headlight recommend?

Per Nate Nagel:
this one?

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...03W&lpage=none

looks tempting, if nothing else I could always use another decent
flashlight (I have two cars, a pickup truck, and a company car...)

That be the one.

They make good gifts too bco the unusually good functionality.
--
PeteCresswell

Per Nate Nagel:
How do you
mount it? I'm envisioning a small piece of softwood or plastic shaped
with a hole saw and then cut apart to allow the flash, er, headlight to
be held firmly on the handlebars...

I just hold it in one hand. There have, however, been a number
of home-brew mounting systems shown by others in other threads.

--
PeteCresswell

"Nate Nagel" wrote in message
...
Rode down to LBS today, explained my headlight dilemma (cross bike,
difficult to find space to mount headlight) and after explaining desired
use - allowing me to ride after dark, because I don't often have the
opportunity to ride during the day, save on weekends - they recommended
this:

http://www.abikestore.com/Merchant2/...Store_Code=pbs

Looks like a sweet little piece, but the price tag is almost half as much
as I paid for my bike!

How much would it cost to drag your wrecked bike and injured body by
ambulance to the nearest hospital? Because you were penny wise on your bike
headlight?!

An ambulance ALONE is $1,000 USD. Plus the hospital bill. Plus the ER DR
bill.

If you go with a cheapie headlight, I hope you have great group insurance
coverage. Otherwise, you are undoubtedly financially SCREWED.

There is NO FREE LUNCH.

J.

Jay wrote:
"Nate Nagel" wrote in message
...

Rode down to LBS today, explained my headlight dilemma (cross bike,
difficult to find space to mount headlight) and after explaining desired
use - allowing me to ride after dark, because I don't often have the
opportunity to ride during the day, save on weekends - they recommended
this:

http://www.abikestore.com/Merchant2/...Store_Code=pbs

Looks like a sweet little piece, but the price tag is almost half as much
as I paid for my bike!


How much would it cost to drag your wrecked bike and injured body by
ambulance to the nearest hospital? Because you were penny wise on your bike
headlight?!

An ambulance ALONE is $1,000 USD. Plus the hospital bill. Plus the ER DR
bill.

If you go with a cheapie headlight, I hope you have great group insurance
coverage. Otherwise, you are undoubtedly financially SCREWED.

There is NO FREE LUNCH.

J.

I realize this, but I'm sure that there's something a little heavier,
larger, whatever that will do the same job for less money. I'm not
talking about compromising on light, but on aesthetics or weight
(cutting out the malt sodas would probably do a better job of both than
buying an expensive micro-headlight, and you don't see me doing that, do
you?)

I might as well embrace my fredness and investigate the LED flashlight
options. I've seen several presented that look appealing. Apparently
this is a new concept only to me as I've already found three purpose
made mounts since I started this thread.

Telling everyone that wants to ride at night that they need to spend
$180 on a headlight is fine, I guess, if you want to encourage people
not to ride...

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

Jay wrote:

How much would it cost to drag your wrecked bike and injured body by
ambulance to the nearest hospital? Because you were penny wise on your bike
headlight?!

An ambulance ALONE is $1,000 USD. Plus the hospital bill. Plus the ER DR
bill.

If you go with a cheapie headlight, I hope you have great group insurance
coverage. Otherwise, you are undoubtedly financially SCREWED.

Funny that so many of us have ridden so long and so far with nothing
more than the most rudimentary, cheap lighting-- or even just
reflectors and no actual lights at all.

I have figured out a whole bunch of ways to get hurt on my bike, but
using inadequate illumination has not been one of them so far. Good
(or good and expensive) lighting is something I'd put in the "nice to
have" category.

Anyway, a $30 Task Force light or a $20 Hong Kong LED light is a way
more serious piece of bike lighting equipment than you used to be able
to buy for less than $100.

Chalo

On Apr 26, 6:59*pm, Nate Nagel wrote:
Jay wrote:

I realize this, but I'm sure that there's something a little heavier,
larger, whatever that will do the same job for less money. *I'm not
talking about compromising on light, but on aesthetics or weight
(cutting out the malt sodas would probably do a better job of both than
buying an expensive micro-headlight, and you don't see me doing that, do
you?)

I might as well embrace my fredness and investigate the LED flashlight
options. *I've seen several presented that look appealing. *Apparently
this is a new concept only to me as I've already found three purpose
made mounts since I started this thread.

Telling everyone that wants to ride at night that they need to spend
$180 on a headlight is fine, I guess, if you want to encourage people
not to ride...

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.http://members.cox.net/njnagel- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


I commute 5,000 miles yearly in Chicago every day of the year
regardless of weather or darkness. In the winter it is in the dark
both morning and night. 5am mornings, 6pm at night.

I ride no more than 15 MPH. Even so, it is easy to ride faster than I
can see in the dark.

I do know one thing: One cannot impart wisdom. Wisdom must be either
experienced or otherwise embraced.

Wisdom CANNOT be learned by Usenet or any other means.

J.

On Apr 27, 12:59*am, Nate Nagel wrote:
Jay wrote:
"Nate Nagel" wrote in message
...

