Which lights and Pannier Bags do you recommend

[Cornish Pete]

Hi everyone this is my first post. My wife and I are about to take delivery of our first ebike Smartmotion Metro.

These come without lights as standard We wont be doing much night time riding so wondering if anyone could
suggest some reasonably priced front and rear lights either powered from the bike or internal batteries.

Same with pannier bags we will be carrying shopping etc so good quality and waterproof is a must.
I have searched the net and the reviews are very mixed, but maybe some people are never satisfied.

Thanks in advance for your help

Peter

 

[jwm]

Ive used the for a while now: http://www.amazon.co.uk/RCP-WP100-carrier-bags-2015/dp/B00OT3AR52

Good build quality and waterproof throughout the coastal downpours we have along with the mud and puddles of commute.

Prior to these I'd sworn by the waerprrof bags from Canyon, though I couldn't find them when eventually the lining started cracking (about four years daily use)

Just about any lights will do, just depends on budget. I use a Smart Lunar 15 on the front and a Wilko own brand 2 x 0.5w on the back. The rear is good as I like the flashes... I think it makes you more noticeable particularly in fog, rain and mist.

John

 

[Nealh]

Off Amazon I brought M-Wave panniers for about £30 over a year ago they have lasted and carry my heavy shop load. Lights wise I have a pair from Bangood.com for £9 delivered, wired in to my battery.

 

[falmouthtony]

Ive used the for a while now: http://www.amazon.co.uk/RCP-WP100-carrier-bags-2015/dp/B00OT3AR52

Good build quality and waterproof throughout the coastal downpours we have along with the mud and puddles of commute.

Prior to these I'd sworn by the waerprrof bags from Canyon, though I couldn't find them when eventually the lining started cracking (about four years daily use)

Just about any lights will do, just depends on budget. I use a Smart Lunar 15 on the front and a Wilko own brand 2 x 0.5w on the back. The rear is good as I like the flashes... I think it makes you more noticeable particularly in fog, rain and mist.

John

I've got these panniers as well. I reckon they offer excellent value for money given they are completely waterproof and hold loads. And you can just use one if you wish. Stay in place perfectly on my bike and take on and off in seconds.
Bear in mind though you will need to get a clip on strap separately if you want to shoulder either pannier. Also just one large space - no compartments.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Back lights are not so critical. They all seem pretty bright even the cheap ones. For a front light, the best bang-for-buck ones are the small zoomable torches. They're very useful off the bike to. They have to have the Cree T6 or U2 LED in them.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UltraFire-1800LM-CREE-XML-T6-LED-Zoom-Flashlight-Torch-2x18650-Battery-Charger-/351213975781?pt=UK_SportsLeisure_Camping_LightsLanternsTorches&hash=item51c5fbf8e5

Handlebar clamp for it:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/360-Rotation-Torch-Clip-Bike-Bicycle-Cycling-Bracket-Flashlight-Holder-Clamp-/281455621285?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item41880ff4a5

 

[oldtom]

I have only ever owned one pair of pannier bags which I still use on one of my bikes from time to time. They are one of the Altura models towards the top end of their price range though the model name escapes me for the moment.

They take two supermarket bags full of mixed shopping including bread and a couple of wine bottles in each and that's in addition to tubes, repair kit, tools and waterproofs. No doubt it's perfectly possible to do that with lots of large bags but I certainly can't knock the Altura ones as they offer decent protection from the elements and the fittings aren't flimsy.

Come harvest time, my partner likes to load my bags with apples as we make our way around the country lanes and she always collects enough to keep us going for most of the year with various apple-based desserts. We never need to buy apples from supermarkets. She doesn't use pannier bags - strange that!

Tom

 

[Cornish Pete]

Thanks to everyone who made suggestions very helpful to a very new ebike rider. Any more suggestions welcomed

Thanks Peter

 

[RobF]

. Any more suggestions welcomed

Get the bike first and look at it carefully.

Some panniers can be hard to fit on rack mounted battery ebikes because there's insufficient clearance between the battery and the bars of the rack.

Particularly so if the pannier has chunky hooks.

A 'throw over' linked pair of panniers will fit, but you will, of course, have to always both bags mounted on the bike.

 

[mfj197]

I've used Altura Dryline panniers for nearly 6 years' commuting through all sorts of weather. I just use one (the cat weed in the other one, demonstrating its water-holding abilities).

Rear lights - I use two, one a Smart RL318R I bought for £5.99 (very bright on flash) and the other a Cateye TL-LD500 which also fulfils the legal need for a rear reflector. I've made my own front lights to get a bright dipped beam.

