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I'm planning to start using my bicycle again for commuting and need to get a new front light (I'm in Australia, so it's dark early in the evenings at the moment).

I've seen a few in use by other cyclists that feature a fixed beam, with an additional brighter "pulse" of light. I'm guessing that there are just two LEDs in the lamp; one that's constantly on and a separate brighter one that flashes.

I really like this style...can anyone recommend such a light?

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    The flashing gets annoying soon. Product recommendation doesn't belong here. Thus said, I'd suggest getting two separate front lights,and probably 2 separate rear lights if your commute is really dark. Lights can fail, but it's easier to forget to charge them , or needing to change a tyre in the dark, so having a 2nd one is a good idea.even a third. (I've done a week of 500 km riding in rural roads by night ,and it really felt risky to have only one light, don't know about your commute)
    – gaurwraith
    Commented Jul 7, 2018 at 15:22
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    A flashing front-light is useful only if the level of light is still good enough. If it is really dark a constant light is best. A flashing rear light makes you more visible, but check the legislation about these.
    – Carel
    Commented Jul 7, 2018 at 20:14
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    Flashing lights are good for attacting attention, but not as good for distance judgement. Better to have two seperate lights so the flash does not interfere with distance perception of drivers. Also with two lens a distance apart, depth perception is improved.
    – mattnz
    Commented Jul 7, 2018 at 21:33
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    Everybody. The question isn't about flashing lights. It's about lights that are continuous but also emit brighter pulses. In effect, a flashing light and a continuous light in the same unit.
    – David Richerby
    Commented Jul 7, 2018 at 22:55
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    @david richerby the best way to achieve that effect is two lights. It's easy also that one mistakes two lights close together for a single unit. I have a couple of lights that have two separate lamps/leds but they don't emit one constant beam and one fixed. The answer would be in any case a certain product from a brand , so Im commenting an easier way to get the desired effect
    – gaurwraith
    Commented Jul 8, 2018 at 9:32

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The only manufacturer I know of that has this feature (a steady light with a brighter flash) is Cygolite. They call it "Steadypulse" (and describe it as "alerts night time motorists with pulses while constantly lighting your path").

It doesn't use a second light for flashing, the main light is used both for illumination and the flash.

There may be others, but that was the only one I could find after a brief search.

(on a personal note, I have a Cygolite with this feature, but I don't use it, the flashing gets distracting at night. I have a separate (less bright) white flashing light that I use after dark -- since it's not as bright as the main headlight, it's not distracting)

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Pretty much all front and rear lights, except very cheap and simple ones, have a flashing or pulsing mode. Some have a harsh, strobe-like flashing, some have a softer pulsing effect.

Running a front light in flashing mode is good for daytime use where you need to be visible.

Flashing mode is horrible if you need to see where you are going at night. If you want to run a flasher at night, get a small additional light in addition to a main light that has a decent main beam.

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  • Concur - two discreet front lights and two additional discreet back lights is the safest. That way if one goes out suddenly you still have the backup. And if a rear stops, you won't even know it till you hit the destination.
    – Criggie ♦
    Commented Jul 7, 2018 at 21:58
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    The question isn't about flashing lights. It's about lights that are continuous but also emit brighter pulses. In effect, a flashing light and a continuous one in the same unit.
    – David Richerby
    Commented Jul 7, 2018 at 22:56
  • David and how can the answer not be a product recommendation and have the question closed ?
    – gaurwraith
    Commented Jul 8, 2018 at 9:34
  • @gaurwraith Yes, the question is asking for product recommendations, which is why I've already voted to close.
    – David Richerby
    Commented Jul 8, 2018 at 12:34
  • I disagree with the answer. It's the cheap and simple ones from China that have the pulsing/flashing mode. Quality German lights do NOT have a pulsing mode. I wonder why cyclists want a pulsing light. It's a selfish move; it starts a "my light is pulsing more than yours" competition which leaves those with legal lights unnoticed. No car or motorcycle would have a pulsing light.
    – juhist
    Commented Jun 28, 2020 at 18:45

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