How to choose a bicycle light?
1) Brightness.
The brightness of a light is measured in lumens. To give a figure for comparison, a car light produces around 700 lumens. Bike lights can range from 15 to 1500 lumens or more depending on the light. So how do you choose the right light for your bike?
road cycling
If a bike is used solely for road cycling, then the light does not need to be as bright as a bike used for off-road cycling. Even so, when you’re driving down the road, you still need to be seen by all the traffic out there. There may also be sections of a road that are not lit by streetlights. All of these factors must be considered when selecting a bike light. For road biking, where you might just be commuting from home to work, you probably don’t need a front light that shines more than 200 lumens. If there are dark sections along the route, perhaps 400 lumens is needed. A taillight would need far fewer lumens as it is more about making sure traffic sees you rather than lighting your way.
off road cycling
For off-road biking, a much brighter light would be needed to be able to see what hazards are ahead. There probably isn’t any other form of lighting where you’re biking, and therefore the light you have should provide all the light for safe off-road travel. Here you want to consider a light with a minimum of 600 lumens, but it may be safer to go for 800 to 1000 lumens.
A compromised light might be one of the Lezyne lights which has a powerful “overdrive” feature that gives a very bright light for off-roading, but is a normal 200 to 600 for normal highway use. Such a light could be the Lezyne 600 LX Macro unit, which can produce anywhere from 15 to 600 lumens for normal use and 900 lumens for off-road use.
Other aspects to consider when buying a bicycle light
2) Side visibility.
Another factor when traveling on the road is lateral visibility. It is all very well to be highly visible to the front and rear, but at intersections you must be seen by traffic from the side.
Many bike lights have a “leakage” factor built in so that the light casts some light to the side of the light. It is even possible to buy lights specifically designed to illuminate the side of the bike.
Alternatively, you can rely on good bright reflective strips or lights that attach to the spokes of the bike to provide high side visibility.
3) Connection to your bike.
Another factor to consider is how easy or difficult it is to attach the light to a bike. Some lights have rigid mountings and some have very flexible ones. All of them will have to withstand some vibration from the roads or tracks where the motorcycle circulates. This is especially true in off-road driving. How easy or not would it be to plug in the light in the dark and cold, when you may be wearing gloves?
4) Battery charging time.
Depending on the light you get, you’ll also need to consider how long it takes to charge. If you use a bike for a regular commute, it can be easy to charge your bike light while you’re at work. Some lights can be charged in a couple of hours, but some take up to 5 hours to charge.
5) Download time.
A bike light is only as good as how long it’s on, so another factor to consider is how long the battery will last. It has to last as long as the trip you’re taking, or you’ll need to carry a spare light or battery depending on your light.
6) How strong/robust is the light built?
A bike light needs to be strong and sturdy. Even if it is just to go to work, it is quite possible that the bike will slide in cold and slippery weather and the light will hit the ground. It is also possible that it will fall off when turning a light on or off the bike.
7) Waterproof or waterproof construction.
A bike light will get wet whether it’s being used for commuting or riding off-road. Therefore, you need to consider how waterproof a light is.
conclusion
Ultimately, your choice of light is determined by what you’re going to use it for, but it’s good to get one or two lights that suit the particular use you need it for.