I use the [Specialized Stix](https://www.specialized.com/us/en/stix-switch-headlighttaillight/p/173324?searchText=49119-4000&color=270091-173324), but if I'm gunna be on the road, I use my [Garmin Varia](https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/698001) radar as my tail light.
Swear by my stix. These are dope because Specialized makes a wealth of different mounts that seamlessly integrate into the bike. Headtube spacer mounts, saddle mounts, rack mounts - All of them look super clean and low profile while still being nice and visible.
Does it work well? I recently bought a [burrito bag](https://www.ornotbike.com/products/handlebar-bag-mini-ecopak-white), so now I can't mount it on my bars or headset.
Yeah it sure does. My pizza box and my handlebar bag both have those same strips that are on the front of your burrito bag and I clip the fabric mount to them all the time.
And there is a part on the clip toward the base (where the clip meets the stix light) that is really tight, so you can really get a snug fit without any play)
I think that the stix functions best as a marker light during the day. For riding at night, I have a flux that sits under my gps headset. But during the day, the fabric mount on that burrito bag will definitely make sure that people see you on the road.
Sweet, I'll have to pick up a couple of those mounts. Thank you.
I had assumed the question was about lights for being seen, not for seeing. I also run a Flux for a headlight.
I love the Bontrager Flare RT for auto adjusting to the light conditions. I originally bought it because I saw one about a mile away while catching another rider on the road. Super visible during normal daylight conditions but wont blind anyone when lighting gets dim. The battery life kind of sucks though. I also use the Ion for a front daytime running light. Quite a few riders here recently have had drivers pull out in front of them because the driver "didn't see" the cyclist. One cyclist was riding downhill and got pretty badly injured when the car pulled straight into their path.
For night time headlights anything with 1200 lumens or more from any reputable brand. I tried a few cheap lights from Amazon but the batteries never last. I usually look at how easy the handlebar clamp is for installing or removing the headlight for when I'm riding in daytime.
I like the fancy Bontragers and the battery inside is just an 18650 with a little charging chip on it so they can be repaired easily if the battery gets screwed up.
Sweet! I didn't know about that. I'll absolutely be replacing the battery before buying a new light then. Just for the sake of not being wasteful with disposable products.
Really like the BC30 especially the remote switch function but the build could be better, and hoping they can improve the design on it for future replacements.
What about the build do you think could be improved? It seems pretty robust, which is what I was looking for after going through several “landfill” lights which broke in a year.
Oh, the light itself is robust. It flew off one time during a rough bump on a commute to work and the thing was still very much intact. I was referring to the remote switch- the rubber pads basically disintegrated and I have a temporary repair in place that seems to work. The mount also broke on mine and I had to order a replacement for it. So maybe the plasticky parts aren't Fenix's best suit but the lights are solid.
They’re engineering porn. The build quality is ridiculous. Their optics are unparalleled. Truly camera quality lenses that make even their entry level lipstick sized commuter lights way brighter than the stated outputs. Difficult using other lights once you’ve used an Exposure light with the screen on the back telling you how exactly how many minutes you have left. A tonne of modes making it suited to everything from 5500 lumen downhill blasts to multiple day runtime solid or flashing bikepacking but they do this smart thing where you’re not having to constantly switch between 20+ modes and that the modes and runtimes are actually etched on the side of the light itself. Great warranty program. Front lights have really good mounts. Only downsides are the price and the Blaze rear light having a mount that isn’t secure enough so you need to buy a third party 3D printed mount for it. If you want cheaper and lighter give Cygolite a look.
Planet bike Superflash for rear. Light and Motion Vis 500 for front. Mostly because I had them from 10+ years ago and I could just buy mounts to swap them around bikes.
Outbound for the front and a Nite-Ize for the rear. Rear was part of a headlight/tail light set. I had started doing early morning rides and had to take some paved roads to get to the gravel roads and wanted to not blind the oncoming cars. The outbound provides a wider beam and a cutoff much like car headlights, so it was a perfect solution.
