What are the best Bicycle Lights?

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 The early lamps were superseded by those powered by lead-acid batteries and the more practical option of using a dynamo instead of batteries soon followed .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

Clipless Pedals and Cycle Shoe Cleats

Welcome to Bicycling for Beginners

It comes as no surprise that some cyclists find the concept of clipless pedals confusing. The innovative clipless pedal superseded the less fashionable cage and strap style of toe-clips that were still popular in the 1980's. Clipless cycle pedals quickly became popular with cyclists because they are generally lighter and with practice much simpler to use. The concept is exactly the same as toe clip and straps but involves more of an initial investment. A concern of many cyclist (myself included having used toe-clips and straps in the past) is the problem of removing the foot quickly when you need to stop. The only genuine problem is when you are forced to stop suddenly or unexpectedly for example by an inconsiderate motorist or pedestrian (often the case in my own experience). It has to be noted that a competitive cyclist rarely makes any unnecessary stops.

Clipless pedals are specifically designed to allow the cyclist to be able to clip-in and clip out of the pedal easily. The investment is much greater because the cyclist has to buy a system of pedals and compatible clipless cycle cleats. The cleat refers to the projecting metal or hard rubber (or plastic) incorporated into the underside (sole) of the cycle shoe to provide traction. These types of cycle shoes are now often referred to simply as cleats by retailers, cyclists and enthusiasts. There are many different variations of design often separated by the style of cycling, for example road cyclist would generally use a single sided clip-in pedal. Extreme cyclists (including Mountain bikes MTB's) are more suited to double sided clip-in pedals. The pedals incorporate float systems (springs) that allow a small amount of sideways movement from the foot. To clip-in the cyclist only has to engage the clipless cycle cleat shoe into the pedal and press down. To clip-out the cyclist only has to turn the heel of the shoe to release it. In the event that cyclist participate in both (or more) sports then he/she must decide whether to buy separate pedals and cleats for each bicycle (for example road and mountain bikes) or buy one system to use for both sports.

Although it is natural to initially feel apprehensive about using clipless cycle pedals and cleats they do have several advantages. A clipless pedal system provided the cyclist with a more efficient method of pedalling. This is because the foot is firmly attached to the pedal (via the cleat) and utilises the entire revolution of the pedal stroke or cadence. So maintaining the same cadence (crank speed) the cyclist is getting more power from the same amount of effort. When the foot is not attached firmly to the pedal the cyclist only utilised the power from the down stroke (when pushing downward on the pedals). Using clip less pedals the cyclist can pedal more efficiently by also utilising the energy from the up-stroke - which has to be done before applying another down stroke. The outcome is clearly that for the same amount of energy a cyclist can ride further or faster with less fatigue. An additional benefit being that the rider reduces the risk of muscle injury or dehydration from over exertion - except for the fact that a competitive rider would simply go for more speed! (FTW)

Advantage

• Improved power and performance
  

Disadvantages

• Expensive
  
• Shoes (cleats) and pedals have to be compatible
  
• You cannot use the pedals without the shoes (so no going to get the paper in your slippers!)
  
• May be uncomfortable for cyclist who have had knee injuries
  
• Painful injuries*
  

*Obviously there are some disadvantages but it has to be stated that once the cyclist is used to the system, injuries (from not unclipping the shoes from the pedal) are unlikely to occur. Painful injuries applies to sudden impact or unexpected incident when the feet are attached to the pedal (via the cleats).

There are several popular brands of clipless pedal on the market. Shimano Pedalling Dynamics (Shimano SPD - copied by some brands) is a popular choice for mountain bikers. Other popular brands of clipless pedal include Crank Brothers, Wellgo SPD, Ritchey SPD, Speedplay (Frogs), Look and Time (ATAC) - often called ATTACKS. Crank Brothers designed a four sided clip-in pedal known as the "Egg Beater" which can be used for road or off-road cycling. Some cyclist have noted that SPD style pedals can take some getting used to due to their smaller size. Look pedals are a popular choice with beginners to clipless cycle pedals. Touring cyclists prefer to use pedals that can be clipped in on one side but also have a conventional flat side that can be used without cleats. This type of pedal may suit the cyclist who like to nip down the shop for a newspaper in his/her slippers. Later designs of clip-in pedals (based on the requirements of the cyclist) are likely to allow most pedals to be used with or without cleats as this technology becomes more advanced.

If toe-clip and straps or clipless cycle pedals do not appeal to your style of riding or budget a less expensive and environmentally friendly alternative is available. I recently discovered an inventive product on the market called feetbelts. These are toe straps that are made from recycled seat belts and attached to the pedals with bolts. They can be adjusted to fit your footwear choice so it doesn't matter so much about your choice of cycling shoes. A very interesting option for the less committed cyclist. Less of an investment and more convenient than the old fashioned caged toe-clips of the past. I have not tried these but would reserve some doubt about removing the feet quickly (if you have them quite tight - as required for them to work properly). They are very similar to Power Grips (Power Grip Sport Pedal and Strap Sets).

There is no doubt that for most cyclist who invest in clipless pedals and cleats there is no turning back. Please read my next post about the Bicycle Lights

James Riddle