Inexpensive lighting addition

[Gene56]

For added visability when riding my Trail 125 on the road in the mornings I added some inexpensive bicycle wrap lights. I added 3 red lights to my milk crate box on the rear, aimed down and attached to the crate slots. I added 1 white light on each side attached to the engine guard support bars, aimed slightly forward and out. The lights are not super bright but increase visability if your riding in the dark. You can set the lights to a steady light or flash. I run them in the steady mode and could switch to flash if I had to pull off to the side. The ones I have are SCHWINN quick wrap light set 11L. I got mine at a Military base exchange for $8.00 a set but I'm sure you could find it or a similar set at a bike shop, Amazon, or a Wamart. The lights work good for me increasing my visability and are inexpensive.

 

[SneakyDingo]

For added visability when riding my Trail 125 on the road in the mornings I added some inexpensive bicycle wrap lights. I added 3 red lights to my milk crate box on the rear, aimed down and attached to the crate slots. I added 1 white light on each side attached to the engine guard support bars, aimed slightly forward and out. The lights are not super bright but increase visability if your riding in the dark. You can set the lights to a steady light or flash. I run them in the steady mode and could switch to flash if I had to pull off to the side. The ones I have are SCHWINN quick wrap light set 11L. I got mine at a Military base exchange for $8.00 a set but I'm sure you could find it or a similar set at a bike shop, Amazon, or a Wamart. The lights work good for me increasing my visability and are inexpensive.

I thought I'd chip in on this generally excellent idea because I considered it as part of my kit, and we generally get a lot of darkness in Seattle during the winter months so I've spent substantial time, research and effort on bicycle lighting.

When you're thinking of using these, look at the runtime and the batteries used. The headlights in these case run for 8 hours, so you're using a CR2032 battery every 8 hours, or less during winter because chemical batteries don't do so well in the cold, so you'll be burning through the CR2032 batteries fairly fast which can add up to more than the light quickly if you're not considerate of it. If it's for supplemental lighting on flashers (which is illegal while the vehicle is moving in most states), these are a great option will work well.

An alternative is that for slightly more, you can pick up recharging versions of these lights if you're using them a lot. Ascher USB Rechargeable's are double the price of the kit shown at $16, but after a few CR2032 batteries they'll have paid for themselves if you use them a lot.

 

[Gene56]

I thought I'd chip in on this generally excellent idea because I considered it as part of my kit, and we generally get a lot of darkness in Seattle during the winter months so I've spent substantial time, research and effort on bicycle lighting.

When you're thinking of using these, look at the runtime and the batteries used. The headlights in these case run for 8 hours, so you're using a CR2032 battery every 8 hours, or less during winter because chemical batteries don't do so well in the cold, so you'll be burning through the CR2032 batteries fairly fast which can add up to more than the light quickly if you're not considerate of it. If it's for supplemental lighting on flashers (which is illegal while the vehicle is moving in most states), these are a great option will work well.

An alternative is that for slightly more, you can pick up recharging versions of these lights if you're using them a lot. Ascher USB Rechargeable's are double the price of the kit shown at $16, but after a few CR2032 batteries they'll have paid for themselves if you use them a lot.

Good point's to consider! For me (in Hawaii) i have about a 25 to 30 minute ride in the mornings, I usually leave around 5:00 AM so it is still a little dark and I only ride one or two times a week. I don't use the lights in the afternoon as the lights are not really bright enough for daytime. I may look into your suggestion when the batteries die out. I had these so I thought I would give them a try!

 

[SneakyDingo]

Good point's to consider! For me (in Hawaii) i have about a 25 to 30 minute ride in the mornings, I usually leave around 5:00 AM so it is still a little dark and I only ride one or two times a week. I don't use the lights in the afternoon as the lights are not really bright enough for daytime. I may look into your suggestion when the batteries die out. I had these so I thought I would give them a try!

Oh, that should work great then. Hawaii is closer to the equator so you're never really deviating from those pleasant riding conditions all year round. Weigh up the costs of the Costco pack of CR2032's and you're pretty set.

 

[Gene56]

Oh, that should work great then. Hawaii is closer to the equator so you're never really deviating from those pleasant riding conditions all year round. Weigh up the costs of the Costco pack of CR2032's and you're pretty set.

The rear lights really work good in the morning and it reflects a bit off of the reflective elastic belt I have around the base of the crate. I also have the lights pointed down so it's not directed at drivers behind me. Very good point about not using in the flashing mod when moving, I never considered using the lights that way as I figured it would be distracting, never even thought about it being illegal... you probably saved me from a ticket!!!

 

[AZ7000']

I would forget to turn them off, just my style…

 

[SneakyDingo]