Mike -

Just went through this dilemma. Tried the Cateye 300 or something on my LBD rec. Didn't cut it. Eventually got a Nite Rider 10W HID. WOW! Even get comments from cars like "what the hell kind of light is that!" Not only can I see - it lights up like you won't believe: very safe.

I'd say, save your pennies and get a Nite Rider light. They are pricey, but just 1 crash would pay for this light many times over in equipment alone.

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Fatigue is biochemical, not biomechanical.
- Andrew Coggan, PhD

Cygo NIMH Extra...$105 on Ebay. 3-4 hours burn time with plenty of light for high speed commuting.

If I was shopping for a new commuter light, I'd pony up the $175 and get a Light and Motion Vega. I already have thier $400 (ouch!) HID system which is awesome but I hate having to velcro on the battery pack which takes all of 45 seconds. I still hate it, and it always hits my knees on the top tube. Then I have one of those $35 Cateye 5-LED models from last year which is pretty bright and gets amazing run times but you really can't see all that much during those rare instances when there are no streetlights. I mean you can see but you get pretty cautious.

Reviews on the Vega are that it is awesome, all one piece with no external battery pack, overdriven 3W Luxeon LED (this things are amazing), 2-3 hour run time, easy recharging. Wish I'd have waited on my HID lamp.

More than $200 worth.

I am in the same boat. I rode home tonight for the first time with my Cateye 500 (45 bucks) and a Planet bike flashing LED front light along with the flashing rear. It was bright enough for me to see quitewell even on the oitch black bike path. Whether cars see me as well as i would like, i do not know. I have tons of reflectors on my frame and helmet, too.

Tia, I have the same light, it is kickass. I have the water bottle mount. I have had mine for 3+ years. I bought mine when that was there only model.

My buddy bought a $135 light and he likes it, but wishes he had more. HID is the way to go if you want to see where you are going and want cars to mistake you for another car.

The Vega is what I would recommend though if you don't have $400 for a light. Ouch, I spent almost as much on a light as I did on my bike.

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Reverend Dr. Jay
Lake of the Pines Triathlon fastest bike course record holder - Golden State Super Sprint fastest tri course record holder - Wildflower Long Course slowest run course record holder (4:46:32)

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"If you have a body, you are an athlete." -Bill Bowerman

"Tai" dammit, "Tai" everyone sees "Tia" i just don't get it;)

Yeah the HID is awesome, I have the velcro on smaller battery. Those new Li-ion packs are really sweet but it was an additional $100 and didn't look worth it.

I was riding home last week and looked down at my handlebars, L&M light $400, Polar S625X on the handlebars $350, Polar sd200sd $220, then you look at the random accessories Arione Saddle $130, Alien Ti seatpost $120, Speedplay pedals $160. Sheesh that's like $1400 in accessories on a $1600 bike!

Nightpro''s got one for about 110 that is a 5-6 watt system. cool setup. battery and light are integrated. called the bullite

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The Dude abides.

I'll second the L&M Vega. Very bright, and very easy to use. The battery is self contained so you don't have to lug a battery around with you. Easy on/off the h/bars.
Perfect for commuting.

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"....No longer easy on the eyes but these wrinkles masterfully dusguise the youthful boy below."~Death Cab for Cutie

http://www.a1cyclery.com

I'll "third" the Vega...just mounted mine. Looks like it's just enough light for the road, without all the bulk of the stronger versions out there built more for the trail, 24 hour races, etc.

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Dan DeMaio
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Life is like riding a bicycle.
To keep your balance you must keep moving.
- Albert Einstein

I'm intrigued by the L&M Vega light, but, there is no way it can be anywhere near as bright at a good Halogen lamp. And really NO WAY it can be as bright as a HID.

However, HID is also probably overkill for most road riding or commuting situations, unless you happen to have a huge hill you plan on riding mach schnell down during said ride.

I'll throw out a somewhat dissenting opinion here. Since this is a Tri board, and most of us therefore ride bikes w/ aero bars, computers, etc etc etc on the bars, you can easily run out of real estate on the bars for a light of any sort. (I had to jury-rig a mount for my L&M HID lamp onto one of the aerobars, since it just wouldn't fit anyplace else, and still be able to shine unblocked ahead of me. I really should just spend the $25 and get the helmet mount for it. The new ones come w/ helmet mount, mine didn't)

So - I'm suggesting you consider a helmet mounted, 10W-13W Halogen light. Something like the L&M Cabeza Logic or MV Solo Logic would be very good. JET lights single Phantom gets a perfect 5.0 rating in MTBR.com, so definitely look at that one too. (and for a few more sheckels, their adjustable Phantom i looks very nice too) Here's the link for reviews: http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/lights/

One thing that I have found about having a helmet mounted light (besides freeing up dashboard space, that you may not even have had in the first place), is that, obviously, you always have the light shining where you are looking. This may seem obvious, but it is a BIG benefit. The most glaring (pun intended) use for this when road riding/commuting is to be able to shine your light directly AT drivers who are just about to pull out in front of you. Ya just can't do that w/ a handlebar mount. This has saved my bacon on numerous occasions.

If you do opt for a handlebar light, you might wanna pop for another $20-40 for an LED headlamp to supplement it. (PrincetonTec makes good ones, so does BD and Petzl) Allows you to read your dashboard, and is also helpful for looking around and if/when you hafta stop to fix a flat, etc.

edited to add: OK, so I just re-read the original post. The lights I'm recommending are all approx $200. That said, you'll probably want to spend at least $100-150 for a decent light. Anything less will probably come w/ a heavy SLA battery, won't have a smart charger (meaning, you can ruin your battery by overcharging it, vs. "set it and forget it" charging), and are likely more "to be seen" lights than "see where you are going" lights. If you really are going to ride in the dark regularly, you'll want a good light. Not a place to scrimp if you ask me....

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float , hammer , and jog

Sorry Tai, just a typo.

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Reverend Dr. Jay
Lake of the Pines Triathlon fastest bike course record holder - Golden State Super Sprint fastest tri course record holder - Wildflower Long Course slowest run course record holder (4:46:32)

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"If you have a body, you are an athlete." -Bill Bowerman