Bright Lights – All the Better to See Where you are Going

If you are one of those people that likes to stick to the routine of riding your bike to work no matter what the weather or the time of year then you need to make sure that you are well equipped for when the light mornings and long light nights of Summer turn into the dark mornings and early evenings / late afternoons of Autumn and Winter.

Maybe work doesn’t enter into it and you just enjoy going out for a ride a few times per week. No matter what your reason if you intend to ride in the dark then you need to ensure you are equipped with appropriate lights. This is not just a sensible health and safety concern but it’s also the law.

There are two reasons for having sufficient light on the front of your bike. The first is that you need to be seen by pedestrians and other traffic using the road. The second is that you need to be able to see where you are going.

Up until recently, to have a light of sufficient power on the front of your bike that would satisfy the second reason would mean having a normal bulb lamp that due to the power consumption would house large enough batteries to keep it lit for more than a few minutes at a time, or one that was connected to a dynamo driven by your wheels which make it feel like you are riding through treacle.

There is an alternative to both these solutions now though. Advancements in technology have meant that previously dim and pretty much useless for seeing where you are going LED lights have been replaced with bright and powerful LED units capable of not only making sure you are seen but also that you can see where you are going.

Some manufacturers such as Cateye and Exposure are now offering single LED lights rated in excess of 1500 candle power.