For a front light, the best bang-for-buck ones are the small zoomable torches. They're very useful off the bike to.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UltraFire-1800LM-CREE-XML-T6-LED-Zoom-Flashlight-Torch-2x18650-Battery-Charger-/351213975781?pt=UK_SportsLeisure_Camping_LightsLanternsTorches&hash=item51c5fbf8e5

They are useful torches and can work well on a bike (I used to use a pair). Be aware of one thing though - almost all of the zoomable torches use an aspheric lens (rather than a reflector) which results in a very even light from edge to edge but no hotspot. This can be good if you have it set wide and shining just in front of the bike (and it's great for a torch) but if you expect to see far you will be out of luck. You can zoom it in but then the width of the beam diminishes and you don't see anything to the side or near to you. A normal reflector gives you both a hotspot to aim down the path and spill to illuminate near to you - but of course it shines in the faces of oncoming traffic too.

They have to have the Cree T6 or U2 LED in them.

T6 and U2 are just intensity grades of the Cree XM-L LED. So the main requirement is for an XM-L LED (pretty much all of which are either T6 or U2, and one can't discern the difference).

Michael

 

[jonathan75]

Back lights are not so critical. They all seem pretty bright even the cheap ones. For a front light, the best bang-for-buck ones are the small zoomable torches. They're very useful off the bike to. They have to have the Cree T6 or U2 LED in them.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UltraFire-1800LM-CREE-XML-T6-LED-Zoom-Flashlight-Torch-2x18650-Battery-Charger-/351213975781?pt=UK_SportsLeisure_Camping_LightsLanternsTorches&hash=item51c5fbf8e5

Handlebar clamp for it:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/360-Rotation-Torch-Clip-Bike-Bicycle-Cycling-Bracket-Flashlight-Holder-Clamp-/281455621285?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item41880ff4a5

Thanks - I bought one which arrived today, and it's pretty great. Do you point the torch straight ahead or downward at the road to avoid dazzling drivers? Do you use constant, intermittent, or 'induce epilepsy' modes, and do you think it's likely the constant mode is considerably less visible to other road users, than the incredibly irritating flashing modes? Ultrafire batteries arrived with it which have appalling misspellings on the side - I can't work out if this means that it's a Chinese-owned company or whether they're fakes. But they seem to work. I'm surprised to have been sold this incredibly solid and quite sizeable aluminium torch for very little money.

 

[SteveRuss]

Do you point the torch straight ahead or downward at the road to avoid dazzling drivers? Do you use constant, intermittent, or 'induce epilepsy' modes, and do you think it's likely the constant mode is considerably less visible to other road users, than the incredibly irritating flashing modes?

I don't do the flashing front light thing myself. Flashing backlight yes but not the front. I think it's annoying as a car driver.

I point my lights so they're focused below the eyesight of drivers. Standard stuff really..

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I never use flashing lights. I set the zoom to about half the width of the road (one lane wide) and angle it down so that it lights up the road. I sometimes use a second one set to a narrower beam to light up the distance for unlit roads/paths.

 

[4bound]

If you want really waterproof carriers and have lots of money the Ortlieb range need to be included in your selection.
One useful tip with any carrier in the rain is to but your stuff in a plastic bag inside your carrier. Dramatic improvement in performance for a few pence.

 

[jonathan75]

I never use flashing lights. I set the zoom to about half the width of the road (one lane wide) and angle it down so that it lights up the road. I sometimes use a second one set to a narrower beam to light up the distance for unlit roads/paths.

Thanks. Does the torch need any protection from the rain?

 

[SteveRuss]

I have only ever owned one pair of pannier bags which I still use on one of my bikes from time to time. They are one of the Altura models towards the top end of their price range though the model name escapes me for the moment.

Same here. I have two but generally only have one attached so far. Great bags...

 

[Justin Fleming]

I just ordered the 40-50ltr Heavy Duty waterproof Pannier Bags from www.roswheel-shop.com for £37.50. They will take a lot of weight and are waterproof. I liked the style and colour and they can be nicely removed and carried.

 

[jonathan75]

Back lights are not so critical. They all seem pretty bright even the cheap ones. For a front light, the best bang-for-buck ones are the small zoomable torches. They're very useful off the bike to. They have to have the Cree T6 or U2 LED in them.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UltraFire-1800LM-CREE-XML-T6-LED-Zoom-Flashlight-Torch-2x18650-Battery-Charger-/351213975781?pt=UK_SportsLeisure_Camping_LightsLanternsTorches&hash=item51c5fbf8e5

Handlebar clamp for it:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/360-Rotation-Torch-Clip-Bike-Bicycle-Cycling-Bracket-Flashlight-Holder-Clamp-/281455621285?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item41880ff4a5

Does anyone know which way round the charger plugs into the EU/UK adapter, please? It seems capable of going in both ways. Also whether a red light means charging and green light means charged. Thanks.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

It can go either way round because it's A/C. The light goes red when charging and changes to green when the battery's charged.