For those of us traveling by non-motorized conveyance (bicycle e.g.), visibility is important in both forenoon and post-twilight conditions. The best way to ensure such visibility is through the use of excessively bright lights, of which the latest light emitting diodes (LEDs) are the acme. The following account will detail the process of building an LED based head-light capable of of more than 500 lumens of output using about 6W of electrical power. For comparison, this is the same output as a typical 45W halogen bulb.

This can be made to be just a headlight or both a headlight/taillight bike light system.

My NiteRider light was off getting fixed at the factory and I needed something for my daily commute. I have used it in a 45 minute pouring rain commute on the way in to work and it worked like a champ.