Wow, so many replies, thank you guys.
Ok, reading the replies I think I can also put in the list flashlights with 18650 batteries, so if you also have recommendation for flashlights using 18650, please share.
Other question: should I choose a normal flashlight or one with zoomable option? (I don’t know if I will use it very often, but it sounds nice to have this option).
Thanks
Budget… Flashlight.
Sofurn or one of the other (depending on your wallet)
C8, preferably Convoy C8+
WILL do 98% of what you need
They vary from around $13 to $33. Anything from XM-L (2/Hi, etc)
XPL-hi, will give you enough to last forever.
Liito-Kala 202 charger will charge most battery’s you will buy
for around $6 to $8. del
Both cheap, reliable, and do a good job.
I have several zoomies from the old days. Never use them nowadays.
That C8/+ will do all you need in your price range. And more.
There are zillions of models out there. don’t get dizzy.
The Convoy C8/C8+ is not that suitable for a bike light as its beam is concentrated (spot).
OTOH, The Convoy S2+ has a more floody beam.
And between these two extremes, you have the Convoy S2, with a fairly narrow floody beam that reaches decent distance even with a domed emitter and orange peel reflector (toss in an HI emitter like Simon is offering now on a smooth reflector, and it’s a proper tube thrower!) and the M1, which I think balances flood and throw the best out of the whole Convoy line.
The cheapest among all these Convoys are the S2 and the S2+.
I don’t get the hatred for the V2. I have zero problems with it. I have dropped it a few times even on a tiled floor and it’s still fine!
I’ve used the C8+ on my bike once or twice.
The spill is enuff to make it safe on bitumin.
I think it’s important to know where and on what surfaces you ride though 
Lol Burn Aussie!
It would help to know what kind of riding you do. And length of rides. The bike strobe mode on the BLF A6, and Convoys (S2+ or C8) with biscotti is definitely worth having (for me). But my favorite is the Thorfire TK15s because it’s the easiest use with gloves on, which frequently coincides with riding in the dark (again, for me).
Zoomies tend to have issues with waterproofing, and they’re inefficient getting light out the front. More importantly, most low-end zoomies, especially in the price range you’re looking for, well, they suck. There are exceptions, I believe, but fans of really inexpensive zooms are pretty scarce around here.
The Jetbeam Jet-I MK is my favorite single AA light. Simple twisty, 3 good well placed modes, good regulated boost circuit for AA. I believe with 14500 it switches to PWM so I just use the light with an AA.
I’m guessing Jetbeam’s PWM isn’t the best out there, then.
I’m not a fan of PWM. I find most of the AA/14500 lights have pretty decent boost circuits for AA and then use PWM or a form of it when using a battery that has a higher voltage than the Vfwd of the LED. The only other solution is to use a more elaborate buck-boost circuit but that would make the light more expensive. Then you’d be into the price range of the prior Fenix LD11.
So when I buy an AA light, regardless of whether it has 14500 capability or not, I buy it for the AA performance. I really like the Jet-I MK. My only gripe might be that I would prefer no memory so that it would start on low every time you turn on. For some reason Jetbeam didn’t do memory on the Jet-II MK.
I found a Convoy S2+ in the price range and also an Utorch SF01. If you also have other recommendation, please share. Thanks!
@crazykiller, I would recommend this flashlight from the owner of Convoy directly:
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Gray-Convoy-S2-with-nichia-219C-Ra-90-DTP-copper-plate-ar-coated-glass-lens-7135/330416_32962537117.html
It is a good flashlight with very good color quality, a good budget flashlight for beginners. You can send a message to the owner, Simon, saying that you are a BLF member and that you would like a discount of 15% if I remember well.
Sorry for so many questions, I am still a newbie, but can you please tell me if there are differencies between the model specified by you and this model: https://www.gearbest.com/led-flashlights/pp_44144.html?wid=1433363 ? Thanks.
Convoy S2+. One is good, two are better, three are best 
That looks like fun.
Oh, can you tell me what you don’t like in version 2.0?
Lower output, different mode spacing, SMO reflector. Here is a comparison:
And let me quote from other users:
eas wrote: I didn’t realize that they’d gotten rid of the option to turn on to moon that the last generation had. Now it just comes up in whatever the last normal mode it was in before it was turned off. Oh, but only when using 14500s. If I’m reading the instructions right,* it doesn’t have mode memory when used with AA cells*.
maba
- Starts with Low
- The mode memory sometimes does not work at 14500
- One 14500 was discharged to 2.2V
All these are drawbacks for me.
I’m EDC-ing SP10B (V 1.0) for a few month now and I am very happy with it.
I have biked comfortably at moderate speed with a 50 lumen rated (unregulated, so realistically less than that), 3xAAA plastic headlamp before. A Sofirn SF13 sounds fine to me for road or groomed paths, especially since it will be much throwier than the headlamp comparison. The main drawback will be the lower amount of peripheral illumination.
I’m assuming we’re not talking about challenging mountain biking.
Don’t bother with a zooming flashlight. The added complexity adds weight, size, and potential failure points, and they have significant reduction of output when zoomed in tight.
The amount of output available and the blend of hotspot and spill that most modern LED lights have has made zooming a significantly less compelling option than it was back when a good 2 x AA light produced less than 10 lumens.