I am getting into riding in the dark for the first time ever. My lighting is totally inadequate. It isn’t bright enough and the batteries don’t last anywhere near long enough. I am looking for recommendations on best lighting options for riding all night. And also, how do you keep them charged for several hours of darkness?
Thanks,
Julian
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Great question!! I know that @Guystapleford and @DrewyWhite have experimented with this - Matt Seward is another one, but not on the forum (yet!).
I think I remember that you live in Germany, too. It’s a difficult situation here because of the laws that are very specific about lights. The big “money no object” names are Lupine and Supernova. Both have been around for a long time. From my experiance with Lupine I can say they are very helpful when something is broken and they offer upgrade paths for older lights.
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Check out exposure lights mate. Or hope. If you run a dynamo hub have a look at K-lights.
I use two lights, a dynamo front which is an exposure revo, and an exposure joystick on my helmet. Works well for a blind dude.
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@chris.rides.mtb and @stevebatembe for the recommendations. I have had a chat with a couple of companies. I think I will ask Santa for something from Exposure. Awesome service in really understanding what I am looking for and recommending a set of products and accessories to meet my need.
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@kickikacsa - thought I would chime in as I’ve bought tried/many lights and have a few different set ups. I would suggest taking a look at Seca and also Fenix lights - both very good indeed, SECa especially has the Enduro with two battery options that would see you through the night. This is where it gets interesting though IMHO. I did a “mini-ultra” this year (304 miles so barely an ultra) and I gave lighting a lot of thought. I knew I would be dealing with a solid 10 hours of proper darkness (mid-west) and no street lights whatsoever. I also knew I would be riding a lot longer (23 hrs 24 mins in total) and thus carrying the lights and battery for > 50% of the ride time and I was not liking the prospect of carrying the extra weight of the Seca all that way - the larger battery and light itself is not light. After a lot of back and forth I elected for a considerably lighter and smaller light from Fenix that used rechargeable AA batteries and regular AA batteries. I took extra batteries and took comfort from the fact if I got low I could, in extremis, buy AA’s at any gas station. In the end I carried enough - when they died I threw them away and lost the weight (4 batteries). Not like I was carrying 10kg, but it’s amazing how much the weight increased 240 miles in 
!! I got a ‘live’ comparison with a guy I ended up riding with during the night who did indeed run the SECA Enduro with a big battery - his light was brighter and he was able to use max power in challenging moments and then revert back to a ‘mid’ setting that was bright enough. Also worth noting, I rode in a group of 4 which meant a lot more collective light on the road ahead. Was it a pain to change the batteries mid ride ? Not really. Would I have liked a brighter light - probably. I would note that the SECA and others like it require the battery to go in the top tube bag which takes up room of course. Also, the larger light takes up more bar space and has few mounting options.
I can also vouch for Exposure lights and they do have additional, modest sized batteries to top up with.
I also used a helmet light which IMHO is a must have - being able to light where you look is critical on and off the bike. I do not like the larger heavier helmet lights and usually run this ein low setting until I need more. They also are solid powered by AA’s.
My personal view is that if I’m doing a night ride alone, I would take the larger light and accept the weight - running out of light at night on your own with, as they are here in the upstate eNY area, closed after 11pm, it gets scary, quickly. I would still growth a lighter set up for a race though, especially one where I have a very high degree of confidence I can buy ubiquitous AA batteries and also benefit from other riders lights.
Rear light is much less of a concern - flashing settings tend to last a LONG time, so I go for the lightest set up possible and take a spare.
Good luck.
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I misspoke - Light and Motion make the Seca Enduro - currently on sale here but check out their website too.
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Nice one!! Thanks for sharing mate
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Awesome! That @WattsUp. I have read and reread your post a couple of time. It is really instructive. Thank you for taking the time to write a long on.
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My pleasure ! I love talking about all this stuff and always happy to share - let me know if you have any more questions.
Steve
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I know that I am a little late to this conversation. I am pretty new to the community and am perhaps less competitive than many others in the community. I have been in the same situation as @Kicikacsa for years and have ridden with a dynamo. My newest set-up uses all SON equipment (SON 28 dynamo, an Edelux II lamp, and a small taillight).
I am not overly concerned with the very slight resistance and very much appreciate not having to think about battery life. Once again, I am not principally riding to be competitive. In addition, the drag is significantly reduced by unplugging the lights. I also have a second front wheel, so I can always eliminate the issue for a key ride. The only downside for me is that the setup is pretty expensive.
There are a number of good articles that analyze drag, pros, cons, etc… for example:
https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/bike-dynamos/
Once again, I have been riding with a dynamo for the past eight years, and the new SON system is much better than the earlier ones I have ridden with.
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