What are the best bicycle lights on a moonless night over dodgy terrrain? (UK)?

Question

Dodgy terrain is pretty much everywhere including the roads.

Moonless night and no street lamps = pitch black.

I want to see where I am going and none of the pocket-sized lights seem to be powerful enough by a long way.

Need a powerful light, but these have different batteries and chargers!

Answer 1

I've done a bit of experimenting with lights this year. I was also just in London last week so I know what you mean by "dodgy terrain". When I state prices in dollars, they are probably the same number of Pounds.

The typical commuter lights that run of AAA batteries are good for alerting oncoming drivers of your presence, but don't really light your path further than 5 feet ahead. These cost up to $40.

The next step up is Halogen lights. This is probably what you should look at. They put out a good enough amount of light where you can see 15 or 20 feet ahead of you on flat terrain. They have rechargeable batteries with typical burn times of 2 hours and cost $60-$200.

There are some LED lights that are just coming on the market that are very similar to the halogens.

Finally, the greatest amount of light comes from HID lights. These are the best you can buy and put out as much light as the sun (not really, but they are quite bright). They have burn times of 3 - 6 hours and cost $300-$650.

Lights are extremely difficult to go into a store and purchase. Few stores have lights available for testing and rarely stock the high end lights.

Try http://www.mtbr.com/spotlight/lightshootout/ for a comparison of light patterns. I personally own a Nite Rider HID (Handle Bar) and a Nite Rider Halogen(Helmet).

In addition, don't forget to purchase a very bright tail light, maybe 2. The biggest danger is having a car hit you from behind, and after seeing the crazy roundabouts and narrow streets of London that should be your #1 priority.

The last question I would have is Helmet versus Bar mount. The bar mount should be the best alternative for road riding because you don't have to maneuver tight turns. Another benefit to the bar mounted light is that you can better judge the size of rocks & bumps because it casts a shadow.

Answer 2

Get yourself a Silva L1 Headlamp from somwhere like Wiggle http://www.wiggle.co.uk/Default.aspx?Main=ProductDetail.aspx&W=0&Manufacturer=&UberCatName=&Cat=cycle&CategoryName=Head%20Torches&ProdID=5360020797&UberCat=0
A bit odd perhaps but a lot of mountain bikers are using them and they are half the price of bike specific helmet lamps. It has 4 settings, low, med, high and flash. Low and med is enough for on road while high is great for off road. Flashing is a bit disco-ey and can confuse others. They are powered by 4 AA's that fit in to the strap mounted battery holders or you can remove them and use the remote box that holds 4 C type batteries and keep that in your pocket. The light does fit on to a helmet but you might need to use a couple of cable ties if you want to keep the peak on.
Oh yeah. It is really quite small so wont look as daft as you think.

Answer 3

I am using a Nite Rider system. It is a dual bulb system which gives you three light levels: 12, 20 or 32 watts. With the dual bulb system, if you have a bulb burn out mid-ride, you still 1 light left to get yourself home. I've had cars flash their high beams at me on the 32 watt setting. At full charge, the battery will go about 3 hours at 12 watts, 2 hours at 20 watts, and 1hour 10min at 32 watts. This system uses Halogen bulbs, but I understand the HID systems are even brighter. But the HID systems are mega expensive. The system I have wasn't cheap either, but it works great.

Answer 4

I have a Vistalite twin lamp set up, with a handlebar remote to switch between one and two lamps. Very bright, lightweight and compact (battery is size of a minipump, mounts next to bottlecage), good battery life.

Cost about £60 for the whole kit, would wholeheartedly recommend - perfect for off-road riding at night.

Answer 5

you need to shop around. Many manufacturers now make lamps with two lights that use halogen bulbs and a rechargable battery pack to save you money. No these arnt cheap but if you want to ride safely and enjoy yourself there worth every penny.

I even use mine off road.

Answer 6

A Lighthouse

Answer 7

Any of the niterider HID lights are fantastic if you can afford them. I've been using them for several years now and I love them.