the price of the 200L.

I am also thinking about getting another one to mount to my helmet. The current one is on the handlebar. Though this is just for being able to have a light that is targeted to where I am currently looking. This one though is probably going to be a single AA.So my total cost with both lights and mounting blocks will be $140.


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## sfsailor (Nov 7, 2003)

*Love my niterider Sol*

Bright enough, great run time, reasonable cost.


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## pyrtwist (Feb 5, 2008)

I have a set of Tubrocats, one for helmet and the other two for bike mount. I generally do not use them for my commute because there is enough ambient and street lights. But on these crappy icy winter days I use them to locate ice. Yeah, overkill but sometimes you need to be brighter than a UFO to get to work.


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## threesportsinone (Mar 27, 2007)

I bought a 6watt LED flashlight with a hi/low setting for ~$40 @ Target, a large O-ring keeps it in place on the bars. I run that with the Blackburn 1watt set on flash for the front.


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## buck-50 (Sep 20, 2005)

Nashbar's got some NiteRider TrailRats on sale for like a hundred bucks or so- I've used one for over 10 years and it's been great.

You can't have too much light when you are commuting- mount it on your helmet and you'll find it's amazingly good at getting the attention of cars around you. Like shining deer in the country...


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## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

Thanks for the replies, folks. I was going to wait until I got home to purchase the Fenix L2D Premium but my boss pulled me aside and told me that my contract is going to end at the end of the month due to budget constraints so I'm going to hold off getting any lighting system for the short term until I know where my next job is going to be.


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## juicemansam (Nov 26, 2007)

*CygoLite Rover II*

I got a CygoLite Rover II despite it being a newer headlight without reviews. According to my research, it's basically as bright as two Niterider Sols. REI has them for $140, but there's a 20% off coupon that expires at the end of the month. If you already have a REI membership, you'll get it for ~$120 (along with their 100% guarantee on it). It's really bright and will run for about 3.5 hours on high. The only thing I don't like is the bottle battery, and that it's not Li-Ion, but oh well.

On a side note, I frequent a park that has a mix of runners, roadies, and mountain bikers. The first night I rode with the bike at the park I was asked what light I was using. The guy said it was really bright and wanted to know what light it was. I see that guy at that park quite a bit, so I assume he's seen the mountain bikers with their instant cataract causing lights, but still he asked me about it. I think that means something, even if small.


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## macalu (Jan 16, 2003)

+1 on the Cygolite Rover II. I got mine from Performance for 120. Plenty of light for trail and road, plus I like the flash mode for dawn and dusk.


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## Leopold Porkstacker (Jul 15, 2005)

If you are comfortable with a soldering iron I'd suggest buying a couple of those made in China (isn't everything made in China these days?!?!) "Power Beam" 5-LED lights (I buy mine from a distributor in China via eBay for $5 each), and replace the electronic flashing circuitry and 5-LED PCB with a cool white Luxeon K2 LED in each unit (Lumileds L2K2-MW14-11-BV00). All I did from there was add a simple 5A rated SPST switch. The output per LED is between 140-175 lumens (depending on the binning). I have two of them set up in this manner, and they are plenty bright (hard to look directly into them for more than a second) with only four AAA cells powering them.

I've also modded my otherwise benign-looking generic rear tail lamps with LXHL-LH3C red LEDs (each LED between 165-190 lumens at peak rated current) and a simple MOSFET-driven circuit with a 555 timer IC -- I have two of these modded units on the back of my bike, one with three Luxeons, the other with four. Each unit uses only two AA batteries, yet the MOSFET pulls a constant amount of current down to the LEDs so the brightness level is astounding.


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## juicemansam (Nov 26, 2007)

Leopold Porkstacker said:


> If you are comfortable with a soldering iron I'd suggest buying a couple of those made in China (isn't everything made in China these days?!?!) "Power Beam" 5-LED lights (I buy mine from a distributor in China via eBay for $5 each), and replace the electronic flashing circuitry and 5-LED PCB with a cool white Luxeon K2 LED in each unit (Lumileds L2K2-MW14-11-BV00). All I did from there was add a simple 5A rated SPST switch. The output per LED is between 140-175 lumens (depending on the binning). I have two of them set up in this manner, and they are plenty bright (hard to look directly into them for more than a second) with only four AAA cells powering them.
> 
> I've also modded my otherwise benign-looking generic rear tail lamps with LXHL-LH3C red LEDs (each LED between 165-190 lumens at peak rated current) and a simple MOSFET-driven circuit with a 555 timer IC -- I have two of these modded units on the back of my bike, one with three Luxeons, the other with four. Each unit uses only two AA batteries, yet the MOSFET pulls a constant amount of current down to the LEDs so the brightness level is astounding.


OT: Nice avatar! I used to love watching my brother play that game at a local liquor store.

I was teetering on making my own light or buying one. I knew that making one was a no-brainer, more so because I'm handy with electronic components and a soldering iron, but what made me decide for a purchased light was the risk in spending 1/3 of a new light and not getting the desired results. A ready to go light was a fail-safe option. I'll be making a single LED light for the rubber duckie on my helmet (it's holding a beach ball, which I'll hollow out). Hopefully I won't blind people when I turn and say hello.


