Cycle Lights

Cycle lights are very important for safety. Most states and countries require you to light up when cycling in low light conditions, especially at night.

Bike lights do 2 important things. First, they let other vehicle users notice you in low light conditions (night time). Secondly, you increase visibility for eyes, providing better vision and thus, better control of your bike. A bicycle light is only built for one thing, safety.

You don't see pro cyclists using them because cycling races aren't organized in the night! Instead, cycle lights are often used by commuters and people who want to get from point A to point B at night. However, if you like riding in the dark, then you should know as much as possible about bicycle lights.

Why should you use lights instead of cycling reflectors?

There are few types of bicycle lights:

Tail / rear / safety light

This is the most important of all. It is more important than the headlight because vehicles approaching your from the back are more likely to run into you. The standard color output is white. You set it at the seatpost, with the lights facing backwards.

Headlight

Another common name is the handlebar light. You will mount the headlight on your bike handlebar, illuminating the front. This is the front lighting that is responsible for your visibility on the road. The standard color output is red.

Helmet light

You put a rather small sized flashlight at the middle of your head. It must be center for best center of gravity. But you have to make sure you have the proper mount bracket on a suitable helmet. Otherwise you could use cable ties to secure it to your cycling helmet as a cheap alternative.

Ankle light

Ankle bike lights are good for visibility as they are moving lights, but will come in contact with the rear panniers if you are on a cycling tour. Otherwise, it is better for visibility because people can see clearly the lights are are moving. It is simply attached to your ankles, with the lights facing backwards.

Types of Bike Lights

LED (light emitting diode)

LEDs are the fabled invention from the electronic field. It is the most powerful lighting. They are often lighter too. It is also a fact that LED bike lights do not require initial warm ups. Few years ago, it was very expensive. But now, they are as affordable as other bike light types. LED can come in white or red color. This is your best choice.

HID (high intensity discharge)

HID lamps were initially from the auto industry. HID are known to be superior form of car lighting compared to the older yellow halogen. They are more durable than the halogen but not the LED. But, they need about half a minute to reach full brightness. Common colors for the HID cycle light include white, bluish white and purplish white. However, one HID bike light can cost you as much as $300 making it the most expensive. But they are also the brightest, brighter than LED.

Halogen

Today, almost no one uses halogen bike light anymore due to the popularity of LED bike lamps. The bulbs are prone to overheating and spoiling. It also uses a lot of battery power for a short period of time, making it inefficient. The main color of the halogen bike light is yellow. This might be the cheapest light you can find.

Dynamo (or small generator)

It is free light source that don't require batteries. It is powered by the turning wheel rims. But they will sap your energy due to constant friction between the wheel rims and dynamo. They are mostly common in beach cruiser bikes.

How to Buy

Most cycle lights have various lighting modes. You have the always on and intermittent flashing. When you use intermittent flashing mode, your lights can last 4 times as longer, because they don't use as much power when they are blinking. Due to advancement in lighting technologies, if you constantly set it to always on, it can still last for quite some time.

Next, you look at batteries. There are a few types of batteries that can be used.

There are also 2 sizes; AA and rectangle pack form.

AA alkaline battery is the most common one. It is easily found and you can get them everywhere. However, they have lower power capacities, compared to other battery types. But if your bike light is built for an AA alkaline battery, then it's fine to use it. Note that they are heavy to carry.

Lithium ion battery have much higher power capacity which equals the NiMH. They are available in both rectangle pack form and AA sizes. Currently in the market, AA Li-ion can't be charged. But you can use them to replace the AA alkaline batteries. The one that comes in the rectangle pack form can be recharged over and over again. Li-ion do not have charging memory effects. Thus, you can charge it anytime you want, regardless of the battery level. Note that the they are also the most expensive.

NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) exists in rectangular pack form. The advantage of this rectangle pack is it's light, much lighter than AA types. NiMH can be recharged over and over again. But it could take as long as 9 hours to do a single, full recharge. Energy capacity wise, they are as top performing is the Li-ions. You will find NiMH battery pack to be the most common besides AA batteries.

