photo credit: richardmasoner
After two rides that ended up in total darkness it’s about time I took a look at lights.
Lights have become an accessory for bikes. Years ago it wasn’t like that.
When you buy a car or motorbike no-one says, “Would you like lights with that?” Somehow it has fallen out of fashion to have lights on bikes, when in fact they are very useful and a very important part of night-riding safety.
Why no lights?
The reason there are no lights most likely comes down to fashion.
As bikes became more and more hi-tech and racers migrated from being great all-round athletes who would go huge distances without support so the bikes adapted to meet that purpose. People would inevitably want a bike like their favorite rider, so slowly the “cool” bikes were made without adequate clearance for fenders (or even slightly wider tires), without eyelets for racks and without lights as standard.
So the vast majority started to do without them and now they have become an add-on part, not considered as part of a standard bike.
Which is a bit of a pity.
It keeps people from riding at night because you have to get something else to make it safe. That then means more expense which most people don’t really need.
So if you want to ride at night anywhere outside the city, where that inescapable glow starts to disappear, then you better get some. Although the options are not huge, there is a lot of quality stuff around, for the best you’d have to do some searching though.
Which lights?
The answer seemed pretty obvious to me before: whatever they sell at the bike shop.
But this does not start to cover the vast range of lights for those who spend more than just a few hours riding their bikes at night each year.
My typical setup in the past has been (usually Cateye brand)…
- Front light – usually with 3 or 4 batteries, previously halogen bulbs, more recent years it’s LED
- Rear flashing light – 3 to 5 LED lights, usually powered by 2 batteries
A full charge will give quite a few bright hours on the front light and many more hours of “just enough”. The rear one will flash for a lot longer before needing replacement.
Beyond these I have had a dual-light with big rechargeable battery before which gave a decent amount of light for a pitch-black 5km tunnel ride before the tunnel was officially opened. Being of the older Halogen-bulb sort, the battery would not even last two hours with both lights on.
Enter the dynamo
In Germany, every bike sold is required to have a dynamo (front hub that generates electricity) and front and rear lights. And that is by law. And enforced.
So that’s a good place to start.
Having to install these things on every bike for such a long time, a huge number of high-quality front hub dynamos are produced in Germany.
The first thing that came to mind was exploding lightbulbs. But thanks to much improved technology and electronics the better dynamos will not destroy any lights as they are limited by electrical circuits and the power produced is smoothed off too.
They’ve also become more efficient. Almost to the point where it would not be noticeable. I mean like less then 5 minutes lost through inefficiency for every ten hours of riding, and for the amount of light they can produce it beats carrying a big, fat, heavy battery for the whole trip. You’re also saving the environment by saving batteries and you get that tingly feeling of self-sufficiency.
Lights
Along with everything else, the lights have taken a few big steps in their efficiency and maximum output potential. The most notable difference is the introduction of LEDs. With up to 50,000 hours of use compared to a few hundred hours for halogen bulbs, there is a lot to like. They also use less power than halogens.
They also come in a huge range of shapes and sizes too most of my information comes from Peter White Cycles headlight page where he covers the spill of the lights and a lot of information for anyone looking to compare lights.
For the moment
I am still to pour any big amount of money into lights. That was my intention, but I’ve been less drawn to investigating recently.
The main drawback has been the price. Most of these products are from smaller companies who specialize in these parts, which makes them expensive, or at least out of touch with the currency of Taiwan. For some items the price is only suitable for an enthusiast with money to spare.
So if you’re doing any night riding, make sure you’re kitted out with the right lights for your rig.