Lights

You can adjust the angle to whichever suits you best.

@ psee, good post.

I've gone USB, after being impressed by the Blackburn fleas I have on the Brompton I was looking for something beefier for my main bike.
I bought the Moon Xpower 300 and Shield Combo
(although I actually paid £20 more last week, so this is an even better deal)
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/moon-x-power-300-front-and-shield-rear-light-set/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=base&utm_campaign=uk&utm_content=Moon-Moon_X-Power_300_Front_and_Shield_Rear_Light_Set

First impressions very good. The front is very bright (brighter than my Hope) and has a good flashing mode. The rear chucks out 60 lumens which is a lot for a rear, so I angle it down a bit so as not to blind those behind me. The knog-like bracket of the rear is really good, because I use a carradice I can't mount it on the seatpost, so it attaches snugly to the rear stay with the bracket.

Whilst I still love my Hope 1, these lights are more for commuting and the added ease of being able to recharge them off my laptop whilst at work. Initial charge time was about 1 hour. I'm letting them run without recharging at the moment to see how long they last, my commute is currently 17 miles each way, and I'm currently doing it twice a week after a study enforced break from commuting.
Will report back when I've tested them in more severe weather and see what the battery life is like

Man, there's so much information in this thread and so many contradicting reviews and opinions! My head hurts.

I moved to London a few days back and need to get some decent lights on the bike before heading out in the evenings. I don't need to light anything up, I just don't want to get mowed down. I'd ideally like to spend no more than £50 and I don't want anything that requires fixing a bracket.

I was thinking of the Cateye TL-610 (£18) http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cateye/tl-610-rear-light-ec019839 for the rear and the Moon Mask 5.0 (£20) http://www.evanscycles.com/products/moon/mask-5-led-front-light-ec033669 for the front. For those with experience of either, would you recommend them or suggest an alternative? I'd ideally like something with a little more side visibility but couldn't find anything that fully detaches. (I do however have a pair of Knog Frogs which I'll use on the forks and the stays).

Any help would be massively appreciated.

Cateye 610 has an extremely poor mount......... or so it has been reported. Seems to break easily. I use the RSP ASTRUM so I can recommend that

Again, I'm going to have to add a contrary view to that... I quite like the mount for the cateye rear light, not to hard to get on and off (no tools needed) and holds the seatpost tight. I admit it could be a lot better, but the size of the light itself is a plus, it shows up very well.

At the moment I'm getting pissed off with my Smart Lux lights: the front one turns itself off in cold/wet conditions, and the rear lets water into the circuitry (despite vaseline on the seals). Nice and visible when working though.

Cateye 610 has an extremely poor mount......... or so it has been reported. Seems to break easily. I use the RSP ASTRUM so I can recommend that

I can believe that about the mount, it even looks poor.

The RSP ASTRUM does look good, especially after a little waterproofing, but I'm hoping to get lights on by tomorrow and being a noob here I'm not sure where I'd pick one up from in West London (evans don't sell them). The alternative option I'm considering for the rear is the Blackburn Flea but the charger is putting me off.

Edit: Just seen your post CowHen, thanks for that. I think I'll have to have a play with the cat eye mount in store and see what I think.

I've gone through far too many cheap lights in the previous year or so, with broken brackets and bad weather sealing being the main problems. splashed out on the exposure flash/flare combo a few weeks ago.
absolutely fantastic so far, nice and bright with great side visibility, great mounting brackets. Charge seems to last for a week or so. Obviously they're not cheap and the proof will be how long they last, but no problems as yet.

what is the advantage of using this fancy charger ?
Faster charge times I assume?

Following the recommendation on here I've been using the Techno Line charger for the last few weeks - well worth the investment. No heating of the batteries and lots of charging / refresh / decharging options. Recommended.

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLqrymode.a4p?f_ProductID=13939&f_SupersetQRY=C235&f_SortOrderID=1&f_bct=c009275

pretty good rear lights, not as blinding as a smart 1 watt. more of a spread out beam

anyway they're probably cheaper than knogs + much brighter.

another cheap option
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLqrymode.a4p?f_ProductID=13951&f_FullProductVersion=1&f_SupersetQRY=C235&f_SortOrderID=1&f_bct=c009275

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLqrymode.a4p?f_ProductID=13939&f_SupersetQRY=C235&f_SortOrderID=1&f_bct=c009275

pretty good rear lights, not as blinding as a smart 1 watt. more of a spread out beam

anyway they're probably cheaper than knogs + much brighter......

That looks superb.

J.E.James have a deal on a RSP front/rear combo that I couldn't resist. The front light is 3 watt jobbie , and the rear is a good 1/2 watt light. It was only £12.95 so it was a must-buy. And I bought the RSP Astrum along with it. £25.oo for 3 lights can't be bad; especially as one is a 3 watt front light. Thats me sorted for the winter.

A 3 watt front light has been rated from different sources, as between 120 lumens to 200 lumens. Either way, this is a superb deal.

My front light took a tumble (after I took a slight sideways tumble!) this morning and a bus went over it! It's now a bit more oval, but still works fine!

That's pretty impressive.

This might interest a few people, it's a sort of discussion/evolution one persons DIY lights

https://sites.google.com/site/gentlegreen/bikelighting

That looks superb.

Not to mention ugly as hell.

Only total arseholes buy Knogs.......because they're pretty.
Other people, like me, buy lights based on their usefulness. To each their own.

I've got a pair of knogs as helmet lights. They where handy when mine were stolen, but they're not great as main lights.

My front light took a tumble (after I took a slight sideways tumble!) this morning and a bus went over it! It's now a bit more oval, but still works fine!

I have one of those. Sturdy little buggers but that is some extreme squishing.

This might interest a few people, it's a sort of discussion/evolution one persons DIY lights

https://sites.google.com/site/gentlegreen/bikelighting

the electronics tech went over my head but I respect the ethos.

I have a rear knog coz it came free with a red bull goodie bag, its pretty bright tho!

I rode last night with a friend who's just picked up a Magicshine MJ-872. He bought it for £80 from a UK eBay seller.

It's bloody bright. A great spread also so will be brilliant off road.

the electronics tech went over my head but I respect the ethos.

He doesn't understand electronics beyond the basics. He's used the noob resistor techniques in all his self-built LED lights. I'd respect him if he'd bothered to look at linear regulators or Buck/boost converters.

Can anyone tell me what light this is. Popped up in BTOB and it looks perfect for me.
Thanks.

fibre flare

the mini ones I suspect, I've got one of original sized ones