David Johnson wrote:
You know the story. You want to go for a pint in town and its light
when you set out but will be dark by the time you've finished your
"pint". Now I already have a wallet, phone and house keys in my Jeans,

If you're always cycling 'in town' where there is adequate street lighting then your front
light is a 'see me!' device and can easily be small/tiny and doesn't need endurance.

Dynamo lights are fine (for values of fine) but the hub type are stuck with the bike so if
you have more than one bike or will borrow a friend's then that's no good. A bottle
dynamo (personally I hated the whine when engaged) are easier to swap to a new one if you
sell your bike.

If you have a habit of forgetting your lights or going 'to town' in the day but stopping
late on a whim then use a dynamo.[1]

Don't worry about /carrying your lights in the daylight/. Why would you? Simply clip them
to the bike. So, result, you don't need them tiny as the only time they'll be off the
bike is in the pub. This is an important result if you need endurance, and IMHO you only
want to be thinking about changing batteries say once every 4 evenings. (Doesn't apply to
LED rear lights but a cycling in the country headlight needs decent cells.)


[1] Or use the "A-B-C-D" mnemonic when (re)starting a ride
A - Air : Glance at tyres
B - Brakes : Flick each one to test effect
C - Clips : All things that clip... have you got them...should you have them?
D - Danglers : No laces, straps etc. that could get caught?



--
Peter Fox
Beer, dancing, cycling and lots more at www.eminent.demon.co.uk