Reddit reviews Planet Bike Blaze 2Watt LED Headlight

Where do you live? Wikipedia has a great rundown of bike laws and rules, especially for California, which is where I live. I'm assuming the same thing exists on Wikipedia for other states.

• Laws
  
  As far as I know though, anywhere you live, you're a vehicle by law. In most places it is illegal for you to ride on the sidewalk, but even if it isn't, it is much safer to ride on the street if you know what you're doing. Look on google maps for a while to check out various routes to your school. I consider myself to be pretty good at planning routes. If you want, you can reply or PM me about where you start and where your school is.
  
  
• Locks
  
  You'll definitely want a good U-lock for your bike, as well as anything from another U-lock or a cable. From the picture, it looks like that cable is a combination or keyhole lock cable. I'm not sure, but I think I've heard that the locks on those can be fairly weak, so getting a regular cable like this one, which is four feet long (there is also a 7 foot long one). The best way to lock up a bike with a U-lock/cable combination is to lock the frame and back wheel with the U-lock to the bike rack, then the cable loops through the lock and front tire
  
  
• Cargo
  
  What kinds of things do you need to take to school? Just books and stuff? If you need to take a laptop like I do (and it's a large laptop), I found that the Topeak racks like this one is fantastic because with this bag, you can fit the laptop in to the bag, and slide the bag on to the rack. I use some bungee cords when moving my laptop in it just in case, but it's very secure and the laptop has worked fine. It even comes with a water proof cover. I've taken my laptop through heavy rain at least a few times now. If you look around online for those enough you can find some good deals. I got the bag for about 80 dollars, when MSRP is around 150.
  
  I just noticed the bag under your seat. I use that space for my light, but what I did with my bag is I strapped it to the side of my bike rack, as you can see in the picture of my bike below.
  
  
• Shifting
  
  Looks like you have regular thumb shifters. Left hand is for the front derailleur (The gears around the pedals), and the right hand is for the rear derailleur. On the left hand, the larger the gear is, the harder it is to pedal. On the right hand, the smaller the gear (or cog) is, the harder it is to pedal. You'll figure it out. Just go to a parking lot somewhere and experiment. You may need to do some adjustments if the bike is old or something.
  
  
• Lights
  
  You will definitely need lights then. I don't care what the laws state, you should have at least one rear and one front light. I have two of each.
  
  You should get a front light that will cast a good amount of light ahead of you. A "too see" light. Most cheap bike lights are "to be seen" lights. They let other cars see you, but you won't be able to see where you are going well. You might as well get a smaller "be seen" light that flashes for day use, just to help drivers see you. The more they see you, the better.
  
  For rear lights, I would even recommend two lights. With a rack, you'll be able to put one light on the end of the rack, and another on your seat post, like my bike. I always have my lights on during the day, just to help with people to see me. It probably isn't too noticeable, but with very bright lights it definitely can be. If you're in a shaded area or under a bridge though, they will help. At night, a flashing light will be the most noticable to other drivers, but it is difficult to judge distance and speed on a single flashing light when the bike cannot be seen, so I have one light on flashing, and my other light steady so drivers can see my movements and judge how far they are from me. Try to angle the lights so they'll be a little higher that parallel with the ground. You don't want your light to be pointing at the ground, or worse, hidden behind your bike rack.
  
  Headlights: Very bright and cheap Chinese copy of a more expensive light by MagicShine. I got this a few weeks ago and it's great for night use. The handlebar mount is a little rickety though. I'm going through the same problem. If you don't want to gamble with cheap parts, there are two other okay lights that will be more secure, but sacrifice brightness. Link and Link
  
  Taillights: This is a review of a bunch of lights with a lot of info. I use This and the tail light from this. I plan on replacing the Schwinn light with a brand new light that came out recently, the Solas 2-watt. It's hard to find right now, but if you search it on google there are several stores selling it from 38 - 45 dollars.
  
  
  
• Various links (Some were used within the text above)
  
  Bicycling Street Smarts
  
  Bicycle Driving
  
  Commuting Tips
  
  Bicycle laws in California
  
  Taillights review
  
  Good luck on your future endeavors and have fun!

What kind of lights are you using?

For the front, you may want to check out the Design Shine Lights ( http://www.DesignShineLighting.com ) which are quite bright, and should be available soon. Or check out the Planet Bike 2w headlight which blinks:

http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Bike-Blaze-2Watt-Headlight/dp/B0015R1NE4/ref=pd_bxgy_sg_img_b

I am actually using the Nu Flare LED flashlight and a handlebar flashlight mount because it's a lot brighter than the Planet Bike headlight, but it doesn't blink so that may not work for you ...

http://www.amazon.com/Nu-Flare-77R92L-Ultrabright-Aluminum-Flashlight/dp/B001LYYO10/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1318951039&sr=8-3

http://www.amazon.com/Flashlight-Mount-for-Bike-Handlebar/dp/B004OADU22/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1319730599&sr=1-1-catcorr

NOTE: This mount is okay for my use, you may not like it it you have to remove your lights.

For the rear, I love my Planet Bike Turbo Superflash:

http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Bike-Superflash-Turbo-Light/dp/B004U5PV5A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318366148&sr=8-1

I emailed Planet Bike and asked them to make a White and Yellow Turbo flash, which I think would take care of front-mount for me.

Finally, you may want to get a little air horn for your bike. Someone did a write here on Reddit a few weeks ago. This is the horn:

http://www.amazon.com/SeaSense-1-4oz-50074011-Image-Reference/dp/B000XQ5B1Y/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1VY5NBV2BPVP6&colid=2ANXR60WOJLC

This is the write-up and image.

http://www.reddit.com/r/bicycling/comments/lf42p/i_installed_a_compressed_air_horn_this_weekend/

http://i.imgur.com/X6vLI.jpg

I went with the Planet Bike Blaze 2watt LED Headlamp for just about the same price as the combo you are looking at, and it has served me well. It can easily be detached for security and general flashlight use, has a low/bright/flash system, and that flash has an attention grabbing pattern. As another commenter mentioned, the light spill is better on a bike light than a more focused general use flashlight. Plus, this thing is 2watts, it's bright! I've actually had a driver thank me for my lights (then again, I also had this tail light blaring and another cheap Wal-Mart light on the rear).

For my commute, this is what I do:

-I track it using Strava

-I keep a flat tire repair kit with me (mini pump, tire levers, patch kit, and spare tube)

-I have a headlight and a taillight and I use them DAY and night.

Taillight - http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Bike-3034-1-Blinky-Superflash/dp/B0015R40JE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1333388151&sr=8-3

Headlight - http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Bike-Blaze-2Watt-Headlight/dp/B0015R1NE4/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1333388229&sr=1-1

-If it's hot and/or the rainy season, I keep a change of clothes with me in a pannier, as well as the necessary supplies to clean up before changing into them.

-For long distance commutes like yours, I always have a change of clothes, because the sweat will be inevitable.

-Water!

-Plastic bags to hold my shoes/sandals/wet clothes

Planet bike 2 watt headlight. It is very bright so that you can see the road well and people can see you. If it is a bit too pricey you can go for the 1 watt, which is still very useable but not as bright.

Metro Flash tail light
works fantastically for indicating where you are. Very bright, affordable and effective.