Welcome to bicycling for beginners
If you are considering riding your bicycle at night, in low light conditions or during poor visibility such as fog, wintery showers and/or heavy rain you will need a high quality set of Bicycle Lights. The originally cars and bicycles used acetylene or carbide lamps which were dim and temperamental. The early lamps were superseded by those powered by lead-acid batteries and the more practical option of using a dynamo instead of batteries soon followed . The original style of dynamo would rest against the tyre wall and make an irritating noise whilst riding and the inconsistent illumination would increase and decrease with your speed and cease altogether when you stopped riding. Battery lamps improved with the introduction of alkaline batteries but were basically just re-designed flash lights with bicycle brackets. Although cheap to buy they were expensive to run in the days before efficient rechargeable battery technology, heavy, unreliable and only provided a small amount of illumination. These early safety lamps were all about being visible whilst cycling but times have changed for the cyclist and now cycle lights are much more advanced. Modern bicycle headlights and are similar to motorcycle lights and are designed not just to be seen but to also provide clear illumination of the road or trail ahead.
In the interest of safety it is important to be visible to motorist and pedestrians during night or low light riding. Laws differ in different countries and regions so it is worthwhile checking the legislation for your specific area.
Most cycle legislation shares the same premise of having reflectors, a rear lamp and a front lamp. It is also possible to increase visibility by wearing high visibility clothing or strips. The easiest lighting solution is to buy a set of cheap cycle lights. This would consist of a front cycle light with a clear lens and a rear cycle light with a red lens. The difficult part is choosing which type to buy with such an expansive array of products on the market. Hopefully my article will shed some light on the subject!
LED Cycle Lights
An affordable and reliable option for a child's bicycle or for completing short rides (like the school run) for the occasional rider would be a set of Smart E-line lights or similar (available from online retailers including Amazon). These a very simple battery operated by high output LED lights that are easy to fit, reliable and aesthetically adequate. These are good visibility safety lights for bicycle riding where there is already adequate street lighting. There are also some more expensive bicycle lights that use LEDs. If you are planning to cycle often in poor light or at night it might be worthwhile investing in rechargeable bicycle lights. This will save you a lot of money on batteries.
Dynamo Bicycle Lights
If you really do resent having to spend money on batteries then a dynamo might be the best option. It seems that these products are incorrectly named because they are actually miniature power generators or alternators. However, the term dynamo seems to have seeped into the human consciousness and no amount of marketing jargon will change it. The good news is that modern dynamos are much improved and with the introduction of electrical capacitors they can produce light even when the bicycle is stationary (for a short time). It is remarkable that tyre wall dynamos are still on the market! There are several different types of bicycle light dynamo on the market but the most popular are the tyre side-wall type (aka bottle dynamo - due to their shape) and the more expensive wheel hub dynamos. Whatever the exact design the principal remains the same.
Halogen Cycle Lights
If you require bright bike lights then you need to consider a halogen cycle lights. These cycle lamps were designed for use of off-road (i.e. mountain biking) but have also been adopted by commuters and road cyclists. Halogen cycle lights will be powered by NiMH, lead-acid or Lithium-ION (LI-ION) battery packs. The main advantage of these cycle lights being their adjustable beam to cater for different terrain or conditions. Good value for money and well worth looking for cheap high-output sealed unit halogen lights. Halogen lights can be quite heavy due to their size and the batteries or battery packs required.
High Intensity Discharge (HID) Cycle Lights
HID cycle lights are the brightest and most efficient lights available for bicycles. The technology behind these bicycle lights has filtered down from the motor vehicle industry. HID (aka Halide) cycle lights are the most expensive on the market but this can only be expected given that they are by far the best in terms of brightness and energy efficiency.
It is unfortunate that thieves have a tendency to target bicycle accessories including lights. It worth considering this aspect when deciding which type of lights fulfil your requirements. If you intend to leave your bicycle in public places (for example at a college) it worth ensuring that your lights are easy to remove and/or light enough to be carried in your pockets/bag or satchel (a great old word there - nobody has a satchel these days, do they?). Sadly, this is true of all cycle accessories including cycle computers which can easily be left on the handlebars and unlikely to still be there when you return.
To conclude, there are a lot a bicycle lights out there on the market and some are clearly better than others. However it is more a case of finding the best suited to your own cycling requirements. Cat Eye is one of the most popular brand names of bicycle lights that springs to mind. I have allegiance to any brand but no others come to mind at this point in time. Another popular trend (perhaps more with MTBs, off roaders etc) is the cycle helmet light. These are very similar (or actually the same) in design to the ones cavers and pot-holers use. The benefit of using a cycle helmet light is that they aim light directly where you are looking. Just remember to turn it off when you get home or you might burn your partners eyeballs out - they will certainly be dazzled by you!
James Riddle