Then you have the solar cycle lights. These are ideal for late afternoon and evening rides. As you begin cycling in the afternoon, it recharges itself from the solar energy. Then as it gets dark, it is powered from the solar means. Usually, a solar energy system is not the sole power source. It is just secondary. The main power source of your bike light will be the rechargeable NiMH, usually.

How do you choose your batteries type for your bicycle lights? If you can tolerate recharging your battery for as long as 9 hours, then decide on NiMH. They are lighter than AA sized batteries. If your rides are short (you want highest brightness) and you want fast charging time, then look for Li-ion rectangle packs. Battery packs or AA size? If you can, always go for the battery pack. They are much lighter.

Plan your rides. Pick the battery types to suit your needs. Foresee whether it will be a long ride in the night or not.

You will find there are so many models and brands out there. How do you choose? When buying one, your best bet are comparison pictures in brochures or cycling magazines. The best way is to test the lights at night. But bike stores are closed at night! Thankfully, most bike lighting companies do a good job in presenting their light capabilities in pictures.

Comprehensive List of Bike Lights Comparison
http://reviews.mtbr.com/blog/bike-lights-shootout-beam-pattern-comparison/

There are 3 important factors to think about when buying bicycle lights. They are brightness, radius and shape of the beam. You will find that different brands provide different qualities and lighting depending on the radius and brightness. Some lights provide a bigger radius, hence better vision. Ideally, you want a bigger radius so you can see more. But, most of the time, the brightness seems to be low (blur output) even if the radius is bigger. Therefore, brightness is the most important factor. Generally, the shape will be same, round. For better lighting, certain models have double lights, some even have 4.

Check how far the beam projects. This is known as projection or beam distance. You will notice a term called lumen(s) most of the time. It simply means light emitted per second. The higher, the brighter. Usually they are measured by lumens per watt. Watts is the unit for power. A higher rated watts for a bike light will consume battery energy faster. Cycle lights also come with volt rating. You have to power the light by choosing batteries with the correct voltage.

For the tail light, check whether it has side visibility. Newer lights now have this capability. With this feature, cars can still see your tail light brightly when they are beside your bike.

Next, check if it's water resistant or not. Not all of them are. But you want them to be.

For mounting, make sure they have mounts (brackets) so you can fix the lights onto your bicycle. You will notice that most are universal mounting brackets. Otherwise, look for straps ("belt" type or Velcro) that can be tightened. This way, you are free to fix them onto anywhere you want.

Weight is an issue. Back in the old days, cycle light were heavy. Now, almost all of them weigh 300 g or lower. Still, you want to have maximum cycling performance. So, consider the extra weight of the bike light. Don't forget about the battery weight too.

If you are worried about wiring, don't. The lights are powered by batteries and do not need wiring, except for dynamo battery.

As for colors, white is the standard for headlights while red for tail lights. Note that you shouldn't imitate the police by having both red and blue lights. You might get a ticket!

Alternative: Cycling Reflectors

If you can't afford to buy cycle lights of any kind, then you have to at least use bike reflectors. If you can't produce the light, reflect it. At least there are some indications that tell people you are riding on the road. The problem with reflectors is cars and motorcycles can't see you from afar. They only work well at close distances.

How to Use

If you park outdoors, you should always take your headlights off because they are prone to thefts. This is not a problem if you park your bike in a garage or indoors.

Your headlight should always be pointing slightly downwards to light up the road. You may adjust the brightness this way. The lower the angle, the brighter because of the shorter distance between the headlight and the road surface. Likewise, the more horizontal your headlight, the more dull the beam will become because it projects further away on the road.

Save your battery power by switching to the flash mode so that your lights are blinking. This way, it consumes less power and can last longer.

You have switches for you to access the lights when cycling. Use them to change between light intensities (low, medium, high) and different modes (blinking flash or always on).

Always look out for your battery indicator. Some indicators only signal to you when it is low. Some better indicators show you the total battery life in a progress bar.

How to set your blinking rate for your cycle lights? Fast or slow delay? This is powered by the strobe feature. What are strobes? They are device that let your lights flash periodically, making the lights blink. For example, police cars use the strobes when their light flashes periodically.  Generally, you should increase the blinking rate if you cycle at higher speeds. For lower speeds, slower blinks are fine.

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