Bike Light

I recently got a DiNotte led light (http://bit.ly/3iy5IU) and I'm very happy with it. I got the helmet mount version (which has more mounting options than the handlebar version). It's super bright, good on batteries and easily stowed when not in use.

My $.02 fwiw :)

Rick...

By all means have a bright enough light that drivers can see you. But with respect, I would like to suggest that a flashing two watt LED is too much. It could be enough to distract drivers or even blind them if it happens to shine into their eyes at close range. You might also find that flashing headlights are illegal except for emergency vehicles. Perhaps another member with more knowledge of the Highway Traffic Act could provide guidance on this.

For a value-priced headlight, you could consider the Cygolight Hi-Flux II, available at MEC for $ 89.00. Keep in mind that you get what you pay for, and these are a lot cheaper than high-end lights from Nite Rider or some of the other leading makers. I haven't used mine enough to be able to comment on durability, but I wouldn't want to make any bets on how long it would survive if used to ride technical singletrack.

I have used it on unlit roads in the rain, and it is reasonably adequate in spite of the low price. The blurb on the package compares it to a 15 watt halogen light. Having used a 15W halogen light, I can tell you it's not quite that bright. On the other hand, a fully charged battery pack lasts for several hours rather than the 45 minutes I get from the tired old water-bottle sized battery for my 15W light.

The only problem is that I found the beam to be narrowly focused, which results in good light well down a straight road, but is not so good for cornering. Cygolite includes a diffuser lens in the package, which helps, but a better solution would be a helmet-mounted light in addition to the one on the handlebar.

What do you mean good on batteries? One like this one, duracell, would do? At the moment I have a flashlight at my mobile but it kinda sucks. So my father uses all kinds of flashlights - but you would need batteries twice as bigger as normal ones. However, he has a small workshop full with leds he likes to play with, different colours etc. I like ingenious people. :)

Your current flashing LED is to make you visible,if your adding a steady light, it's to see with, not sure if that should be on the bars though, a light that mounts on the fork might work better, in that objects and road imperfections will show up better with a lower mounted light. If your spending a larger amount of money, then consider getting your front wheel rebuilt with a generator hub, and mounting a generator compatible light on the fork, or if you have one, the front rack. This will give you a working light in all conditions, the generator light when your moving and the existing battery light when your not. If the battery fails on the existing light, your not in the dark either.