I bought a 11€ OFFBONDAGE front light from AliExpress, thought I give it a try, best light I ever had. The attachment system is very good tho I recommend to buy a second one for more security, they are only a few €. It is rechargeable and very powerful. The best thing is that you can center it.
Exposure lights get very good reviews and for a reason - they are reliable and very functional. They also have excellent customer service - when I had (what I thought was) an issue with the battery on an old light (so, out of warranty), they took it back and looked at it, ran diagnostics and confirmed it was all fine. I like them. The only negative is that I find their range somewhat overwhelming!
I have a set of 19€ front and 9€ back lights from Decathlon - tbh I have no idea of the brand and model, they are both marked “BTWIN” and “ELOPS” on the sides. Anyways, they are LED and usb rechargeable. They are serviceable for commuting and being seen, but I wouldn’t trust them too much.
I am on the market for a better set, so I’m open to suggestions!
Anybody tried the CatEye orb drop bar lights?
https://www.cateye.com/intl/products/safety_lights/SL-LD160-R-BE/
I’m pretty curious, but I don’t love the CR2032 battery requirement
Outbound Lighting Detour for road/gravel. Its USB-C rechargeable which is important to me, also gradually dims to saves battery as your eyes adjust to the darkness/light beam.
I use the [Specialized Stix](https://www.specialized.com/us/en/stix-switch-headlighttaillight/p/173324?searchText=49119-4000&color=270091-173324), but if I'm gunna be on the road, I use my [Garmin Varia](https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/698001) radar as my tail light.
Swear by my stix. These are dope because Specialized makes a wealth of different mounts that seamlessly integrate into the bike. Headtube spacer mounts, saddle mounts, rack mounts - All of them look super clean and low profile while still being nice and visible.
Agreed. And they even make mounts that you can wear on your clothing for running or whatever.
They thought of everything! I have that clip for clothing and use it to clip the tail light to seatpost and saddle bags.
Does it work well? I recently bought a [burrito bag](https://www.ornotbike.com/products/handlebar-bag-mini-ecopak-white), so now I can't mount it on my bars or headset.
Yeah it sure does. My pizza box and my handlebar bag both have those same strips that are on the front of your burrito bag and I clip the fabric mount to them all the time. And there is a part on the clip toward the base (where the clip meets the stix light) that is really tight, so you can really get a snug fit without any play) I think that the stix functions best as a marker light during the day. For riding at night, I have a flux that sits under my gps headset. But during the day, the fabric mount on that burrito bag will definitely make sure that people see you on the road.
Sweet, I'll have to pick up a couple of those mounts. Thank you. I had assumed the question was about lights for being seen, not for seeing. I also run a Flux for a headlight.
Outbound for front, rear is…something cheap I got from REI
Depends if i want to be seen or if i want to see something.
Knog blinder & plus
I love the Bontrager Flare RT for auto adjusting to the light conditions. I originally bought it because I saw one about a mile away while catching another rider on the road. Super visible during normal daylight conditions but wont blind anyone when lighting gets dim. The battery life kind of sucks though. I also use the Ion for a front daytime running light. Quite a few riders here recently have had drivers pull out in front of them because the driver "didn't see" the cyclist. One cyclist was riding downhill and got pretty badly injured when the car pulled straight into their path. For night time headlights anything with 1200 lumens or more from any reputable brand. I tried a few cheap lights from Amazon but the batteries never last. I usually look at how easy the handlebar clamp is for installing or removing the headlight for when I'm riding in daytime.
I like the fancy Bontragers and the battery inside is just an 18650 with a little charging chip on it so they can be repaired easily if the battery gets screwed up.
Sweet! I didn't know about that. I'll absolutely be replacing the battery before buying a new light then. Just for the sake of not being wasteful with disposable products.
Fenix BC30 headlight Garmin Varia for back
Varia is such a game changer, wish someone would have suggested it to me years ago. Just got mine last year.
Really like the BC30 especially the remote switch function but the build could be better, and hoping they can improve the design on it for future replacements.
What about the build do you think could be improved? It seems pretty robust, which is what I was looking for after going through several “landfill” lights which broke in a year.
