Bike Lights

Here is a link to another article I wrote for Tri Alliance and extract below:

At Tri Alliance, we encourage you to train on your bicycle throughout the entire year and crank out early morning km with a quality set of lights. It is a legal requirement to use bike lights in Australia and the law states that bike lights are a must when daylight fades (this includes cloudy days). This is why it is essential that all cyclists are seen and are safe when riding on the roads especially at night.

My bike (and the way I have my lights)

They ensure that car drivers can see you from a distance and be alerted to you and your bike on the road. Almost all bicycle lights use LED bulbs as they are more reliable and use much less battery power, whilst also offering much higher levels of brightness. Used in flashing mode, they are very good at attracting attention from other road users (this includes other cyclists). It is recommended to use at least two rear bike lights where possible, a common configuration is one flashing and one in constant, this is highly advisable just in case one stops or becomes obscured. In Australia, if your rear light is to be placed on the seat stay, it is recommended that it be placed on the chain side due to visibility of other road users behind you.

BRIGHTNESS – Is the light bright enough? – When riding at night it’s essential to have a light that provides you with the right level of illumination for your riding needs. Light brightness is measured in Lumens, and the more Lumens a light has the greater its power output will be.

MOUNTING – Is the light easy to attach to my bike? – To get the maximum benefit of your light on the road or trails it’s important that the lighting unit is securely fastened to your bike. Lights come equipped with a mounting bracket device and this is meant to create a solid attachment to the handlebars for front lights and seat post for rear lights. Mounting brackets usually require no tools and often incorporate a twist dial to tighten. A simple and reliable mounting bracket is essential as it ensures that the your light will be easy to install and easy to use

BATTERIES – Will the battery be rechargeable? – The vast majority of bike lights today come with a rechargeable Lithium battery which is lightweight. Brighter front lights for maximum visibility will often come with an extra battery pack which is to be attached on the handlebars or top tube separately.

RUN TIMES – Will the light last long enough for my ride?- It’s essential to know that your light’s battery life can last the duration of your bike ride. If a light ceases to work while you’re riding at night it will be a major safety risk for you and other road users. Bike lights are designed to run for a specific time period until the battery runs out and requires charging again. Run times are also dependant on the light systems settings. Many lights have their Lumen outputs split over selected beam displays such as low, medium and high.

BULB TYPE – What type of lighting system is best? – Cycle light technology has moved on greatly over the years, traditional ‘bulb’ lights have been more or less replaced by LED and HID systems. When cycling at night with low levels of visibility we recommend you use a LED bulb as this will provide the right amount of power output.