Rode down to LBS today, explained my headlight dilemma (cross bike,
difficult to find space to mount headlight) and after explaining desired
use - allowing me to ride after dark, because I don't often have the
opportunity to ride during the day, save on weekends - they recommended
this:

http://www.abikestore.com/Merchant2/...=PROD&Product_....

Looks like a sweet little piece, but the price tag is almost half as much
as I paid for my bike!

How much would it cost to drag your wrecked bike and injured body by
ambulance to the nearest hospital? Because you were penny wise on your bike
headlight?!

An ambulance ALONE is $1,000 USD. Plus the hospital bill. Plus the ER DR
bill.

If you go with a cheapie headlight, I hope you have great group insurance
coverage. Otherwise, you are undoubtedly financially SCREWED.

There is NO FREE LUNCH.

J.

I realize this, but I'm sure that there's something a little heavier,
larger, whatever that will do the same job for less money. *I'm not
talking about compromising on light, but on aesthetics or weight
(cutting out the malt sodas would probably do a better job of both than
buying an expensive micro-headlight, and you don't see me doing that, do
you?)

I might as well embrace my fredness and investigate the LED flashlight
options. *I've seen several presented that look appealing. *Apparently
this is a new concept only to me as I've already found three purpose
made mounts since I started this thread.

Telling everyone that wants to ride at night that they need to spend
$180 on a headlight is fine, I guess, if you want to encourage people
not to ride...

nate

I tend to agree with Jay, though I haven't actually gone as far as
buying Dinotte lights.

But then I'm not a commuter, more in your position of occasionally
wanting a nighttime ride because the day has been awful for one reason
or another. If find dynamo and hub generator lights, both of which I
have on various bikes, to be not quite good enough for riding even
gently along known but unlit (blacktop) lanes, and quite useless for
riding onto the estates of friends. If you want to see, and especially
if you ride fast, a battery light is essential. Those torches
recommended in this thread are not available here, so I bought a set
of Electron EHP315 simply because I make it a practice never to go
into even the least friendly bike shop without buying something. I've
found them very good, though of course the promised endurance of the
battery is a joke; but at around an hour they do have a margin over
the normal time taken for my shortest ride, even on full blast. They
cost me eighty euro but that's from Victoria Cycles, a shop known to
charge like a famine is coming; I saw them at Chain Reaction the next
day for 60 and in the States they are probably much, much cheaper. The
two lights make enough light to see properly by on unlit roads, and
will get you seen in town, and can be directed one nearby and one a
bit up to show the width of the road and far enough along to ride at
speed down hills even on less than perfect roads. With careful use,
you can get nearer two hours of use but I like just blasting all the
light I can get on the road.

If you ride through motorized traffic, you also need a flashing rear
light, and the cheapest that actually works is the Cateye TL-LD1100
which, compared to a Dinotte, is a bargain.

Andre Jute
http://members.lycos.co.uk/fiultra/B...20CYCLING.html

On Apr 26, 7:37*pm, Andre Jute wrote:
On Apr 27, 12:59*am, Nate Nagel wrote:





Jay wrote:
"Nate Nagel" wrote in message
...

Rode down to LBS today, explained my headlight dilemma (cross bike,
difficult to find space to mount headlight) and after explaining desired
use - allowing me to ride after dark, because I don't often have the
opportunity to ride during the day, save on weekends - they recommended
this:

http://www.abikestore.com/Merchant2/...=PROD&Product_...

Looks like a sweet little piece, but the price tag is almost half as much
as I paid for my bike!

How much would it cost to drag your wrecked bike and injured body by
ambulance to the nearest hospital? Because you were penny wise on your bike
headlight?!

An ambulance ALONE is $1,000 USD. Plus the hospital bill. Plus the ER DR
bill.

If you go with a cheapie headlight, I hope you have great group insurance
coverage. Otherwise, you are undoubtedly financially SCREWED.

There is NO FREE LUNCH.

J.

I realize this, but I'm sure that there's something a little heavier,
larger, whatever that will do the same job for less money. *I'm not
talking about compromising on light, but on aesthetics or weight
(cutting out the malt sodas would probably do a better job of both than
buying an expensive micro-headlight, and you don't see me doing that, do
you?)

I might as well embrace my fredness and investigate the LED flashlight
options. *I've seen several presented that look appealing. *Apparently
this is a new concept only to me as I've already found three purpose
made mounts since I started this thread.

Telling everyone that wants to ride at night that they need to spend
$180 on a headlight is fine, I guess, if you want to encourage people
not to ride...

nate

I tend to agree with Jay, though I haven't actually gone as far as
buying Dinotte lights.

