Non-rechargeable quick detach lights

[Donbot]

I'm getting a little frustrated trying to find replacement lights. It seems like mid-range detachable mounted lights that use regular batteries no longer exist.

The £30 ish rechargeable ones I've tried have been crap. Along with the cheaper battery ones, which tend to use an elastic band for mounting.

Does anyone have anything to recommend? Or am I just going to have to bite the bullet and get an expensive set of rechargeable ones?

[mie1972]

The Aldi rechargeable set are normally around £15 and have served me well for the past few years - mine been out in all weathers, covered in mud, water etc and still able to charge fully.

Not really suitable for pitch black but definitely a good set of 'be seen' lights.
Usually available Feb / October each year in the middle aisle.

https://www.aldi.co.uk/front-and-rear-bike-light-s...

[Lotobear]

mie1972 said:

The Aldi rechargeable set are normally around £15 and have served me well for the past few years - mine been out in all weathers, covered in mud, water etc and still able to charge fully.

Not really suitable for pitch black but definitely a good set of 'be seen' lights.
Usually available Feb / October each year in the middle aisle.

https://www.aldi.co.uk/front-and-rear-bike-light-s...

I would second these, I use them as a back up for my Hope V4 and with a pair of them on the front they are more than enough to get you out.

...their LED rear lights are brilliant too.

[Lotobear]

To be fair good lights are super cheap these days.

I still recall buying a HID Lupine Edison 4 17 years ago - £580!!

...my current Hope V4 was £170 on a special deal and is better than the Lupine though the Edisons were the dog bks back in the day.

[BoRED S2upid]

I got some cheap rechargeable ones from eBay as a back up and they have been great very bright quick to charge probably won’t last for 5 years but no doubt they will have fallen off into a ditch by then and for £10 I won’t care.

[Harpoon]

For a rear light, the Moon Nebula is on offer at a few places eg Merlin for £22

https://www.merlincycles.com/moon-nebula-rechargea...

[Donbot]

Thanks for the advice. It looks like rechargable is the way to go (though I do miss my AAA batteries).

I'll keep a look out for the Aldi ones. I might just go for something more expensive as cycling is my main transport and I should probably just stop being a cheapskate.

[Harpoon]

If you want to spend more, then I would consider Exposure as they have UK based support who often go beyond the standard warranty eg

https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/exposure-...

I've got a Strada which died in warranty. I shipped it back to Exposure, a few days later they confirmed it was dead and replaced it with a brand new, current model - no questions, quibble or faff.

Link for the range - prices are RRP but a bit of searching should find them cheaper elsewhere

https://www.exposure-use.com/Brands/Exposure-Light...

[Donbot]

Wow, you can definitely spend some money on lights.

I think what puts me off is the low run-time and focus on brightness, though I suppose you can turn them down for longer run time.

I just want lights which last a while and are bright enough with a good beam pattern so cars can see me, which my old Cateye lights did well.

[mie1972]

If needing something for off-road/no street lights then I can recommend the Moon Storm Pro front light

Runs for 2 hours on max (2000 lumen) - i normally run mine on medium 1200 lumen and lasts hours

I run the Moon in winter when night time offroad/gravel ridng. Other times the Aldi serves me well.

Quite the bargain at the moment here...

https://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/accessories/ligh...

[Donbot]

I only ride on the road so I don't need the light to see where I'm going. Thanks anyway.

Edited by Donbot on Wednesday 21st December 15:53

[12TS]

I just bought this

https://www.cyclestore.co.uk/productDetails.asp?pr...

I'm impressed at the light and ease of installation. Seems to last ok - rechargeable

[Donbot]

12TS said:

I just bought this

https://www.cyclestore.co.uk/productDetails.asp?pr...

I'm impressed at the light and ease of installation. Seems to last ok - rechargeable

Elastic band aside that looks pretty good and throws some light sideways. Combining it with the rear moon light above might be worth a try.

Front lights have made me a bit paranoid as I recently got punted off at a roundabout shortly after using a front light with a torch style beam.

Thanks.

[PurpleTurtle]

I know what you mean about non-rechargables OP

I have got some USB charged ones for my foldie which are great when charged but they just die without warning.

Traditional battery powered sets at least give warning that they are fading over a couple of days so you get chance to change the batteries.

This happened to me last night, I rode a mile along some busy roads into Reading last night, bright rear lrechargable light when I left, had conked by the time I got there.

[Donbot]

PurpleTurtle said:

I know what you mean about non-rechargables OP

I have got some USB charged ones for my foldie which are great when charged but they just die without warning.

Traditional battery powered sets at least give warning that they are fading over a couple of days so you get chance to change the batteries.

This happened to me last night, I rode a mile along some busy roads into Reading last night, bright rear lrechargable light when I left, had conked by the time I got there.

I don't know if it is just marketing so they can throw in a small, fast discharge battery to power a thousand suns. Or if customers think they are saving money on batteries (even though you can use rechargeable ones).

At least you can keep spares or go to almost any shop to get some AAAs if they are running low.

Even worse if the fking things won't even switch on due to low voltage cut off.

I might just be a ranting neanderthal though.

[12TS]

Donbot said:

Elastic band aside that looks pretty good and throws some light sideways. Combining it with the rear moon light above might be worth a try.

Front lights have made me a bit paranoid as I recently got punted off at a roundabout shortly after using a front light with a torch style beam.

Thanks.

I bought this as I was also punted off at a junction, my three front lights seemed invisible. I've mounted the light to my helmet and it works well.

In a further attempt at preserving my life I'm now wearing a reflective jacket as well - I'm impressed with this

https://www.provizsports.com/en-gb/jackets?gclsrc=...

[defblade]

I like AAA LED lights for my "be seen" ones. They seem to last more or less forever, and, as you say, dim slowly so you know to change the batteries.

I've got a NiteRider Cherrybomb ( on sale here ) which is doing a good job at the rear, even in the daytime. Tredz have got it in a pair with the Mako 250 front light for £45, which might suit you too (although Merlin have that light on sale for £15, so probably cheaper to mix and match suppliers even with 2 lots of P&P).
Actually, strike all that, Cotswold have the pair for £24.50!


However my "seeing" front light is a traditionally styled, but LED, lamp attached to a bottle dynamo. Never runs out of batteries

If you want to be quite spendy, you could have a look at https://reelight.com/ for the best in "be seen" battery-free. I'm often tempted....

[Gareth79]

Donbot said:

Wow, you can definitely spend some money on lights.

I think what puts me off is the low run-time and focus on brightness, though I suppose you can turn them down for longer run time.

I just want lights which last a while and are bright enough with a good beam pattern so cars can see me, which my old Cateye lights did well.

Most lights have different brightness modes, certainly rears which will have a daytime strobe, a bright solid and then a couple of dimmer ones.

I think the shift to internal Lipo batteries are because they can be made more compact, from fewer parts, and more waterproof. Most people absolutely prefer rechargeable to buying batteries, although I agree it can be annoying to not really be able to trust the run-time. I always take a backup set of spare lights with me when riding at night, although nearly all my night riding is away from street lights.

[Donbot]

defblade said:

Actually, strike all that, Cotswold have the pair for £24.50!

Looks like too much of a bargain to pass up. Cheers defblade, ordered

[defblade]

Donbot said:

Looks like too much of a bargain to pass up. Cheers defblade, ordered

I paid £20 for the back light on it's own, so I don't think you can go far wrong there
Let us know how you get on with them