While looking for cycling lights, you first need to ask yourself this: do you want to see or be seen? Or both? Yeah, for keeping cycling safe, bike lights are important. These accessories have come a long way with LEDs & extended battery life. Everything that remains is to choose the right one.
This article will help you to select the best bike lights online to meet your needs.
1) Types of Bike Lights
A well-lit bike has a front, side, and backlight to ensure pedestrians and motorists your visibility. For traveling or driving after dark, particularly on trails far away from ambient light sources, your front light should be a high-performance lighting device so that you can see far.
- High-output lighting systems: In general, these light systems provide full illumination and are rechargeable. They are more expensive, but they are much brighter than safety lights, and they allow you to see in nearly every condition where you are on a path or road.
- Front, side, and rear safety lights: They help motorists see you in dim light conditions. The brightest ones would also boost visibility in the daytime. They’re not bright enough, though, to help you see where you’re going for most night riding.
2) Mounting
Many lights feature simple mounting systems that use plastic clips or brackets and hand screws that make them easy to switch from a bike to a bike. The required attachments for the handlebars are also included.
Your rear safety light should be placed on your seat post; additionally, you can clip more into back pockets or backpacks. Also, some bike packs and jerseys have a dedicated loop to connect the taillight.
3) Brightness
Different lamps give different lumen ratings, which is a measure of how well the lamp illuminates the subject at a certain point. Don’t presume, however, that higher lumens would automatically result in brighter light. The architecture of the lens and bulb housings are also factors that affect the level of brightness.
Some lights have a centered, narrow beam that illuminates a smaller area at a greater distance and a wider beam that enhances your peripheral vision (preferably in traffic). Lights usually deliver between 40 and 500 lumens, so be sure to review these and other features as well.
4) Battery Life
Several rear lights and most bike headlights have different lighting modes such as high intensity, low intensity, and strobe mode (flash, blink). In these situations, the light should indicate a different max battery life for each setting. The lower the strength you set the light, the longer the battery lasts. Some lights have a charge indicator that lets you know just how much life is left, which can definitely come in handy.
If your commute takes you on any unlit roads or trails, you’ll want better front lights so you can ‘shine’ as well as ‘be seen.’ And the knogis the right place to get the best bike lights online that make sure your commute is safe.