But then I'm not a commuter, more in your position of occasionally
wanting a nighttime ride because the day has been awful for one reason
or another. If find dynamo and hub generator lights, both of which I
have on various bikes, to be not quite good enough for riding even
gently along known but unlit (blacktop) lanes, and quite useless for
riding onto the estates of friends. If you want to see, and especially
if you ride fast, a battery light is essential. Those torches
recommended in this thread are not available here, so I bought a set
of Electron EHP315 simply because I make it a practice never to go
into even the least friendly bike shop without buying something. I've
found them very good, though of course the promised endurance of the
battery is a joke; but at around an hour they do have a margin over
the normal time taken for my shortest ride, even on full blast. They
cost me eighty euro but that's from Victoria Cycles, a shop known to
charge like a famine is coming; I saw them at Chain Reaction the next
day for 60 and in the States they are probably much, much cheaper. The
two lights make enough light to see properly by on unlit roads, and
will get you seen in town, and can be directed one nearby and one a
bit up to show the width of the road and far enough along to ride at
speed down hills even on less than perfect roads. With careful use,
you can get nearer two hours of use but I like just blasting all the
light I can get on the road.

If you ride through motorized traffic, you also need a flashing rear
light, and the cheapest that actually works is the Cateye TL-LD1100
which, compared to a Dinotte, is a bargain.

Andre Jutehttp://members.lycos.co.uk/fiultra/BICYCLE%20%26%20CYCLING.html- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


Andre is, of course, essentially correct:

(1) Any cheap piece of Chinese s*** will work for a taillight;

Headlights come in two distinct flavors: Be seen; or illuminate the
pavement.

For 'be seen' headlights, see (1) above;

For 'illuminate pavement' headlights, see DiNotte headlights: Simply
the best, brightest, and best customer service, by far.

J.

In article ,
Nate Nagel wrote:

Telling everyone that wants to ride at night that they need to spend
$180 on a headlight is fine, I guess, if you want to encourage people
not to ride...

Well, you know, there those who encourage riding, and those who
encourage spending lots of money at the LBS, with riding being quite
optional, so long as the money gets spent - and not at any of your
hardware stores or evil on-line places.

Put on a tail-light and some side markers as well, preferably. You can
get the standard 3 red LED tail unit for $2.95 + shipping from
www.sciplus.com (just a happy customer). They also have a bigger one
(with 6 times the LEDs) for $8.50. At least you'll know how much your
LBS is extorting (above the commodity price) for this sort of thing if
you shop there.

If you're handy with a soldering iron, you can cobble tail and marker
lights up yourself, though you would have a difficult time breaking even
for the above price on a tail light with a nice lens and mount.

Don't bother with their 9 white LED "bike & head lamp", other than as a
possible side marker light, with a little yellow on the lens. Beats no
light at all (I got one for the headlamp function), but is shamed by the
low-end single emitter light mentioned below (which I got later on).

If you'll be riding a lot, a NiMH rapid charger and a pile of NiMH AA's
will cost a lot less than disposables. If you don't use them much,
disposables are cheaper. Best price I those I found last year was for a
20-pack at Adorama camera (also just a happy customer, and a very price
sensitive one for "commodity" items like this). Some other place may
well have them cheaper this week. Avoid coin-cell lights for regular use
- coin cells are expensive unless you buy thousands at a time.

I've got one of the less exciting super-duper LED lights (Terrralux
lower-end conversion for a 2AA minimag I already owned) and it's very
effective for being seen (by oncoming cars - I use it when walking along
the road at night - there's no sidewalk here), and pretty darn good for
seeing, though I'd suggest getting one of the better/brighter units (as
others have suggested) for that purpose on a bike. Goes a very long time
on a set of AA rechargables (I have yet to run it all the way out before
I decide to recharge for the sake of the batteries). Changed a dim
battery-eater into a useful light.

Be careful about aiming the bright LED lights - they are painfully
bright to look at and can blind/dazzle the same as a car high-beam if
aimed too high. That can help get you IN an accident.

Riding at night can be a hairy proposition - but that's regardless of
how much or how little you've spent on lights, and daytime does not
remove the hairiness in many places. Every route out of town here
involves long stretches of too many cars and not enough space for bikes
(one even has a goodly stretch of concrete retaining wall on the inside
of a corner - no place to go AND no visibility) - I'm surprised there
are not more accidents. Once out of town the bike-lane program on the
highway bills has had a noticeable positive effect on room for bikes -
getting there is not half the fun, however. At present, I try to stick
to riding during daylight.

When I lived in a somewhat more developed area, I rode at night on the
sidewalks, and got off and walked across the intersections. Faster than
walking the whole way, and safer than sharing the road with obliviots
who would run you over with or without lights. On the rare occasion I
encountered a pedestrian, I'd pop out into the road (for the space
between driveways needed to bypass the pedestrian) if there were no
cars, or dismount and walk by if there were, so as not to be an obliviot
on a bike hogging the sidewalk.

--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by

"Chalo" wrote in message
...

Funny that so many of us have ridden so long and so far with nothing
more than the most rudimentary, cheap lighting-- or even just
reflectors and no actual lights at all.

I have figured out a whole bunch of ways to get hurt on my bike, but
using inadequate illumination has not been one of them so far. Good
(or good and expensive) lighting is something I'd put in the "nice to
have" category.

Anyway, a $30 Task Force light or a $20 Hong Kong LED light is a way
more serious piece of bike lighting equipment than you used to be able
to buy for less than $100.

Chalo


Here's an idea! Don't use a headlight at all. Keep that $20 in your pocket.

Just say a prayer before you ride. And tape a plastic Jesus to your
handlebars.

J.