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## mmorast (Oct 22, 2007)

I thought about building my own too, but after seeing the LED flashlights already out there, their runtimes, light output, and prices I decided otherwise. Though if you have all the parts and just have to by the LED bin then it seems a no brainer. Starting from scratch it was just easier to get the Fenix like I mentioned above.


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

I've really liked my NiteRider Sol as well.


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## Rooter (Nov 10, 2005)

i just picked up a Dinotte 200L-AA from REI. Using their current 20% off coupon it was $135. I went with a LED light because I plan on using it whether it's dark or light out (daytime running light) and I didn't want to have to replace the bulb in my HID any sooner than necessary. I chose the Dinotte because it uses (cheap) off the shelf AA NiMH rechargeable batteries and it seems to be the brightest in the single emitter category. It seems like it will be bright enough to see by when it's dark and it has 3 flashing modes. On/Off, Hi/Low, and seizure mode. Here are a couple resources I found helpful.

http://reviews.mtbr.com/blog/category/lights-shootout/

http://gearreview.com/LEDs08_intro.php

A co-worker is using the single head version of this light and seems to be happy with it: http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/LS503A00-Blackburn+System+X6.aspx The battery is quite bulky but if you can fit it somewhere on your bike it seems like a good deal.

I am also using a PB Superflash on the back. Great light.


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## Chucko (May 15, 2007)

DiNotte 200L along with an older (wider) Ultra 5 works great for me. Rechargeable AAs are cheap. :thumbsup:


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## bcyclist (Jun 16, 2007)

I just use a $30 Luxeon LED flashlight. Quite bright.


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## juicemansam (Nov 26, 2007)

bcyclist said:


> I just use a $30 Luxeon LED flashlight. Quite bright.


I just saw that Harbor Freight Tools has a 1-watt Luxeon LED flashlight for $20. I'll have to check it out later.


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## Potential Roadkill (Jan 27, 2005)

*What he said!*



sfsailor said:


> Bright enough, great run time, reasonable cost.


I'm a big fan of the SOL too, I just bought one and really couldn't be happier with it. I also run a Peztl Tikka headlamp strapped to my helmet. I keep it on flash just as an attention getter. Anybody who thinks bright lights are overkill for commuting probably doesn't commute much.


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## Leopold Porkstacker (Jul 15, 2005)

OK, for those uncomfortable with a soldering iron, I am capable of customising the “el cheapo” lights with Luxeon LED elements and constant current (MOSFET-regulated boost control) circuits for a very small fee. I figure parts plus just a tad more than shipping is pretty damn reasonable. Why spend $300 when you can spend $40??????? Just a thought. I pretty much spend my nights huddled over the soldering iron with a beer in one hand putting these things together. Just trying to cut out the corporate marketing bullsh¡t since they just want your money, but I believe that nighttime visibility is in the hands of the laycyclist. (OMFGWTFBBQELEVENTY!!!11 I inveted a new term--LAYCYCLIST!).


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## meat tooth paste (Oct 6, 2004)

Been happy with my L&M Vega light. It's small and self contained, making it easier to remove when you lock up the bike.


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## juicemansam (Nov 26, 2007)

macalu said:


> +1 on the Cygolite Rover II. I got mine from Performance for 120. Plenty of light for trail and road, plus I like the flash mode for dawn and dusk.


I just came back from Performance where I took in my CygoLite Rover II to compare it to the Niterider Sol. The Sol had a larger areola around the strong center beam. The Rover II had less of an areola, but was definitely brighter and had a whiter light, and that was with one LED covered. With both, it's definitely brighter, and of course 1.5x bigger than the Sol and the bottle battery (which I plan on replacing with a homebrewed battery pack). Too bad they don't sell them in the store. It's probably because they still have the older model in stock.


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## Lake Prairie Flyer (Aug 20, 2004)

*Question for the Fenix light users*

I followed the link you sent on the Fenix Flashlight and the item description talks about an SOS mode. Is that a flash or strobe mode? I'm looking for something that will light up a totally unlit paved path running through the woods for about 3 miles and then can switch into strobe or flash mode for the remainder of my 9 mile commute. Does the Fenix L2D do that? Is it really as good as bike lights costing two or three times as much?

Thanks for any help you can offer.


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

The Fenix SOS mode is literally that -- an SOS or emergency signal. It's not much good for anything else as the pauses are too long between flashes for riding. There is a strobe setting in the turbo mode that flashes continuously but I never use turbo mode because it uses up batteries quicker.

Why would you want to ride 9 miles in the strobe mode? That would drive me crazy. If it's so cars can see you, I think the regular settings will accomplish that as the Fenix lights are very bright. I run mine on the second lowest setting when riding in traffic during daylight, and on the highest non-turbo setting in the dark. I rarely ever use turbo because it uses up batteries twice as fast and isn't really that much brighter.


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## Lake Prairie Flyer (Aug 20, 2004)

*Flashing in nice sometimes*

Tarwheel,
You guessed correctly that the flashing or strobe light just after dawn or just before sunset is what I'm interested in as well as a light that can light a path at night with little or no ambient light.
The only place I'd really desire a strobe is when I hit the downtown portion of the trip. I guess that only runs about 1.5 miles. I've seen other commuters on the downtown streets and you can their flashing strobe 4 or 5 blocks away. $65-$70 for a Fenix sure looks alot more inviting than $130 or more for something else.


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