Cheap Bike Lights? How much is cheap?

When i ride my bike at night I have front and rear lights. Some days at this time of year I drive my car with the headlights on, because it looks a bit dingy. If I was riding my bike in the same conditions I'd like to think that if I turned my lights on I'd be seen better, but if you're on a restricted budget, are there lights out there that can fulfil this? By the way, if you want to see the output you could expect from a branded light, try this front lights guide and comparison engine (and the same for rear lights )
I've done a bit of research on the online bike stores, plus the dreaded (by some) Ebay, and I've found some lights that could burn your retinas if you get too close for next to no money.
 

Some Rear Lights

If you want  really cheap, then the best place to go is a Chinese importer on Ebay. The obvious downside to this is the long wait (average about 3-4 weeks, Hong Kong can be quicker but not by much) and the unknown quality; and while they happily offer a refund, it's normally the case that you have to ship them back at your own expense. That said, if you're not so keen on having one sent in from the Orient, then you can usually find a local seller for a bit more cost.

Front lights can be little "be seen" flashers, useful if you only ride in well-lit areas, or as a second light (I always like to have a flasher and a brighter light on at the same time), or bigger, brighter units which can throw some light onto the ground in front of you. There has been a tendency of late for road cyclists to join the "photon arms race" and plonk insanely bright mountain bike-style lights on. Apart from probably being illegal in some countries, they can also annoy other road users, especially if they're badly adjusted. Now I'm guessing that your average traffic cop probably isn't going to pull you over for having too much light on your bike, but there are always the occasional jobsworth PCSO's that might try their luck. And as for annoying others, the argument that they "might be annoyed but at least they've seen you" is probably a valid one!

The latest in high tech?

Rear lights need only to "be seen", but the further away a driver can spot you the better. In the UK the law states that you must have pedal reflectors: if you're out at night as a cyclist or a driver you might have noticed a rider by their moving pedals before seeing their dim, unblinking rear light, so my advice is: have reflective stuff on the backs of your shoes and on your lower legs, and have your rear light on flashing mode. Some people think that asymmetrical flashing patterns are best, but I think any flashing is better than none.

The other factors that need to be taken into account when buying lights is: 
what powers them, and how waterproof are they?
Lights are generally powered by either AA's/AAA's, removeable lithium's or fixed lithiums with a USB plug. Each have their good and bad points. For instance, if your light takes AA's then you can always carry a spare set in case of emergencies, and if you want to help save the planet then modern rechargeable NIMH batteries will hold at least 3/4 of their charge for months at a time. Rechargeable lithiums, while more expensive, do last longer, particularly if you have a fair few watts of power being consumed, and again you can carry spares. USB charging seems to be the preserve of more expensive lights at the moment, and while many reviewers like them, I've had other electronic products that have an internal battery and I invariably end up with a power failure at some point.
As for waterproofing (and general wear and tear), I willingly concede that usually, the more you pay, the longer the lights will last. However, a little maintenance will keep your lights dry and snug. I always spray the inside of my lights with a little switch cleaner (WD40/GT85 style water dispersants work too) then let it dry before putting in the batteries, and I also grease the seals for extra protection - petroleum jelly is excellent for this.

Here are a few suggestions for "cheap as chips" lights. Remember, even if you've spent the earth on a set of retina burners, a cheap spare set could someday be a godsend!

I bought this little number for £2.65 as an emergency back up for my son. The rear light is basically a throw away item (if you have room on your bike it would probably do as an extra flasher), but if it's all you can afford then it at least makes you legal, but the front is actually quite a nice bright little "be seen" light. Add to that a UK seller who offers a year's warranty and you can't go wrong!

A little more expensive set is this Smart Lunar 35 offering from High On Bikes on Ebay. They sell these for £23.95 buy it now, but I picked up one for auction for about £14. A well-built front light which is plenty bright enough for riding well-lit areas and the dinkiest little rear light which puts out a very respectable 1/2 a watt

Another offering from High On Bikes is this Raleigh-branded set consisting of a claimed 3 watt front light which should be plenty for the occasional darker route, and a 1/2 watt rear light. I've not tried this set out but the other Raleigh light (see below) I have is a very nice piece of kit. This set is currently only £11.95. Units can be bought separately from a company called On One

Talking of Raleigh, this is the light I have had on one of my bikes for a couple of months: two lights at a half watt each, set on alternating flash can be seen from space (okay slight exaggeration). This is so bright I happily use it during the day, safe in the knowledge that it can be seen from quite a distance. Available from High on Bikes (I'm not a rep, honest!) for £6.95 (I paid £12 for mine), but what looks like an identical version which goes by the wonderful moniker of "Phaart Bleep" can be bought for the princely sum of £4.99 from On One
although there is shipping on top of that unless you're buying some other stuff.

Similar to the above light and selling for £4.95 from an outfit called Absolute Cycles is the Etc Tailbright Duo. It's an altogether smaller unit than the raleigh, and if I'm honest a little cheaper feeling (just as bright though). However, I really like the fact that the whole front part lights up so you can see it if it isn't directly pointing at you, even from the side. It also has a very simple hook style attachment that makes it easy to swap from one bike to another. Along with its dinkiness, this makes it ideal as an emergency, carry with you sort of light.


Finally, if you fancy a bit of a punt, I've got a couple of Chinese options that you might want to consider. there's this:

On sale on Ebay for £2.78. I've not received mine yet but going by the picture it looks identical to the Raleigh/ Phaart offering above. I don't think a saving of barely a couple of quid for the pleasure of waiting up to a month for something which could be crap is really worth it, but my next offering is a bit of a diamond in the rough:

This light has two Cree LED's I'm not sure which ones they are; it has a claimed output of 3 watts, I don't know if this is accurate, but the battery drain time on high should give me a clue. It's certainly significantly brighter than those Ebay Cree torches (I have one of those as well), and it looks a whole lot nicer on my bike.
It takes three AAA's and has three modes high, low and flash. On high power, the light is plenty bright enough to see the road in front of you and the beam appears to be shaped so that not too much light is scattered upwards. All in all it's quite a nice little unit for the £8.50 I shelled out for it, and I don't suppose it'll be long before someone decides to import them wholesale and sell them from the UK [watch this space!]


I'm sure there are many other bargains to be had out there in ebay land; this is just a taster. I can't deny that in most cases if you pay more you will get better quality and longevity, but unless you need a small sun on your bars or helmet (i.e. if you're a mountain biker, or just want to seriously piss off other road users), a cheaper light will get you noticed, you can run several lights cheaply, and, in the bike light arms race nothing stands still: your £150 light that you bought yesterday could be obsolete tomorrow!