# Recommendations - Cheap bike light on Amazon < $50



## jettabrett92 (Aug 29, 2008)

I'm looking for a cheap bike light that can pull double duty as a flash light if necessary. I have a couple of unused amazon gift cards, so would like to use them if possible. My budget is good up to $50, but cheaper the better because it probably will only be used a few times a year.

Ideally, I would like to have a light strong enough for slow trail riding (I hear you need 500+ lumens). There's a couple of wooded trails near my house that are relatively slow (7-8 mph average) with no real elevation change or technical areas.

I would love to hear some recommendations. I'm open to anything as long as it meets the above criteria (or can come close).

I saw this light on amazon. Looks like it has good reviews, but not sure if its any good or if it even meets the lumen rating. I see multiple lights with the same exact design, with some touting 2000 lumens while others list 4-500.

OxyLED® Cree 500 Lumen Bright LED Flashlight Torch, Light Lamp for Emergency / Safety / Security (Adjustable Zoomable Focus, 3 Brightness Levels plus Strobe, Battery Included) - Black - - Amazon.com


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## patski (Dec 12, 2005)

Don't think you want a single 16850 battery light for night riding, I have this, works great, might want to upgrade the battery though....



jettabrett92 said:


> I'm looking for a cheap bike light that can pull double duty as a flash light if necessary. I have a couple of unused amazon gift cards, so would like to use them if possible. My budget is good up to $50, but cheaper the better because it probably will only be used a few times a year.
> 
> Ideally, I would like to have a light strong enough for slow trail riding (I hear you need 500+ lumens). There's a couple of wooded trails near my house that are relatively slow (7-8 mph average) with no real elevation change or technical areas.
> 
> ...


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## formula4speed (Mar 25, 2013)

The no name stuff on Amazon is hard to judge.

You could get this Cygolite in your budget, it's 400 lumens (for real). I've been using a Cygolite Metro for commuting for a couple of years and I've taken it on the trail a few times and it's been dead reliable for me.

Cygolite Metro 400

They have brighter versions if you feel so inclined to up your budget.


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## jettabrett92 (Aug 29, 2008)

Thanks guys for the replies.



patski said:


> Don't think you want a single 16850 battery light for night riding


You mean just because of runtime? If so, the trails I would be riding would wrap up in under an hour. I also like the idea of being able to swap AAAs into a light if necessary.

With all that said, that light you posted seems awesome. I'm guessing 3800 lumens is way off, but do you think it's at least a thousand lumens? That's probably the highest lumen-to-price light I've seen.


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## patski (Dec 12, 2005)

1 hour trail ride? The flashlight should work.

The light I linked to rivals my Gloworm X2 for brightness and it prob would suffice a 1hr ride.

I added THIS BATTERY as I usually ride 2-3 hours.



jettabrett92 said:


> Thanks guys for the replies.
> You mean just because of runtime? If so, the trails I would be riding would wrap up in under an hour. I also like the idea of being able to swap AAAs into a light if necessary.
> 
> With all that said, that light you posted seems awesome. I'm guessing 3800 lumens is way off, but do you think it's at least a thousand lumens? That's probably the highest lumen-to-price light I've seen.


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## andychrist (Aug 25, 2011)

Jetta, here are a few more bike/head lights fulfilled by Amazon that fall within your budget. Can't personally vouch for any of them but the particular vendor is ePathDirect; I bought a TrustFire battery pack through them last year, also fulfilled by Amazon, which turned out to be the genuine article as pictured and of surprisingly high quality (though I wouldn't trust the Lumens/mAh claimed for any lamp or battery pack.) Importantly, these following all feature the most recent generation Cree XM-L2 emitters which are 17-20% more efficient and generally have better color than earlier XML versions in the candidates mentioned here thus far.

Amazon.com : SecurityIng® 4 Modes Waterproof LED Bicycle Light Special Disign Long or Short Range Lighting Modes Super Bright Lighting Lamp Bicycle Headlight LED Headlamp Flashlight Torch with 8.4 V 8800mAh Rechargeable Battery Pack & Charger (Black)

Amazon.com : SecurityIng® 3600 Lumens 3X L2 LED Bicycle Light 4 Modes LED Bike Light Super Bright LED Lighting Lamp Bike Headlight with 8.4V 4400mAh Battery Pack & Charger for Camping, Hiking, Cycling, etc : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : SecurityIng® 3 Modes Waterproof 2400LM 3X XM-L2 LED Bicycle Light Mini LED Headlamp Headlight LED Bike Light Charging Lamp Super Bright Lighting Lamp with 4.2V 8000mAh Rechargeable Battery Pack & Charger : Sports & Outdoors

This last supposedly runs on 4.2V rather than 8.4V but that might be an error, the battery pack looks like the standard 4-cell which would most likely be 8.4V but what do I know. Hopefully some more informed souls here can chime in.


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## siata94 (Jan 27, 2013)

I use standard flashlights for MTBing. I have 3 of these:

http://forums.mtbr.com/lights-night-riding/800-real-lumens-flashlight-$8-good-bar-helmet-939712.html

Have tried it as a helmet light. It should work well for the bar as well. Very floody beam.

The Fenix is a great bar mount for using flashlights, $14.19 from Banggood:

http://forums.mtbr.com/lights-night-riding/fenix-alb-10-flashlight-mount-935086.html


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## patski (Dec 12, 2005)

The first one is rated highly elsewhere on this site, the 3rd one is similar to what I posted.

I have the 2 LED version of the middle one and it's crap.



andychrist said:


> Jetta, here are a few more bike/head lights fulfilled by Amazon that fall within your budget. Can't personally vouch for any of them but the particular vendor is ePathDirect; I bought a TrustFire battery pack through them last year, also fulfilled by Amazon, which turned out to be the genuine article as pictured and of surprisingly high quality (though I wouldn't trust the Lumens/mAh claimed for any lamp or battery pack.) Importantly, these following all feature the most recent generation Cree XM-L2 emitters which are 17-20% more efficient and generally have better color than earlier XML versions in the candidates mentioned here thus far.
> 
> Amazon.com : SecurityIng® 4 Modes Waterproof LED Bicycle Light Special Disign Long or Short Range Lighting Modes Super Bright Lighting Lamp Bicycle Headlight LED Headlamp Flashlight Torch with 8.4 V 8800mAh Rechargeable Battery Pack & Charger (Black)
> 
> ...


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## garrybunk (Feb 12, 2014)

I'd suggest sticking with a single cell flashlight. Many with a good battery can run close to an hour on high with much more than an hour on medium. Best bang for the buck right out of the package will be a Convoy 2.8A M1 or M2. Plenty of posts on these over at Home | BudgetLightForum.com . Not available on Amazon though. Mountain Electronics in the US has some in stock and sells quality batteries and chargers.

-Garry


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