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I had a similar commute. 1600 lumens would be far too much (if it really is 1600 - keep in mind that some manufacturers will claim a light to be brighter than it really is).

I had a front light that could be switched between 800/400/200 lumens (Cateye Volt 800). 200 lumens was sufficient for cycling in the city, on cyclepaths, and on roads with street lighting. At 200 lumens, I would still occasionally get complaints from other cyclepath cyclists that it was too bright, even though I took care to follow the instructions and mount the light so that it was angled slightly downwards towards the ground. Test your lights after mounting - prop the bike up, walk away a short distance, and then look back - if blinded, reduce the lumens or angle further down. Using a lower power than the maximum also has the advantage that the battery will last longer (8 hours versus 2 hours in my case).

I'd recommend also getting two rear lights (as suggested by others). Partly this is so that you can have one constant and one flashing, but also it provides a bit of redundancy in case one of the batteries runs out. I found this happens more often to rear lights, which tend to have smaller batteries.

Another recommendation is to get a cheap hi-viz vest from ebay. The reflection they provide is far superior to almost all regular jackets, and you can get a oversized XXXL that covers both yourself and a backpack if needed.

For some specific recommendations, and a visual comparison tool, see road.cc's 2021/22 front lights comparison engine.

I had a similar commute. 1600 lumens would be far too much (if it really is 1600 - keep in mind that some manufacturers will claim a light to be brighter than it really is).

I had a front light that could be switched between 800/400/200 lumens (Cateye Volt 800). 200 lumens was sufficient for cycling in the city, on cyclepaths, and on roads with street lighting. At 200 lumens, I would still occasionally get complaints from other cyclists that it was too bright, even though I took care to follow the instructions and mount the light so that it was angled slightly downwards towards the ground. Test your lights after mounting - prop the bike up, walk away a short distance, and then look back - if blinded, reduce the lumens or angle further down. Using a lower power than the maximum also has the advantage that the battery will last longer (8 hours versus 2 hours in my case).

I'd recommend also getting two rear lights (as suggested by others). Partly this is so that you can have one constant and one flashing, but also it provides a bit of redundancy in case one of the batteries runs out. I found this happens more often to rear lights, which tend to have smaller batteries.

Another recommendation is to get a cheap hi-viz vest from ebay. The reflection they provide is far superior to almost all regular jackets, and you can get a oversized XXXL that covers both yourself and a backpack if needed.

For some specific recommendations, and a visual comparison tool, see road.cc's 2021/22 front lights comparison engine.

I had a similar commute. 1600 lumens would be far too much (if it really is 1600 - keep in mind that some manufacturers will claim a light to be brighter than it really is).

I had a front light that could be switched between 800/400/200 lumens (Cateye Volt 800). 200 lumens was sufficient for cycling in the city, on cyclepaths, and on roads with street lighting. At 200 lumens, I would still occasionally get complaints from other cyclepath cyclists that it was too bright, even though I took care to follow the instructions and mount the light so that it was angled slightly downwards towards the ground. Test your lights after mounting - prop the bike up, walk away a short distance, and then look back - if blinded, reduce the lumens or angle further down. Using a lower power than the maximum also has the advantage that the battery will last longer (8 hours versus 2 hours in my case).

I'd recommend also getting two rear lights (as suggested by others). Partly this is so that you can have one constant and one flashing, but also it provides a bit of redundancy in case one of the batteries runs out. I found this happens more often to rear lights, which tend to have smaller batteries.

Another recommendation is to get a cheap hi-viz vest from ebay. The reflection they provide is far superior to almost all regular jackets, and you can get a oversized XXXL that covers both yourself and a backpack if needed.

For some specific recommendations, and a visual comparison tool, see road.cc's 2021/22 front lights comparison engine.

Source Link
bain
  • 121
  • 3

I had a similar commute. 1600 lumens would be far too much (if it really is 1600 - keep in mind that some manufacturers will claim a light to be brighter than it really is).

I had a front light that could be switched between 800/400/200 lumens (Cateye Volt 800). 200 lumens was sufficient for cycling in the city, on cyclepaths, and on roads with street lighting. At 200 lumens, I would still occasionally get complaints from other cyclists that it was too bright, even though I took care to follow the instructions and mount the light so that it was angled slightly downwards towards the ground. Test your lights after mounting - prop the bike up, walk away a short distance, and then look back - if blinded, reduce the lumens or angle further down. Using a lower power than the maximum also has the advantage that the battery will last longer (8 hours versus 2 hours in my case).

I'd recommend also getting two rear lights (as suggested by others). Partly this is so that you can have one constant and one flashing, but also it provides a bit of redundancy in case one of the batteries runs out. I found this happens more often to rear lights, which tend to have smaller batteries.

Another recommendation is to get a cheap hi-viz vest from ebay. The reflection they provide is far superior to almost all regular jackets, and you can get a oversized XXXL that covers both yourself and a backpack if needed.

For some specific recommendations, and a visual comparison tool, see road.cc's 2021/22 front lights comparison engine.