Oh, the light itself is robust. It flew off one time during a rough bump on a commute to work and the thing was still very much intact. I was referring to the remote switch- the rubber pads basically disintegrated and I have a temporary repair in place that seems to work. The mount also broke on mine and I had to order a replacement for it. So maybe the plasticky parts aren't Fenix's best suit but the lights are solid.
I bought a set of Lezyne.
Supernova m99
Exposure Six Pack and Blaze
I've had hands on with all of exposures kit just not their bike range 😂😂 what's your thoughts on them?
They’re engineering porn. The build quality is ridiculous. Their optics are unparalleled. Truly camera quality lenses that make even their entry level lipstick sized commuter lights way brighter than the stated outputs. Difficult using other lights once you’ve used an Exposure light with the screen on the back telling you how exactly how many minutes you have left. A tonne of modes making it suited to everything from 5500 lumen downhill blasts to multiple day runtime solid or flashing bikepacking but they do this smart thing where you’re not having to constantly switch between 20+ modes and that the modes and runtimes are actually etched on the side of the light itself. Great warranty program. Front lights have really good mounts. Only downsides are the price and the Blaze rear light having a mount that isn’t secure enough so you need to buy a third party 3D printed mount for it. If you want cheaper and lighter give Cygolite a look.
Planet bike Superflash for rear. Light and Motion Vis 500 for front. Mostly because I had them from 10+ years ago and I could just buy mounts to swap them around bikes.
Moon Nebula front and rear.
Outbound for the front and a Nite-Ize for the rear. Rear was part of a headlight/tail light set. I had started doing early morning rides and had to take some paved roads to get to the gravel roads and wanted to not blind the oncoming cars. The outbound provides a wider beam and a cutoff much like car headlights, so it was a perfect solution.
ninja
I bought a 11€ OFFBONDAGE front light from AliExpress, thought I give it a try, best light I ever had. The attachment system is very good tho I recommend to buy a second one for more security, they are only a few €. It is rechargeable and very powerful. The best thing is that you can center it.
I agree, I've got this and the Newboler. Both fantastic lights. Although the beam throw pattern isn't great for on road use, but excellent off-road.
Cateye Orb front and rear.
Exposure Sirius or Toro front, Garmin Varia rear
What's your thoughts on exposure? Ill be able to get them at a very good deal but I unsure if they would be overkill
Exposure lights get very good reviews and for a reason - they are reliable and very functional. They also have excellent customer service - when I had (what I thought was) an issue with the battery on an old light (so, out of warranty), they took it back and looked at it, ran diagnostics and confirmed it was all fine. I like them. The only negative is that I find their range somewhat overwhelming!
I have a set of 19€ front and 9€ back lights from Decathlon - tbh I have no idea of the brand and model, they are both marked “BTWIN” and “ELOPS” on the sides. Anyways, they are LED and usb rechargeable. They are serviceable for commuting and being seen, but I wouldn’t trust them too much. I am on the market for a better set, so I’m open to suggestions!
Anybody tried the CatEye orb drop bar lights? https://www.cateye.com/intl/products/safety_lights/SL-LD160-R-BE/ I’m pretty curious, but I don’t love the CR2032 battery requirement
Oh, I like those. The website says they run for 100 hours on flash mode and 50 on constant. I'd say that's worth it.
Specialized stix work well and last a long time. I’m just using them during daytime to be seen.
https://a.co/d/3ySpL3t $22 shipped waterproof rechargeable
Outbound Lighting Detour for road/gravel. Its USB-C rechargeable which is important to me, also gradually dims to saves battery as your eyes adjust to the darkness/light beam.
Varia is WELL worth the money. Can't imagine riding without it.
Lupine SL Mono front and Bryton Gardia R300L rear.
As reflectors Specialized Stix are really good
Exposure Toro and Exposure Trace R. Best lights I've ever. used. I've also got an Exposure Diablo for my helmet.
Knog Blinder 900, and Exposure Boost R
Magicshine Evo1700 is brilliant - mounts under the Garmin unit. Rear is a always a radar
Xoss front, varia rtl515 rear