Even if you’re a sunny-day cyclist, chances are later or sooner you’ll get caught riding home in bad weather or the dark, thus you need to buy bike lights a good set is necessary. Bike lights keep getting smaller and lighter while giving brighter illumination for riding safety. A great bike light is vital for cycling both for seeing and being seen. Yet, with plenty of bike lights in the market, how will you choose the best bike lights, and what factors do you need to look for? A well-lit bike is furnished with side, front, and rear lighting to ensure you can be seen by pedestrians and motorists.
Unlike a car wherein the selection of lights is slightly a consideration, a cyclist needs to carefully pick the appropriate lights. Depending on the type of riding, riding conditions, the duration of the ride, and also the bike of choice. Cycling lights come in a wide variety of output features and levels, thus you need to be careful in choosing the best one.
Bike lights for urban use and commuting
If you’re commuting in an urban area and the path or road is well-lit, then your top priority is to ensure you are seen by other road users. Safety lights mostly have at least one consistent lighting mode aside from the multiple flashing modes. They also provide higher levels of side visibility, thus you can be seen at intersections by other road users and pedestrians.
Check these factors which you have to consider when buying bike lights
Brightness
- The most usual descriptor you’ll find on light is Lumen, though it doesn’t exactly tell the entire brightness story, still, it’s an ideal place to begin. Having more lumens, the more light is being emitted. There’s more that goes into brightness compared to the number of lumens yet all other things being even, there is a greater intensity once there is a higher lumen count. For commuters, it is vital to have a bright light that can be seen day and night and doesn’t blind approaching traffic.
Battery
- Most lights will either require batteries or a USB rechargeable. The latest lights are USB rechargeable with a similar battery a Lithium-Ion which saves you money by avoiding buying batteries and being convenient and easy to keep charged. For lights that need batteries, it’s worth ensuring they can be attained easily from the service station or supermarket.
Bulb Types
- LEDs are usually responsible for radiating in modern lights, restoring the halogen bulbs. LEDs are far more well-ordered than halogen lights, using lesser energy to create a similar amount of light.
Weight
- Lights normally differ in weight based on their battery size and brightness. You have to expect that front lights usually weigh a little more compared to the rear ones.
