). Any suggestions for cheap and effective front ( handlebar- to see and be seen) and rear ( flashing saddles lights, preferably under £30?-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have got a xenon bulb rechargeable front light with a flashing capable battery operated led rear light which came as a set,the front light is bright enough much better than previous led ones i have had,i think halfords do a similar one for about £15,i picked mine up from a discount shop for £7.50,i would reccomend a front light with xenon bulb as the best low budget option.Forget the £300 lights as quoted in a previous post ( Don't you know we're in the middle of a credit crunch
bw
musicbooks
There is no brand mark on the lights,i bought mine from a shop in birmingham called international stock but they only had the one set in stock,the halfords xenon rechargeable set at £15 looks very much like the one i have got.
I actually found this one was too bright! I ditched it in favour of the Topeak UFO rear light which has better all round visibility but doesn't dazzle. I was amazed how bright that Smart light was, it was brighter that looking in to a car rear fog light. I was worried that it would cause an accident rather than prevent one. In flashing mode angled directly at traffic it would be lethal! I suppose it would be OK if you fitted it to the bike and angled it downwards, but I got it for attaching to my backpack so I couldn't really control the beam angle very well.
Congratulations Seat! - seems like a good dealSome light shots, first two pics, pitch black, fixed camera settings, 2 second exposure at 15ft with a CREE Q2 240 lumens LED 18650 Lithium battery then with a 900 lumens SSC P7 LED both running in full power mode.
Last two shots, same settings the CREE first then SSC P7 second, the summerhouse at the top of the garden is about 70ft from the camera.
Both lights, four batteries and charger about £60 delivered, a theoretical 1140 Lumens, with holders fitted to the Mistral or the MTB they can be swapped and changed, adjusted, helmet mounted and run on full or part power.
When run together in combination they are like having a dipped and a full beam combo from a car on the handlebars.
Build quality on both lights is excellent and a match for the Maglite brand of torches, all the components can be removed and replaced, different modes can be added with alternative PCB controllers, lenses, 'O' rings, the switch and reflectors can be changed.
To get something similar from a named brand I'd be paying out £200-£300, I'm happy with my £60 investment
Its good fun when you have the tools and skills, save yourself some money, although for those like me, I'll just buy them . Heres a review of the 2007 LED light beam pattern I found (prob a bit out of date now compared to the new lights available) which may be of use for some comparisons.
