The Hutchens commented about charging their lights.

I have Cherry Bomb rear (no longer in production afaik) which uses two AAA cells and in front a Mayko which uses two AA cells. 

I run these day and night, not that I ride at night any longer, for visibility to other road users. I carry two of each size cell with me so that I can replace the cells when they run out.

What do you do?

I have a SON dynohub on my main touring bike, and I run lights 24/7 with no need to ever charge or replace batteries.  I AM the battery and I get a charge out of knowing that.  

I have 21,000 miles on the dynohub now and am very happy with it.  If I ever build another bike, it will have a dynohub as well.  So that's what I do.  

I run two rear lights, of different makes. Both rechargeable. A Dinotte Quad red light. These used to be 'the' light for brightness. Then other companies caught up with their lumen power. For a much cheaper price, my second light is a Cygolite Hypershot 350. I like that the two lights have different flash patterns. 

Many people opinion that they have a good light, but you really need someone to look at your lights from a distance to see if you are visible in the daytime. I was told once that they thought my Dinotte light was a barricade light flashing in the distance - and that they could see me from a far distance. That is very good information!

I no longer commute in the dark, so no longer have a serious headlight. But I did just buy a Nightrider 1200 to leave on the bike for those 'oops' I went too far and got caught at dusk moments. That has happened once, and I was happy with the light beam. I might make different choices for longevity if I were going to use it regularly.

Lights cannot be understated. I used to ride with a flag on my recumbent, but feel multiple lights are a better option for visibility .

I also wear bright colors, and have a yellow triangle on the rear of my bike. 

In the days when I was a cycle commuter I had a succession of lights.  The last of the headlights was a dual-beam LED affair with its own brand-and-model-specific battery and dedicated plug-in charger.  I've test-fitted it to Serenity's handlebars but it doesn't generally accompany me on day rides.  If / when I go touring with it I'll have to fabricate an alternate mount or use some other light because the handlebar bag I have completely blocks the light.  I went through that same process last summer with my Bike Friday.

I've also had a succession of tail lights, all of which have run on a pair of AA cell batteries and all of which have multiple operating modes (steady bright, steady dim, and various flashing patterns).  

On my commuter setup I had one mounted on the seat post, low enough to shine from under the underseat tool pouch.  On Serenity there's not enough space for that, particularly if I'm carrying a tent atop the rear rack, so I'll have to contrive some alternate there as well as in front.  

On past bikes it's been as simple as zip tying a length of suitably-sized PVC tubing to the underside of the rear rack, right against the back of the rack.  I'll have to see whether I can do that with Serenity's rack and not impede the panniers.  

The panniers themselves have small "loops" that appear to be intended for clipping lights into, but when I've done that the lights "sag" and point downward much more than I want, greatly diminishing their benefit as beacons to attract the attention of overtaking motorists.  And, I've found that the clips on the lights aren't robust enough to reliably stay in the loops; a good jolt is likely to bounce one or the other of them free and drop it onto the roadway.

In all circumstances, however, I have viewed both forward and rear lighting as a nighttime / low-light-only necessity.  I don't typically run them during daylight hours, which is when about 98  or 99 percent of my riding occurs.  Bright colored riding apparel, and careful adherence to lane position coupled with frequent checks of my rearview mirror, are what I rely on for the vast majority of the time.

I’m with George … SON hubs and Edelux front and tail lights that are always on. I also like his notion that we are the battery!

Hi Kelly

Two lights with different cyclic rates is a great idea.

Lights with enough power to be visible at distance in daylight is the target to go for.

If I am not wearing my orange ShowersPass jacket with reflective stripes I wear a yellow hi viz vest also with reflective stripes.

Mike

Hi George

Set and forget and maintenance free, way to go!

Hi Keith

My hack for attaching the rear light to the end of the rack. The rack already had two holes in it so I screwed through into a section of broom handle and attached the light mount to that. Not very elegant looking but it does the job.

The bubbles on the rack are from riding in the rain.

The rack on my Bike Friday has a threaded eyelet on the back, that can be used to attach a light mounting bracket.  I fabricated a quick-and-dirty wooden prototype and it worked reasonably well until I broke it; a long-term version would need to be of more durable materials such as aluminum or heavy-gauge PVC but I never got around to that.

The rack on Serenity has no such convenience, if I recall correctly, so I must contrive something else.